We're Back!
SoCal IMC is off and running into our new '07-'08 year. We started with a traditional workshop / dinner speaker combo for the September meeting. October we'll all met in Reno for Confab, and November will bring another of the popular CmCC sessions.
The September meeting, organized by Lynda Roth and Becky Collins, focused on how to manage the client-consultant relationship. Tom Drucker taught us techniques for dealing with clients who are reacting emotionally, one of the most difficult situations for consultants to be in. Then Mae Lon Ding gave us a long list of ways for staying on the right side of clients in the first place, so that we won't need to fall back on Tom's advice!
We also started working harder on the "Get Known" part of IMC's motto, "Get Smart, Get Known, Get Business." Everyone was introduced to the room at large during dinner. Longtime members introduced themselves - name, specialty, and role in IMC. Lynda matched the new members and new attendees with longtime members who met them and got to know them well enough to introduce them to the group.
October's Confab started out as IMC's Western Regional Conference, but it attracts attendees from all over the country, and from overseas. It's an intense 3-day immersion in the consulting business, with training tracks for new, experienced, and very experienced consultants, and plenty of opportunities for relationship-building. It's also cheap, and easy to get to even by air. That'll be IMC SoCal's October meeting - see you there!
In November, we'll have another of the acclaimed Consultants meet Consultants (and Clients) (CmCC) programs Jerry Savin brought to the United States from IMC China or was it Italy? These are a set of in- depth, structured interviews between pairs of consultants who have been carefully matched for potential business compatibility - opportunities for synergy and/or cross-referrals. The attendees are always enthusiastic, and many of us keep going back for more. This program requires homework and a long lead time, so watch for the announcements.
Our Area Breakfasts in West Los Angeles, Orange County, and the San Fernando Valley are well under way, and we're being deluged by new benefits from the national organization.
And all that's just the beginning!
Best wishes,
Margaret Chock CMC, President |