Jodi Scholes, LLC http://www.jodischoles.com Prosper in Business Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:06:23 +0000 en hourly 1 How to maximize your National Convention experience http://www.jodischoles.com/2011/10/19/how-to-maximize-your-national-convention-experience/ http://www.jodischoles.com/2011/10/19/how-to-maximize-your-national-convention-experience/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:54:15 +0000 jodi http://www.jodischoles.com/?p=138 Continue reading →]]> So you’re going to the convention?!? Good for you. A new city to explore, lots of CEUs and oh yeah, you’re NOT working! There’s a little thing called ‘Opportunity Cost’ when attending an event like the National Convention. Oh, so you paid for your ticket with miles and are sharing a hotel room. Smart! However, opportunity cost refers to the appointments you won’t be accomplishing while you are away. Most likely you will travel Wednesday, all day. Zap: 4 appointments gone. Next you will enjoy Thursday, Friday, Saturday drinking thru a firehose of information, events, activities, lunches, dinner dance and exhibits. (Check out FAT-tool you’ll love it!) Zap: 12 appointments gone. Sunday full of enthusiasm you travel home. Zap: 4 more appointments gone. Unless you LIVE in Portland, you won’t be seeing clients for 5 days. Potentially 20 appointments. Opportunity cost: $80 x 20appointments. Yikes, could be up to $1600.
Your investment in the National Convention includes: airfare, hotel, registration, all the goodies you buy at the exhibit as well as the money you didn’t earn by being there. Lets be reasonable…$300 air, $75/night hotel (4 nights), registration $484, AND the clients you would have seen $1000 for a whopping total of $2084. How can you make sure the investment pays you back?
Here’s your plan on MAXIMIZING your National Convention experience:
1. Business cards, give’um and get’um. You’ll be wearing this thing around your neck the entire weekend, a lanyard, containing a badge with your name and where your are from. Everyone else will too. Put 10 business cards in with your badge each morning making a point to give out 10 cards each day. Heck, give one to each presenter you listen to. There’s 3 right away! BUT here’s the key: COLLECT 10 business cards each day. Give cards to exhibitors, people you sit next to in class, people from Portland, people from a city you’d like to visit some day. Give out cards and GET cards from those people too. You’ve got to be wondering by now, ‘what in the world am I gonna do with the cards, bossy girl?’ You’re going to send each one a personal note when you get home. No one writes personal notes anymore. Of course YOU do because you stay in touch with your clients, but that’s a different entry. Today we are focused: maximize your convention! When you write a personal note you make a great impression. You distinguish yourself as a professional. And how would it feel to start getting referrals from other therapists in other states? No guarantees, but by weaving the tapestry of connections, good things happen. Give and get business cards.
2. New Training. Take at least one hands on class that has SPECIFIC new techniques you will take back to your practice. What would be the benefit of a new technique? Of course you will serve your clients better. However, you also have the opportunity to charge an additional fee for your new area of expertise. Say for example you take the Carpal Tunnel Tennis Elbow workshop. You now have specific techniques to use on those conditions. Maybe you add to your massage menu a 30 minute session called Tennis Elbow Therapy for $40. Or a 20 minute session called Carpal Tunnel-buster for $25. I love the 45 minute Leg Rejuvenation massage for $60. Wha-la. You’re earning more by learning more!
3. Share the knowledge. Once you are home, teach what you learned. You say, ‘But bossy lady, I don’t teach.’ No problem. Host a breakfast or lunch for other massage therapists. Yes. OTHER therapists. Yes, for your ‘COMPETITION’ who work nearby. Also for the chiropractor you’ve been meaning to talk to and the PT clinic around the corner. Invite 6-8 people. Keep it simple. Offer tea, coffee, bagels and fruit. Or just order one of the pre-made sandwich platters from your local deli and get a case of water. Spend less than the cost of ONE massage($50-$75?) and keep it to an hour. Here’s your agenda:
First 15 min mix and mingle.
15 min (self) introductions of your guests.
15 min you talking about your practice, the new technique(s) you learned at the exciting National Convention you just attended.
Follow with 5 min of general questions.
5 minutes thanking your guest for attending.
Adjourn.
What could be the benefit of inviting other therapists into YOUR office? Think. Yes. Referrals. All of a sudden YOU are the Tennis Elbow champ. YOU are the Carpal Tunnel expert. When your colleagues have clients with challenges they will refer to you. Not to mention the PT clinic and chiropractor will now start to refer to you too. Sha-zam. You’re earning more by learning more.
As you plan to MAXIMIZE your National Convention experience be proactive. Be willing to take action. As John C. Maxwell says in his book, Failing Forward, “You can’t wait for motivation to get you going. To conquer fear, you have to feel the fear and take action anyway.” By following these simple steps you will find that the Opportunity Cost you have today will turn into the Savings Account you have next year as you plan your 2012 National Convention. Enjoy!

Boo!-proof National Convention experience

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