May 2, 2013, Vol. 11, Issue 9

I was in Chicago last month for the Marketing to Women – Health and Wellness (M2W-HW) conference, where I picked up some great information and ideas that I’ll be sharing with you over the next few issues. In fact, I came away with a new perspective. So, instead of my usual speaker stories, I’m going to divert today and talk a little about shopping.

Shopping?  Yes, shopping. If you’re anything like me, the thought of going to a conference brings on the closet deficit syndrome, commonly known as, “I don’t have a thing to wear” — magnified when the season is changing.  So, the weekend before I left, I headed out to the stores.  Being budget conscious and lured by the promise of a deal, I headed for Nordstrom Rack, Ross Dress for Less, Kohl’s, and Marshall’s. I never got to TJ Max, but I did also go out on a couple of weeknights and venture into Chico’s, Coldwater Creek, Macy’s and JC Penney at the mall. I was on a mission, as you can see. Now, I did score a few deals, but, holy cow, was it ever time consuming and exhausting. Ugh. I can think of so many other things I would prefer to do with my time — like hiking.

Now for me the clothing thing isn’t so much about being stylish as it is about feeling confident and comfortable, so unless I left the tags on, I doubt anyone at the conference guessed I’d been on a shopping frenzy. Anyhow, when I actually got to Chicago, it was so cold and wet that my hot new sandals and other spring things ended up staying in the suitcase. So much for wardrobe planning . . .

Fast forward to the conference:  The Spirit of Women team of Tanya Abreu, President and Chief Vision Officer, and Guy McClurkan, Executive Vice President, presented their 2013 marketing theme, “The New Elegance of Women’s Health —  Like a Little Black Dress.”  NOTE:  I feature Spirit of Women news here every so often, but in case you’re new or unfamiliar with the organization, Spirit of Women is dedicated solely to the business and cause of women’s health. They provide hospitals, physicians and the healthcare industry with powerful strategies, content and programming to drive targeted business growth — while motivating women and their families to better health.

In their program, Tanya and Guy described how marketing to women is simple, efficient and remarkable, like the classic little black dress.  And while they related these concepts to transforming healthcare in a changing marketplace, I suddenly realized that those words, simple, efficient and remarkable, are the perfect description for the service I offer in helping event planners like you find the perfect speakers for your women’s and healthcare events. Which brings us back to shopping . . .

 

Simple, Efficient, Remarkable

SHOPPING FOR ELEGANCE – THE RIGHT FIT

My Aha! moment was realizing that the service I offer is so much more than a speakers bureau (mall or department store in this analogy). Event planners preparing for their next conference, may face a similar feeling — that they haven’t any speakers in mind who will thrill their audience – a ‘speaker deficit disorder.’ And they face a time-consuming search among friends, board members, and on the internet for suggestions that may produce uncertain results. Aha! I act very much like a personal shopper — for professional speakers. And if I’d had the good sense to work with a wardrobe personal shopper who knew my sizes, preferences, style and budget, I could have saved myself a lot of time, money and grief — which are the same benefits that I offer clients.

While I take a great deal of time and effort to select speakers for our website roster, you are never limited to that list. I am constantly monitoring the marketplace, just like any good fashion buyer, looking for what’s hot, as well as keeping tabs on celebrities and up and coming speakers. I often shop “off the rack” for clients in a particular budget range or geographical area. In fact, just this week, I got a big thank you from a client in Pennsylvania who found my website last year.  I connected them with KJ Reimensnyder-Wagner,  who lives right in their backyard. At the time, I had heard about her (from a client) but had not yet added her to my roster.  They had never heard of her either — the perfect speaker in their budget range who was right in their neighborhood and unknown to them. The results, in their words:

“Thank you for setting us up with just the right person for our Purposeful Seminar, ‘Living in Color.’ KJ created such a positive atmosphere, and my ladies have told me repeatedly how much they loved listening to her, laughing with her, singing with her, and getting to hear her story.  She helped them to feel comfortable to express their passions and encouraged them to follow that passion. She lit up the room for the ladies at the  seminar. Her joy was contagious, and we caught it! KJ was exactly what we needed, and your connection made that happen. Thank you very much, Barbara.”

 

SIMPLE

I realize that finding a speaker for your event is just one item on your multi-faceted to-do list.  I can simplify this task, making it really easy — and pleasant — for you.

You don’t have to spend hours searching the internet, going from site to site, and wondering about descriptions of speakers you never heard of, and if they’ll live up to their promises.  You select from among pre-qualified choices made from my hand-picked roster of speakers specifically for women’s events. I take the time and effort to find out who you are and what you like, so you don’t have to pick through “racks” of speakers who don’t fit — and I’ll find speakers for you who I know are inspiring and reliable. Let me be your buyer. Be assured I will always respect your budget.  Also, using my service not only doesn’t cost you any additional fee (I am compensated by the speaker), I have inside knowledge about fee flexibility and availability.

CASE:  A client I’ve worked with for many years is now part of a larger healthcare system. She called me last fall on behalf of their region, and we came up with one speaker, Kelly Swanson, they agreed on for all of their 2013 women’s events.  Because this created a multiple booking for the speaker, each hospital got a reduced fee for their event.  One event has been held, and having heard about its big success, the others are eagerly anticipating their own.  Simple for everyone and successful.

EFFICIENT

We save you time, money and grief. Instead of spending your precious time shopping around and searching for names, you can come to one source and try on lots of options that you would never know about, speakers you may not have heard of yet. We also handle all of the negotiations, provide the contract details, and most important of all: respect your budget.

CASE: A hospital we started working with last year was surprised and delighted that the candidates I recommended for their breast cancer celebration event were not only fresh, but their fees were much more reasonable than what the bureau they’d been working with for several years had been quoting. The search and process were efficient and the event was a huge success. They loved the speaker they selected and are back again this year.

REMARKABLE

Ah, yes, remarkable  – remarkable and memorable.  Our speakers will make you and your organization shine. I personally choose them for their talent at connecting with your audiences on the topics that you designate. We want to work with you year after year and we do that by helping you create remarkable events year after year so your audiences can’t wait to return.

CASE:  Clients like the Women’s Health Conference (Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota), the MCVI Women’s Health Initiative in Saginaw, Michigan, and the George Bray Cancer Center in New Britain, Connecticut, are happy, happy clients who come back again and again bringing me the challenge, “How do we top this? Again!” And each year we manage to do it because I get them remarkable speakers, so that they develop a reputation as exciting and rewarding events.

I’m always up for it. I love getting the creative juices flowing.

THE RESULT: ELEGANCE AND THE PERFECT FIT

In presenting their 2013 marketing theme, “The New Elegance of Women’s Health —  Like a Little Black Dress.”, Tanya and Guy referred to the Wikipedia definition for “elegant” —  a synonym for beauty that has come to acquire the additional connotations of unusual effectiveness and simplicity.

Tanya explained how marketing elegant health with effectiveness and simplicity to women is a pre-set stage for successful healthcare reform: “Women have always wanted a transformational and “elegant”solution to their own health improvement,” she said. “Women want convenient and immediate service. We want to feel better – not ‘fixed,’ and we seek and reward authenticity from organizations providing value.”  Lastly, she said that women demand meaningful communication, motivation and inspiration.

Agreed!  If the dress fits, wear it!

And if you’re planning a women’s event let me be your personal shopper, and you may find better speakers with less effort than you could on your own. Let me show you how to save time, save money, improve your program and thrill your audience. Spend your extra time keeping things simple — and being efficient and remarkable yourself. Visit our website at https://www.speakwellbeing.com or give me a call anytime at 503-699-5031.

Meantime, take care of yourself for your well being and those you love.

Yours truly,

Barbara

M2W-HW photo credits:  BillMorganMedia.com for PME events

For Your Well Being is published bi-weekly. We bring you insider speaker reports, exclusive stories about special events around the country, meeting planner tips, and fun stuff from the worlds of health and well being. Be well and be in the know!

The Speak Well Being Group is a specialized speakers bureau, focusing on speakers for hospital-sponsored community events, healthcare organizations, conferences and women’s groups. Our speakers are hand-selected. They are not only experts in their fields, they know how to connect with women and give them life-changing information served on a silver platter of joy, camaraderie, with a side of sauce (spicy, of course).

Finding the perfect keynote speaker for your special event or conference is my personal passion, not just once, but year after year. It brings me endless joy to know that your audience was delighted and moved by the speaker we selected together. I’m committed to making the process easy, pleasant and fun.