Our October Monthly Meeting will be presented by Doc Barham on Tuesday, October 19. Networking (no host bar) begins at 5:30 p.m. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. Program starts at 6:45 p.m.

This month we return to our regular meeting place -- the LAX Renaissance Hotel, 9620 Airport Blvd., Los Angeles, CA (1/4 mile north of Century Blvd.)

Great business is about great relationships. The ability to develop great relationships with your clients is the single most important factor in cultivating a successful consulting practice. Great relationships don't happen, they're created. They are based on fundamental psychological principles of human nature, which includes humor. Applying those principles as techniques in your business relationships is the key to that extra edge in your practice, and what you'll learn about in this presentation.

Doc Barham is president of VisionQuest Global, an integral consulting firm based in Los Angeles, California providing a wide array of innovative solutions to organizations including professional coaching, speaking, and training seminars. Prior to founding VisionQuest Global, Doc has been seen on such television shows such as Comedy Central's 'Two Drink Minimum' and 'Standup Standup', ABC's 'America's Funniest People', and PBS's 'Comic Relief.' As a free lance writer, Doc has written for 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno', 'The Dennis Miller Show' on HBO and CNBC, and 'Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.'

Won't your join us for a humorous learning adventure?
Completed by a Moderated Q&A session by: Azita Arvani, IMC SoCal Program Chair

Event Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 -- 5:30 p.m.

Event Location: LAX Renaissance Hotel, 9620 Airport Blvd., Los Angeles, CA (1/4 mile north of Century Blvd.)

Further details coming soon on an exclusive October Monthly Meeting announcement!

In the next 12 months out of each 100 consultants 81 will be out of business, 15 will struggle to consistently attract enough clients and generate income, four will be making money hand over fist, working with clients they love and enjoying all the time off they want! What's the difference? Marketing smarts!

Fact is, most consultants today suffer from "marketing misinformation" and desperately need help with attracting more business.

TIME & PLACE

New (temporary) Location: Ramada Plaza Hotel - 6333 Bristol Parkway, Culver City, just off the 405 at Centinela Blvd. (crossroads Sepulveda and Centinela).

Date: Friday, October 1 , 2004

Time: 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

This first meeting on October 27th will be a planning meeting, rather than a traditional meeting with a speaker. And don't want to miss! The purpose of this first meeting is to have your involvement in shaping the future of the Pasadena Breakfast; and we'll make it interesting by using a method called Appreciative Inquiry. This is an organizational intervention that focuses on "the positive core," examining our collective strengths as we work toward creating a successful future. So if you are interested in becoming an active member and want to learn a bit about a this very powerful change tool, then this is your opportunity to do so!

Volunteers Needed! The strength of the IMC Southern California chapter is directly attributed to the committed volunteer members. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the Pasadena breakfast, please let me know. We seek volunteers to help us in confirming topics/speakers, welcoming new/prospective members, and increasing the visibility if the IMC.

Additional details to come, so be sure to Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this newsletter, then check the Breakfast Meeting - Pasadena box to ensure you receive future updates about this meeting.

Time & Place

Location:Pasadena Enterprise Center 1015 N Lake Ave, 2nd Floor conference room Pasadena, CA 91104

(Building is located north of 210 freeway on the west side of Lake, just pass Mountain. Free parking in rear of building or in adjacent lot.)

Date: Wednesday, October 27th

Time: 7:30 - 9:30 a.m.

Fee: $15 members/$20 non- members (includes Breakfast Box from Corner Bakery Cafe, as well as assorted beverages)

RSVP: Michele Dortch 626-463-1432 ext 4 or michele@acacia-consulting.com by October 22nd.

See you in October!

How to Fill Your Consulting Sales Pipeline in 30 Dayswith Henry DeVries, President, New Client Marketing Institute

There is a myth out there that if you as a consultant do good work, clients will find you. The reality is that knowing a lot and offering great service are not enough to build a successful practice in today's market. You must also be able to market and sell your services effectively in a competitive environment -- and master the subtle art of client seduction.

Join us at our Orange County breakfast meeting on Thursday, October 7, as Henry DeVries, President of the New Client Marketing Institute, briefs us on the results of his company's three-year Lead Generation Best Practices study for consultants and other self-employed professionals. According to his research, many generally accepted sales and marketing practices are not only inapplicable to consultants, but may be dangerously wrong.

Henry DeVries, MBA, is a best-selling author, adjunct professor at the University of California, San Diego, syndicated newspaper columnist, and group research director at the New Client Marketing Institute in Irvine and San Diego, which helps consultants and other professionals build their practice

Time & Place

Date:Thursday, October 7, 2004.

Time:7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Fee: $10 for IMC members, $15 for non-members, exact change appreciated. This includes any choice from the IMC hot breakfast menu, tax and tip included.

RSVP:to Harald Weiss at

IMC's new website will go live in the coming weeks, one of the features of the new site is a Members' Link page where we post links and logos for member sites. As many of you know this type of linking can improve your positioning on search engines and better make you visible on the Internet. Please contact us at news@imcsocal.org to have your information added to this members-only page.

Another feature of the new site is a carpooling info sheet for those people wishing to set up a carpool to the monthly IMC events (breakfast and chapter meetings). Members can simply provide information on their preferences and this information will be added to the site, allowing other members to match up their needs.

IMC Southern California is starting a new mentoring program. If you are a senior consultant, especially if you're a CMC, we need you to help bring less experienced members up to speed in the profession. If you'd be willing to contribute some time to help another IMC member (and incidentally refresh your skills, advertise your capabilities within the organization and strengthen IMC SoCal itself)

If you are an IMC SoCal member who needs a mentor, please send an e-mail to Margaret Chock, MIBChock@cs.com

Now's the time to register for consulting's biggest learning event and schmoozefest, Confab 2004 in Reno, Nevada. Conference dates: October 23-26, 2004.

Confab is the world's biggest conference by and for consultants, and the largest gathering of independent consultants worldwide. Confab always delivers practical and successful ideas for building your practice and for helping your clients. This is the one learning and networking event you won't want to miss! IMC members save on registration fees, and everyone saves with early bird registration (early-bird ends September 30).

Professional Development for IMC SoCal will be providing a first this coming winter. We will be providing a limited number of openings to attend a series of workshops facilitated by one of the local Certified Management Consultants -- beginning in January.

Taking Flight with Your Practice is a two- part program the first of which deals with Developing the Engagement, while the second will cover Delivering the Engagement and Disengaging from the Client.

Contact: Don McNamara CMC, VP Professional Development Southern California Chapter at 949.230.4363 for more information and enrollment.

It is the intention of the Board of Directors to communicate in the best possible manner with each of our newsletter readers, event participants and members. In order to do this well, we really could use your help.

At the very bottom left of this newsletter is a link "update profile". When you read this, please scroll down and click on that link and update your information with us so that we have the most current contact information for you.