Podcast appearances and mentions of christy haussler

Does your business need a podcast? Today's show focuses on this unique way of sharing content, expanding your influence, and growing your business. I'm excited to bring you this interview with my podcast producer from Team Podcast. You'll learn why now is still a great time to start a podcast, how to get started, and why podcasting is a super effective medium to reach ideal clients in your niche. We also discuss how to make sure your podcast is bringing in leads and making money, along with creative ways to use AI tools and repurpose podcast content. Join us to learn more!Christy Haussler is the CEO and founder of Team Podcast. She is a passionate leader in podcast production and marketing with a specific focus on helping podcasters monetize their content. Her journey in the world of digital media led her to recognize the immense potential of podcasts, prompting her to establish Team Podcast. Under her guidance, the company excels in providing exceptional production and strategic marketing services, enabling content creators to produce high-quality podcasts and monetize them. Her innovative approach and deep understanding of the podcasting landscape have made her a respected figure in the industry. Through her work, Christy empowers podcasters to turn their passion into a profitable venture, all while ensuring that their stories reach and resonate with audiences worldwide. As a true Pisces, Christy enjoys the serene environment of Key West, Florida, where she lives close to the water with her wife of 20 years and their two beloved dogs. Show Highlights:How Christy came into the world of podcasting as a content consumer and business ownerWhy a podcast is the most unique outlet for a business owner to generate traffic, create connection and community, and resonate with their ideal audienceWhy a podcast builds the Know, Like, and Trust factor like no other marketing platformCommon misconceptions about starting a podcastHow podcasting can help you claim YOUR space and YOUR platform for YOUR businessChristy's tips for those beginning a podcastWhy delegating tasks and hiring help can be the best first steps in leveraging your ROIChristy's tips for monetizing your podcastHow to generate leads for your business by podcasting with out-of-the-box thinkingWhy you are lagging behind if you aren't using AI tools What Christy's astrology chart shows about her innovation, creativity, discipline, transformative power, and entrepreneurshipHear Christy's answers to rapid-fire questions about helpful advice, morning routine, and what she's reading and recommending. Resources:Connect with Christy Haussler and Team PodcastWebsite (Schedule a free call with Christy today!)Books recommended by Christy:Trust Me, I'm Lying, by Ryan Holiday$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers to Want to Buy Your Stuff, by Alex HormoziConnect with PaulaThe Cosmic Business Lab is now open! This is a year-long program with me going deep into the business strategies I've used to build my six-figure business. You'll get access to resources, courses, and three calls a month, plus bonus calls with guest experts. Are you ready to uplevel? Join here.Upgrade to the Cosmic Business Mastermind, which gives you personalized...

As rewarding as it is to start your own podcast and share your knowledge and expertise with the world, there is one thing that makes it even better--and that's monetizing your podcast. Wouldn't it be a dream come true to make money from your podcast? You might think it's the impossible dream, but today's show brings practical information and simple tips for monetization that can expand your reach, extend the life of your podcast, and free up more of your time for quality content creation.Christy Haussler is the founder of Team Podcast, a full-service podcast editing and production company. She's been my podcast editor since 2015, when I realized I needed help with podcast editing. Christy and her team work behind the scenes to produce, edit, and upload podcasts, and they are the main reason the STC podcast goes out each week. Christy began her podcast editing service around the same time as STC, and her team currently edits about 60 different podcasts and about 300 episodes each month. Christy has a unique and interesting perspective on what people are doing to create income through podcasting, and she's here to share those insights with us.Mentioned in this episode:You're Invited to Join the Mastermind!Looking for a group of likeminded clinicians to help you grow your practice? You're in the right place. Check it out at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

What Fresh Hell is a finalist for a Signal Award! Please vote for our show to win a People's Choice Award at bit.ly/votesignalaward. Voting closes December 22! Here's the Spotify playlist of our favorite episodes from 2022! In this episode Amy and Margaret discuss: Their past lives Why Polly Pockets are banned in Margaret's house How to know when to walk away - and when to run 2022 has been a great year for What Fresh Hell and for our new podcast network, Adalyst Media. We're excited to bring you more #oldilocks moments, interesting guests, and parenting solutions in 2023. Happy holidays! Special thanks to our Adalyst Media and What Fresh Hell team! Christy Haussler of Team Podcast, Editor Erica Furgiuele, Production Manager Sarah Levithan, Head of Sales at Adalyst Media Gabbi Lindgren, Assistant Director of Operations at Adalyst Media Keila Hill-Trawick of Little Fish, our accountant Special thanks to our sponsors for this month: For trusted protection, choose Pampers, the #1 Pediatrician Recommended Brand. Download the Pampers Club App today to start earning rewards with every diaper & wipes purchase. Aura Frames turns your family's past into the perfect gift, bringing all your favorite photos and videos together in one high-resolution display. Get up to $30 off Aura's best-selling frames at auraframes.com/FRESH. Terms and conditions apply. Author Accelerator's Book Coach Certification program provides resources to help you launch your own thriving business coaching writers. Enroll in the program at bookcoaches.com/podcasts before December 31st to get $600 in book coaching extras. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp has matched 3 million people with professionally licensed and vetted therapists. Learn more and save 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/FRESH. For gifts of all kinds, Etsy has it. Use code MERRY10 at checkout for 10% off your first purchase at etsy.com. Gladskin is clinically proven skincare for people of all ages with eczema, acne, and rosacea. Get 15% off plus free shipping at gladskin.com/FRESH. Give Awesome this holiday with KiwiCo! Get your first month FREE on ANY crate line at kiwico.com/motherhood. Prose is the healthy hair regimen with your name all over it. Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today! Go to prose.com/laughing. Rakuten is an online shopping platform that gives you Cash Back when you shop at thousands of merchants. Start shopping at rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today. StoryWorth is an online service that helps you and your loved ones connect through sharing stories and memories and preserves them for years to come. Save $10 off your first purchase at storyworth.com/whatfreshhell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So you're a podcaster looking to monetize, and all of a sudden out of nowhere you get an email offering a sponsorship for your podcast. It seems too good to be true. Is it? We'll talk about it right after this. Hi there. Welcome to Podcast Monetization Secrets. My name is Christy Haussler and thank you so much for joining me today. I am so glad you're here because that tells me that you are actively looking for ways to monetize your podcast, and I couldn't be happier about that. I feel like podcasters have gotten the short end of the stick and more of you deserve to be paid for the value that you're providing to the world. And I'm on a mission to help as many of you do that in a way that brings value to your life as possible. You've been giving value, you've been providing content at a pretty high cost to yourself. It's time, it's energy, it's money. There's plenty of other things that you could be doing with your time, and because you are choosing to serve some community that you've chosen, Then I believe you deserve to get value back, and the more you serve, the more value you should get. So it should be a very natural exchange. And many times as podcasters, we haven't really figured out how to engineer getting that value back out of our podcast. And that's what I'm here to help you with today. Most of you know if you've been here very long at all. I have a podcast production company called Team Podcast, and that's where I initially started after I started my podcast in 2012. I launched my company end of December, 2013. Really didn't get my first clients till early 2014. And so I've, during that time worked up with over 360 podcasts and many of them wanted to monetize through various ways and I. Even though I don't tell everyone that's podcast sponsorship is a great way to monetize. Cause it's actually the hardest way to monetize. I do work with podcasters to do sponsorships and I manage ads and relationships and that sort of thing with their sponsors and their ads. And so I'm pretty well tied into what's going on in the sponsor space. So I wanted to do a. Update for you today, and I'm gonna be naming names because there are some people right now that I feel like are, I'm just gonna call it preying on the ignorance of some podcasters and if you go into this understanding all the facts and you still decide it's the best decision for you, then that is absolutely fine, But what I don't want you to do is get stuck in something that you don't want to do. And so today I'm gonna talk to you about. A situation that's been happening with a certain company where they are targeting podcasters who probably have not yet gotten heavy into the sponsorship space yet. And what's happening is you'll get an email, and I don't know if you're aware, but once you have an RSS feed or you have your podcast on Apple, Apple requires you to have an email, like even a public contact email within your RSS feed. And so people can use services and software and programs and that sort of thing to pull email addresses in from your RSS feed, and then they can solicit you with cold email. Now, don't get me wrong, you can always. Unsubscribe or block them or whatever. But that's what happens. So it doesn't take long before you, when you're a podcaster, before you start seeing Chartable and other podcast related services begin to send you these emails. And it's not because they found your podcast and found it interesting, but they've just scraped all of the emails. The api, the directory in Apple, and they're contacting you with the email that you have listed for your RSS feed. So that's what's happening. That's what's going on. And there's a particular company right now, I've had them approach several of my podcast clients and I've watched some of the negotiations go back and forth. And so I wanted to just clue you into what's going on. There's this number and it's , how much someone's gonna pay per thousand downloads,...

Learn how to get more leads for your business by implementing a simple change to your website. In this episode, Christy Haussler shares how she was able to increase her conversion rate and get more leads by making a small change to her website. "If you don't have a reliable way to generate leads each month, then I would question whether you might have whether your business is very sound at all."I was having a conversation with some fellow podcasters about the fact that many of us have a hard time monetizing our podcasts. We all agreed that it's a universal problem and that we need to find a way to fix it. I shared with them an example of how I recently had to go back to the basics in my own business in order to increase my conversion rate. In this episode, you will learn the following: 1. How much does it cost to acquire a customer? 2. How can you recapture leads that fall out of your funnel? 3. How to shorten the time between when someone begins planning their podcast and when they're ready to launch? Resources: https://teampodcast.com/challenge (Join the Podcast Monetization Challenge - Sign up here!) Follow me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cahaussler/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGf3vX8ihoVMibG6FdQXb1A Twitter: https://twitter.com/Team_podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christyhaussler/ Website: https://teampodcast.com Transcript:Alright, so today I'm going to talk to you about something that I have struggled with and still am struggling with. And you are too, probably because almost every person that I talk to and every consultation I do, those people have the same problem too. So it seems to be kind of universal. So why don't we talk about it? I'll tell you what it is and how we can fix it right after this. Hi there. Welcome to Podcast Monetization Secrets and I am Christy Haussler and in case you haven't met me yet, I'm the founder of Team Podcast. We're a full service podcast production company and for the last four ish years we have just been going deep, deep, deep on Monetization. And I'm glad that it's now on your radar too, because I firmly believe that we need more podcasts making money. And I've just made a decision in my life that I will not start another podcast unless it can be monetized, unless it's going in that direction. And I'm not saying if you aren't starting it for money that you're wrong, it's just that's not where I'm heading. I think too many people have started podcasts with the hope of making money and they never knew how and they don't know where to go from. I've gotten started and so I don't want to put any more people in that situation where we continue to have podcasts every single month that fade away. And right now it is a good time for us to sometimes go back to the basics. And part of the reason I say this is because you might have felt a little bit of a crunch with like maybe even your revenue dollars or ad dollars or other campaigns that you're doing and money that you're spending on. And you think, how is it that I'm not getting the value that I once did for the money that you're spending? Right? I mean, I think we're in a situation where we're feeling that on every aspect of what we're doing. And so many times when we get in a situation where we can't just rely on throwing money at it and throwing money at an ad campaign to get it to convert, many times we have to go back to the basics. And I'm going to tell you about a situation where I've had to go back to the basics on a couple of things and it really has been a lesson that I'm like, I knew this and I just ignored it and it wasn't even on my radar. So putting it out there on your radar today, we're going to talk about it and make sure that you're not missing it too. But one of the things, if you have a business, if you don't have a reliable way to generate leads each month, then I would sometimes even question whether you might have whether your business is very...

Did you know that within every personality type, you can find your ideal client? The problem is that many times, we only sell to our own personality type and in doing so, only capture a small fraction of our total ideal customers? Why? Because we aren't communicating with others the way they need to hear your offer in order to buy. I'm about to tell you how to fix that…right after this… Hi there, welcome to podcast monetization secrets, my name is Christy Haussler and I'm so thankful that you want to learn how to turn your podcast into a revenue stream, because that's exactly why I'm here too. In case you haven't met me yet, I started podcasting almost 10 years ago, by the time 2 years had flown by, I had opened my full service podcast production company, at a time when they didn't really exist! Team Podcast is my company, and I've worked with almost 300 podcasters to launch, grow and monetize their podcasts, and in 2022, my goal is to monetize 100 podcasts. I'm closing in on the $2 million dollar mark with revenue generated from podcasting, and I want to show  you how you can change your life with podcasting. So lately, I've been diving deep sales skills and how to properly pitch an offer, and I've been learning from some of the best in the business! And, the more I study what works and the techniques that make people effective at sales, the more I realize that my own mental blocks will keep me stuck faster than anything. If you have mental blocks when it comes to marketing, I will confess to you that I do too. I don't want to because I love marketing, but my head trash always gets in the way. Let me give you some examples of the things that I find myself constantly saying both in my head and out loud… “I don't want to come across as salesy” “I'm not going to insult the intelligence of my audience by doing all the rigamorole that experts teach when you are pitching, I'm just going to tell my audience what the offer is and if they want it, they will take it.” “My offer is good enough that I don't have to do a full blown sales pitch to get people to take it.” “I don't want to seem like every other marketer on the internet, so I'm not going to do x,y, or z.” “I don't want people to think all I care about is sales or money.” And the list goes on and on. Have you ever said any of these or something similar? Well then congratulations my friend, you have your share of head trash too. As a content creator, we get hung up on the creation process. We go deep and want to create the best content, but without effective marketing, the best content is doomed to the dustbin of history. With effective marketing, you can actually make a really great living off of a mediocre course or product. If you have taken the DISC personality profile, you are well aware that there are 4 different personality profiles, and depending which one you are, will affect how you communicate and process information. These personality types often draw us to one field or another as a career choice. The High C personality type is probably going to gravitate towards engineering or accounting and other very analytical and precise types of work. A high D personality may be more drawn into entrepreneurship, while a high I may be more interested in social work or nursing. We have to take these personality types into consideration in our marketing. We have to create marketing systems that can speak directly to a High D and give them the option to go ahead and take action, while we need to slow down and go over every single detail and nuance for the High C.  But once each personality type has their objections answered, then they will be ready to take action. I tend to only communicate to others in the way that appeals to me, and you probably do to. Let me give you an example. I was on a mastermind call the other day and a Dr. who deals specifically with

Today, I'm going to talk about the elephant in the room. So, you can have everything perfect on your podcast, but if you don't get this one thing right, you will still struggle to have success. That's right, today I'm getting all up in your business about your money mindset! Hi there, welcome to Podcast Monetization Secrets, my name is Christy Haussler and I appreciate you joining me today. In case you haven't met me yet, I am the Founder and CEO of Team Podcast, a full service podcast production company. I've worked with over 250 podcasts and I've made more than a million dollars podcasting. I'm on a mission to help as many podcasters monetize as possible, and that's why we are here today. Today, I wanted to talk to you about something that I have struggled with over the years, and no matter how much I achieve, it always seems to come back at every level. I'm referring to having money blocks! My money blocks manifest through extreme anxiety.  I can hear my money blocks in my language.  When I tell myself “I can't afford” something.  Then my thoughts are consumed with panic about things that aren't even real. This causes me to want to cheap out on things, and then it always derails me and sets me back from achieving my goals. Does any of this ever happen to you? If so, I'm going to tell you my 3 step framework to overcome my money blocks. Change my internal dialog. Change my external dialog. Do things that scare me. Listen to this episode as I share my personal journey with overcoming my money blocks. Want to learn more? https://www.facebook.com/groups/PodcastMonetizationSecrets (Join our private Facebook group here!) You can also find Christy and her team at www.teampodcast.com! Need help getting your podcast optimized and ready for monetization? Learn more about the Podcast Tune Up https://teampodcast.com/tuneup (here.)

Podcasting is hot right now, that means you can expect a lot of newly minted so called experts, especially in the space of monetization. But we don't share BS advice, that's why I invited Christy Haussler, the founder of Team Podcast and the host of the Podcast Monetization Secrets podcast. Christy has been in the business and worked with dozens of podcasters. When she saw how disheartened podcast hosts with good download numbers were getting about the financial side she decided to step in. She clears up some of the misinformation about how podcast sponsorship really works. More about Christy https://teampodcast.com https://facebook.com/teampodcast    Find Marion Instagram https://www.instagram.com/madmotion/ Find Marion Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/madmotion/   Host: Marion Abrams http://www.madmotion.com/ Editor: Kris Zarnoch https://kmzencreative.com/

2020: seriously, you guys. What was THAT? In this episode we look back at a very problematic year, and toast our survival as we acknowledge our many struggles. We review what we've learned/ hope to learn/ hope to one day never ever think about again. We also discuss what we learned from some of our favorite episodes of 2020, and have gathered them in a playlist here:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4UCfa2pUXKYB653bJVcKsO We also give special thanks to those who work behind the scenes to make this show possible: editor Christy Haussler of Team Podcast: https://www.teampodcast.com/ producer Sarah Levithan social media support from Christina Hart: https://www.instagram.com/itschristinahart/ branding by Jake Lang Digital: https://www.jakelangdigital.com/services cartoon logo by Emily Pelton: https://emilypelton87.wixsite.com/emilypelton * Leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcast app! * Join us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/whatfreshhellcast * Instagram: https://instagram.com/whatfreshhellcast * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WhatFreshHellPodcast * Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/whatfreshhellcast * Twitter: https://twitter.com/WFHpodcast * questions and feedback: info@whatfreshhellpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know I always say that email opt-ins are way more important than downloads in the podcast world, but what should you be doing once you get an email address? The answer to that question is a real problem for most podcasters. Hey Everyone! This is Christy Haussler, CEO and owner of Team Podcast and I’m your host here at Podcast Monetization Secrets. I just want to welcome you to the podcast and let you know I’m glad you found your way here because this is exactly where you need to be to get access to all of the BEST ways YOU can monetize your podcast. In case you don’t know me, I teach podcasters just like you to monetize their podcasts and how to break free from giving away their content or getting stuck in what I call “free content creation mode”. So be sure to subscribe to the Monetization Secrets Podcast from on the platform from which you listen. AND be sure to join us at TEAMPODCAST.com to keep up with the latest podcast monetization secrets, trends, and to sign up for our superb podcast production and podcast monetization services. My team, hundreds of satisfied clients, and I guarantee you will be glad you did! So whether you’re looking for podcast editing, show notes, marketing funnels for your podcast, or any other thing podcast-related, Team Podcast will meet your needs and EXCEED your expectations! So, once again, check us out at http://www.teampodcast.com/ (www.TEAMPODCAST.com). Lately, as I’ve been pivoting Team Podcast more towards helping podcasters monetize through evergreen sales funnels, I’m coming across a glaring problem.  To be honest, I know exactly why it’s a problem, because I have also been plagued by this problem.  The problem is not knowing what to do with your email list once you begin building one. Now, for the die-hard marketers, this is really an unbelievable problem, but to the average business owner, and the average podcaster, it’s a huge gaping hole in our strategy. So first of all, let me tell you the things I think are the root causes of this problem. #1 - First of all, it feels like it’s a place where you should be creating more content. In other words, we aren’t emailing our lists because we either don’t have the time to create more content to send out. I mean, you’re probably already behind on creating content for your podcast and adding something else is just not possible. #2 - Many of us have a technology barrier to making this happen. So, either you’ve got your systems duct taped together trying to function as a cohesive machine and it just doesn’t work. You don’t know what to switch to that will solve this problem without creating a new learning curve for you. #3 - Another reason we aren’t engaging with our email list is because we have a resource issue. Whether that resource is that we don’t have a team member to take over the tasks of email marketing for you, or maybe because you have not made the financial investment in the systems to help automate this process and make it easier. Investing in keeping your email list engaged and ready to hear from you is one of the best investments you will make. If you are subscribed to an email list, where the list owner is active and sending out interesting content and compelling offers regularly, I can guarantee you they have help in making this happen. This is a problem that we all need to get a handle on asap because the more you grow your list, the bigger the problem becomes. I’ve got several new clients that we are doing podcast production for and building marketing funnels for. In consulting with them to assess where they currently were in their marketing journey, they universally knew that their level of engagement with their lists was lacking. They had no process in place to regularly email their list interesting content. And you know what? It didn’t matter the size of their list - some had lists of tens of thousands of people that had basically heard nothing from them since they signed up. Others had...

We have an amazing guest today! We're excited to welcome Christy Haussler, from Team Podcast. Christy is the queen of podcasts, and she has a fascinating story to share. She has helped more than two hundred and fifty people create their podcasts over the last five years. She is exceptionally knowledgeable about how and why you should do a podcast, and about the results that you can expect from doing one.  In today's show, Christy shares her story. She talks about how she pivoted from corporate America to having a business of her own, how she became an entrepreneur, the value of podcasting, and about moving from South Carolina to the Florida Keys with her wife to pursue her dream and start a brand new life. How it all started Christy has a teaching degree but she soon realized that she did not have the right temperament for teaching. And she also realized that she could make a lot more money in business than she would as a teacher. So she started working in call center management, where she was managing both in and outbound sales teams for several Fortune 500 companies. After about sixteen years, and various changes, the call center was closed down and Christy found herself without a job and having to start all over again. Lessons learned One of the lessons that Christy learned is that there's no security in corporate jobs. And often, people simply settle for whatever the corporations want them to do, out of necessity, even if it's not in their best interest or the best interest of their families.  Some beauty in the madness Christy eventually found another job managing a call center, but it was a two-hour drive from where she lived. So she had to drive for four hours each day, just to get to work and back.  There was good in that, however, in that it allowed Christy to listen to every single audiobook in the library. And when the audiobooks ran out, she started listening to podcasts. That was back in 2010-2011 when podcasts were starting to come out. Podcasts presented a whole new world When Christy realized that she could download podcasts using WiFi, and then listen to them later, she felt as if a whole new world had opened up for her.  Automobile university While driving in her car, Christy started learning about business and marketing, and that brought something out of her that she never knew existed before. Starting a podcast Eventually, she started doing a podcast of her own, about local businesses all over the country. It was at a time when local businesses were not yet familiar with podcasts, so Christy modeled her podcast on what the “gurus” were doing at the time.   Pursuing a dream After doing both her podcast and working at her full-time job for some time, Christy and her wife decided to start over again and relocate from South Carolina to a location where most people spend their vacation.  They decided to move to the Florida Keys and start their new life there. Christy left her corporate job and scared herself to death by cutting her income in half and almost tripling her living expenses in pursuit of her dream.  Getting out of your comfort zone If you bravely go ahead with a plan and put yourself out there, you will see how the universe conspires for you, and things just fall into place. Some people call it luck but Christy sees it as a willingness to get out of her comfort zone. Relocating and reinventing themselves Christy and her wife relocated, and they started afresh. They have been working together in their business for the last three years now, and they've been able to achieve both lifestyle design and location independence. Taking just one step at a time Christy discovered that by taking one step at a time, without trying to look at the whole picture, things worked out. So she decided that if a door opened in front of her, she would commit to walking through it, and only then face the next step if it were to present itself. And doors kept opening, and she kept walking through them. New beginnings Christy had no idea when she decided to take only one step at a time, that everything would work out quite as quickly as it did, and that within a year, she and her wife would have settled into their new life in the Florida Keys.  A simple way to move forward Sometimes in business, everything that goes into a big project can be overwhelming. And you may feel that you're not getting things done in the right way.  Christy explains that all you need to do is to look for the next thing that will move the needle for you and commit to doing just that. When it's finished, check it off the list and go on to the next thing. And so on.  And before you know it, you will see that you've made considerable progress towards the project as a whole.  Golden handcuffs Often, the things we think that we want to show our achievements, like a big house or a nice car, end up becoming golden handcuffs or a ball-and-chain when an opportunity arises for us to make a move towards something that will truly fulfill us. Willingness is key If you're willing to give up something good, to achieve something better, you may even find in the end that you have lost nothing at all because the universe conspires for you when you're willing to follow your heart. Podcasts are a great marketing tool Organic traffic is any free traffic to your website. And podcasts have been proven to provide the most organic traffic for any business.  Podcasting can turn a typical marketing experience into an educational experience because the podcast allows you the opportunity to create content specifically for your target audience. Taking the first step Getting going with a new project is more important than perfecting it. You will naturally refine things in time, so get going as soon as you can. The best tool for marketing Podcasting is the best tool for marketing. And it allows you to reach out to people you want to have on your show, or to those you'd ultimately like to have as a client.    Links and resources Recommended book: Start Ugly by Chris Krimitsos Christy's Podcast Monetization Secrets Podcast  Team Podcast Website Join Christy's Facebook Group - Podcast Monetization Secrets   Connect with Eric: On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website If you'd rather watch the video of this interview, subscribe on YouTube

As rewarding as it is to start your own podcast and share your knowledge and expertise with the world, there is one thing that makes it even better--and that’s monetizing your podcast. Wouldn’t it be a dream come true to make money from your podcast? You might think it’s the impossible dream, but today’s show brings practical information and simple tips for monetization that can expand your reach, extend the life of your podcast, and free up more of your time for quality content creation. Christy Haussler is the founder of Team Podcast, a full-service podcast editing and production company. She’s been my podcast editor since 2015, when I realized I needed help with podcast editing. Christy and her team work behind the scenes to produce, edit, and upload podcasts, and they are the main reason the STC podcast goes out each week. Christy began her podcast editing service around the same time as STC, and her team currently edits about 60 different podcasts and about 300 episodes each month. Christy has a unique and interesting perspective on what people are doing to create income through podcasting, and she’s here to share those insights with us. www.sellingthecouch.com/session248  

I talked to some amazing podcast hosts and podcast professionals when I was at Podfest in Orlando. It was a great experience, and many experts were kind enough to share podcast tips that will help podcasters and especially beginners have a smooth start and a show that they feel great about. Super Joe Pardo who runs the Independent Podcast Conference shares the importance of letting your personality shine through and the goal that you should have to move the needle.  Then I talk with Glenn the Geek who has been podcasting since 2006 and has hosted thousands of shows. He runs the Horse Radio Network and the Florida Podcast Network. Glenn talks about the importance of consistency and what sponsors are really looking for. If advertising is something you are interested in, his advice is very useful. Chris Curran from Podcast Engineering School shares tips for microphone technique including how to speak soft and low and speak loudly.  Harry Duran from Podcast Junkies talks about how to leverage the power of SEO in your podcast and how and why you should do that. If legal issues are something you’re concerned about, pay special attention to this next clip from Gordon Firemark, the podcast lawyer. Gordon talks about protecting your brand and content and gives us information on the types of consent forms and contracts that are useful to podcasters.  Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting gives super good advice about what new podcasters really shouldn’t do. Even though it's a common mistake that many make. Jeni Wren Stottrup from Gritty Birds Podcasting gives a great tip for avoiding perfectionism and fear. Craig from Ingles Podcast talks about the importance of audience engagement. Coach Chris from The Personal Branding Playbook talks about how important marketing is. Emily Peck Prokop from E Podcast Productions talks about not trying to do everything all at once, and Christy Haussler from Team Podcast rounds out the show with her advice on rankings and list building.  Show Notes: [03:13] Super Joe Pardo runs the Independent Podcast Conference, and he feels that it's important to have your personality come out in your podcast. The goal all the time is to move the needle and make people feel something. [04:09] Glenn the Geek is from the Horse Radio and Florida Podcast Network. He's been podcasting since 2006. It takes awhile to make money. You need to be consistent. Sponsors are buying you not your show.  [06:27] Go to small companies in your niche. Work with them and involve them from the beginning. [07:53] Chris Curran runs Podcast Engineering School. He teaches people how to engineer and produce podcasts at a professional level. He also hosts the podcast engineering show. [08:43] Microphone technique is really important. Stay close and speak into the microphone from the right angle. You can get closer to sound soft and low. Lean back to say something loud. Be passionate and love what you are talking about. [09:26] Harry Duran is the host of Podcast Junkies. His tip is to leverage the SEO power of podcasting. Choose a name that people are searching for that also speaks to a pain point. [10:08] Be careful how you choose your name and what you put in your description. Choose words that people are searching for. [10:16] Gordon Firemark is the podcast lawyer. Creating media content is big business, so think of yourself as a business. You may need to form a company. [11:10] Protect yourself by protecting your title and your brand. Register a trademark for your brand and a copyright for your content. [11:41] Get consent from your guests in the form of a release. Use royalty free music or make sure you have the proper license. Always use contracts. [13:10] Dave Jackson is from the School of Podcasting. He also works for Libsyn tech support. Don't compare your show to other people's shows.  [14:28] Jeni Wren Stottrup is from Gritty Birds Podcasting. She's a producer, editor, and podcast coach. Once you have a concept of what your show is then get your equipment and record right away. [15:33] Craig from Ingles Podcast says gauge the success of your podcast by audience engagement as opposed to download numbers. [18:30] Coach Chris from The Personal Branding Playbook says sharing episodes instead of marketing them is one of the biggest mistakes he sees podcasters make. [23:10] Emily Peck Prokop from E Podcast Productions says new podcasters need to start with one step at a time and stop trying to do everything at once. [24:01] Christy Haussler from Team Podcast says not to focus on ranking in iTunes categories because it won't translate to anything tangible. The list is a vanity metric. Every podcaster should begin with an offer of something free to build their email list.  [26:13] Darrell's takeaways: Build that email list. Sponsors are buying you. Don't get too clever with your podcast name. Make your podcast name easily searchable. Focus on engaging with your audience. Provide a way for your listeners to engage with you. Keeping a spreadsheet of your listeners is really helpful. Focus on one thing at a time.  Links and Resources: Pro Podcast Solutions You Don’t Need Thousands of Downloads To Sell Ads – The Return of Glenn The Geek Podfest Glenn The Geek Florida Podcast Network  Super Joe Pardo Independent Podcast Conference Chris Curran Podcast Engineering School Podcast Junkies Gordon Firemark Podcaster's Legal & Business Toolkit (Template Bundle) School of Podcasting The Happiness Lab Gritty Birds Podcast Editing Ingles Podcast SpeakPipe The Personal Branding Playbook Coach Chris E Podcast Productions Team Podcast Cliff Ravenscraft Mindset Strategies That Go Beyond Podcasting With Cliff Ravenscraft

This is the 100th episode of this podcast.  I am incredibly grateful to each of you for listening!  Three years ago, I didn’t know where this blue ocean strategy would lead to but I did know one thing: Women Marketers needed a voice and way to feel valued.  That still holds true perhaps even more today than 3 years ago.  I am passionate about helping you find the best resources, hear advice from experts so that you can Rock your careers and find balance.  This episode is going to be a little unique because when this debuts the world has changed- Covid-19 also known as the Coronavirus has shaken up the 2.5 trillion-dollar global meetings and event industry and I suspect each of us has been impacted by travel bans and postponed events. In this episode we are going to explore tactics to help our anxiety and fears and plan forward.  With that let’s start the show!   How many of us have felt anxious recently by unknown factors?  If you are nodding your head you are not alone.  While we may not be able to control external forces, we can control how we respond to them.  In fact, this is our super power.  No one can change your thoughts that is fully in your control.  So, let’s look at what we can do to find joy and reduce our anxiety.   Here are 11 actions you can take to help close the door to fear: Learn Something New! I try to challenge myself every day to learn something new. There are so many resources and places you can go to find information like YouTube for example. Let me know what you commit to learning, I would love to hear from you! Meditate. In episode 97, you will find an interview with Katie Krimitsos from the Women’s Meditation Network.  Before that episode she has 50,000 downloads per episode and I suspect it might be much higher now! This week is an episode specifically about the Coronavirus. Exercise. regardless of your physical condition there are always actions you can take to help your mindset.  I have found that working out is one of the best ways to increase our endorphins and helps us to feel our best. Stay Hydrated. Yes, this is a thing! Especially today.  Every day you should drink half your body weight in ounces.  I try to set bottles of water on my desk so I can go through them during the day.  Every morning I start by drinking 16 ounces of a combo health and pre-work our drink mixed with water. Get enough sleep.  If you are like me this is a tough one.  I have I Insomnia and do a variety of things to try to get enough sleep from meditation to natural sleep aids.  When we are well rested we naturally feel better. Stay Connected.It is easy to not want to talk to friends and family when we feel anxious.  This is one of the most important times to reach out and check in.   Invite a Friend to Coffee.  We are social beings even if some of us are introverts.  It may surprise you that I am an introvert and extravert.  But I realize that seeing people lifts me up- and this will be the same for you. Stay Informed.This is the thing causing the most fear right now is all the different sources of information.  Check multiple sources-and beware of anything that seems to not be like the rest of the information.  Listen to a Play List.In episode 98 with Ria Story, she suggested having music as a go to when we feel overwhelmed.   One of my favorites is the Pitch Perfect sound track- all three are awesome although the track I go to in times of change is Flashlight with Jessie J-check it out at the end of this episode! Express Gratitude Daily. I have talked about this a lot on this show.  Living our lives with a grateful heart is one of the best ways to make us feel better and a random act of kindness has the same impact on your brain as exercise. Believe in the Possibilities.Even when all doors are closing a window will open when you least expect it.  Perhaps it is a soft voice in your head urging you to try something new and you didn’t have time to do it before.  Take advantage of that moment and step out of your comfort zone. As always if I can help you with anything I talk about here reach out to me at Rock Your Trade Show.  Always remember you are not alone- together we can do anything - You Got This! If this episode was helpful, I would be so honored if you would share it with a friend or colleague now! Credits: Thanks as always to the amazing Christy Haussler from Team Podcast who edited this episode during Podfest! 

The exhibit industry has evolved to have more women in it however there is still gender pay gaps, and many of us feel alone which is why we need the Women in Exhibitions group.  Katina Rigall Zipay and Jen LaBruzza share how they first got involved with Women in Exhibitions and how the organization has evolved to offer mentoring and an in-person networking breakfast March 31st during the ExhibitorLive2020 show.  Find out the benefits of being involved with an organization that helps support women of all sides of the industry, supplier and client alike. Here is what you will learn in this episode: 1. Women who support women in their career.  The WIE group offers the opportunity to share best practices and more importantly take action. 2. In-Person Networking.  If you are going to be at ExhibitorLive be sure to come to the event-there will be a panel, networking and the opportunity to be on this podcast! 3. Get involved in an organization making a difference. This is your time to take action, make change and learn about the real wage gap that still exists, increasing your network and improving your management savvy. I hope you will join us at this event and discover how when we come together we can make a real difference together. If you would like to learn more about how to empower women in our industry, reach out to me, I would love to help you! Register for this breakfast event and have a chance to be featured on this podcast! Join the Women in Exhibitions LinkedIn Group! Thanks to Katina and Jen for sharing their stories and encouraging women in our industry to believe in ourselves and know we are a community together! Credits: Special thanks to Christy Haussler and team podcast for editing this podcast!

Ria Story shares her journey from an incredibly abusive home to becoming a motivational speaker, author and expert on Women’s Leadership in this podcast interview. She shares how “it’s not what happens to you that matters most. It’s who you become because of it.” Ria has the mindset of “I am going to figure it out one step at a time”. When she became a motivational speaker, Les Brown encouraged her to realize: “you have a story to tell and someone needs to tell that story.” In this episode you will get ways to be resilient, how to be prepared for change and why "nothing fails like success".  Try one of Ria's 4 actions today! In her TEDx talk, Ria shares the acronym RISE and what it represents.  “Every single one of goes through adversity.  We are going to experience problems and pain. How to respond to adversity is what is important. R- Respond   Be proactive and respond positively. We don’t have to let emotions dictate our response.  Choose our thoughts, actions and behaviors help us grow. We can choose our thoughts and attitudes.   I-Identify  Think about the next steps to go forward. Break down what it is you need to do into small actionable steps.  We need to be able to take action. S-Step Forward Consistently The journey of 1000 miles isn’t just a single step.  It takes many steps to get there and you have to keep going. E-Experience Joy Joy-it is a choice we can make.  It can be a tough choice but it absolutely is a choice.  Joy can create emotional freedom.  How to Be Resilient: Be consistent with your actions. When you are going through a difficult situation-I know I should get up but I don’t feel like it. There are going to be days when you don’t feel like being positive. Commit to telling yourself ‘I am going to do the things that are going to change my mindset.’ Make a list. Figure out 3-5 things that helps you feel better.  It can be exercise, listening to music, taking a hot bath for example. Create Pre-Traumatic growth. Think about what would happen if we can grow ourselves and be prepared in advance for times we will experience adversity.  What we can grow before we get to hardship. What to Do In Times of Change: We all love change if it is our idea-but we don’t like it if it is someone else’s idea. It has to do with fear. We have fear of the unknown, loss of control or we won’t like a new situation.” “Nothing fails like success”. It is human nature to keep doing what works and keep doing that and get complacent. Actions to do Today: Be disciplined about our behaviors. Even when we don’t feel like doing something. Learn something new every day. Commit to 5 minutes.  Set small goals they are easier to keep.  Keep commitments we make to ourselves.  It builds personal integrity with ourselves Be of service to someone else.  Take small actions to lift up someone else it will make you feel better. As always, if I can be of any help in your journey, reach out to me, I love to provide support in your journey! Resource Recommendations: Book: Achieve-Maximize Your Potential with 7 Keys to Unlock Success and Significance Website: www.Riastory.com Podcast: Fearfully and Wonderfully Me LinkedIn Ria Story TEDx Talk Editing Credits: As always thanks to the amazing Christy Haussler and Team Podcast for editing this episode!    

This is a preview of the Podcast Editors Conference happening on March 6, 202 in Orlando, FL. I speak with Steve Stewart and Mark Deal, organizers of the Podcast Editors Conference and leaders of the Podcast Editors Club on Facebook. SESSIONS and SPEAKERS: Branding & Marketing -- Emily Prokop/Carrie Caulfield Arick Pricing & Hiring the Right Clients -- Britany Felix Mathew Passy (mod), Chris Hines, Jaime Legagneur Processes and Systems -- Jeni Wren Stottrup PANEL: Building a Company -- Darrell Darnell, Chris Curran, Christy Haussler, Steve Stewart (mod) Client Communications & Customer Service -- Audrey Bell-Kearney Ethics of Editing & Disfluencies -- Craig Wealand Nore info HERE. We hope to see you at the conference! It's never too late for you to decide to attend. Big Thanks to Michael Jerry, PES graduate, for mixing and editing this episode! I appreciate you listening, and if you have any questions please let me know :) If you know anyone who would like to learn more about the technical production of podcasts, please share this show with them. DID YOU KNOW........We exist for the purpose of helping you, so please comment below with any questions or remarks. We appreciate you listening. Want to Start a Business or Have a Career as a Podcast Producer/Engineer? Listen and Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, TuneIn, Android, RSS, Email  

Have you ever thought about how meditation can create transformational change in your work and personal life? In this interview with Katie Krimitsos, podcast host of The Women’s Meditation Network, we talk about the decision Katie made to pivot from a successful business and how that decision created an even greater opportunity to impact women’s lives.  We all face decisions and meditation is “a tool to pause…and listen to our inner voice…that sometimes gets pretty quiet because of all the noise we create in our lives”.  The practice of meditation allows us to connect with our inner voice. This episode will help you find work-life balance and harmony.  Whether you meditate regularly or are new to the experience, Katie’s meditations are designed to encourage women to find strength, courage and confidence.  Katie’s podcast has over 50,000 downloads a month and there is a reason it is so popular- she helps us find peace. Be sure listen all the way to the end to get all the tips to transform your life and take-action! 5 Things to Know about Meditation: Mediation is the practice of pausing, so you can listen to what you really want. Meditation helps you navigate your way through life and to listen to the voice and trust what she says. When we pause, it helps us to take the steps of courage so we know what we want to do. There is a deeper why: “everyone wants to lead a life that is a purpose driven life”-Katie Krimitsos.  The only way to do that is to tune into to ourselves. Meditation is a tool to practice so we can create a life that we love. When we meditate, we are able to transform emotions and focus on the experience of what we want.  Katie’s unique meditation podcast helps us to embrace who we are through meditation.  This episode connects us to a universal experience and allows each of us to feel like Katie really sees us.  Always remember-you are beautiful from the inside out! Let’s Connect! If you have any questions about the topics we discussed on today’s podcast, reach out to me, it is my honor to help you on your journey.  And if you want a community to support you, join our LinkedIn Group! Gratitude:  Katie was my business coach and was instrumental in the launch of this podcast and I am so grateful to her for being an inspiration and supporter of this show! Katie’s Recommendations:  5 Simple Meditation Practice and 7 Day Meditation Challenge and Sleep Bundle.  Check out the Podcast Women’s Meditation Network.  And if you are a podcaster-be sure to check out Podfest! Credits: As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler with Team Podcast for editing the podcast.

When you think of great leaders having a lasting impact, Anna Maria Chávez, Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer for the National Council on the Aging, has created transformational change for millions of girls and women around the world.  She was the CEO of the Girl Scouts and also one of the co-founding women, along with Sheryl Sandberg, and Condoleezza Rice to create the Ban Bossy Campaign.  Anna’s servant leadership mindset started while growing up in Eloy Arizona, and she shares in this interview, how at the age of 12 years old, she decided to become a civil rights attorney.  Joining the Girl Scouts at a young age, helped Anna to learn leadership skills, and gave her the chance to give back to the community.  Listen to this discussion and learn about the influence our actions have on girls growing up, why having a mentor is so important, what it is like to be a “first of” leader and the challenges and benefits it can have on a community.   At the end of our discussion, Anna encourages each of us to take action and create a lasting impact on our future. 10 Transformational Leadership Insights: What You Do Creates an Impression: “We can’t think about future leaders without thinking about the influence over girls and boys today. They are watching us…how leadership appears at the dais and the podium”- Anna Maria Chávez.  Everything you do is making an impression on young people around you.  We Need Diverse Leadership: “We need leaders from different perspectives”- Anna Maria Chávez. It is important to have different voices who collectively can come together and represent diversity. Share Resiliency with Others: Anna helped raise 2,000,000 girls as CEO of the Girl Scouts and also gave her son, a front row seat to witness resiliency in action. Anna’s son had the chance to witness what leaders go through on a daily basis. Ban the Word Bossy: Anna shared an insider look at creating the Ban Bossy campaign that featured Beyoncé.  After receiving a call from Sheryl Sandberg, together with Condoleezza Rice, the three leaders established why it is so important to change the narrative for girls and how they are labeled.  Anna shares how something happens around 3rdor 4th grade when negative messages dampen girls’ spirit.  They stop raising their hand to fit in. By banning the word bossy, it helped change how girls are perceived and how they in turn, perceive themselves. Everyone needs a Mentor who sees raw potential. Anna shares how mentors have helped her throughout her career. Great bosses give their time and are patient. Anna shares how she is still in contact with her first boss who has had a lasting impact on her career. Mentors teach important lessons. Anna shares how “leadership is never done. It is a muscle that you continue to build and every day”.  Young girls need a path to live their true potential. Anna viewed the Girl Scouts as the largest prevention program to help girls know their dreams are worth of it.  While CEO, Anna gave girls hope, and told them “…you can do anything, become President or Secretary State…” and so much more. If we don’t invest in girls and also in boys early, it has an impact when they reach retirement. Now we are seeing a continuum of issues, because we didn’t invest in girls early on, it has an impact on women over 60. A women’s economic security is impacted over her lifetime. Older adults want to be independent. Anna learned early on in her career, how people born with certain attributes, wanted to be able to do things for themselves and needed access to programs that could help them.  At the end of the interview, we discuss how 60% of women over the age of 60 years old, feel financial insecurity.  Here are steps you can do today to make sure you are prepared for retirement. 7 Actions You Can Take Today Start your financial planning now. Put something into retirement now, at any age, we should be planning for the future. Anna shares how a friend of hers says “Don’t buy shoes, Buy Buildings.”  Make sure your nest egg is large enough for your future needs. You are paying into an infrastructure. You need to pay attention to economic policies in the world.  Huge decisions are being made and everyone should make sure whoever you elect, represents your interests. Close the financial Pay-Gap. Men and Women are still not receiving equal pay– if you are the caregiver you have to cover expenses not only for yourself, but also for others you care for, and on average women make $300 less per month in retirement compared to men. Educate yourself. Raise the issues that are most important to elected officials. Don’t be afraid to talk to other women. Ask for advice, and make a plan to create financial security. Get involved. Read as much you can, volunteer, get on the board of a non-profit, or support someone who is running for office. Be happy about your choices. Get passionate about things you care about. “We have a great future ahead of us”- Anna Maria Chávez It is with sincere gratitude I thank Anna for this incredible interview.  If you have any questions about these topics, and if I can help you on your journey, reach out to me and join our LinkedIn Group! Anna’s Recommended Resource: NCOA.ORG is the oldest nonprofit advocating for adults aging. Credits:  As always, thanks to Christy Haussler and Team Podcast for editing this podcast. Biography Anna Maria Chávez is the Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer for the National Council on Aging, whose mission is to improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are struggling. In this role, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the National Council on Aging (NCOA), the nation’s oldest service and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health and economic security of older Americans. She ensures that NCOA’s fiscal, operations, fundraising, marketing, consumer experience, advocacy, human capital, technology, programmatic and organizational culture strategies are effectively implemented across all segments of the organization. Anna led the NCOA operations team in achieving NCOA’s 2020 social impact goal one year early in 2019. Anna was promoted into this role after serving as NCOA’s Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President for External Affairs where she led the teams responsible for marketing and communications, fund development, strategic partnerships, public policy and advocacy and the National Institute for Senior Centers. Chávez developed the leadership skills growing up in Eloy, Arizona, that would propel her into a career of public service. Her desire to transform the world through servant leadership led her to Yale University, before pursuing a juris doctorate at the University of Arizona. She held numerous posts in President Bill Clinton’s administration and later returned to Arizona to serve then-governor Janet Napolitano. Her success led to her appointment as CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, where she served from 2011-2016 as the first woman of color to lead the 104-year group with 2.7 million members in over 90 countries and 59 million alumnae in America. In 2016, Anna was named as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune magazine, cited for her vision and creativity in working to revitalize the Girl Scout brand for a new century and was named number 22 by Fast Company in its annual list of the most creative people in business. Anna is one of the world’s top experts on women’s leadership, youth development, and aging issues and draws from her 25 years of public service and nonprofit leadership. She brings a wealth of experience from previous legal, public policy, nonprofit management, and brand management positions in Arizona, Texas, Washington, DC, and New York City. Her keen insights and dynamic presentations have inspired thousands of individuals around the globe to lead authentically and has helped organizations work together more collaboratively and create dynamic impact. Anna has appeared on CBS News, NBC’s The Today Show, FOX News Channel, CNBC’s Squawk Box, CNN, Bloomberg Radio, NPR, and she’s a contributing writer on Huffington Post.  

Are you looking for unique ways to engage your attendees at your next association event? In this interview with Michael Rosenberg, Managing Director MCI and Managing Director HCEA (Healthcare Exhibitor Association) he describes how his association helps attendees get the most out their conference experience.  Find out why it is so important to offer different strategies to encourage interaction at a conference beyond education.  We talked live about how successful HCEA was in creating many touch points for social interaction. Listen to this episode to get five power tips that will help you with your next event.   Top 5 Tips for Maximizing Attendee Engagement: Location: Choose a venue that is easy to access both from a transportation perspective but also every aspect at a hotel if you have a smaller conference. The Miami Convention and Visitor bureau worked for many years with HCEA to create a fantastic experience start to finish in the hotel. Get Social: Find ways that attendees can communicate at different touch points.  If you offer an app, make sure attendees are able to connect with each other inside the app. Trade Show Floor Integration: Michael shares how they had a “ted” talk meet the expert session in the center of the hall as well as meals served inside the hall to help encourage attendee-exhibitor interaction. Clear Communication: Engage the audience early in the excitement and make sure there are guides at the venue to help people find their way easily. Follow-up. One thing HCEA does really well is stay connected with the attendee more than most conferences. Looking to get involved?  Check out HCEAInnovate coming up at the end of March at the Exhibitor Show.  Don’t miss the opportunity to network and maximize your results at an event you are planning. As always, if you have any questions about things we discussed on this show, or if I can help you in any way, reach out to me, I love hearing from you. A big thanks to Michael for being on the show today! Be sure to stay tuned next week, for a very exciting guest Anna Maria Chavez. Credits: Thanks to Christy Haussler from Team Podcast for editing this episode.

Have you ever attended an event that was flawless and made you feel special?  Kristen Farley and Stephanie Schwartz share a behind the scenes look at the details for Rock Your Trade Show's EmpowHer networking event.  They provide important insights including why you always need have a Plan B for every scenario in meetings and events.  Listen to how they complement each other in their roles from hotel arrangements to employee events and discover resources you can use for your next event. Have you ever attended an event that was flawless and made you feel special?  Kirsten Farley and Stephanie Schwartz share a behind the scenes look at the details for Rock Your Trade Show's EmpowHer networking event.  They provide important insights including why you always need have a Plan B for every scenario in meetings and events.  Listen to how they complement each other in their roles from hotel arrangements to employee events and get resources you can use for your next event. Stephanie Schwartz shares how she got started in the sports industry playing golf and working first in golf tournaments and has a background not only in events she also worked at an App company for meetings.  She shares how helpful her experiences have been to prepare her in her current role. Kristen Farley not only worked at conference centers previously she also worked at Disney and that experience helped her with the invaluable ability to always remain calm under pressure.  She has a knack for always knowing how to exceed attendee expectations and know their preferences.   Both Stephanie and Kristen share how they helped with the logistics in preparing for the first Rock Your Trade EmpowHer networking event along with the help from Trina Palm.  They discuss insider resources and even have a funny story about what not to do when you are speaking at a large event. For more tips about how to host an incredible event, reach out to me. I love hearing from you! A big thanks to the team for helping with our event and to our wonderful attendees who made EmpowHer a memorable networking experience. Credits: As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode.  

There are many traits that can lead to success and Hope Mueller, Vice President Program and Project Management at Horizon,shares how persistence helped to open doors throughout her life.  In this interview, Hope talks about her new book- “Hopey, From Commune to Corner Office” and her journey from poverty and violence to having a successful career and being a mother of 4 girls.  Hope’s tenacity, grit and ability to stay positive amidst incredible adversity is incredibly inspiring. If you live in Chicago, you can meet Hope at our first Rock Your Trade Show power networking event happening this week! Register at using this link: tinyurl.com/RYTS2020 on January 6th when this episode debuts.  Registration closes today-don’t miss the chance to network and get advice. Hope achieved success by having a positive approach and mindset.  She shares these insights you can use today.   Core Principles: Be comfortable with change.In her book, Hope faced constant change and she learned quickly how to adapt to any situation. Be solutions focused.There is always a solution. Persistence will Open Doors. “Just keep going, because someone will come and open the gate.”-Hope Mueller.  Life Lessons: Overnight success takes 10 years.If you are clear on what you want to achieve and keep driving towards it you will arrive.  Be present in what you are doing.Hope uses this technique: “Be here now; Now be here” that she picked up from her time in the Commune.   By being fully present in the moment, you will find greater enjoyment in your life. Do what you are good at doing and lean into your strengths. Honor your time.  Set aside time and be fully present in those moments. Make time for what is important and stay focused.Hope is a successful leader, author, launched a charity, sits on a few boards, is a mother of four and just started her MBA.  She attributes her ability to balance so many demands by honoring the time she allocates to an activity. Finding a Mentor: Ask for whatever it is you want. People want to help. Most people will agree to meet with you because they want to share and make a difference. Decide on what is the value of meeting. Determine what you can learn from them. Have 3 questions prepared. Focus on listening first before speaking. Try Something New: Don’t be afraid to try new things. The good stuff happens when you are outside of the comfort zone.Lean into your strengths.  Just go for it. Use your core transferable skill set and then when you have the opportunity-Go for it. Advice: “Find ways to honor your time.  You can be amazing.   Just go do that.” Check out Hope’s new book at www.Hopey.net. Her second book is coming out in May “COUNTING HOPE: CREATING THE PATH TO CONFIDENCE”. As always, if you have any questions about today’s episode, reach out to me at Rock Your Trade Show.  Join Hope and four other senior women leaders at our face-to-face event on January 9th.  Register today at www.tinyurl.com/RYTS2020. About Hope Mueller: Hope Mueller is an author, inspirational speaker, executive, and active non-profit volunteer who is passionate about career development and community service. Marked by the experiences on a hippie commune in her early years, Hope’s unique childhood conceived her gift of creating order out of chaos. She lives with her husband in northern Illinois and actively parents her four daughters through the phases of their lives. Credits: Thanks as always to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode.

Have you been thinking about advancing your career in 2020?  Listen to this episode from 5 industry experts, Melanie Neal, Dawn Will, Ann Carter, Anne Trompeter and Marcia Deem who provide insights about staying relevant, how to get promoted, collaborating with procurement, networking and getting results for leadership.  If you want to accelerate your career in 2020, this is the episode for you. If you live in Chicago, join us January 9th for our first ever face-to-face speed networking event.  Melanie Neal will be one of the table leaders, along with Kathryn Becker, Hope Mueller, Kathy Relias and Lesly Marban.  You will discover how decisions are made behind the scenes from these leaders who share best practices for getting promoted.  Don't miss this opportunity to meet with these leaders and advance your career. Listen to the full episodes from this podcast: 64 How to Lead, Embrace Change and Stay Relevant with Melanie Neal  82 How to Lead and Create Career Growth for Your Team with Dawn Will  66 How to Embrace Opportunities and Lead a Global Purchasing Organization with Ann Carter  86 How to Make a Bold Move with Anne Trompeter 64 How to Take Risks and be an Industry All-Star with Marcia Deem If you want to accelerate your career, this is the episode to help you with actionable tips you can use today.  If you have an idea for a future interview, or would like more information about a topic we discuss, reach out to me, I love hearing from you! Gratitude: Thanks to Melanie Neal, Dawn Will, Ann Carter, Anne Trompeter, and Marcia Deem for sharing their insights. Credits: A big thanks as always to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast.

Do you have a challenge in your life and think it is too big to solve?  Maybe you want to change jobs but don’t think the timing is right, or have a budget challenge for your program and think you have to eliminate shows that you know your company should attend.  Whatever your situation, using this phrase by Marie Forleo “Everything Is Figureoutable” will help you make it all work out. I have a saying when asked…can we do this?  “The Answer is always yes in trade shows” I usually follow that up by saying-budget and timing may impact the final result but we will make it happen.  This has been my mantra way before I was a student in Marie Forleo’s B School and before reading her new book Everything is Figureoutable.  In her book, she walks the reader through an incredible journey of her life, and stories of people who have faced incredible odds only to come out the other side.  It is the end of the year if you are listening to this podcast when it is released and you may be looking forward afraid to make the change you dreamt of at the beginning of this year.  This is your time, we can do this together and I will walk you through some powerful advice from Marie’s book that you can apply right now.    And – if you live in Chicago and want to really figure out your career-join us January 9th, at our first ever face to face event.  I have five incredible women leaders, Melanie Neal, Kathryn Becker, Hope Mueller, Lesly Marban and Kathy Relias.  These women are Vice Presidents, CMO’s and have held leadership roles with HBA-Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.   You can register at Eventbrite and type in Rock Your Trade Show EmpowHer.  The ticket price will be donated to Dress for Success a wonderful empowering organization that helps women with business clothing for interviews.  Don’t delay registration closes December 20th.   “The world needs that special gift that only you have”- Marie Forleo Have you been feeling frustrated or worried lately?  If you live anywhere other than a sunny location, December when this episode is airing, can feel like a mixture of hope, joy and even sadness.  Now more than ever, is the time to banish those thoughts, look at what is important and figure things out in a way that gives you joy.  I am going to start with something Marie shares at the end of her book and it is wisdom a palliative nurse shared about the 5 things people say at the end of their lives.  It won’t come as a surprise.  It is four words: “I Wish I Had”. Listening to those words-what comes to mind?  Do you start to feel doubt, or wonderment?  Either way-the words take on a strong meaning and carry with them weight of a life well lived or a life with regrets for not taking action. Here are four things to ask yourself: “What holds you back from going for your big dream or aspiration?” “Imagine death is imminent. Finish the following sentence at least twenty (more if needed).  I wish I had, I wish I had, I wish I had” If you believed to your core that everything really is figureoutable, what would you now do? Please complete the last challenge by hand-grab a journal turn off electronics. Your future self is going to write a letter to yourself:  I’d love you to let go of, I’d love you to start, I’d love you to remember. Pretty heavy stuff, right?  Okay now we can reverse engineer those things and get you to a place where all of the answers come to you easy breezy. In her book, Marie walks us through a process of realizing that once we remove the barriers that we have been allowing to sabotage our thinking, things become straight forward.  She shares personal stories and here are two that stood out to me: The first is from a mother who learns that her daughter, who was a competitive dancer and had scoliosis and could no longer dance.  I can relate to this because my own daughter has debilitating health issues that have altered the way she can play sports and even do activities with friends.  This mom came to realize that once she accepted the situation she could figure out the path her daughter could take for happiness which was above all else what mattered most * page 48 in the book Do you have a challenge with a loved one and think – there is no way I will make it through?  Check out page 48 in Marie’s book, to find inspiration and see that in the valley is where we gain our greatest strength-you just have to open the window and let the message flow in to your heart. The second story Marie shares about her relationship with her husband and a trip they were trying to take.  They nearly miss their flight-and I could relate to this story on so many levels-from working to the last minute and getting caught in traffic, to missing the cut off to check a bag so she buys a carry on and stuffs as much as she could fit, to taking a bus at JFK and having only minutes to make it through security and get on the plane.  In the end-they made their trip to Spain through many hurdles and at each step of the way, decisions were made, persistence was there and a desire to find a way to make it happen.  If you travel-you won’t want to miss her story in Chapter 9: Refuse to be Refused. Do you have a story about refusing to be refused-not allowing anything to stop you?  How did that feel?  In the moment, it was shear stress, but on the other side, you probably looked back and realized a little invincible right? I can remember years ago, there was an issue with getting a client’s instrument to a show.  The night before-their featured product wasn’t going to arrive and we were on the west coast, the instrument was in the mid-west.  I started to think-there has to be a way because…everything in trade shows is a yes-it can be done.  I asked the client if they had any instruments closer-the answer was yet-Colorado.  Great, next step-find a truck to drive it out to Anaheim. Check.  What I didn’t know is there weather conditions that added to the mix.  The instrument arrived 15 minutes before the show opened.  I was told we would have to wait until after the show that night to bring it out because forklifts couldn’t come on the floor.  At that moment, I could see the panic on the client’s face because they had demos scheduled with VIP customers all day.  Instead of waiting until the end of the day, I got 6 men to lift the instrument and walk it on the floor-sort of like pallbearers- if you can imagine! Everything was figureoutable.  It started with refusing to be refused. Now if you are thinking to yourself, yes but-fill in the blank and therefore can’t possibly do…this.  The answer is you can. 4 Tips to Help You Figure anything out from Marie’s book: Define Your Dream-You know how much I love writing things down. And according to Marie-you are “42% more likely to succeed” by writing down your dream.  Here are two resources for you – Rachel Hollis Start today Journal and Chalene Johnson Push Journal.  Both will help you stay on track daily and achieve your dreams. Define what you want-make a list! Get Real about your Dream- Choose the one dream you want to achieve most Make a specific, measurable and actionable plan Start Before you Are Ready- So many of us self-sabotage and find reasons not to start-don’t let this be you!! Remember the exercise we started with? Looking back on your life?  This is probably the most important advice above all else.  Chris Krimitsos just published a book-you can find it on Amazon-called Start Ugly.  It is a small little book that if you are stuck you should pick up and make it a plan to read it before the end of the year! Progress not Perfection-this is probably the thing I am most guilty about. Does this happen to you-procrastinate because it just isn’t quite good enough-ask yourself is it 90% good?  Then it is good enough!  Here are some tips Marie advises to eliminate the temptation to wait for perfect: Take small steps – and ignore big drama Plan ahead for problems Expect and embrace self-doubt Ask What’s the next right move Use the power of positive quitting Cultivate patience The Secret to Lasting Success-don’t go it alone! Invest in figureoutable friends Be a figureoutable force for good work I hope these tips have helped to realize anything can be worked out-it takes a belief in yourself.  Always remember you are worth it. I love helping others which is why I am hosting our first face-to-face event.  Be sure to check it out at Eventbrite and as always if I can help you on your journey-reach out to me at rockyourtradeshow.com/let’s talk. Credits: Thanks to Marie Forleo for writing this incredible book! Editing: Thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode!

"If we don't give a voice to this, who will?" Randy Acker asked on this panel at HCEAConnect about Exhibitions Day.  Have you ever considered how you can impact the $97 Billion Exhibitions Industry?  Trade Shows in the U.S. represent more business than the meat industry, the gaming industry and so many more industries and yet until 6 years ago, congress didn't know how vital it is to our national economy.  Legislation that impacts how many attendees come to shows, and who is able to attend from abroad would have been made without understanding trade shows.  Thanks to IAEE and the 120 people who attended Exhibitions Day, important legislation was passed that will help the trade show industry. Find out in this panel discussion with Cathy Breden, COO, IAEE and CEIR, Randy Acker, President, Exhibitor Media Group and Diane Benson, Strategic Event Marketing Manager and Diamond Level CTSM share the key initiatives that were presented this year at Exhibitions Day and why it is so vital to our trade show industry for companies and marketers to be heard on capitol hill.  Natalie Benamou moderated the panel of industry experts on the importance of making an impact for the trade show industry. If you have been looking to increase visibility within your organization and be an industry influencer, Exhibitions Day is a great experience.  This is your time to take action.  As always, if you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode or would like to learn more about how you can get involved, reach out to me at Rock Your Trade Show. Special thanks to HCEAConnect for the opportunity to have this panel and to Cathy Breden, Randy Acker and Diane Benson for sharing their insights. Credits: As always, thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode.

Do you feel Mom Guilt? The other evening, I attended an HBA (Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association) event about the Imposter Syndrome- and one of the women in the audience asked about what to do about Mom guilt.  She felt she couldn’t do anything well and was overwhelmed.  We have all felt that feeling of “not being enough”.  Whether you are a parent or have personal responsibilities caring for a family member, friend or someone you care about, we all have experienced overwhelm and feel like we aren’t doing enough.  Let’s change the conversation and hopefully you will feel more balanced- and confident. I have shared tips for confidence, networking and empowerment but this sense of shame and guilt is something that each of us need to be reminded that in the sentence of “all” we can have it all we need to change our definition of all.  In this episode, I share with you 5 strategies to manage your guilt and feel like every day- you are enough. Ask yourself-when was the last time you looked back on your day and said “I feel great- the day was in balance with my work and personal life”? If your answer is – ‘I rarely if ever feel that’-you are not alone.  The more driven your personality the harder you most likely are on yourself and the internal narrative is telling you things like- ‘You should be able to do this-Janet does it.’ Or ‘Why does my heart sink when I have to walk out the door for a trip?’ ‘My work hours have increased and I feel I am spread too thin and am missing out on my child’s milestones.’ All of these external guilt feelings can create a sense of shame. “Shame is how we feel about ourselves and guilt is how others make us feel.” – Eloiza Domingo-Snyder.  Both feelings can sabotage your full potential and make you feel out of balance. 5 Ways You Can  Change The Shame Narrative  1. Choose a Season.  A lot of coaches talk about this idea of                  season- it means you decide your focus for a period of time. Going back to what I said earlier- all is your definition once established will help free your internal sabotaging shame voice.   2. Seek and Accept Help.If you travel- like many marketers I know- it is very hard to get the house cleaned, manage appointments and also work demands while on the road. Superwomen deny the idea they need help- instead when asked they respond- oh no I got this! And then you crumble inside possibly cry in your car or in the bathroom because of personal regrets and wanting to not appear weak. When someone offers - accept.  And if you are saying- ‘I have no one who can help me’- that isn’t true.  Even if you feel there is no budget to have services like house cleaning- you may be able to find a trade.  Facebook is full of mom groups and there will be one where women help each other with no money exchanged. 3. Focus On Quality Not Quantity.When my girls were little- I traveled a lot.  At first, I brought my oldest with me- but once I had two daughters, it became too difficult.  And when they were little, there wasn’t FaceTime and Skype.  So instead of those visuals, it was phone conversations that often left me feeling terrible like so many of us- if only I could do more. The reality is there are only 168 hours in a week, 24 hours in a day and so instead of feeling like you need to be there every second - even if you are distracted and taking calls- you and your family may feel better when you are totally focused with them. Many successful women do this- and from the outside. you think they are doing it “all” but their definition of all means only at designated times. 4. Find Support From People In Your Situation.One of the easiest ways to feel like we are not enough, can’t meet personal expectations or fill in the blank ... So now I am going to challenge you with an idea counter to what you may think you need to do.   Join an organization and prioritize time for you to find others that lift you up.  10 years in January I joined HBA- my girls were in grade school.  I traveled.  And it seemed like - how can I do anything outside of work it takes me away from my family?  What I discovered is being my best-self wasn’t one dimensional - and taking 2-3 hours a month with people who inspired me filled the cup up so I could be focused.  Below are links of groups you can join. 5. Positive Affirmations Matter.Words and the way we interpret them shape our feelings.  Instead of allowing what others might be saying to you and have that add to how you’re feeling.  Start every day with a positive phrase- It can be- I am a great mother and I am in a season of focusing on - fill in the blank. Express gratitude - you are in a position to have a full life that is full.   This episode is dedicated to all the parents out there who do their version of all- and celebrate the moments every day.   Sometimes feeling more balanced includes having the right service provider, who takes care of the details so you can open up more time for things that matter.   This is how I approach relationships with my clients and if you have any questions please reach out to me at rock your trade show. And if you aren’t a marketer, but need a little help, as a connector, I am happy to help you find the resources you need. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Rock Your Trade Show. Feeling like you need a community to help support you?  We have a LinkedIn group and will be doing our first face to face event in January. If this episode was helpful please share it with someone who might need a lift today. You are enough, be kind to yourself and always remember You Got This.   Women’s Group Resources: 9 Powerful women’s groups Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) HCEA Credits: As always thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode.      

What does a great event experience feel like for an attendee?  That is the first question that should be asked before budgets, logistics, venue, what do you want the experience to be for the audience?  Now, close your eyes and imagine the best event you have ever attended.  How did it make you feel?  Recently I was brainstorming with our Meetings and Events team about the ingredients for a successful event-what is needed-and what to avoid and how to make it memorable and there are 11 key steps,  that when they are done right, will turn your attendees into super fans.  In this episode, you find exactly what you need to create the best experiences for your internal and external stakeholders.  Has this happened to you, when you feel totally excited about an event, only to realize once you are there that it isn’t living up to your expectation?  In the face-to-face industry there are not only trade show experiences, which we talk about a lot here on the show-there are events with the show-it can be your company’s event like a Pre-Con Meeting, Sales Meeting, Executive Level Meetings or if you work for an association, you may plan networking events.  All of these experiences combined create the experience for the attendee.  "Whether you are focused on internal customers or external-the outcome is always the same-and based on one question we all ask-Was it worth my time?" Here are four examples of events that either exceeded exceptions or were a surprise when they didn't: Recently I went to a big name event locally here in Chicago.  I like to continue my education and expand horizons and this one stood out for two reasons-two big CNBC names (one of them is an inventor on Shark Tank) and one inspirational leader who I love.  It was an all-day event and the female speaker who was the keynote-was to come on at the end of the day-like 5 PM-which seemed crazy to me.  Fire up your audience at least in the middle! Sadly I was unable to stay until the end- and missed seeing the top person I wanted to see. In contrast to this event, three events that truly stand out in my past were put on by Social Media Examiner-and Social Media Marketing world and events with Chalene Johnson and Amy Porterfield.  The common result in all three is that my expectations were exceeded.  And in the case of the Amy Porterfield event, thanks to encouragement from my friend Susan Crawford who attended with me, I launched this podcast after attending Amy's event. You may be asking- "how do I create an event that will delight our attendees? 11 Tips to Achieving the Best Event Ever Know what your audience really wants. Internal customers-and this can be for any event-a luncheon, town hall, national sales meeting or external for clients.  What does success look like for them?  I bet if asked the attendees you might get some differing opinions and some that are all the same.  At the heart-was it worth my time will sound out above everything else. Offer value beyond what is expected. Some of you may host events where you sell tickets or an association that holds networking events.  Regardless of the event, if you deliver one thing that is unexpected, your attendee will feel that they got value.  It could be as simple as giving out the slide presentation.  Or it can be bigger like having an app where attendees can connect together.  Whatever it is, the element of surprise will create mass appreciation for your effort. Speakers Matter. If you are creating an event where people will hear someone speaker, having a key opinion leader or multiple really makes a difference. Communicate The WIFM. Internal and external audiences share one thing-they are all consumers.  When we think about whether something is worth our time, we evaluate it based on our understanding of the value proposition.  If you are hosting a town hall-make sure you share the exciting things that the attendee will learn by attending.  Symposia, what will the attendee find that they didn’t know before coming to the session.  Evening event with speakers-who are they and why would your attendee care to hear them.    Include networking. You may be saying-I do only internal meetings, why should I include networking everyone already knows each other—because they don’t really know each other.  Our meetings and events team plans employee dinners for one of our clients and the feedback is always incredible.  The sales reps truly appreciate the chance to talk to leaders in the organization and eachother.  And Bonus alert-if you do an employee event tied to a trade show-it can count as Cost Avoidance – and help increase your payback ratio and ultimately ROI for the event. Provide Radical Hospitality. How are you greeting the attendee at your event? If you have a presentation where customers are attending (this also applies to internal customers as well!) how are they greeted, what is the experience like when they enter the room? Do you welcome them and make them feel at ease or simply check a name off the list. Now think about what you want to feel and flip the switch-the attendee wants the same thing! Offer Speaker Planning. It goes without saying that things like AV need to function, and the speakers should all be prepared on what they are talking about.  There is a planning process to execution and not only logistics need to be mapped out but what the speakers will be doing and saying.  Speakers like to know in advance the topic, and what it is you need from them.  Host calls with everyone who will be speaking to ensure they are fully prepared. Include Exceptional Outreach and Promotion. Before the event-how are you communicating this event?  Find ambassadors who will evangelize the event for you to help create buzz before the event. Train the Onsite Team. Before the event-meet with the team, set up how you will welcome attendees-is there a buddy system you might use to introduce people at a networking event?  Make sure all customer facing people whether volunteer or employee can answer basic questions and know where to go for answers when they don’t know. Evaluate Venues and Budgets. Not all locations are equal.  If you are at a meeting and restricted to the conference room the association offers-evaluate the layout of the room and what is needed to create the best experience for people in that room.  Budgets play a factor in location-and there are things you can do to negotiate rates that will make it more affordable-stay tuned we will have that information in an upcoming episode with our events team! Follow Up Post – Event. So many of us are running, busy beyond 24 hours in a day and we rush to the next event without a follow up to the one you just had.  Conduct an internal survey and external survey. For help with this, our results division has all the tools you need to get data you can use to help formulate planning and evaluate success of an event.   We have only scratched the surface here.  If I can leave you with one thing it is this: People need to feel like their time is valued.   When you create your next amazing event, if you treat every attendee like they are the most important person in the room-they will remember!  Our meetings and events team is very talented and can help provide guidance, if you feel stuck you can get advice from the experts. And one final exciting note.  Rock Your Trade Show is planning our first ever face-to-face event in January 2020! We will have senior leaders from the show, and even some surprise speakers for an incredible event.  If you are interested in attending reach out to me!.  I will also share details in a coming episode. Special thanks to our incredible Meetings & Events Team for helping plan our upcoming event! Resources from this Episode The Chalene Show   with Chalene Johnson                                                                                  Build Your Tribe  with Chalene Johnson Social Media Marketing with Michael Stelzner                                                                                                                                                    Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield                                                     Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn                                    Entrepreneurs On Fire with John Lee Dumas                                 Shark Tank Books Superfans by Pat Flynn Credits: Thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode    

Are you looking for ways to expand your industry knowledge and leadership experience? Jeannie Wert, Director of Exhibit Management, shares how she has gained industry expertise and is able to provide valuable insights to her team and company from her involvement in HCEA and now she serves as President of the association.  In this interview, Jeannie shares how valuable it is to be well versed in both PhRMA and Medical Technology in order to provide industry knowledge to internal stakeholders.  Listen and find out how valuable joining a board and taking on a leadership role can be for your career. 5 Ways Associations Will Boost your Career: Greater visibility within your organization. Joining an association can give you early access to information that can be shared with your team and organization and senior management will take notice. Gain experiential leadership. Often in our careers we don’t always get the on-the-job training that we would like and volunteering for a role with responsibilities will benefit not only your career but also your organization. Improved internal communication. Team members will appreciate the information you share with them and in turn be able to deliver results in a positive way. Personal Advisory Board. When you are part of an outside organization, your network opens up and you have access to people in the industry who can help you with advice, or even show floor support when you need to “phone a friend”. Find a Mentor. When you are part of a community, you can connect with experienced experts who can provide career advice. If you are in healthcare, joining an organization like HCEA or Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) will help you to find “your people” who understand the challenges you face in your day -to-day role.  For more information on how you can take on a leadership role, reach out to me, I would be happy to help. Favorite Tip: Read trade publication information on LinkedIn and Twitter once a day and once a week.  Everything that happens in healthcare is evolving so quickly. Thanks to Jeannie for taking time to be on the show.  Here are places you can find her: LinkedIn and Twitter Siemens Healthineers  Credits: Thanks to Christy Haussler with Team Podcast for editing this episode.  

What does Joy look like for you?  Heading into the holidays this time of year can be especially hard for some people and as part of a work-life balance episode, I thought I would share some things that might help you not only discover how to find positivity every day but also what you can do to harness this feeling and apply tips to your everyday life. Recently, this topic came up in a conversation about how joy is power.  Think about that for a moment.  When we feel joy, it is hard for negativity to take hold and bring us down.  Applying this to our working life first, when we smile and feel good the effect seeps into every aspect of our day.  Conversely if we are feeling frustrated, small things can make us self-doubt and feel less than about ourselves.  I started this podcast to help empower marketers-specifically women in our industry who are looking for more-opportunities, expanding your network, gaining visibility with leaders in your organization, getting promoted and finding confidence.  Here is a real-world situation: Imagine you are in a meeting, and there is an opportunity to voice your idea but a colleague seizes the moment and you miss out.  Our body language and demeanor can quickly give away how we are feeling inside-and naturally it is more the opposite of joy-anxiety, sadness, self-doubt can start whispering in you ear.  The next time the opportunity comes your way-it may be easier to just say nothing instead of subjecting yourself to those feelings. Now-take that same scenario and close your eyes.  As you enter the room-you have a smile on your face.  It actually makes you stand a little taller and you feel confident.  While others are speaking, you smile in appreciation of their comments.  And when it is your turn to express that idea, you feel confident and without hesitation.  If the colleague mentioned earlier tries to cut you off, you maintain that smile and ask that you are afforded the chance to finish your idea. Same situation-but the outcome will be vastly different.  In the second one- you find that you are in control-because you have chosen your own joy.  No matter how awesome your workplace is, there will always be at some point a situation that can pop the happiness bubble and move you from feeling on top of the world to not so great. Now you may start to say-yes but I have reasons for not feeling happy at this moment.  I am sure this can be true.  But if any of us want to advance our careers, change perceptions or improve our health-we need to tap into joy, hold on to it, and the next part is super important-send it back out into the world. For busy marketers, it is easy to get lost in the tasks of it all and miss the chance to hone the joy effect in your daily practice.  Don’t get me wrong-I don’t always feel joyful.  But I have observed that this idea of happiness has a direct correlation to success and to achieve it, we need tools to stay on track.  And once we express this joy at work, it will spill over into our personal lives.  There are traps that can cause us to not find our joy. And many physical and physiological things that can also impact how we are able to process positivity.  So, what can we do to stay on track and gear up for the last two months of the year if you are listening to this episode when it releases it is the beginning of November.  Depending on where you live, the weather has turned colder, there is less sun and it can also impact how we feel. 10 Ways to Add Joy and Build Your Personal Power Get enough sleep. One of the first physical ways we can lose our happiness is when we are simply over-tired.  Roll back the bedtime commitment and get 7 hours minimally of sleep.  Think about when you are exhausted how easy it is to feel short and frustrated-and when you feel rested.  You may say-everyone knows now that sleep is one of the number ways to maintain health-but are you getting enough?  Most of us get less than 7 hours, or it is intermittent.  I have a sleep hack to share-the app AAPTIV actually has sleep meditations. I use it almost every night either going to sleep or when I can’t sleep. Express gratitude. Every day, I write 5 things I am grateful for in my Start today Journal.  Rachel Hollis has these journals-link in the show notes and I can honestly say it is not only a dream maker but the gratitude fills up the cup.  Rachel suggests the things we write should be small-it can be someone opening the door for you when your arms are full to giving up a seat on public transit when you were tired. Be thoughtful. My favorite quote is by Maya Angelou-People will forget what you say, they will forget what you do, but they will never forget how you made them feel.  I personally get way more joy out of giving than receiving.  It is something I try to incorporate always to help lift others up.  Especially if I am having a difficult day-I try to do something for someone-either a stranger or it can be someone I know. Start the morning fresh. Resist starting your day on your phone. I know.  This is one I have to work at-and am not always good at.  But in a previous episode 15, I talked about productivity.  When we feel less productive, it has a direct impact on how we feel-and less joyful. Just say no. It is so tempting to say yes when someone asks for help.  I am very guilty of over extending and wanting to do things beyond time constraints.  I now say “Does this give me joy?” Make your self-care a priority. Rachel Hollis has a 5 to Thrive strategy that is very effective.  I encourage anyone listening to try it and see how it goes: Drink at least half of your body weight in water Work out at least 30 minutes every day Get up 30 minutes early Give up one food for 30 days-sugar for example or something you know isn’t serving you. Express gratitude every day Check out The Hollisco.com for these and many more tips like #last90days Make sure you are balanced. This is just for our women listeners-but if you are feeling out of sorts it could be hormones, low vitamin D, Thyroid or other things that happen to us and if untreated can lead to more serious illness.  When we don’t feel our best it definitely impacts how we express ourselves at home and work. Do one thing every day that makes you smile. It can be looking at YouTube and laughing at a funny video.  I will share with you here a video about what it is like to be on a conference call-link in the show notes.  Makes me laugh every time. Take time out in the day to breath fully. We hold our breath and it can have adverse effects on how we feel. Smile even when you don’t feel like it. Walking into a tense meeting, your inclination may be to shrink down, sit with your legs crossed and shoulders down.  Smile, visualize joy, imagine you are in a place that makes you feel happy and express yourself to others in this light. As with every episode, if you found this information helpful, reach out to me.  I love hearing from you and am honored to help you in your journey. Favorite Resources for this episode:  Start Today Journal, Strive for Five, Girl Stop Apologizing, #Last90days are all Rachel Hollis products and books that can be found at The Hollis Co and look at her Rise conferences she has one coming up this week called Rise Business. Credits: As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode.    

Have you been thinking about expanding your career and make a bold move to become an entrepreneur?  Anne Trompeter shares how she transitioned from working as a Creative Director to Principal and the steps that she took to own a company.  Think about how you can make an impact by taking your passion, make a plan and bring your vision to life.  Anne shares how she is a mentor, helps connect people and so much more.  Listen to this super charged interview and discover how you can make your next bold move, accelerate your career and take things in your marketing plan to a new level. How to amplify your career with these power tips: Mentorship: Look for people who can contribute to your career. Pay it Forward-Mentors are important because they believe in you and give you feedback and honest feedback-you have this-go do it. We all need confidence and it is a big part of mentorship which offers you perspective. Business mentors help you find the right people in areas where you feel unsure and they can help to make you more knowledgeable. Mentors can help you backfill the gaps that you have. Mentors have connections that can help you in your career. Find people who have qualities that you aspire to and ask them to mentor you-remember to be very specific on what it is you need from them. We are the five people that we surround ourselves with-find the right people who can help lift you up. Networking: Join professional organizations and be an active participant. Participate in committees that help you make connections and aid you in ways you don’t even know were possible. Be engaged while at an event and be the person in the front row. Spend as little time as possible speaking, listen to the other person more than you talk. After meeting people at an event, step into the hallway and make notes about your conversation. Meaningful connections happen when you are an active listener - it helps bridge differences. “A trick I use sometimes-walking around with a colleague when I meet people for the first time…it can feel more conversational and comfortable for the person we are talking with”-Anne Trompeter New Trend Mindset DIY ideas from marketers who have great suggestions and want to bring several together to execute as one cohesive message.  Conglomerates- Big companies buying other companies creates a lot of disruption and opportunities. The challenge is to make huge stories or brand concepts into one simplified message and integrate it all together.   If you have any questions about the topics we covered in this episode-reach out to me at Rock Your Trade Show, I love hearing from you! Favorite Resource ExhibitorLive is a tried and true resource-Awesome and unique way to bring things together in a unique world-find your species. Thanks to Anne Trompeter for sharing her insights and inspiring Rock Your Trade Show listeners!  Visit Live Marketingto find Anne Trompeter. Credits: As always thanks to Christy Haussler and Team Podcast for editing this episode.      

Are you committed to finding ways to add value and implement new ideas for your trade show program?  In this interview with Christine Gahler, Convention Manager at Medtronic, we discuss the value of the convention channel.  The face-to-face opportunity makes it a unique way to reach the highest number of people in a short period of time.  Sometimes it can be easy to have the mentality “if we build a city they will come” and it is time to do more proactively to drive meaningful attendee traffic to your exhibit.  Christine shares how important it is to make sure your staff is meeting with the right people and come up with new ways to integrate meetings for each exhibit experience. Find out how you can apply proven strategies to enhance the value of your trade show program in this episode. In addition to adding value, you will discover ways to expand results if you are a destination booth on the show floor and how to stand out from the competition.  “Numbers can be an elusive thing-not everything you measure has value”- Christine Gahler.  Christine asks the question-while we can track how many people walked through the exhibit, is that the most important measurement or does it really matter the 10 people you had meaningful conversation?  Companies should focus on increasing the number of key interactions by having scheduled meetings to measure and be able to watch the customer journey.  5 Ways to implement what you learn and Take Action! Create hands on experiences. Christine works with Cardiac and Vascular groups, where there are a lot of hands on demos which is critical to the purchasing decision.  There has been an increased interest by attendees to learn in an Innovation Lab setting, where future technologies can be shared.  Creating an innovation lab can be private for VIP attendees only. Focus on showing attendees what they care about most: What’s new What’s coming Innovation application Implement multiple ways to show endorsements. When you plan testimonials, it is important to know the attendee landscape and understand the customer. Live interviews may not be for every type of attendee. People don’t always want to be videoed. Know how people make buying decisions. Think about you as a consumer and how Yelp is used.  People look for reviews and want to know what other people think.  We are all human after-all-and people look for information to evaluate buying decisions. Integrate data to underscore your product or company’s value.  For some attendees, what matters most is data- sometimes even more than testimonials.  Your convention strategy should be tailored to specific audiences. Overall trade shows have a huge impact on our economy.  People crave now more than ever when making a big decision, to see a product and have a conversation.  More important than ever before is the need to make genuine connections.  Attendees want to really feel they are being heard and have someone interact with them.  Surgeons for example, like to make comparisons and having a hands-on opportunity which is different than watching a video.  Only at trade shows is there an opportunity to interact with a specialist and product engineers and be able to get answers to complicated question. Looking to find ways to create value for your program or have a question about our topic today?  Reach out to me at Rock Your Trade Show Gratitude: A big thanks to Christine Gahler for meeting live at HCEAConnect and sharing her insights live in person! Credits: As always, thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode.      

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work as a Marketer for a global company?  Jennifer Conway describes her role in Marketing for Oculus and how she manages over 100 trade shows in addition to being responsible for all aspects of Marketing.  Oculus is over a German company over 100-year-old company and has been in the US for 20 years.  Find out what it is like to be part of an organization where not only is there leadership buy-in, the CEO helps the marketing team on show-site. Jennifer shares how she plans meetings with her German counterparts using What’s App and GoToMeeting and it helps to keep connected with a 9-hour time difference.  Scheduling meetings in advance is key to being able to communicate effectively with global colleagues. This episode includes everything you need to know to take a on a marketing role for a global company.  In addition, Jennifer shares key insights about work life balance working for a German company including PTO for days worked at trade show events.  Listen to the end and discover insights about what it is like to have leadership support for a trade show marketing program. As always, if you have any questions or would like information about the content we discussed on today’s episode, reach out to me at Rock Your Trade Show.  I love hearing from you and helping you achieve your personal and professional goals. Special thanks to Jennifer Conway for meeting early in the morning to record this episode while onsite at HCEAConnect. Credits: Thanks as always to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode.

Recently, I had the chance to observe the true meaning of grit first hand and it got me thinking: ‘What do we all need to do so we can apply grit and amplify our career results?’  Angela Duckworth author of the book, Grit, has inspired thousands of people to discover how success is more than talent and IQ. Duckworth describes in her book, how people who are successful in their careers have two characteristics: passion and perseverance.  Whether you are looking to get promoted, or if you are a parent wanting to inspire a child, this episode is all about how to find your Grit and what to do for yourself or your family to become “grittier” and influence true potential. Here is a first-hand observation of grit in action.  It was a warm fall evening this past week and my daughter’s field hockey team-who is JV - was playing a varsity team.  For a little context-this is her team’s third year as a sport in her high school and many of the players are new athletes and have never played the game before.  The coach assured our team that while they were varsity – in reality the players were closer to a JV team.  It was the team’s senior night-the most celebrated evening for a team where the players can shine for their parents and families.  For any of the listeners out there with kids who play sports-or if you yourself played sports-the next portion of the story will resonate I am sure.  Our team was down a goalie, we had a lot of sick and injured players and we “borrowed” a former goalie to help us out and not forfeit the game. After the senior announcements, the girls took to the field.  Our team was in position and then it started-two seniors competing for the most goals against our team.  You can envision this-score after score-they totally crushed us.  At the end of the second half with only 37 seconds left to play-and a score of 14-0 on the score board-one of the seniors took her final shot for a 15th goal.  The announcer was so embarrassed he didn’t even say her name. During this entire hour of play, I watched my daughter’s team smile at each other.  They encouraged and cheered one another on.  In short, they simply never gave up.  Despite the odds, and when it was clear that not only would scoring be a long shot (I know sorry about the pun!)  but defending these skilled players was like climbing mount Everest.  And yet- and yet, they pushed on-and even were hugging at the end of the game.  I usually don’t share personal stories on this podcast, but thought we can all be inspired and learn how to tap into GRIT and make things happen we might have otherwise thought impossible by this team’s unwavering commitment.  Now-let’s apply this idea to your work and life-using Angela Duckworth’s model for grit and the grit scale.  10 Things to Know about Grit: Grit predicts success and it goes beyond IQ and Talent. People with grit are able to move past setbacks to achieve your goals and find success. Effort is a multiplier that indicates success rates. Duckworth identifies the following two equations: talent x effort = skill and skill x effort = achievement. Test your grit and measure how gritty you are on the grit scale. How did you score?  Did it surprise you? Grit is something you can change. Don’t focus on the score-look at what you can do to improve so you can accomplish your dreams. Four characteristics to having grit: Interest, practice, purpose and hope. Goal setting should exceed your comfort zone. Tapping into your purpose will help you achieve success beyond personal gain. Optimism is key to feeling hopeful and it helps us realize we can push past adversity. Environment and Extracurricular activities contribute to our having grit. Culture and the people with whom we associate influence our application of grit in our careers. For more information on how you can have more grit in your career, reach out to me, I am here to help!  Looking for more episodes like this one-check out this episode with Laine Mann-How to Tap Into Your Brave, and visit Rock Your Trade Show where you will find tips and  empowering strategies for trade show event marketing and careers. Credits: As always, a special thanks to Christy Haussler and team podcast for editing this episode. Angela Duckworth's book Grit

Are you looking for ways to lead your team or find a way to get promoted? Dawn Will shares leadership tips she uses for her team of 10 people and how she helps develop personal and professional careers within her organization in this third interview of our 3-part series.  Dawn started her career in the military and her ability to forge long-term relationships is highlighted by her amazing approach to interacting with direct reports and leadership alike.  Find out how you can have meaningful one-on-one meetings, create a capabilities road show for your internal stakeholders and how to communicate effectively with leadership and win their buy-in.  If you are looking to have a big impact with your team, this interview is for you!  Starting with one-on-one meetings Dawn gave an overview of how she conducts positive interactions with her team.  She suggests to first start with an agenda for each person meeting with and identity topics that are important to them. At the end of the year, having documented meetings will help with personnel reviews.  Dawn tried to connect weekly with her team and recommends continuing to have conversations throughout the year.  Effective Planning List for One-on-One Meetings: What are you working on now? What do you have coming up? Opportunities for improvements. How else can I help you? Professional and Personal Development. Vacation days coming up. These tips will help both the manager and direct reports better prepare for the meeting and enable positive personal and professional growth. Dawn also shared how to hold effective internal meetings to help everyone involved in an event stay on track and accomplish goals: Internal Meeting Agenda Outline: Start each meeting with follow up with action items from the previous meeting Ask stakeholders what works, what doesn’t work what are the best process for planning meetings Keep everyone focused on the topics most urgent for approvals. Provide target items at every meeting Continue it until the implementation of the convention “We partner all across the organization because we manage all of the Regeneron meetings”- Dawn Will In an effort to help other departments learn about what meetings and conventions provides-Dawn and her team implemented a Capabilities Road Show across Regeneron.  In the capabilities presentation, an organizational chart with names and main contacts were shared to help inform different areas about what is offered at meetings and ways to effectively work together.  It was very well received and is something I encourage each listener to consider! Personal Approach to Leadership: You are either a manger or you lead people. In the military, Dawn always wanted to better the people she around her. Four foundational principles she learned in the military: Team work, Collaboration, Comradery and Integrity. Dawn integrates these every day. Everyone has unique qualities and that is what makes a good team Dawn moved into leadership while in the military and to this day some of the females she mentored still keep in touch with her.  In addition, as mentioned in episode 81 with Jennifer Harrison, Dawn was her business reference from Pfizer and it turned out the two are working together again.  The power of personal connections and passing forward these principals will help your team grow and become leaders. A big thanks to Dawn Will whom you can reach on LinkedIn for taking the time to share her amazing approach to leadership.  Be sure to check out episodes 79 with Kristen Leikwold and 80 with Jennifer Harrison if you haven’t heard what is like to be on Dawn’s team.   If you have any questions about this episode or any of the topics we review on this podcast, reach out to me.  Credits: As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode!

Have you ever paused to think about how face-to-face marketing, when done right, is like a well-orchestrated Broadway show? Julie Harrison shares how she started her career in the performing arts in musical theater and even worked for The Disney Company before transitioning into healthcare as a Meetings and Convention Planner.  Find out in this live interview how she uses her creative skills to deliver experiences today at HCP events, Symposia and on the trade show floor.  Julie and I met up at the HCEAConnect conference and like her colleague Kristen Leikwold, she also works with Dawn Will.  This is the second of a three - part series about being part of an incredible team and the last interview is with Dawn Will who shares her secrets to leadership.  It turned out for Julie, who worked with Dawn in a previous role at Pfizer, that maintaining connections opened doors to her current role. Listen and learn how being a newcomer to a meeting like HCEAConnect can benefit you if you are in healthcare marketing.  4 Ways HCEAConnect Creates Opportunities Making Connections-at HCEAConnect, meeting with every industry type, corporate, association and suppliers is very beneficial. Learning New Ideas-and having a way to apply what you learn can impact your trade show program. Building Teams- Regeneron sent a group of 8 people from a team of 10 to experience the conference together. Julie shared how it was great to be able to experience the information with colleagues. Meeting Face-to-Face- Instead of relying on emails and other ways to connect, seeing people in person really helps create shared experiences that establish bonds beyond the event. Julie’s advice: There is always a plan B.  When the scanners didn’t work at a recent trade show, the sales reps collected business cards so that they could follow up.  If you are wondering how to get involved with an organization and aren’t sure where to start-reach out to me I am here to help and I love hearing from you!   Credits-Thanks to Christy Haussler from Team Podcastfor editing this episode.  

Do you want to get promoted or lead a global organization? Cathy Breden, Executive Vice President and COO at IAEE and CEIR shares the core principles of what it is like to go outside of her comfort zone every day, travel the world and create incredible impact for the trade show industry.   Many listeners ask about next steps in your career and Cathy shares key insights not only about her career, but also the state of the trade show industry, future trends, resources you can use from CEIR and so much more. 5 Career and Trade Show Industry Insights: Find the right place to work. Cathy shares how IAEE offered a great family friendly workplace that gave her work-life balance and the ability to get promoted. See the World from global perspective. Looking forward regardless of the situation with China and trade wars, business is moving east - by the year 2050 economic power will be between India and China. Use research to make decisions.  CEIR looks at economic performance back to the 2000 and creates a forecast three years out. Using this resource, associations and marketers can understand where our industry is going in the future. Advocate for important protections for event planners and associations.  IAEE helps to advocate on key issues like the online booking scam and is helping to promote key legislation to help end hackers from falsely creating hotel registration sites with two pieces of legislation in congress. Discover industry trends and take action.  CEIR is a resource that includes surveys in all industries and finds out what corporate heads of marketing are thinking, what channels they will be using in the future and budget plans. These insights are valuable to marketers, suppliers and associations alike. For more information about IAEE and CEIR visit the website and check out the IAEE event calendar and CEM program.  Certification program has 11 modules and you need 9 to be certified. A special thanks to Cathy Breden for being on the show and also for being on a panel about Exhibitions day which will be featured in a future episode. Editing Credits: Special thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode.  

Trade show exhibitors, associations and industry suppliers all need to know the data about material handling and other costs to effectively influence change in our industry. Listen to this interview with  Sue Huff, Director, Global Conventions at Medtronic, who shares insights from her panel at HCEAConnect titled "Challenge the Status Quo: 19 Years of Data".  In this interview you will discover: The Impact of rising material handling costs on marketing budgets. Who is affected when exhibitors reduce their exhibit space size. What matters to the millennial attendee experience.  How one show organizer, NAB, changed what they charge for material handling and so much more. The Attendee Shift Demographics are changing for who attends trade shows.  The largest group of attendees today are millennials and their expectations are to have interaction, networking, hands on demos and immersive experiences in the trade show hall.  The positive experience for attendees is diminishing due to some of the costs of bringing the equipment and exhibit to the show.  As these costs are rising, exhibitors are decreasing the booth size or decide to bring less product to the show. The Impact of Downsizing Sue shared how at one show, an exhibitor went from an exhibit space of approx. 100’ x 50’ down to a 20x20. In the past they had a full OR suite in the exhibit and at this particular show, the OR set up was a miniature model displayed under glass.  The question posed Sue asked the show organizer was “how is that experience different for the attendee, when they no longer can touch the product -what is it doing to the overall value of the attendee”.  Attendees want the experience of touching and feeling the instruments and products.  A Look at the Consumer Price Index In a 10-year analysis of the consumer price index on costs for conventions, the CPI increased by 20% and union labor wages went up 36% -37% compared to material handling which went up by 150%.  Material handling is increasing at a much higher rate than other costs in face-to-face marketing.  Material Handling at Trade Shows Here is a snapshot of how material handling is determined for ta show.  Often an association needs signage, aisle carpet etc. and they may ask if they can receive those items at a lower rate.  The general services contractor needs to cover those costs and it can be applied to material handling which is paid for by an exhibitor. Exhibitors often are unaware of surcharges on material handling until they receive an invoice after the show is over.  The challenge with this model is that exhibitors don’t have predictable pricing for budgets.  Case study: What is the true cost of moving one crate Sue described an analysis of how many days it would take a fork lift driver to move one single crate based on the drayage rate.  If the material handling rate is $135 per hundred weight, the cost for a single crate was $1,500. Applying the union workers’ wage of $47 per hour against the crate cost, it worked out to be 32 hours to move one crate or 4 days.  While it is understood that the crate may be handled multiple times and placed into storage, it is unlikely the time it takes to handle the crate would equal 4 days. Impact on Show Organizers Some associations are not aware they can negotiate rates charged to the exhibitor.  Organizers have the opportunity to negotiate the rates in the service kit.  In the discussion, Sue shared how at one show material handling went up, and to compensate for the increased cost, the booth size decreased to offset that increase.  The costs to the exhibitor stayed the same, however the show organizer lost $36,000 with the decrease in exhibit size.  NAB Implements a New Material Handling Model This year, NAB tried something new and changed how they charged for drayage.  Instead of charging per hundred weight they charged by the square foot at a rate $3.85 per square foot.  Another show that did this model is Pack Expo several years ago.  For insights into how this works, check out the NAB Cares and watch the video about why they took this initiative for their exhibitors. The result was that exhibitors saved about 40% over the previous year in material handling.  Other organizations are looking at to help companies bring in product.  Especially for larger equipment shows.   Non-Exclusive and Exclusive Rates When looking at costs there are two types of rates.  The labor rate is an example of a non-exclusive rate-you can choose what company you use for Installation and Dismantle.  Exclusive rates apply to things like material handling, electrical, rigging, etc. How Associations Can Help Gregg Lapin, CMP Director of Meeting Services at American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) shared on the panel with Sue Huff how he learned about the attendee’s decisions and how things like what day to hold the show impacted exhibitors.  AADE changed the timing of move in and move out to be on straight time which also coincided with when attendees wanted to attend the show - over the weekend.  How to Impact Change Exhibitors need to have a dialog with the associations and shareinsights about budgets and the impact on booth size relative to fixed costs on the show floor.  Take the opportunity to request the association negotiate material handling rates on your behalf.  In turn, associations should talk with convention centers and the general services providers about all exclusive rates including internet to help exhibitors offer attendees the best experience.  For more information about this topic, reach out to me, I love hearing from you!  And Check out Episode 36  for insights from Sue Huff about mergers and managing large teams. A big thanks to Sue Huff for sharing this information on the show! Check out HCEA for more educational information. Credits: As always thanks to Christy Haussler from Team Podcastfor creating editing magic on this and every episode of the show!  

Thinking about how to take your career to the next level?  Whether you are new to face-to-face marketing, or an industry insider, you won't want to miss this interview with Taylor Urban, HMCC, US Conventions and Events Specialist at Abbott.  Taylor has a unique perspective having worked on the agency side of trade show events, and in technology and now healthcare.  She shares insights on what is like to embrace new career opportunities across different industries.  This interview was conducted live at HCEAConnect, a healthcare trade show industry event for suppliers, associations and corporate marketers and planners.  Find out how you can gain experience, how to manage really large trade shows and work effectively with internal stakeholders. Make sure you listen all the way to the end, Taylor shares how building experience can further the chance to plan for the future. A big thanks to Taylor for this live interview and for inspiring our listeners to imagine what is possible. If you have questions about this topic or any of the topics we talk about on the show, reach out to me at Rock Your Trade Show. For more interviews like this one be sure to tune in each week for the HCEAConnect series.  You can also visit Rock Your Trade Show/HCEA Editing credits: A big thanks to Christy Haussler and team podcast for editing this episode.

What does happiness at work feel like for you?  I ask that because if you are a marketer in face-to-face marketing, our hours can be demanding, sometimes even grueling.  Whether you are new or experienced-doing trade shows gives joy to many people. And for the lucky ones-you not only like doing it-you love it. I had an experience filled with joy that made me think of happiness and why culture combined with passion makes a great place to work and yes-even happiness.  We are working on a project requiring us to gather pet photos. In a brainstorming the creative around what we wanted to share-our designer Phoebe had the bold idea of emailing our entire company and asking for photos.  Imagine receiving an email that said “send us your pet photos-in the next 30 minutes”! There had to be a time limit, both to encourage people to take action and also so the project could be completed.  Within only a few minutes sending that message, photos started flooding our inboxes. Phoebe and I were screen sharing and looking at each photo, laughing and commenting on how many pets our wonderful Exhibitus family has.  In just 30 minutes we had well over 90 photos…and counting.  There were cats, dogs, a bunny and even a hedgehog. How does this relate to happiness?  In that moment of joy looking at the lives of people I work with, some of whom I hadn’t met personally, I was awe struck.  Without hesitation, the entire company mobilized and sent their photos.  Even people who were out of the office in transit, stopped, and sent in photos. And…in a small way, seeing a glimpse of people’s lives, the passion shared for pets, our company people and ultimately the client we were doing this for, it was pure joy. Now back to the question-what does happiness look like for you?  Do you feel joy in your work?  If the answer is yes-that is awesome!!  But if you wonder-would my company and employees drop everything and respond en-masse or mobilize the way I described here for a worthy cause-and you are unsure, it is time to open the door and create your own blissful experience at work. Five Ways To Create Joy in Your Career Find a cause you care about. Many of your companies already do social responsibility projects-or have days of service.  Exhibitus is super active in that regard, and it builds teams, and allows employees to meet each other when they otherwise would not.  Check out this live interview at a CSR project for HCEA.   If your company doesn’t offer CSR-no problem you can create something new and start a trend! Be grateful and share it forward. Gratitude starts not only by being thankful but also it is about paying attention.  Do one simple thing that brings joy to another person-take bagels in to work-invite someone you don’t know to lunch.  Share your grateful sentiment with someone at work and watch how it blossoms. Discover what you love best-and do more of that.Sounds simple enough but the reality is, we often focus on what we don’t like and try to get better at it instead of doing more of what fills up our cup.  Close your eyes, imagine if you could do anything in your role right now what would it be?  Share that information with your team, your boss and others.  Collaborate with people that have similar values.In our industry, agency partners like Exhibitus, we are proud of the experiences that we create and the journey it takes to achieve results for clients who are able to show that value to their leadership.  Our goal is to offer an experience for clients who appreciate being able to show results and having fun in the process. Finding joy happens inside your organization and also with the people you have the opportunity to work with on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. Look back, look forward and be present. Thinking about goals-a lot of advice, and even interview questions, focus on “Where do you want to be in 5 years or 10 years”. In our fast-paced world, instead of focusing on the years-take a look at the reality of the past, future and present. What in the past really fired you up and gave you enjoyment?  Can you see that same excitement when you look into the future?  And how about today…do you feel it?  If not, it is time to make an assessment and a plan. As you listened today, was there an aha moment?  Here is your chance to take action.  I recently read a suggestion of keeping a note pad for a week and writing down what you love and what you don’t on paper.  At the end of the week-take stock and move towards the things that you found inspiring, that will move your needle forward to that future you imagine. It is my sincere hope that you really love what you do.  This podcast is dedicated to lifting you up and empower you to be bold and dream big. If you have a great story to share like the one I did here-reach out to me at Rock Your trade Show.  I am always grateful to hear from you and offer tips and advice. Credits: As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcastfor editing this episode!

Are you looking to take your experience on the show floor to a new level?  Whether you are an association or trade show manager, IAEE-International for Exhibitions and Events-has the resources to boost your industry knowledge and enhance results for exhibitors, associations and attendees.  In this second interview with Randy Bauler,CEM and Corporate Relations & Exhibits Director at American Association of Critical-Care Nurses(AACN),we discuss how beneficial IAEE is and ways you can get involved. IAEE has been around since 1928 when it was the National Association of Exposition Managers when it represented “the interests of trade show and exposition managers, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events® is the leading association for the global exhibition industry. Today IAEE represents over 12,000 individuals in 50 countries who conduct and support exhibitions around the world.” Whether you are an association or exhibitor, Randy shares key insights in this interview. 5 Ways to Get Involved with IAEE: Join a local chapter. Members have the opportunity to network, socialize and learn about the industry. Get Your CEM. If you’re an association, exhibitor or industry partner, IAEE offers great courses that will help you.  There are twelve modules and candidates need to complete 9 to receive the CEM. Take a backstage tour. Local chapters offer an insider view behind the scenes at conference centers around the country.  Whether you are a veteran or new to the industry this is a unique opportunity to learn more about how events happen. Take a Course.If getting your CEM isn’t for you, take one or two courses.  Randy describes his course Exhibition and Event Sales where you will learn: Attendance marketing, contractor/supplier relationship programs. Specialty exhibit sales Tactics-to get people sign up for a show Help advance space selection General selling techniques Overcome objections Put together sales plan Basics of selling Specifics-how do you put together an exhibitor prospectus, whatever selling opportunities do you sell Attend Expo ExpoDecember 3-5, 2019 in Las Vegas.It is an opportunity to network, take CEM and more at the national level. Favorite Resource:  Randy shares in addition to HCEA (Healthcare Convention and Exhibitor’s Association) and IAEE, he recommendsCEIR-Center for Exhibition Industry Research, which is part of IAEE and is a tremendous resource for data. For more insights, check out Episode 57 CEIR Industry Trends with Nancy Drapeau. You can reach Randy Bauler Randy.bauler@aacn.organd at AACN-check out the exhibits page. If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved with IAEE or have questions about any of the information here, reach out to me, I love hearing from you! Credits:As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcastfor editing this episode.

Have you been wanting to maximize your results with a trade show association or if you are an association do you want to help your exhibitors get better ROI by exhibiting at your show?  In this interview, Randy Bauler,CEM and Corporate Relations & Exhibits Director at American Association of Critical-Care Nurses(AACN) shares advice about how to take your events to the next level in exposition education, booth space selection, sponsorship and how you can join an exhibitor advisory council (EAC). Exposition Education:Opportunity to provide CE credit to attendees in a theater setting. AACN offers 51 theaters, 200 topics that are presented 650 times over the course of the show. Exhibitors that include KOL’s (Key Opinion Leaders) to present content generate the best Conferences that offer CE credits on the show floor like AACN provide the opportunity for attendees to stay current (in the case of AACN, nurses can put CE credits towards renewing their licenses. Attendees want to learn and get education along with hands-on applications. Associations that offer CE credits on the show floor provide exhibitors a way to draw attendees to their exhibit and interact with them in a “non” sales format. Healthcare conferences for nurses enable attendees to become educated on the show floor and take the knowledge back to their hospitals and share it with other nurses. Selecting an Exhibit Space:You can often select next year’s space while at the show. Evaluate opportunities and consider a position near learning centers or special sponsored areas like the Rest and Relaxation area at AACN. How you bring traffic to your exhibit is more important than focusing on selecting a strategic location. Associations get attendees to the show-what do you do to drive traffic to your booth? Priority Point System is based on an accumulation of key criteria. Exhibitors earn points based on the size of the booth (1 point for every 100 feet of space at AACN).  In addition, history/loyalty points matter.  Points for advertising/sponsorship, year-round support also play a part.  AACN also offers points if you stay in their housing block.   Sponsorship opportunities:You have the ability to explore options outside of what is offered. Customize a sponsorship to achieve greater exposure to the attendee. Most exhibitors say “let me see your list of opportunities- what can we do to customize” and work with the association to develop the best offering. Engagement with attendee is more important than exposure. An example Randy shared is that while nurses are waiting for their seated message at the Rest and Relaxation lounge, the sponsoring company has greeters to interact with attendees, getting to know them and work the line before the nurse gets their message. Receptions offer an additional opportunity to interact and engage with attendees and the host company is encouraged to mingle and make connections. At AACN, a sponsoring company is able to have senior management speak for a few moments.  Products can be on display at a sponsored reception giving companies a second opportunity to engage with attendees.    Ways to Get Involved with Associations: Join an Advisory Council. Most shows have an exhibitor advisory council or committee-they invite representatives to talk about the event. Being on the EAC (Exhibitor Advisory Council) gives companies the chance to increase visibility in the industry and gain recognition. At AACN the only purpose is to make the experience better for exhibitors and attendees.  Favorite Resource:HCEA-Healthcare Convention and Exhibitor’s Association. In healthcare it is a unique organization that includes exhibitors, show management and suppliers together.  The HCEA events enable attendees to meet with peers, customers, potential customers and suppliers to the industry. If you have any questions about this episode, reach out to me, I love hearing from you! A big thank you to Randy Bauler for doing a two-part interview! Editing Credits:  As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler with Team Podcastfor editing this episode.

Are you a trade show event marketer?  If you have achieved something unique for your company in face-to-face marketing, now is the time to nominate yourself to be an EXHIBITOR Magazine All-Star!  Travis Stanton, EXHIBITOR Editor, shares insights in this interview about EXHIBITOR including the All-Star Awards, how to get nominated and how it can impact your career. All-Star Awards Overview The annual All-Star Awards celebrates corporate event planners who have contributed to their company’s trade show program by doing something that made a big impact.  Award winners have all not only overcome a challenge, they have the data to demonstrate measurable results. This is an incredible opportunity to shine a light on your own achievements or something a friend or colleague has done.  If you have never won an Exhibitor award and are a trade show exhibit manager or corporate event manager, this is the perfect award for you!   Not only will you be featured in EXHIBITOR Magazine, you also receive a free one-day pass to EXHIBITORLIVE 2020!   7 Insider Facts About the EXHIBITOR All-Star Awards: Criteria to Win:The committee is looking for industry leaders who have achieved measurable results. Any challenge you faced-including the idea that “we can do better” and implemented a solution. How to Evaluate Your Accomplishments:Take a look at what you have accomplished. Past Winners Include:Trade Show Exhibitors who worked to create a measurement procedure, innovative event apps, overcome corporate mergers to create more efficiencies with their program. How To Get Nominated:You can self-nominate or an agency can nominate a client, or have a colleague nominate you. Who Wins:Your program doesn’t have to be big to win.“Small companies to big budgets and everything in between have been past winners.  "Clever, DIY solutions that not only save money or increase leads can win”-Travis Stanton Being in the CTSM Program can help:You don’t have to be in the CTSM program but it might help you to think of your best practices that you have done to apply. How much does it cost:It is free to submit your awards entry. Favorite Resource:  Travis shared the best way to find inspiration-go check out trade shows outside of your industry.  You can look at local fairs, festivals, museums and other places if you aren’t able to travel to a show. You will be surprised how much you see can be applied to your program. You can find Travis on LinkedIn and at ExhibitorOnline and EXHIBITOR LinkedIn group.  Subscribe to the e-newsletter and the magazine for news in the industry. This is your time, if you have accomplished a measurable success for your trade show program.  Complete the online entry form and see where this will take you!  And if you have any questions about this episode, reach out to me, I love hearing from you! Editing Credits: As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler with Team Podcast for editing this episode.

If you love the trade show event industry and want to have an impact-then Exhibitions Day is an event you should consider attending to have your voice heard.   Diane Benson, Diamond CTSM, shares her first-time experience at Exhibitions Day representing HCEA through IAEE in Washington D.C. on June 4thand 5th.  Find out in this interview what it was like to go to Capitol Hill, meet with representatives and have the chance to share important information about our 97-billion-dollar industry. 4 Key Pillars to Help the Trade Show Industry at Exhibitions Day Exhibitions Day has four primary topics that they bring to Capitol Hill to help grow our industry: Investing in America’s Transportation Infrastructure: “According to the World Economic Forum, the U.S. ranks ninth in the world in infrastructure quality. Inadequate supply of infrastructure is one of our top 10 most problematic factors for doing business.”- Exhibitions Day. The goal is to make it easier to travel within the United States for all using our roads, trains, and air travel. Secure Travel Partnership Act of 2019 (H.R. 1996): “In 2017, 23 million travelers arrived in the U.S. from Visa Wavier Program countries and generated $190 billion in economic activity. Visitors from the 38 countries that participate help generates a $77 billion trade surplus for the U.S.” - Exhibitions Day. Change the name of the current Visa Waiver Act to make it easier for 38 countries to visit the United States for business. JOLT Act of 2019 (H.R. 2187): “Overview: Over 1.2 million jobs across America are directly supported by international inbound travel. For the U.S. to grow that number as well as regain and increase our share of the global travel market, it is important to improve and expand the programs we currently have in place.”-Exhibitions Day. The hope is to increase the opportunity for more countries to visit the United States for our trade shows. Protecting Brand USA: Reinstate the budget for marketing outside of the United States to help drive businesses to attend and participate in the trade show industry.“The marketing ROI previously was 28:1-every $1 Brand USA spent on marketing generated $28 in spend by international visitors.”-Exhibitions Day.  2 Reasons You Should Sign Up: Sign up-it is free! Each first timer is paired up with someone who has been before. Get Involved and Have Your Voice Heard: It matters to get more attendees to our exhibitions and grow our industry. Want to learn more? Check out HCEAConnectAugust 17th-20thin Miami, FL, where I will be interviewing Diane Benson live about #ExhibitionsDay! Diane’s Favorite Resources: HCEA, Exhibitor Magazine, CTSM Where to find Diane Benson:Twitterand LinkedIn A big thanks to Diane Benson for being on the show and sharing her insights and information to help empower our listeners. Editing Credits: As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler and Team Podcast. Exhibitus participates in Exhibitions Day and feels it is an important responsibility to share our support.

How consistent is your brand messaging in your trade show program? Whether you work for a large fortune 500 company or a startup organization, take a look at all of your trade show assets and ask yourself-are they consistent and what is the attendee experience?   If you are like most companies, you may be hitting it out of the park with the large exhibit experience but when it comes to the banner stand or portables the messaging changes and the experience varies from sales rep to sales rep.  If you want to really stand out-and help your company differentiate itself from the competition-doing an audit of all assets and attendee experiences will catapult you to the next level in ROI. Recently we helped a client take a siloed approach for their trade show program and create a unilateral brand experience from modular displays to large islands.  Why was this important?  At the end of the day-even if you have the biggest budget in the world (which I suspect you are chuckling right now) you need to show value and maybe yes maybe reduce costs.  And if you are nodding your head saying-yes! I need to reduce cost. Then instead of looking at the individual line item costs and asking-how can I fill in the blank-reduce drayage, shipping, labor, onsite expenses etc.-take a step back.  Better yet-go to the 30,000 feet level and ask-will being consistent across all areas of my program help reduce cost?  The answer may surprise you-yes- it will in big ways! This is your time to really make big strides, win friends in procurement, sales and even stakeholders.  Let’s reverse engineer how you can reduce costs, increase efficiencies-and better yet-and perhaps most importantly improve the attendee experience.  Ready?  Let’s get started. 10 Steps to Reducing Costs with a Consistent Brand Experience Audit your current assets-is there clear identification, consistent messaging (use of tag-lines, graphic imagery, corporate hierarchy)? Identify areas that are misaligned- include all levels of exhibit properties-do you have something that scales from banner stand to large island exhibit? Leverage existing assets-fill in the gaps with rental assets. A hybrid rental will allow you to continue a depreciation  schedule- if needed on assets purchased - while adding in key elements that will enhance the brand experience. Review budgets and look for hidden costs.  If you are a healthcare company or are in a regulated industry that requires multiple submissions for approval before a trade show-you understand the cost of those submissions.  From agency teams to internal reviews the total budget adds up quickly.  What if you had a template that everyone used and it reduced costs by 20-30% would that help your bottom line?  Of course, it would, but too often the focus is on drayage and things like agency content creation with new graphic templates and sizes, digital content that doesn’t follow a system or template all adds up.  Look at the largest areas of spend-it may surprise you that regulatory reviews that require changes before every show could be the biggest hidden cost. Conduct internal and external research. Find out from your internal stakeholders what they think of the brand experience and see if it is aligned with attendee impressions.  One key way to test theories on brand consistency is to conduct exit surveys of attendees.  This gives you candid information from the target audience and will help to validate the need to create a consistent brand. Establish architectural brand templates. Cost reductions can be found in standardizing the overall hierarchy and messaging across every size exhibit from portables to large islands. Create Efficiency and Cost Savings Analysis. Many companies have two budgets-a marketing budget that is applied to agencies and content creation and a trade show budget largely focused on logistics and execution.  Analyze the benefits and cost reductions/break even spend based on streamlining the brand messaging. Establish guidelines for every sized exhibit.  Starting with the smallest table tops to the largest displays. This process takes time, however the payoff is simplification and eficiencies in usage and reduced attendee confusion on brand experience. Include pre-show and post show data. Compare cost reductions, attendee experience and stakeholder feedback. Evaluate, report and adjust. Establishing a consistent message is a fluid process that requires flexibility, and adjustments.  For example, it may be discovered that part of the inconsistency in attendee experience pertains to sales rep engagement.  A targeted training program for modular displays and each incremental size of your program may help the create a consistent experience at every level of your trade show. These 10 tips will help you on your way to reducing costs and are the first steps to thinking outside of the box and generating value for your face-to-face marketing program.  Too often the first-place marketers go is slashing budgets with the intent that ultimately it will help the bottom line.  In truth, a reduced budget may or may not help the bottom line-although it does immediately lower the cost of execution it may not achieve the strategic goals for an organization. Instead of focusing on a number or a percentage reduction, using this methodology of finding hidden costs, you will be surprised at the overall cost savings available while retaining the integrity of the marketing and sales plan and establish a consistent corporate image. For more insights or if you have questions about the process of creating a consistent brand, reach out to me.  I love hearing from you and sharing tips on how this strategy can help you get promoted. As always thanks to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode.

Sometimes it can be hard to know how to go past cost per lead to demonstrate value you’re your face-to-face marketing program.  If you struggle with showing leadership value for your program-this episode will help you focus on key metrics and help you become a trade show shero or hero! In a recent interview with Melanie Neal, she said something that has stuck with me.  When Melanie receives a request for a new initiative she will ask the requester “What does the data tell us?”.  Melanie, who is a Vice President at a large healthcare is on to something, and so often we shy away from data and rely on other factors like competitive advantages or FOMO (fear of missing out) which in face-to-face marketing is more like fear of what competitors and clients will think. So how can we embrace data and start using it to our advantage? Here is a story to show why data is so important.  Our results division provides analysis and ROI modeling for trade shows.  In a recent project, Lynn Reves, our Marketing and Results Division Director shared that we are able to justify the spend for large trade show exhibit using ROI modeling that proves out the spend is paid for before leads are generated.  Sound good? Imagine, if you could go to leadership and say “we need to be at this show-here is the data to show why, and by the way we have metrics that demonstrate how this show pays for itself”!  It is easy to overlook, or under-value key metrics that help deliver this message.  Here are five things to consider for your program and how data evaluation will help you move the ROI justification needle.  5 Ways to Demonstrate Value with Data Define show goals and objectives to go beyond cost per lead. What does your company need to do to achieve sales results?  If you have a long sales cycle-it easy to rely on that timeline as a reason why it is hard to show ROI.  But don’t fall into that trap!  There are ways to move your sales and marketing initiatives forward even if it is a 6-18 month selling cycle. Establish milestones that demonstrate your face-to-face program helped sway the customer to “Yes”. Close the loop on post show follow up. Even if your company has the best CRM system in the world, if leads aren’t followed up on-and no action is taken, the value of the long-term solution for that customer is diminished to a faded memory.  This is one of the biggest challenges for trade show marketers and also one of the keys to success.  Align Sales and Marketing so that there is a common objective. Our free program assessment shows time and again that when sales and marketing making adjustments can be the key difference in achieving targeted goals.  When marketing and sales take the survey they can see visually on the results what they can do to improve together instead of in a silo. Focus on four key areas of measurement at your next show: new business, customer retention, value of promotion and communications, and cost avoidance. Each area has strategies that require actions to be made onsite exhibit staff. The first one-new business is obvious and the reason most companies attend a trade show.  Customer retention is often overlooked and it can lead to missed opportunities to grow the business you already have.  Add a value to your promotion (this can be sponsorship and advertising outreach for a show) and it will help bolster the data to show the exposure you are winning by attending.  Lastly-the cost avoidance is the one area that when truly implemented can in some cases pay for the entire conference.  If for example, you have a global company and senior leaders will be at the show-creating internal meetings instead of traveling separately to meet at a different time can really add up and the efficiency adds to the overall bottom line for the company. Go Beyond Cost Per lead. Measure these areas to really show results: Executive Participation Thought Leadership Press and PR impact Business development and competitive surveillance Return on Objectives Tech/Product Showcase Cost-cost index to measure cost savings Return on Investment-payback ratio   The last one on this list is the most valuable as it gives you the data you need to really measure the overall effectiveness of your program.    Now that you have gathered the data you need a strategy to share this information you are ready to share it with your boss and leadership.  Hopefully as you embarked on the data journey you discovered what is the most important measurement for your company.  For some organizations, it could be as simple of staying ahead of the competition.   Other companies have deeper strategic goals like increasing market share or increasing the sales prospect by expanding cross selling between products.  Whatever they are-they should be the cornerstone of your messaging. In preparation for your presentation to leadership, keep it simple.  Don’t rely a huge slide deck-but rather have one page that summarizes your findings.  Often your time with leadership is very short and the more concise you are, the increased chances of achieving your results.  Remember these three tips-prepare, share and end with a call to action.  Just like your sales reps on the show floor, ask for what it is you need to help you continue to be successful.  One of my guests, Christine DiDomenico shared that when she met with leadership she had three columns, must do, nice to do and out of the box initiatives.  If you prepare your call to action with this in mind it will help shape the conversation and you will achieve your results. How valued do you feel your trade show program is within your organization?  Do you feel like there is a disconnect between sales, marketing and leadership?  Check out our free online assessment and discover gaps and how you can align all stakeholders together. I hope you have found this information helpful, if I can be of any help to you as you demonstrate and validate your program, reach out to me at rockyourtradeshow.com/lets talk I love hearing from you! Credits: A special thanks to Christy Haussler from Team Podcast for editing this episode.

Asking your connections for help can make some of us hesitate or worse not act on our instincts at all out of fear they might say no to our request.  It comes down to being prepared so that we feel confident when we engage both our network as well as new connections we are at ease and comfortable in what we want to say.  Senior leaders on this show have shared how their network served them well when faced with a difficult choice or job transition.  And let’s face it.  Your circle of influence is there for you when you need them and ready for when you aren’t expecting it. If you want tips on how to be prepared for what to say-check out episode 08 with Robyn Sayles and episode 13 with Tara Lynn Foster.  This episode is going to go beyond the obvious statement that you need a personal network.  And it even past building your personal advisory board as described in episode 41 building your circle of influence.  This is what to do once you have people in your corner-one of the things people forget doing is asking their circle of influence to help them in powerful ways. Now I have a question for you-what would you do if…you will fill in the blank: You are standing in line at Starbucks and strike up a friendly conversation with someone-but it’s like the experience on a plane when you meet someone and then never see them again and walk away without sharing information, or you take the conversation further and offer to potentially help that person, become LinkedIn and start a new connection with that person. Maybe you are thinking-I don’t see anyone at Starbucks I would want to know-hey I get it.  Sometimes you want your quiet time without interruptions.  But, chance doesn’t happen.  Opportunities present themselves to you and when you see them-you need to seize that moment. This experience happened to me just this week.  I was in Florida and all week, I noticed this Empowering women conference around the hotel.  I saw women who looked like business owners, entrepreneurs and one thing they all shared was a confidence about them when they walked by or like this situation-standing at Starbucks. Standing next to a woman in line, we struck up a conversation and I asked: “Are you here for the women’s conference?”.  It turned out she was and after a few short moments, we realized that we shared a common passion for empowering women and I offered to make an introduction to one of my guests from this podcast whom I thought shared a common interest and would be helpful to her. Now-you may be thinking- “that never happens to me.”  But, I want to challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and try to meet one person you didn’t know and offer to be of service to them. If you are feeling stuck-don’t work here are five tips to empower you to take action. 5 Ways Tips to Engage Your Connections Decide where you need help. Look at the details of your career and program-there areas of your job that you feel confident and know how to execute.  Then there are situations you aren’t sure how to handle-for example how to get executives to be more involved at your biggest show.  It may be in your organization that there are several layers between you and the President/CEO.  Navigating to that person can be a challenge.  Having a senior advocate in your arsenal will not only help give you access, but they can also help you create a plan and deliver a compelling story as to why the President’s participation will help close business.  Know what you need before you ask. Request introductions. If you need to engage a leader within your organization but don’t know them-ask someone you know to help-preferably a sponsor or senior advisor. Be of Service to Others. If you are looking to ask a leader for their help-know what is important to them before you ask.  For example, if increasing revenues at your face-to-face marketing is important-show how it will be mutually beneficial to collaborate together to have the President attend your next conference and interact with VIP attendees. Follow up on your ask. If you received help, and introduction or other advice, thank the person who provided the assistance.  Share the steps you took following your conversation. Share your success. Everyone feels good knowing they helped achieve results.  Be sure to not be shy, share how the steps you followed at their recommendation led to exceeding goals and objectives for your program.  The most important thing you can do right now is decide where you need help and who can provide you with the assistance you need.  Take action today and you will make steps to being noticed and promoted.  Please reach out to me with any questions at Rock Your Trade Show I love hearing from you!   Credits: Thank you to Christy Haussler at Team Podcast for editing this episode!

Are you ready to make a move if an opportunity comes your way? For Ann Carter, Vice President of Purchasing and Supplier Management, being prepared is the key to advancing in your career.  Ann provides insights about why soliciting feedback is so important and offers actionable advice on best practices for collaborating with purchasing and how to solve complex challenges.  This interview provides so many insights you will want to listen to the very end! 8 Best Practices to Implement in Your Career and Business Use emotional intelligence - ask for feedback.If you feel there are obstacles in your way, it is important to ask for feedback and learn from it.  Listen to the feedback, coarse correct where you can be successful and remember to stay authentic to who you are.  Ann recommends to “go for it, don’t look back and don’t let ethnicity be a hindrance.” Be honest when you find you are stuck.It is important to remember you are the first person who can implement a change.  Talk to other groups across your organization, share your interests and be sure to let your boss know what you want to do. Considering a pivot - your skills are transferrable.Ann made several career moves and she shares how leadership, analytical skills are all applicable in different roles. Include face-to-face contact for global teams.  Ann shares at the heart people are the same no matter where they are located. In addition to using video technology, there is no replacement for in-person connections.  Collaborating with purchasing should include these 3 things: Get purchasing involved as early as possible in a project. Remember that purchasing are stewards in selecting 3rdparty vendors and there to help. Make sure there is a clear definition of what it is you want. What is the product and service you need.  Ambiguity makes the selection process difficult. Understand supplier selection is a process. It starts with selection and interview suppliers that have the right services and then choose the right partner. Purchasing is an integral partner of an organization especially when natural disasters strike. Ann tells a great story about how her company formed a SWAT team to fly supplies to Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria. Be prepared for opportunities to come your way. Plan where you want to go and be ready for the chance to make a move.  If you take too much time to decide the role may go to someone else. Leadership means having faith and being eager to learn. As long as you are learning, the experience will follow. Favorite resource-“Leading at the Edge”by Dennis Perkins, Margaret Holtman and Jillian Murphy.  There are 10 leadership principles and the one she likes the best: “Never give up-there is always another way.” Ann Carter. If you would like help with leading teams or any of the content covered in this interview, reach out to me, I love to hear from you! Thanks as always to Christy Haussler and Team Podcastfor editing this episode.  

Have you ever had a conversation that had so many insights you wanted to take notes? Then you will want to list to this interview with Melanie Neal, a Vice President who is a creative problem solver, inclusive leader, organizational innovator and customer advocate.  Melanie shares incredible wisdom that is not only uplifting but actionable and will immediately impact your career. 11 Innovative Leadership Tips To Move Your Career Forward Look for variety in the roles you take on at work. Melanie shares how a willingness to learn and being open to what an opportunity might present is the best way to be seen as a versatile leader and gain transferable skills. Seize an opportunity and choose not to have all the boxes checked. “Why would you want to go for a job where you didn’t have the opportunity to learn something new or for professional growth?”     – Melanie Neal Timing doesn’t always work the way you think it should. Be ready to adapt to external and internal conditions and “push towards something that is better and bring people along with you”. To be a good leader you must be willing to pause, listen and understand a situation. Followed by being open, transparent and proactive with communication to your team.  The worst thing that happens with change is no change at all and people questioning-why do we still have this issue. When faced with a challenging situation be open minded and prepared and ask “What does the data show us”. If you are presenting to leadership or stakeholders have the data to back up your recommendation. If a problem comes up, remember not to take it personally. This takes practice and the more you can look at a situation without “natural bias” the more prepared you will be to see the full picture. The only constant is change. Ask yourself if you are in a progressive company “Are there things I need to do to adapt” and find a way to be a leader during times of change. Choose a word for 2019 and live it. For Melanie, she chose relevance because of the importance to be resilient and flexible ahead of time. Change how people see you by understanding your company’s goals. Determine if you are aligned with those goals and how can you contribute to achieving them. Be proactive to increase your visibility. Set up weekly updates with your boss to demonstrate your contribution and strategic thinking as it relates to the overall goals of your organization. Embrace advice through mentorship. Both the mentor and mentee have a lot to gain by working together.  A mentor can provide value to be there and support, push you out on that limb and provide safety harness, I believe in you, I know you can do it. “Why not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is.” Mark Twain Consider being a Mentor-it is an opportunity to share, give back and have a significant impact on someone’s career. If you are looking to gain visibility with your marketing program and want to get promoted reach out to me, I love hearing from you! Melanie’s Two Favorite Resources: Women’s Leadership: The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Daily Leadership News: HBR Daily As always, a big thanks to Christy Haussler and Team Podcast for editing this episode!

Almost 50 episodes into the life of this podcast and your host, Christy Haussler, finally begins sharing her journey.  Some call it a midlife crisis, some would call is stupidity, but Christy followed her heart and quit her six figure job and moved to Key West in order to pursue the life she really wanted.  This it's impossible?  It may be closer to reality than you think.  

In this episode, host Christy Haussler introduces you to the Brick and Mortar Reporter Podcast.  She shares her passion for local businesses and gives you a sneak peek of what is in store!  There will be no greater advocate for local independent businesses than the Brick and Mortar Reporter.  In this podcast we will interview only local small business owners.  These are not the same interviews you hear on every other podcast - they all really have unique stories to tell about their local businesses.