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Monthly Archives: March 2009

Teleseminar Secrets Reunion TSS09 Event Review

Posted on March 13, 2009

On March 6 and 7, I attended Alex Mandossian’s Teleseminar Secrets Reunion  – check out my album on flickr. I didn’t tweet much or live blog at all. Why? Alex is a fantastic speaker and one who deserves complete attention. So, I went back to taking notes the old-fashioned way: in a spiral notebook. It’s more liberating and I got much more out of the content.

Phenomenal is the only word that describes the networking.

Want to follow the Teleseminar Secrets folks on twitter? Check out Mari Smith’s TSS reunion twitter directory and Pat and Lorna’s spectacular list of Teleseminarians on twitter and their websites.

Teleseminar Secrets Reunion 2009 Review

Here’s what I liked most about the day and a half program and what I’d like to suggest you test at your events.

  • Limit attendance to 150 for a group that is intimate, yet big enough to explore.
  • Give people a networking guide. In this case, who are you, why are you here and who is your best prospect. This way, everyone’s sorting for the same information.
  • Set expectations and go over the rules of the game up front. Alex set the tone by requesting that everyone listen to an audio guide before we got to the conference. I downloaded the file and started to listen to it on my flight. It starts out with some high-energy, groovy music. So, I turned it up. About three seconds later, the flight attendant came by and said “You’re not plugged in.” Oops . . . while the incident did make the people around me laugh, it was embarrassing. Never say I don’t know how to get attention.
  • “Pack My Bag” moments – Alex tested this out for the first time. Here’s how it works: anytime you feel like you’ve gotten enough value and you could go home, it’s a pack my bag moment. You stand up, say “I’m packing my bags.” and tell the group your moment.
  • Chart out your life’s defining events – what was your life like at the time: lousy, ho-hum or great? Alex went back 20 years. Why not chart out your life over the next 20 years and see what you’d like to accomplish?
  • Reach higher achievement by following 12 principles that make good entrepreneurs great. The top 3 for me:
  1. Focus on improving, not just inventing.
  2. Focus on relationships, not just transactions.
  3. Focus on a positive no thanks, not just a yes.
  • Speed Networking: what I offer/what I want. “Networking in business is not a matter of what you know, or who you know. It is mostly a matter of WHO knows YOU.” Alex Mandossian
  • Repurpose your content. As Alex went over 32 ways, a bike mechanic built a wheel with 32 spokes.
  • Display products and props on the stage. So many times speakers present on an empty stage.
  • Treat your people like family.
  • Host a party. Thanks to Marty Fahncke of Conference Call University for hosting a mentor/mentee dinner. I was honored to be selected as one of 12 mentors who could bring a guest. Artist Tara Reed, one of my fellow mastermind members, was my guest. 

    • Were you at the Teleseminar Secrets Reunion? What was your biggest takeaway?

    5 Comments - Posted in Internet Marketing, Marketing Blog, Teleseminars Tagged with: ,

    Wired Writing : How to Optimize Your Presence Online for Job Seekers

    Posted on March 9, 2009

    Today I did something I’ve never done before: speak to job seekers about writing. Thanks to Carlos Hernandez, a friend from San Francisco I met at BlogWorld in 2007, I was honored to be the speaker at GraceWorks.

    I didn’t tell the group my own job-seeker stories about . . .

    - how I graduated from college and couldn’t find a job at all [problem: limited search to my hometown of Danville, Illinois]

    - how I got fired from my first job [problem: product, tacky eyewear, really – nobody wants to wear cheap sunglasses]

    - how I only moved to Chicago to find a job after being out of work for three months

    - how I’ve really been out on my own for almost 20 years. In that time, I filled out only one job application to teach as an adjunct faculty member. I was shaking when I filled it out, even though I “had a job” – a stable group of clients. The thought of going back to work for someone else was too scary. But, owning your own business isn’t for everyone. 

    This is a different crowd than the entrepreneurs I usually speak to. For those groups, I talk about getting business, customers and visibility. It’s more about branding online. But, when you think about it, job seekers aren’t so different. They need to brand themselves, too.

    Here’s the program description:

    Charging the Wired Writer Within: Revitalizing Your Job Search, Barbara Rozgonyi

    Date: Monday March 9, 2009

    Time: 8:30 am – 11:00 am

    Location: Wilsey Room

    Notes: No matter what your English grades were like in school, chances are your teachers taught you how to write for print. But, great grammar and spotless spelling isn’t what you need to succeed in writing online. In this presentation, you’ll learn how to compose, format, package and send your message so it get action. You can use these skills every day in every message you compose to be read online.

    Top takeaways

    - how to reinvent and re-purpose your writing across communication channels with wired writing

    - essential job search communications components that get you noticed

    - action steps you can take today to optimize your online persona immediately

    Barbara Rozgonyi heads up CoryWest Media, LLC, a virtual marketing and public relations firm based in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

    Known for specializing in positioning its clients as leading resources by the media, their market and the community at large, www.CoryWestMedia.com creates business for business in the corporate sector and promotes community action in the not-for-profit sector.

    Clients include Fortune 50 companies, global consultancies, non-profits and local businesses. An experienced instructor, Barbara created the curriculum for the marketing execution 301 class at The Non-Profit Academy for Excellence within College of DuPage.

    A founding member of Chicago’s Social Media Club chapter, Barbara publishes www.wiredPRworks.com, a marketing and PR blog recently ranked in the top 65 marketing blogs by content. “LinkedIn PR: 10 Ways to Quickly Become a Subject Matter Expert” is Wired PR Work’s most popular post. A social media evangelist, Barbara posts frequent updates @wiredprworks on twitter.com.

    Here’s the presentation. Were you there? How would you improve this presentation?

    6 Comments - Posted in Branding

    Chicago Social Media and Storytelling Event for Speakers and Coaches

    Posted on March 4, 2009

    nsail I am thrilled to be speaking at this event, hosted by the National Speakers Association of Illinois. Wendy Piersall, @emom, and Johnny Campbell, the Transition Man and I will be talking about social media for speakers, coaches and consultants. If you’re in Chicago, I hope you can join us for this Fabulous Friday event that includes a family style lunch at @Maggianos in Oak Brook on March 20. Landed here looking for a storytelling social media speaker? Here’s my speaker page.

     

    NSA Illinois Fabulous March 20 Friday Event Details 

    Topic: Story Tell, Story Sell: Sales Through Storytelling, morning session and Master Social Media, afternoon session

    Format: networking begins 9:15, meeting is 10:00-2:30, family style lunch included

    Location: Maggiano’s (click here for directions)
    240 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL, 60523
    630-368-0300

    Register online or call Sue Black at 630-208-0776

    COST: $59.00 members, $69.00 nonmembers, $79 for all others, $89 at the door

    Morning Session: Story Tell, Story Sell: Sales Through Storytelling

    As a speaker, trainer, consultant, coach or subject matter expert, your can utilize stories to connect from the platform, persuade prospects in sales situations and even help existing clients better understand additional ways you can serve them!

    In this interactive program Craig Harrison will show us how to leverage the power of storytelling to share past success stories with audiences, clients, prospects and customers. Using story from the platform you can inspire and illustrate learning points. In sales situations your use of story offers a soft sell that subtly brings buyers to you. Craig will reintroduce us to story and make it our friend again!

    • Discover Craig’s simple three-part format for telling success stories
    • Learn to tell short stories that showcase your skills, experience, values and style
    • Prospect your past for success stories you can use
    • Build trust and credibility through your stories
    • Connect on a heart-level when echoing universal and archetypal themes
    • Receive tips for telling and observe story coaching to improve impact and effectiveness

    About your presenter:
    Professional speaker and storyteller Craig Harrison has been telling tales since the age of eleven when he went door-to-door in his hometown of Berkeley California selling Used Jokes.

    The adult Craig Harrison founded Expressions of Excellence!™ to provide sales and service solutions for organizations and individuals.

    Craig is the founder of NSA’s Storytellers PEG, past chairman of the Sales PEG, past president of the Northern California chapter of NSA, and has been an NSA member since 1997.

    Craig is also a leader in the National Storytelling Network, and is competing his sixth year as a board member of the Storytelling Association of Alta California, producers of the Bay Area Storytelling Festival. Under the name of Hackin’ ‘Boo, Craig has told stories in China, Japan, Australia and here on Turtle Island. For more on Hackin’ ‘Boo visit www.HackinBoo.com. For more information on Craig’s sales and service offerings, visit www.ExpressionsOfExcellence.com.

    Afternoon Session:

    Master Social Media

    Learn and leverage social media tools such as Blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more – to sell, find new clients and even procure sponsors.
    Social media gurus share their success and expertise
    Wendy Piersall, Founder and CEO of Sparkplugging.com, the largest blog network dedicated to home resources for solo business owners. Follow Wendy on twitter @emom.
    Barbara Rozgonyi, owner of Cory West Media, publisher of blog, www.wiredPRworks.com and founding member of Chicago’s Social Media Club. Follow Barbara on twitter @wiredprworks.
    Johnny the “Transition Man” Campbell, NSA-IL member and social media trainer who has taught hundreds how to use social media to book more speeches and sells thousands of dollars worth of products.

    speaker image
    Wendy Piersall

    speaker image
    Barbara Rozgonyi

    speaker image
    Johnny Campbell

    Register online or call Sue Black at 630-208-0776

    COST: $59.00 members, $69.00 nonmembers, $79 for all others and $89 at the door.

    Click here to register online.

    Are you attending this event? What’s your biggest question about how to get social media to work for you?

     

    1 Comment - Posted in Social Media, Speaking Tagged with: ,

    Social Media Bio | Cooler Way to Present Professional Credentials

    Posted on March 1, 2009

    social-media-bio-barbara-rozgonyi Almost two years ago, when I read Rohit Bhargava’s social media bio post, I said, “Hey! I’ve got to do that and I’ve got to write about how cool it is to do that.” Time flies . . . and this format came back to me as I was preparing my presentation for job seekers that’s taking place about a week from now.

    In May 2007, I took the first version of my social media bio to an Internet marketing conference and passed it out to everyone with the explanation that this was a new credential format I was testing and I wanted to get their feedback. I got lots of favorable comments.

    Here’s the latest version, updated today. Click on the image to expand it or read it in it’s entirety below. It’s not as cool as Rohit’s. But, the Word.doc format works well for anyone who wants to give a timeline at-a-glance overview. You’ll see mine focuses on marketing and technology. It’s easy to email, fax or print out.

    This format won’t work for everybody. There will still be times when people will want to see a formal resume. I’m working on updating that format with suggestions for my presentation now.

    What would you include on your social media bio?

     

    Personal Tag: Communications Explorer Forging New Frontiers

    clip_image002Founder: CoryWest Media http://www.CoryWestMedia.com

    Web Publisher: Wired PR Works http://www.WiredPRworks.com

    Virtual Event Producer : Ultimate PR Secrets http://www.UltimatePRsecrets.com

    LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbararozgonyi

    Facebook: http://www.tinyurl.com/3beswe

    Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wiredprworks

    Flickr: http://tinyurl.com/c65t59

    Friendfeed: http://www.friendfeed.com/wiredprworks

    Location: Western Suburbs of Chicago

    Technology/Marketing Timeline Highlights

    1992 Submitted sales training project for Parke-David via dial-up modem

    1996 Entered the Web with first site; up and running with a continuous Web presence ever since

    1998 Ran first user lab at Sears; evaluated a vendor’s online training compliance program at CEO’s request

    1998 Managed the first intranet site launch for Sears and created content for home page

    1999 Contributed to first Web-based recruiting brochure and Website for global consulting firm

    2000 Populated content in Sears credit card privacy site; Organized an all day ewriting seminar for writers

    2001 Wrote ad concept messaging for a high-tech music/news player aimed at Gen Y

    2003 Produced sold out Writing for the Web conference for writers

    2004 Created the Success Summit Series, a marketing guide with a how-to blog component

    2005 Released the Marketing Transformations Process, a 60 to 90 day intensive change-based consulting system

    2006

    Attended Alex Mandossian & Armand Morin’s Internet Marketing Seminar and Armand Morin’s Big Seminar

    Completed Candidate University, a nine month program sponsored by National Speakers Association Illinois

    Created and presented Video Marketing 101, one of the first video marketing programs in Chicago

    Launched ezine and blog

    2007

    Attended Ken McCarthy’s The System Seminar and The System Intensive

    Noted as a fastest growing WordPress blog – twice in one week

    Ranked at #60 in PR Power Blog Index

    Attended BlogHer ’07 on assignment to live blog

    Won a trip to BlogWorld and New Media Expo in the LinkedIntelligence contest

    Mentioned in David Meerman Scott’s book, “The New Rules of Marketing & PR”

    Created Marketing Execution 301, 16 hours, at The Academy of Nonprofit Excellence for College of DuPage

    Quoted in Christian Century about Financial Freedom, a debt management course

    Profiled in Liberty Suburban News as “Perpetually Plugged In”

    Presented Blogging for Business in Chicago, sponsored by PRO and Harris

    Speaking: Virtual PR for National Association of Catering Execs DC; Enlivened Writing Workshop for Women Employed

    2008

    Featured as Online PR expert in “Market with Authority” and on The Bigg Success Show

    Designed Hands-on Fear-Free How to Blog Workshop live events

    Covered SOBCon08, System Seminar, BlogHer, BlogWorld New Media Expo and Search Engine Strategies [press pass]

    Participated in launching Chicago Social Media Club, co-founder, advisory board

    Named to Junta 42’s top marketing blog content providers list

    Ranked on AdAge Power 150, included on Alltop and named as a leading PR blog on several lists

    2009

    Speaking Engagements: West Suburban Women Entrepreneurs, It’s Chic to Be Geek, Electrology Association of Illinois, National Speakers Association-Illinois, GraceWorks San Francisco, emcee for Social Media Club Chicago

    Presentations: LinkedIn 101, Social Media Sampler

    Attending Alex Mandossian’s Teleseminar Secrets Student Reunion event

    Multimedia

    Producer “Ultimate PR Secrets” virtual PR seminar http://www.ultimateprsecrets.com

    Interviews on Behind the Fame Show and The Bigg Success Show

    Engagement Options

    Speaking/Training: live, live broadcast or via teleseminar, includes built-in promotion and PR components

    Strategy/Coaching/Consulting: integrated marketing, blogging and public relations

    Partnership: collaborative, consulting, creative or joint venture, 630.942.9542 or barbaraATcorywestmedia.com

    1 Comment - Posted in Social Media, Speaking Tagged with: