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SOBCon Block One and Giveback Sunday Revealed

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Sean Ogle

Building Relationships: Turning First Contacts into Customers
A couple of weeks ago, we told you about Sean Ogle. This week we’re excited to announce that Sean will be the first presenter Friday morning, May 3. Sean will draw on his own experiences to show you how to:

  • Establish the relationship at the very first contact
  • Identify a need you can fill
  • Build trust in your offer

Give-Back Sunday
After two days of packing our heads full of fantastic ideas at SOBCon, we get the opportunity to do something that can make a big difference: Give-Back Sunday.

Hosted by Mark Carter, we’ve got three organizations (we’ll announce the 4th soon) that we’re very excited to help this year:

We’ve had several people tell us that this part of SOBCon ends up being their favorite part of the weekend.

SOBCon Chicago 2013: What Kind of Leader Are You?

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From the beginning, leadership has been a cornerstone of SOBCon. And one of the best when it comes to demonstrating and promoting how to be a leader is Steve Farber. (Click here if you can’t see the above video.)

Last year when Steve joined us at SOBCon in Chicago, he demonstrated yet again why he’s one of our favorite speakers. And we’re thrilled he’s joining us again this year. We’re also happy to report that we’ve crossed the 70% mark. So if you haven’t claimed your seat, fair warning: they’re going fast.

What Makes SOBCon a Unique Experience

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For a few weeks we’ve been sharing all the reasons why you should be in Chicago in the room May 3-5.

  • Fantastic speakers that keep you out of the hallways and in the room
  • Opportunities to sit and talk one-on-one with industry leaders
  • The potential to shake up your life (and your business) for the better in only two days

If you haven’t been to SOBCon before, you might wonder what this experience is actually like. So co-founder Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie sat down to share why SOBCon needs to be on your calendar. (Click here if you can’t see the above video.)

If you’re still sitting on the fence, isn’t it getting a bit uncomfortable? It’s time to end the suspense and commit. Commit to doing something instead of just thinking about it. Sign up for SOBCon today and finalize your plans to join Liz, Terry, and all the other people who’re going to help change your life.

What is SOBCon?

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By Glenda Watson Hyatt

SOBCon is so much more than the brilliant speakers who co-founders Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker hand pick to create a particular message, theme or flow.

SOBCon is the equally brilliant individuals sitting at your table who willingly and freely share their expertise and experience during the Mastermind sessions.

SOBCon is the interactions during breaks, lunch and after hours. Oftentimes those interactions are as valuable, if not more so, than the speakers sharing their content. Those interactions evolve into friendships, collaborators and partnerships that last long after the 2.5 days in Chicago. Those interactions and subsequent relationships are the glue that holds SOBCon together; dare I say the SOBCon family because that is what it feels like.

Having attended four SOBCons, I have benefited immensely from the interactions, both during the SOBCon weekends and afterwards. I have been fortunate to be part of an invaluable brain trust group with Becky McCray, Deb Brown, Paul Merrill and Jon Swanson – all part of the SOBCon family – who are always only an email away for brainstorming, advice and encouragement. Because I am surrounded by people who will not let me fail, I have recently launched my motivational speaking career.

Glenda Watson Hyatt and Mark HorvathNow, my friend, my hero Mark Horvath needs to tap into the brilliance of the SOBCon family. Once homeless himself on Hollywood Boulevard, he now uses social media to shine the spotlight on those individuals living on the streets – who most of us try to ignore as we walk past. Mark shares hundreds of heartbreaking as well as uplifting stories on Invisible People TV to raise awareness about homelessness.

However, this past year has been rough and Mark has plowed any money he received back into Invisible People TV to help those he serves. That is how dedicated Mark is to the issues of homelessness.

He needs to be at SOBCon in Chicago in May to be amidst those with ideas, insights and connections to take Invisible People TV to the next level so that he can earn a paycheque and continue to do this selfless work.

To assist Mark to be at SOBCon in May, please give your financial support at the Invisible People TV donation page. Then let Mark know that your support is for him to attend SOBCon. Mark can be reached via Twitter (@hardlynormal) and Facebook.

Thank you for backing one of our SOBCon family who makes the biggest difference for people who get noticed the least.

Author’s Bio:
Glenda Watson Hyatt, Motivational Speaker –http://www.glendawatsonhyatt.com/
Author of bestseller I’ll Do It Myself – available on the Kindle at http://amzn.to/RlP5Qj

Entrepreneurship Isn’t a Solo Activity

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By Rosemary O’Neill

“It’s a way more fun world when we’re all winning.” Liz Strauss, at SOBCon NW 2012

Attending SOBCon NW last year was a highlight for me (and you can still get in on SOBCon Chicago), and one of the most memorable quotes was the one above, from Liz herself.

She didn’t mean it in a “kid sports team where everyone gets a trophy” way. She meant that when we help each other achieve, we often find ourselves achieving our own goals along the way.

Give Your Gift Generously and Without Reservation

Of course, everyone has competitors. Particularly in the online arena, it’s exceedingly difficult to provide a service or create a product that’s truly unique. But you know what can’t be copied? You.

Your personality, your style, and your experiences don’t belong to anyone else in the world. Your gift to your customers is your unique approach, based on your life and perspective. That can’t be copied.

So it’s OK to share your ideas, suggestions, and support with those around you. Give a leg up to your fellow entrepreneurs, and you’ll be surprised at how great it makes you feel.

Embrace Your Competitors

I have several people I count as friends who work for companies that compete in the same space with me. My daily task is to create a huge pie—so huge that we can all have big slices together.

In fact, if I’m dealing with a potential customer who will be better served by the services of a competitor, I’ll send ‘em over. Call me crazy, but if I’m the instrument by which someone achieves their vision (even if it’s with a competing product), then it’s all good.

You’re Not Alone

It can seem as if it’s you against the Internet sometimes. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are so many smart, funny, generous people out there who are ready and willing to share their time and treasure to help you get unstuck. Since SOBCon Portland last November, I’ve stayed in touch with a lot of my fellow participants, shared business leads, offered support, gotten support, and kept my tank full!

Want to meet a huge group of amazing entrepreneurs and doers who will help you win? Register for SOBCon Chicago 2013.

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

3 Things I Learned, Lost, and Earned Being Off Social Media for 10 Days

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People or Screens

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Every morning for almost a year, I’ve been publishing photos of the sunrise over Lake Michigan. Sometimes when the afternoon is worth a photo graph I also publish a photo of the sunset too. On Twitter I greet my friends with a “Good morning, Twitterville” and a kind word. I try to check in with them via Facebook and Linkedin too.

Many of my online social interactions help me keep my day moving … as I transition from one task to another, it helps me to stop by Twitter to give my friends a shout out or to take time for a short read and a retweet. Being social online is a natural part of how my day goes by when it’s just me and the keys.

But when I’m with people, I like to be with people.
I find it hard to be where I am, if I’m looking at at screen.

What I Learned, Lost, and Earned Being Off Social Media for 10 Days

The theme of #SOBCon this year was Creating and Leveraging Opportunity. I challenged myself to do what I believed.

  • Be balanced. In this case, have my head and heart in the same place as my mind and my feet.
  • Go deep. Be a saturation learner. Meet people where they “live and think.”
  • Build a business not a birthday cake. Allow for the fact that a business is not a closed system — that flexibility is a key component to strategy.
  • People ARE the opportunity. Buildings, companies, products, technology do not have the stability or the reach of human-to-human relationships.

Last Wed., May 2, I left home with a suitcase to head downtown in preparation for our annual #SOBCon event in Chicago from there I would be speaking at CMSExpo in Evanston to arrive back home on May 10th. But things being what they are it ended up that I was hardly around on social sites until the 12th.

Before I left, I loaded up my blog with the blog posts that I had planned for the week. I also loaded up my Twitter account with some great posts I’d been reading on other blogs — articles on small business, strategy, weird science, and cool brain stuff — my favorite information to share via tweets.

When I got down to the hotel, I did some last minute planning. I went over to the event center to check a few things and pick an HP Folio Ultrabook that the Small Biz Folks at Hewlett Packard had sent for me, thinking maybe if I set it up, I’d be able to Tweet some, or post some, or connect some like a good social media do-bee. I got the computer up and rolling in no time. It’s light, intuitive, and has a huge battery life — can’t say how long it lasts yet, because, well, once I got it going, I kept turning it on and then getting involved in other things.

And in the course of 10 days, here’s what I about social media, the Internet, and me.

  • The social is more important than the media. When the choice comes to talking to the people live and in person, take it! Be where you are. Look them in the eyes. Listen actively. What I saw and experienced in the richness of a hug, a tone of voice, smiles shared, and glasses clinked is something I carry back to the Internet. I hear the voices of those same people when I see them again this week on Twitter.
  • Being in the story is faster, easier, and more meaningful than reporting it. I can only speak for my experience, but seconds I spend trying to share something with people online turn me into a reporter. When I shed the reporter’s role, I see, hear, and feel so much more. I am mindful and present. I am also calmer, more flexible, and more fluent because I can attend to and respond to the world I’m in rather than trying to translate to the world I can’t see.
  • The Internet got along fine without me. As far as I know, no one suffered greatly by my absence. The world didn’t stop turning. I had no more than 3 “must respond to” emails daily – I’m just not THAT important.

What I lost is easy to measure …

Yes, my blog traffic went down a bit. I didn’t attract as many Twitter followers as I had in the previous 10 days. My stock price on Empire Avenue dropped. My stats on Facebook now need some attention. My email inbox took about two hours to get back in order.

Laura Fitton and Liz Strauss, SOBCon 2012 by @adrants

What I earned was more lasting …

Deep real connections.
Deep real memories.
A whole lot of learning and fun.

The actual business directly attributable to these particular 10 days outpace ANY 10 days ever.

Working or playing, showing up is most important.
How can they see you, if you don’t stop long enough to be you?

#justsayin’

Be irresistible.
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Buy the ebook. Buy the Insider’s Guide to Online Conversation.