Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

Episode 5: The Next Level of Personal Branding - John “The Job-Guy” Bates

July 25th, 2008 by Mike Langford | Posted in Events, Uncategorized, Video Podcast |

It is always fun when a guest speaker exceeds your expectations. John “The Job-Guy” Bates blew my expectations out of the water when he spoke at our recent “Next Level of Personal Branding” event.

I had spent some time on the phone with him and reviewed his website. I figured he would be pretty good and offer a nice balance to Dan Schawbel’s youth and social media heavy presentation. But, John blew my socks off. First, because he was unflappable in the face of Power Point meltdown. Second, because his content and delivery were very powerful and timeless.

I think when you watch this video, complete with his slides, you will be as impressed as I am with John. For a little comic relief you can imagine me as the human remote control every time he clicks the remote and gives a nod because I was.

Please let John know what you think by adding your comments below and on Twitter and let others know what you think using the hashtag #NLT1. As with all our videos the Twitter search feed is listed below.

Enjoy the show.



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Episode 4: The Next Level of Personal Branding - Dan Schawbel

July 24th, 2008 by Mike Langford | Posted in Events, Social media, Uncategorized, Video Podcast |

Sorry it took so long but here it is, Dan Schawbel’s video from our “Next Level of Pesonal Branding” event. Whether you missed the event or had the pleasure of being there in person the video is definitely worth watching.

Before you watch the video I’d like to take a quick moment to express my tremendous gratitude to Catie Foertsch of OurTown Productions in Westborough, MA. She made this possible and without her, Dan, John Bates (his video is coming soon) and Next Level Executives would not have such superior quality videos to use to share with you. If you are considering capturing your event on video hire Catie and the OurTown team, she will make you shine.

Also, be sure to share your comments below and/or head on over to Twitter and let others know what you think using the hashtag #NLT1. As with all our videos a the Twitter search feed is listed below.

Enjoy the show.



#NLT1 - Twitter Search:

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Episode 3: PodCamp Boston Video: Integrating Online and Offline Networking

July 22nd, 2008 by Mike Langford | Posted in Events, Networking, Uncategorized, Video Podcast |

PodCamp Boston 3 (PCB3) was amazing. It was an honor to have the opportunity to lead a session. Below is a video of my presentation and the conversations that it generated.

Join the Conversation

As with all episodes of our video series you are encouraged to participate by leaving comments here on this post and/or on Twitter. For Twitter comments please use the hashtags #NextLevel2 and #pcb3 in your Tweet so we can capture it below in our Twitter Search feed and so those who were interested in PodCamp Boston can see that the conversation is ongoing.



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The Next Level of Personal Branding Event Recap

July 11th, 2008 by Mike Langford | Tags: | Posted in Events, Social media, Uncategorized |

Tuesday evening’s “Personal Branding” event was absolutely amazing. Dani Tifft, Next Level’s Membership Master, tells me that we had 40 people in the house. For an event held right after the 4th of July, I think that is pretty darn cool.

I thought I would use this week’s post to create networking connections as that is what we do here at Next Level Executives.

First, please follow me, Dani, and NextLevelTweets on Twitter so you can be kept in the loop on the day to day happenings of NLE life. See my recent post on why Twitter is a powerful personal branding tool to get the full scoop on why you need to be tweeting.

Second, you should give serious consideration to forming or joining a networking group if you are not already participating in one. Of course I am a little biased toward Next Level Executives but whether you choose NLE, BNI or some other networking organization is not the point. The value of meeting with other business people on a regular and consistent basis is key to your reaping the rewards of deep business relationships.

Third, register today to attend PodCamp Boston. Whether you left Tuesday’s event with your head spinning or you think you have this stuff down, you need to go to PodCamp. There will be a healthy mix of social media experts and newbies alike. Trust me on this. Go.

Okay, enough of the hard sell. Let’s connect you with some of the other attendees.

I’d be remiss if I did not begin with our tremendous guest speakers:

  • John “The Job-Guy” Bates will forever be remembered as an unflappable presenter as he handled the PowerPoint craziness with incredible grace and style. The big takeaway for me from John’s presentation is that the market doesn’t care what you think you are good at or what you want to sell. Find out what the market wants to buy and what it is will to pay and position yourself there. Connect to John on LinkedIn.
  • Dan Schawbel rocked the room with both his tremendous accomplishments for someone of such a young age and his comprehensive Web 2.0 personal branding content. To paraphrase Dan’s overall message, “look social media and Web 2.0 are here to stay and you ignore it at your own peril.” The good thing according to Dan is that engaging with this new medium is not overly difficult and it can be a lot of fun so “just get started.” Connect to Dan on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

And now for the most important connections…YOU. Without you the event would have been quite lame. While you may have come for the excellent content, I suspect you also came to meet some new and exciting people. One quick look at the list of attendees below lends me to believe you found just such a group.

Notice the following things about this list:

  1. Most of the attendees are business owners or control people
  2. Clicking a name or a business name performs the Google search that gave us the numbers we provided at the door. Note: We did an exact search on the names provided via the registration page. Chances are this is NOT how people would search for you or your business.
  3. Some people have websites and blogs next to their names. Give these links a click and explore. If there is no website or blog next to a name it means one was not provided during the registration process.
  4. We failed to capture social media contact info during the registration process. While I have it for most people I thought it would be fun to use this blog post to engage you. If you would like to connect to the people on this list please leave a comment with your contact points. Examples: NLE Community, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, your blog page and so on.

I am also very interested to hear your thoughts on the event. How did it go? Was it a success or did we drop the ball? Do you feel the event was valuable to you and your business? Are you sorry you missed it if you were unable to attend?

Lastly, don’t forget to Tweet about the event over on Twitter. Below are some of the Tweets so far:


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Network Like You Mean It

May 9th, 2008 by Mike Langford | Tags: , | Posted in Events |

Networking events are social but they are not birthday parties. You should have fun and enjoy the event but remember you are there for a reason.

Laura Fitton (aka Pistachio), of Pistachio Consulting, wrote a blog post this week titled “Make Conferences Rock More” that I think is a must read. She really got me thinking about how I approach my preparation for attending events.

While Pistachio’s post focuses on using social media tools to prepare for an event she more broadly hits on a challenge many people unwittingly face when they make a decision to attend an event for business.

The typical process goes a little something like this:

  1. RSVP
  2. Put the event on your calendar
  3. Tell a couple of friends you are going. Ask if they are going?
  4. Pick out an outfit
  5. Do you have everything? Business Cards, cash for drinks at the bar, iPhone, breath mints….
  6. Okay good to go!

With this kind of preparation, what are the chances of meaningful business resulting from the event?

Here are a few suggestions for making your next event a winner:

  1. Decide why you are attending the event. Are you there to meet prospective clients or cement existing relationships? Maybe you are going to learn something new or take existing skills to the next level. It can’t hurt to remind yourself of the reason you are investing time in this event.
  2. As Pistachio mentions early on in her post, take a look at the list of planned attendees. For each Next Level Executives event we post a list of who is coming on the registration page.
  3. Make a note of who you want to meet.
  4. See if you can let the person know of your desire to meet ahead of time. That way you can ensure you connect.
  5. Promote the event to people who may benefit from attending. Note: this is not the same as asking your buddies if they are going. Take a look at your contacts with an eye out for people who should go either because they will make the event better or because they will get a lot out of the event. In short, do your part to raise the event’s profile.
  6. Frank Damelio of Target Intellect says that most people frivolously waste their investment of time by not being prepared with a memorable introduction. Is there a chance that you will be asked to introduce yourself at this event? Do you know what you will say? Will people remember meeting you?
  7. Have a post event plan. Rick Roberge of David Kurlan & Associates is a big fan of setting aside time after a networking event to follow up with the new contacts he met. If you have no plan to follow up with the people you meet then why bother to go in the first place?

Did I miss anything? How do you prepare for events? Feel free to leave a comment.

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