Design Business Marketing – What a Difference a Speaker Makes!

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of visiting
the High Point Chapter of the Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA).I
have worked with Amy Meinecke, the
chapter president, and they pulled off a wonderful event. 

They hosted
Susan Kostelecky of the Custom Sewing
Institute , and the topic was using "trunk shows" to market your
design and window business.  Now Susan and I have been friends for some
time, and in fact, I have used HER trunk show to teach this same class.
So it wasn’t as though I was attending in order to learn more about trunk
shows, but rather to show support for a peer. 

Well – was I mistaken when I thought I wasn’t there to learn something!

As I mentioned earlier, I
have actually used Susan’s physical trunk show samples to teach this same class
- Trunk Show Marketing.  And it has been a great success.  Of course, it helps that I have used this
technique to help grow my own business, so I could pull from things that I have
experienced. 

So I sit back to watch Susan’s presentation, and it was
just awesome!  Awesome!  And OF COURSE she was saying things I have
never experienced, and telling her own stories, and even though the meat of the
course was the same, the style, technique and delivery were so different and so
engaging – that I learned a lot!  A lot!  And about a topic that I am
an "expert" on!

So my challenge to you – I want you to
pick a piece of your business – and if you are lucky enough to have a peer
group – call someone you know in your field and ask them how they handle that
piece of business.  Because even though you are an expert, seeing it
through someone else’s eyes will bring a whole different view to the way you
are handling things – and may even make you that much better! 
I’d love to hear what you find it – post a blog and share!
-Mary