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 November 2005

 

CSAE would like to thank this month's CSAE e-news sponsor, Copper Conference Center:

www.coppermeetings.com

 For Sale - Office Furniture incl. conference room table for 8-10 with 10 matching chairs, gray recept. desk/divider and 4 freestanding gray dividing walls, 2 sec.chairs, one green file cabinet. Available immediately.  Call Karen at 303/750-9764 for info and pricing.

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Click here to visit www.csaenet.org for the latest information on what's happening at CSAE.

Contact information:

2170 S. Parker Road, Suite 265

Denver, Colorado 80231

303-368-9090

Joan Tezak: joant@csaenet.org

Cheri Overton: coverton@csaenet.org

We welcome your comments, suggestions and contributions. To submit articles for either CSAE e-news or Executive Memo, contact Jill Ladouceur at 303-804-9778 or ladjill@qwest.net. 

Upcoming Events:

Click here to see a list of upcoming CSAE activities.

Click here to download the 2006 luncheon registration form.

Thank you to Dave & Buster's of Westminster for hosting the CSAE monthly luncheon in October and Ramada Plaza & Convention Center for hosting the monthly luncheon in November.

What's Up at CSAE:

CSAE recently worked on positioning development and branding with CCT Advertising. According to the research and development process, the primary reason executives join CSAE is for education and networking purposes. That alone isn’t what makes CSAE a vital resource, or a unique offering. Looking deeper into the motivations of CSAE members, executives join and stay because this education and networking is a means of connecting with, learning from, and maybe even being inspired by other association leaders.

This holiday season pass along the gift of CSAE membership to your friends and colleagues. Apply online at www.csaenet.org.

Association Trends: 5 Crucial Marketing Questions

Journalists use the five Ws to draft meaty news stories: who, what, where, when and why. You can use Ws to enhance the efficacy of your marketing efforts. Invest some time reviewing these simple Ws, and you’ll communicate with greater efficiency and purpose. Learn more about the 5 Ws...

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Association Trends: 5 Crucial Marketing Questions

by Brigid O'Connor

Journalists use the five Ws to draft meaty news stories: who, what, where, when and why. You can use Ws to enhance the efficacy of your marketing efforts. Invest some time reviewing these simple Ws, and you’ll communicate with greater efficiency and purpose.

  1. WHO?
    Who are you trying to reach? Take the time to develop a profile of your existing clients. What do they have in common? What do you like about doing business with them? Dislike? Ask and answer the same questions for the clients you’d like to have, too. It may seem obvious, but understanding the traits of these two groups is integral to marketing to them. You have to know a lot about the people you are communicating with before you can talk in terms that resonate.
  2. WHAT?
    What is your firm all about? And I don’t mean that list of services you reel off when asked about the company. Conduct this simple exercise: List two adjectives that describe your firm. If you can’t, your business image—the vision that should infuse all your communications—may be murky at best. The clients and prospects you are trying to reach won’t be able to get a handle on what you are all about. And that may be all it takes to deter them. Next: Ask a co-worker and a client to list two adjectives. Are you all on the same page, or are there some image gaps you need to close?
  3. WHERE?
    Where do you fit in the marketplace? What other firms compete for your clients? Take a look at their Web sites and their prospect material (if you can get a hold of it). What adjectives describe these firms? If you are competing in the exact same space and depicting your firm in the same manner, what motivates clients to choose your firm over others? Are you all sounding and looking alike? If so, you need to differentiate your firm from the competition.
  4. WHY?
    Take a hard look at the materials you send (via snail mail, e-mail, fax and as
    handouts) during one month. Why are you sending this stuff? What is the purpose
    of each piece? Does each one accomplish its purpose? When you
    arrange these items on your desk, do they look similar or dissimilar? In other
    words, do your firm’s communications have a consistent “look and feel”? If not,
    your attempts are likely missing the target. Communication channels are glutted
    and only purposeful, consistent messages make it through. As I travel the country speaking to groups of business owners, I find that far too few have even a rudimentary knowledge of the who, what, where and why. Therefore, I leave you with a final W:
  5. WHEN?
    When are you going to take the time to drill down into the nitty-gritty of reaching clients and prospects? Only when you do will you communicate with efficiency and purpose.

Reprinted with the permission of Solutions magazine, published by the Financial Planning Association (FPA). FPA can be reached at www.fpanet.org. Brigid O’Connor, MBA, of At Ease, LLC, helps people communicate with efficiency and purpose through speaking and training experiences.

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