At first attendees wondered why there was so much white space on their badges, but then they were shown the Badge Bar. At the badge bar CDI conference participants got a new taste of extreme networking. Choosing from stickers and ribbons that represented their hobbies, passions and personalities sparked a lot of fun and created exciting conversation starters throughout the convention.

Next, we started off with instructions for using the Great Ideas! notebooks to get the most out of each session.

Speaker review written by Judy Ware.

As Barbara Safani illustrated in her workshop, Networking Strategies for the 21st century, websites enlarge your scope of resources. Networking provides information resources and builds strategic alliances as well as referral business. Networking is more than an exchange of information. It’s the human component—you give more than you receive. It builds a virtual business community. Safani encouraged us to make use of online resources as well as educate our clients to the many websites.

Safani reviewed a list of websites and commented on specific attributes as they applied to particular needs. Safani pointed out that career management is a life long process. The use of career portfolios creates visibility. A recent survey showed that 65% of recruiters Google the name first before taking them as a client. How visible are they? An online portfolio gets the client virtually “out there” to a wider base of recruiters. Further, websites facilitate the online personal branding portfolio to visibly position the client in the job market. And, reluctant networkers may be more likely to use electronic networking.

Safani invited workshop attendees to break into groups and discuss ways in which each person has benefited from particular online sources. Susan Guarneri shared how she entered maybe 20 people she knew on to Linkedin. As each of those people added their connections Susan now has a network of ½ million people as a result of how her persons added people to their network and so on. Susan invites her clients to join her network.

Blogging, which Safani highly recommends, shares information in your expertise. Blogging communicates your information to a wider audience instantly. Your blog builds a community in which to build your credibility. Include your blog identity on your business card.

Some of the sites Safani mentioned are fee free. Different sites serve different communities in different markets. It is a way to build community 24/7. Online networking is always working, no time constraints and is more accessible than face-to-face meetings. Accessing online sources gives the capability to: identify key employers and recruiters; uncover resources to accelerate client success; discover unadvertised opportunities; provide critical company research; and find recent company news.

Speaker review written by Susan Guarneri of Susan Guarneri Associates

What do happiness, security, less stress, a better job and career, and more money all have in common? According to Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling, these are some of the Big Benefits our clients are really buying from us – and it is our job to convey these benefits clearly and persuasively to close the sale. Then our words can truly make us rich!

Wendy asserts that everything she knows she learned in ballet class. Her early career in classical ballet prompted her to develop The Performance Model for cold calling:

1. Warm Up = preparation. Identify your target market and create communications approaches and scripts customized to that audience. This ensures you will not get hurt!
2. Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse again = “muscle memory” (technique). Practice repeatedly and program your brain through habit.
3. Performance = use your acquired technique. Overcome stage fright and bad days by allowing the habit of your polished techniques to keep you “on”.

The Performance Model was included in The Master Plan, Part I: What Do You Think? This initial section confronted our thinking about the negative connotations we all associate with selling, as well as 10 potential “Twisted Thinking” mindsets, such as jumping to conclusions, magnification, emotional reasoning, and labeling.

Wendy pushed us to reframe our thinking. She reminded us that true consultative selling establishes value and comes from a place of integrity – a sincere belief in what we have to offer. Besides integrity, the other two keys to thinking like a closer include equality (clients need what you have to offer as much as you need clients), and preparation (The Performance Model). Starting with the concept of features (facts which nobody really cares about) and benefits (why your client really needs you), we collaborated in small groups and drilled down to the Big Benefit of each of our business features. Prospects buy benefits, especially Big Benefits, so leading with benefits captures prospects’ attention, builds trust, and shows that you really understand. Wendy encouraged us to talk benefits (and value) first, before any talk of pricing. Convincing value lays the groundwork for price acceptance and pre-empts objections.

According to The Queen of Cold Calling, success is about mastering skills to get positive results, just as an experienced ballerina masters her art form. This potential for success is impacted by what we think AND what we say. Armed with re-framed, “untwisted” thinking, benefit-rich communications, and skillful objections-handling techniques, my client-closing art form has been elevated to a new high.

Wendy’s goal in this presentation was to leave each of us with at least ONE new idea to use immediately in building our businesses. She achieved that goal – and more, with a roomful of excited and eager entrepreneurs ready to “warm up, rehearse, and perform” so that our words can indeed make us rich!

Wendy Weiss gave us so much to think about; let us in on so many negative beliefs that were holding us back...so our afternoon break was the best time for burning (and thereby ridding ourselves) of our sacred cows (sacred beliefs that hold us back)!

Reception attendees were greeted by CDI staff donned in tropical attire who bestowed a shell lei on each guest. Fun and festivities were had to the strains of steel drums and Jimmy Buffet favorites courtesy of our One Man Band, Don Beem.

Speaker review written by Cory Edwards of Partnering for Success

Day Two of the CDI Convention began with a powerful presentation by Susan Guarneri. Susan began her presentation by discussing six tools to build credibility from a professional email address to an advisory board, Susan described the benefits of ensuring we used all tools at our disposal to build our credibility and professionalism.

Next, we discovered that our brand is a unique promise of value, which we determine by extracting, expressing and exuding. Susan made sure that we understood that branding is for everyone and that branding is what would put us in charge and differentiate us from the rest of the market.

Susan fully described three keys to self-marketing success. These three critical keys include visibility, credibility, and likeability. We learned what to do to achieve these keys. Susan discussed the benefits of a strong personal brand.

Finally, Susan touched on blogging – who should blog and how we can use blogging to enhance our brand. The session was packed with relevant and practical information to help us all improve our business and grow. There was so much to cover and she left her audience wanting for more to which she followed up at the upcoming lunch time table topics.

President of CDI, Laura DeCarlo, briefly explained the transition of the Certified Master Resume Writer credential to a new lifetime achievement award called the Master Resume Writer Lifetime Achievement Award. A surprised Susan Guarneri was then made the first recipient of this honor.