Get Approval to Attend Your Industry Conference

Get Approval to Attend Your Industry Conference

If you are an employee, you probably need to ask permission to attend a conference or convention. There are two things you want. You want the organization to pay for the cost of the event along with the travel expenses. The other thing you want is permission to be out of the office to attend the conference while still being paid. This is not your vacation.

You are asking your employer for two valuable resources – time and money.

So how do you get approved by the boss to attend your industry convention or association conference on the company’s dime?

Show how it will help your organization and your boss. Your organization is investing money while your boss (if not the owner) is taking a risk.

You must present a case that focuses on the benefits to your employer. The mistakes are to talk about what’s in if for you or to list the features. You are asking them to invest in you. You need to clarify the return they can expect.

If you have attended a conference or convention then describe how you have applied the lessons or contacts to solve problems, make money or save money.

If you haven’t yet had that experience then describe the results of colleagues. If you don’t have those stories then explain how the issues and topics align with the priorities of your organization.

If that fails you could always appeal to the experiences of your boss in attending conferences and conventions.

Most importantly you must do your homework. Don’t simply waltz into the boss’s office with your crazy request. Be well prepared to answer the question, “Why should I approve your request?”

You could also ask your association for help in getting the approval you need to attend the conference.

Here are some tips from conference organizers to get your approval:

Canadian Payroll Association

How to Get Approval from Management to Attend the CPA’s Conference & Trade Show

One of the best ways to get management support is to submit a formal proposal to your direct supervisor, outlining the benefits of your attending the conference to your organization. First, investigate if your organization has a formal professional development policy, form and/or designated amounts for their employees. Second, review the daily schedule for the conference online or in the registration brochure to identify the education sessions and networking events that address the specific needs within your organization. Review your organization’s current initiatives, such as streamlining processes, building relationships or implementing a new process, and find the corresponding sessions. Then, finally, start preparing your proposal. Read the rest

CGI Insurance Exchange Conference 2013

The CGI Insurance Exchange Conference is more than a gathering of product users—it’s a purposeful and strategic program for increasing the return on investment in your CGI solution. For many, having to discuss the value of attending is a necessary step in securing approval. Following are facts and tips to help you make your case: Read the rest

My Company Won’t Pay! How To Get Approval To Attend Conferences or Training

Sometimes getting what you want requires a little creativity. While working for a Fortune 50 company several years ago, I desperately wanted to attend a conference in a newly forming discipline. My manager supported my attendance, but had no budget for the conference. Responses from upper management varied from neutral to negative, ranging from “Why do you want to go to that conference?" to "Everyone knows our industry is going through a downturn these days; we need to cut back on all unnecessary travel expenses." Read the rest

Tips to Get Approval Internally at Your Institution/ Organization to Attend the ISSFAL Conference

In our current economic climate, getting approval to attend meetings may be more challenging for you now than it has been in the past. Here are four steps you can use to build a solid case for attending ISSFAL 2012. Read the rest


What have you done to receive management approval to attend industry conferences or seminars?

Add your comments below


George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Time Thief: Waitress

The waitress gave my breakfast to another customer.

When I arrived at the restaurant I was pleased to see that it was almost empty. I ordered my breakfast with the expectation that I would be able to get to the presentation room early. I was speaking this morning and preferred to arrive in the room early.

While reading the paper and waiting for my breakfast I noticed a group of ten arriving. I was happy that I had arrived before them. My waitress took their orders. This was about 12 minutes after I had placed my order. I wondered where my breakfast was.

Five minutes later the waitress started delivering meals to the group of ten. She had one plate that none of them had ordered so she asked, “Who ordered the scrambled eggs with sausage?’ That was my order. I tried to catch her attention. One of the diners who had just sat down said, “I’ll take that”, and she gave my breakfast to him.

As she walked away from the table she noticed me and must have realized her mistake. She avoided looking at me and rushed into the kitchen.

About six minutes later she delivered my breakfast without saying a thing. She didn’t apologize or acknowledge her mistake.

Pressed for time I gulped down my breakfast instead of enjoying it leisurely. It tasted good but it was hard to enjoy while shoveling things down and feeling anxious about getting to the presentation room.

I finished and signed the bill to my room.

I was in a hurry to leave the restaurant but made a point of catching the attention of the waitress before I left.  I spoke to her quietly.

“I didn’t give you a tip.”

“That’s okay”, she replied.

“I want you to know why. You gave my breakfast away.”

“I’m sorry.” Her first and only apology. She sounded defensive not apologetic.

She continued, “I fixed it.”

I don’t know why she thought she fixed it.

She hadn’t apologized until I went out of my way to point out the slight. She didn’t keep me informed of the mistake and status. She didn’t offer me a discounted or free breakfast.

So how had she fixed it? Perhaps she screamed at the cook.

I made the effort to arrive early for breakfast but her mistake negated my planning.

There were many things she could have done to fix it – but she didn’t.

Her response might not have been entirely her fault. Perhaps the owners didn’t allow her to fix it.

I won’t go to that hotel again.

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Time Thief: Justin Bieber late concert

When we have a problem we don’t want to hear how great everything else is.

 

The Problem

The Justin Bieber evening concert in London was reported as starting two hours late. The media quoted the disappointment of concert attendees. It was significant that the main audience for this concert was 13 year old girls who needed to go to school the next morning. Many were there with their mothers.

The response

Apparently Justin Bieber didn’t acknowledge the delay or apologize for it at the concert. He responded to the news headlines the next day. He meekly apologized, then claimed that he was only 40 minutes late and that it was a technical problem. That suggests that his clock or expectations was different from his audience's. Big difference between 40 minutes and 2 hours!  It was a technical problem. Was that an explanation or an excuse?

Then he added in another tweet that he wasn’t OK with people exaggerating. It turns out that the delay was only 1 hour and 54 minutes – not quite a full two hours – but hardly 40 minutes. Who exaggerated and who lied?

Then Bieber added, “It was a great show”. No one disputed that but he seemed to feel that eclipsed the issue of time.

The audience expected “Great”. They didn’t expect to have their time abused.

If your defense is that the show was great you only delivered part of the expectations.

How to Fix the problem?

You can’t give the audience back the time you wasted. You might be able to get them to feel better about it. The apology – as lame as it appeared was a start. What else could Justin Bieber do?

Refunds is one way to mitigate broken promises. But that is not creative. Some other possibilities might be to donate proceeds from that late concert to a local charity, hold another concert for charity, and/or make some appearances at local community events.

It might hurt for Bieber to give up some money or time – but that’s exactly what his abused fans did for him.

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

How to Promote Your Venue with fun

This video promotes a meeting hall in a fun and creative way. Watch this video and imagine how wonderful your event, meeting, or conference could be. Compare this to the standard brochure or set of still photos that the competition provides. Where would you want your event to be?


George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing  
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Don't Offend with Friendly Fire

Friendly Fire: What does that mean to you?

We live in a more connected world than we did 20 years ago. That means that it’s easier to offend. It also means that we have less excuse to offend.

It’s tough not to offend someone when you take a stand. Don’t worry about offending those who aren’t your market. But be sensitive to the feelings of your target market. You don’t want to tick them off – unless you are planning on changing your marketing.

The point is - are you aware of who you might be offending and are you comfortable with that?

This is a reminder that certain words and phrases trigger emotional responses.

Most of those connections are about race, religion, wars,

Humber College recently held a contest for entrepreneurs to receive money.

It’s an adaptation of the Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank TV shows. I applaud the college for encouraging entrepreneuership.

But, what caught my attention for the wrong reasons was the title of their program – Friendly Fire.

I know that title was meant to sound cute with the illiteration but it offended me. Perhaps someone thought that was a clever title.

Friendly Fire was a military propaganda phrase that was meant to soften the reality of allies killing allies.
Instead of telling family that we killed your son by mistake – they announced that your son was the victim of Friendly fire. That means that some idiot killed your son because of incompetence.


To me the use of the term "Friendly Fire" feels disrespectful and offensive.

Do these words offend you? What other phrases have marketers used that offended you?

Add your comments below

 

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Power Marketing Tip 53: Warning! Your Customers Want an Experience

Warning: Your Customers Want an Experience

Can you describe your customer's experience? What do you want it to feel like? What do you want your customers saying about you to others?

If you don't want to be considered a rock bottom commodity then you need to deliver a valuable experience for your customers.

I believe that people are becoming more demanding of experiences that make them feel good. This isn't a fad. It's a trend that has been growing for decades and accelerating over the past several years.

McDonalds has been remodeling their restaurants by adding TVs and fireplaces to their McCafés. You used to go to McDonalds for a fast and cheap meal. Now it's an experience.

Have you noticed the explosion of nail spas? It seems that people desire the experience of someone filing and painting their nails while expertly rubbing their hands and feet. "A little lower on the left ankle - ah yes, that's the spot."

The automotive manufacturers realized that people wanted an experience every time they stepped into their vehicle. Thus, the automotive companies equipped these transportation devices with entertainment, environmental control and most importantly the experience of being royalty in their own kingdom on wheels.

Perhaps that explains the success of drive-through services. Drivers don't want to leave their rolling castles even if it's faster to park and go inside. They don't want to associate with the masses. They want to feel special.

It used to be that people reserved their pleasurable experiences for vacations, entertainment and dining out.

I believe that the most powerful drugs are the ones that our body produces. Once we taste it, we want more. The euphoric experience of "I am special" is a powerful and addictive drug that people want often and are willing to pay for.

Not only do they want it often, they want it to last longer.

Consider the success of marathon length movies launched last year. Skyfall, Lincoln, Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit and Cloud Atlas are all over two hours and approaching three hours in duration. Who wants to sit that long in a movie theater? Apparently, a lot of people. Maybe, speed is not as important as we used to think.

Your Marketing Challenge

What experience are you delivering for your customer? How can you enhance it? Describe your plan in detail because experience is about the details. Now go sell your mind-numbing drug.

George Torok
George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Your Clients Don't Care About Your Tools

Dentists use these disgusting looking tools to pry, scrap and explore inside your mouth.

They might poke you with these sharp objects and ask "Does this hurt?" "Of course it does you #*+**%".

When you are in the chair, the sight of them doesn't make you feel good. You accept that it is a necessary evil associated with healthy teeth.

You don't want to see these pain-associated images on the sign or on the business card.

Yet to the dentist these are his tools of the trade. He might even feel proud that he uses only the best German or Swiss made instruments.

You don't care. You only want to avoid the pain.

The dentist might wonder - should these image be part of the logo? Should these images be in the store front window?

The answer is NO.

This is an analogy. Depending on your business, your clients might not want to see or know about your tools. They simply want the results and the pain to go away.

When you create your marketing materials (especially the imagery) think about the client's perspective.




George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter