Why I Do APC
They’re My Team
I’ve been
self-employed since 1987. Though I love my
independence, my business and I do better
when we have the support of people like the
people I meet in APC.
It’s not that I
lack motivation, or skills, or smarts. It’s
that I’m more motivated, more skilled, and
(frankly) smarter when I have APC people
behind me.
APC people know
what it means to be self-employed. My fellow
members sell and market their skills every
day, just like I do. They’ve met a payroll;
they’ve met impossible deadlines for
impossible clients. They’ve faced and
overcome the same challenges I face.
APC people
support me, and I support them. Together, we
all grow.
The Counsel of Your Peers
Large
organizations have Boards of Directors that
provide outside guidance for executive
management. I don’t.
Sure, I can ask
people I know for feedback, but most don’t
have the decades of relevant experience and
proven track records that a Board of
Directors would. I appreciate their efforts
to help me out, but I’ll admit it: getting
help from them is like sipping from the
thimble of opinion. I want to guzzle from
the fire-hose of wisdom!
Which brings me
to another reason I joined APC: to get
outside guidance.
Here’s how APC
is helping me out: every two weeks, for a
couple of hours or so, three other APC
members and I get together for coffee. We
talk about our opportunities and challenges.
We talk marketing, strategy, and about
projects. We talk about the economy and any
other topic of the day.
Because we’ve
met several times, we know each other and
what we’re trying to do. When I get
guidance, it’s practical, relevant and
insightful.
My “Board” is
more than a sounding board. Since we’re all
non-competing consultants, we liberally
“borrow” thoughts, concepts and ideas from
each other.
We’re also
setting up joint ventures and cooperative
marketing and advertising. Finally, because
we’re becoming very familiar with what we
all do, it’s easier for us to recommend each
others’ services.
Why’d I join APC?
Because I get the support I need to grow my
business. From a fire-hose.
Referrals
Here's the best
reason so far: referrals. I’ve gotten more
referrals, in less time, for better-targeted
prospects, than I have in all my (too many)
years of networking with any other group.
Huzzah!
Power Networking
Because
referrals are your #1 source of business,
you probably spend plenty of time on
marketing activities is with an ultimate
goal of generating them.
So do I.
That being the
case, we have to ask ourselves where can we
get the highest “ROI” on our time and money.
Networking is a
key part of any consultant’s marketing plan,
and I do plenty of that (I’m sure you do
too).
The problem is,
everyone’s out networking. It’s hard to
stand out from the crowd, and a hard sales
pitch that would allow us to “really”
differentiate would probably backfire.
APC solves the
problem by letting me participate on the
Board of Directors. Here, I get to show off
my work to APC’s most influential members.
Better still,
they’re people with relationships that allow
them to refer me for the kind of business
I’m seeking.
They don’t have
to listen to my sales pitch to understand
what I do. When I present my work to the
Board, they see it live.
For example, we
recently worked on the Association’s value
and pricing. I was able to play a
significant role in the discussion, and got
positive feedback about my contribution from
other Board members. Their feedback lets me
know I’ve succeeded in having them trust my
work.
What’s the ROI
for me? As with any networking, it’s hard to
know when the payoff will come. One person I
served on a board with in the 1980s referred
me to a client 10 years later that I billed
over $50,000 to in one year.
And that ain’t
bad.
So, here’s
another reason I do APC: Power Networking!
Professional Camaraderie
I’ve been networking with various
organizations since I started my business
way back in 1987.
For the record, that’s a lot of chicken
dinners. And too-early breakfasts. And power
lunches. And happy hours. And seminars. And
mixers.
You get the idea. It’s a lot of networking.
Networking with APC is unique among all of
the networking that I’ve done. It’s hard to
explain.
It’s the special respect that develops from
sharing professional knowledge and
practices.
It’s the special rapport that emerges from
sharing battles (victorious and otherwise).
It’s the special trust that comes from
authentic conversation.
It’s the special something that makes
attending APC events feel more like we’re at
a private club with friends who happen to be
some of our key resources instead of feeling
like we’re attending yet another networking
event.
Why do I do APC? Let’s call it professional
camaraderie.
I Love an Audience
If you’re a
professional consultant, you probably do a
fair amount of public speaking. I know I do.
When we present,
we get better at presenting, and our
thinking on our topics gets a little clearer
and a little deeper. And, it’s great
marketing.
I’ve spoken on
two occasions to APC, even though I’m only a
second year member:
-
Marketing in
the 21st Century – October 16, 2008
-
Branding
Small Business — August 20, 2009
Speaking to APC
is special because the people who attend its
meetings are my most likely sources for
referrals. When I’m given the opportunity to
address them as a speaker, they’re much more
likely to refer me.
Why? Because
they experience the quality and depth of my
thinking, and can see for themselves that
I’m smart, reliable, and good to work with
(instead of taking my word for it). I know,
that last line was a little self-indulgent.
Work with me here, I’m making a point!
Making
presentations to APC paid off earlier this
year, when I got a referral from an APC
member to one of his clients.
The gentleman
has been in consulting for many years, and
knows many, many marketing consultants. So,
I followed up with him, asking why he chose
to refer me. It was because he’d seen my
presentation and liked its content and
design.
Why do I do APC?
Because I get to do what I love to do in
front of an audience that appreciates me,
and refers business to me.
Inspiration
APC just celebrated its 30th Anniversary
with a dinner meeting so well attended we
had to ask the hotel to move us to a bigger
room. Thankfully, nobody sang “Happy
Birthday.”
Much of the
extra turnout came from former APC
Presidents on hand to renew old connections
and make new ones.
After dinner,
each of the Past Presidents delivered a few
words. None used the occasion to
self-promote. Instead, they spoke of the joy
they found in their practices, and how APC
has contributed to their success.
As I listened,
each Past President was, in a way, telling
my own story. They related, through their
own experiences, challenges and
opportunities that, for want of a few
details, are my own. They celebrated the
freedom we find in consulting, and the
intellectual challenge and stimulation that
comes from the diversity of our work.
To hear them
tell it, there is no better profession than
consulting, and no better place for a
consultant to be than APC.
I came to work
the next day with a smile, and with renewed
energy for my own practice.
Thanks, APC, for
the inspiration.
I Get a Little
Zen
The demands of
business sometimes stress me out. Generally,
I love what I do. But, between project
deadlines, selling, early meetings, and LA &
OC traffic, I think it’s only natural that I
want to want to work a few minutes of stress
relief into my day.
I find those few
minutes before every APC meeting, thanks to
the lake adjacent to the hotel. The sunset
reflects on the water, the birds swoop
around and down, and a cool breeze washes
off the bad "carma" from bad drivers.
It’s a little
bit of Zen that puts me in the right frame
of mind and helps me stay focused on my goals.
When I get to
the meeting, I’m relaxed and refreshed;
ready and open to networking, learning, and
the occasional bit of zany nuttiness that
takes place.
Why do I do APC?
Because it gives me a moment of Zen in a
schedule that permits far too little of it.
I Gotta be Me
If you know me,
you know I don’t fit the profile for a
consultant. I’m big, I’m loose, I’m loud, I
have way too much fun.
Oh, sure, I know
what you’re thinking: You’re unique,
Luis. Just like everybody else.
That’s true to a
certain extent. But I think it’s fair to say
my “uniqueness” goes a little farther than
it does with most consultants. If you were a
statistics consultant, you’d call me an
“outlier.”
As a result,
there are places I’ve networked where I’m
uncomfortable being myself. There is an
enforced group social norm that can
ostracise the outliers. To fit in, I have to
be more subdued, use bigger words, and be
less personal than I actually am.
Sure, I can do
it. But at APC, I don’t have to.
Why do I do APC?
Because I gotta be me.
Unlearning
Ever since I started consulting, I’ve
devoured everything I could about selling,
marketing and related topics. So, all
modesty aside, I think know my subject
matter pretty well.
That’s why APC
can be so valuable for me: just when I start
thinking I know it all, I learn (again) that
I don't.
Every month,
passionate, well-informed speakers share
their approaches to topics. If its a topic
in my area, sometimes I discover the need to
do some unlearning.
It happened just
last month, when Paul Bean of Avant Garde
Productions spoke about the amount of copy
(text) that’s appropriate for a “Smart” web
page.
I’ve always said
that when it comes to text, less is more.
People don’t read, I say. Who has time to
wade through a page awash in words, I ask.
Paul begs to
differ. According to him, 500 words on a web
page is a good starting point.
And do you know
what? Now that SEO is such a key part of web
site success, he’s right. The search engines
can’t index text that isn’t there. It
doesn't matter how succinct or well crafted
the text is if nobody is there to read it.
Sure, I could
have figured it out. But thanks to Paul and
APC, I won't be figuring it out in front of
a prospective client.
Thanks, Paul,
and thanks, APC, for the unlearning.
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