Yesterday’s Gone….

Yesterday was one of those days. You know, one of those days that sticks in your memory because it was what I call an “A” day. An “A” day to me is a day when I learn something new, meet some new people and am able to pass on some of my new-found knowledge to others.

It started with me giving a presentation to the Florida Direct Marketing Association. The topic: “Marketing to Women – Reeling in Your Most Discerning and Influential Customer. Co-presenting was Megan Connelly, Director, Marketing & PR for Medelia Communications. Delia Passi, President of Medelia wrote “Winning the Toughest Customer – The Essential Guide to Selling to Women.” The company creates customize marketing programs, strategic alliances and more.

You may wonder why I was asked to present on this topic. For three reasons.

#1 As a retail florist my target market is and generally has been women. With the exception of Valentine’s Day – the only day of the year men buy more flowers than women.

#2 In addition I had the privilege to interview 9 experts on the topic for the Women's Success Series™ presented bythe WECAI Network™They included: ~Fara Warner, Author The Power of the Purse: How Smart Businesses Are Adapting to the World's Most Important Consumers - Women , Andrea Learned and Lisa Johnson, Authors of Don’t Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy, Holly Buchanan - Marketing to Women Online, Mary Hunt, Author - In Women We Trust, Yvonne DiVita – Author - Dickless Marketing: Smart Marketing to Women Online , Tessa Weggert, Columnist and Media Buyer for the Women’s Market with ClickZ, Tami Anderson and Elizabeth Howland Co-founders, AndHow Marketing and Denise Michaels, Author – Testosterone Free Marketing.

#3 And finally – I am Founder & CEO of the WECAI Network™ - our audience is women and our mission is “To help women do business on and off the WEB.”

Each of these aspects of my experience has taught me to pay attention to what women want, how they want it, when they want it and the reasons they buy. And when I learn something new, it is always my nature to “pass it on.”

After the FDMA program I went back to the office for a little while to catch up on email, and do some writing.

At 6:30 last night I attended a local Dan Kennedy Mastermind Networking event as a guest of my good friend Will Perego, author of Biz Cards That Sell – Free Offer. Dan Kennedy is known as “The Millionaire Maker” because of his track record of helping literally thousands of individuals achieve wealth. Known for his No B.S. books, Dan has written dozens of books on the topics of management, leadership and entrepreneurship. IMHO Dan is the guru of closing sales.

From what I could tell as a guest, the purpose of the chapter is to facilitate networking as well as to learn Dan’s secrets to direct response marketing. Last night we studied headlines. It was an interesting format, to say the least. I went on the invitation of Will, with no expectation (except to meet some new people). What I found was an eclectic group of business owners waiting to devour every morsel of direct response knowledge they could in a little more than an hour. I met four new people during the networking portion of the meeting. In networking I always opt for quality over quantity so meeting four out of the 40+ people in attendance was perfect. They were: an author, a chiropractor, a psychologist and a realtor. Each was interesting and multi-faceted with more than one iron in the fire. People just like me!

And the information was worth listening to – even though much of it I already knew it reminded me of things I should be doing in my businesses such as selling to the buyers I currently have (provided they need or want it). Since the topic of discussion was creating compelling headlines, I wanted to share a great resource they mentioned. It is “350 of the Best Headlines Ever Written” by Milana Lashinsky. And you can get this resource for free when you visit: http://www.coachinglab.com/catalog/ML-350-Best-Headlines.html.

The point I am attempting to make is that it was not a wasted day. I learned new things, met knew people and shared knowledge I had gained with others. Yesterday may be gone, but it definitely won’t be forgotten any time soon.

BTW, If you are interested in knowing more about Marketing to Women, The WECAI Network™ recorded each of those interviews and they are available for purchase (through February 15th you can buy them for $67 – regular price $87). Send me an email with “M2W Audio Program” in the subject line and I will send you information on how you can get your copy.