TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Our Experience for Your Use
This website was created created and co-founded by us – Sarah Breymeier and Ann Dosen.
Both of us have spent nearly ten years in the podiatry industry, attending dozens upon dozens of podiatric meetings and trade shows.
Therefore, we want to put our experience to good use!
Below are some helpful “tricks of the trade” from us to you… enjoy!
GOOD ADVICE – PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
No matter if you work in the podiatric profession as physician, vendor, or meeting organizer/planner, utilizing the tips and resources supplied below will serve you well!
Increase your Productivity and Without Getting Overwhelmed.
I read this book cover to cover in just a couple of days. It’s been a few years since I read it, but it always stands out as one that I recommend to anyone that wants to continue to achieve. Whether you own a small business (like a podiatry practice or a device company), it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the things you should be doing.
The Slight Edge provides practical/doable advice to help you set your goals and break down the activities that must take place to achieve those goals – step by step. By doing a little bit every single day, you will see big changes over time. There’s no need to do everything in one day, one week, one month, or even one year.
Do one action item every single day and the result will show itself!
-SARAH
Every day I listen to at least one podcast episode while I’m driving or working out to give me inspiration for the day. There are days when I wake up and don’t want to do a single thing other than catch up on episodes of Outlander, but after listening to one of these podcasts, I know I can take over the world! No matter what your daily life brings you, every single person on the planet will get something out of listening to these individuals.
John Maxwell Leadership Podcast – a weekly podcast from the leadership authority John Maxwell. This podcast focuses on the principles, practices, and process of becoming a transformational leader. Even if leadership is not one of your primary goals, the principles translate to any project or position you are in. I always come away with new motivation or a fresh outlook on a current project. Each episode comes with a downloadable resource to work through.
Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield – Amy Porterfield is considered the GIANT in the online marketing space. She is so inspiring to listen to. Her episodes include expert interviews, mini execution plans, and secrets from her product and service launches; all tied together by her mission to make each episode as actionable and profitable as possible. Every episode I listen to of hers gets me thinking about the next big thing I want us to tackle. Her advice is tangible and for real life.
Rise Podcast with Rachel Hollis – hosted by the best-selling author of “Girl, Wash Your Face”, this podcast is a series of conversations with business powerhouses and personal development leaders where each episode provides listeners with tactical, valuable takeaways.
-ANN
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Tips for DPMs
CHECK OUT OUR LIBRARY OF DPM DOWNLOADS – CLICK HERE!
Prepare for Your Vendor Experience
We always preach planning for your upcoming meetings in an effort to help you maximize your experience. It's been two whole years since we first created our "My Meeting Exhibit Hall Plan" DPM Download. So, this is a helpful reminder to utilize this tool (and our other downloads) to prepare your experience beyond CME... and into the exhibit hall where you will find the corporate partners to elevate your practice. It's important to remember just how important the industry's exhibitors are for your continuing education. Exhibitors are investing thousands of dollars to make you aware of their products and services at [...]
Maximize Meetings for Marketing
Being out of the office for several days to attend a meeting can be really stressful. Sometimes, it may even make you resent even going, right? Well, going along with Dr. Dairman's article about having the right attitude will certainly put you on a more motivated path, but I'm also here with another tip to help you find even more value in your meeting experience outside of your continuing education. SHOW YOUR PATIENTS THAT YOU ARE DEDICATED TO INNOVATION If your patients don't get to see you in the office while you're gone, let them see you on social media. [...]
Know Thyself.
Last month I provided a tip that focused on switching up your schedule strategically based on meeting characteristics that align with your passion and your practice niche. The concept of niching is something I'm very passionate about and so it's not unusual to see it as a common thread in my blogging. Check out last month's tip, so that this month's tool makes more sense for you! This month, I want to continue with the same sentiment about knowing yourself so you can know what meetings will be a good fit for you. To help you do so, I've created [...]
Switch Up Your Schedule Strategically
Many of the tips we provide discuss taking time to plan and to choose your meetings with serious consideration (vs. copying/pasting what you did the year before). Well, I challenge you to do it again! There was a tip I provided all the way back in September of 2019 that encouraged DPMs to "invest in your passion"; meaning choose meetings that align with your practice goals and niche (if you have one). Click here to go back in time and check it out. As you consider the meetings you select for 2023, take time to reflect on the meetings you [...]
Monthly Quick Poll – Feedback from Young Physicians
This year, one of the most common threads in our conversations with both exhibitors and meeting planners is that they don't know how to reach young physicians. Well, we wanted to do our best to help with a young physician survey that we posted on our website the entire year. Here's what we found out... EXHIBITORS: Young physicians find cash and gift cards the most valuable when it comes to floor/door prizes. So find a creative way to incorporate your brand into this type of giveaway. Need some help? Join our next Exhibitor Mastermind Session! We discuss these types of [...]
How to Conquer Imposter Syndrome
Earlier this year I wrote an article about experiencing imposter syndrome. If you missed it, you can check it out by clicking here. The article was great, if I do say so myself (and I do!); however, it lacked a solution to overcoming this inevitable feeling. Now that I am on the other side of all the projects that had me spiraling into an imposter syndrome black hole, I was reflecting on how I came through it and if there was a secret that I could pass along. The good news is, I did find a particular action to be [...]
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Ideas for Meeting Planners
No Secrets Here. This is What We’ve Been Chatting About with Vendors.
Over the last several weeks, we have taken a deep dive into creating practical ways exhibitors can determine how to "choose the right meetings". So, we thought it only fair to share with you the information we are recommending to our vendor family when they are figuring out what meetings make sense for them. First, we want them to MAXIMIZE OUR RESOURCES. This includes our calendar of events, our surveys, and publications (like this newsletter!) So, with that in mind, we highly recommend that you keep an open line of communication open with us (Ann and Sarah) so we know [...]
Have You Really Tried Knowing Them?
Over the last couple of years, Ann and I have had the awesome opportunity to work with more of you - the planners behind the scenes! We've also been able to get a closer look at those who are going the extra mile to truly get to know their audiences - both DPMs/attendees and the exhibitors. While every meeting is going to have DPMs complete evaluations, I challenge you to reflect on what you're actually doing with those evaluations. Are you just sifting through them and getting a general idea of common remarks, or are you really taking them into [...]
Making Meaningful Changes
If you have read the DPM Tip and the Exhibitor Tip above, you have probably caught on to my theme this month. And now it's your turn! Ann sent over an awesome quote from the November 2022 issue of Convene Magazine, which actually inspired this entire newsletter.... “The event organizers who will be successful going forward are the ones who recognize that they shouldn’t throw away the traditional apple pie recipe we all loved - but they also need to make room for experimentation and iteration. When you make small changes to the method, substitute a new ingredient, or try [...]
How to Conquer Imposter Syndrome
Earlier this year I wrote an article about experiencing imposter syndrome. If you missed it, you can check it out by clicking here. The article was great, if I do say so myself (and I do!); however, it lacked a solution to overcoming this inevitable feeling. Now that I am on the other side of all the projects that had me spiraling into an imposter syndrome black hole, I was reflecting on how I came through it and if there was a secret that I could pass along. The good news is, I did find a particular action to be [...]
The #1 Leading Cause of Disgruntled Exhibitors
I know we have said this before but we are saying it again because it is, by far, the #1 leading cause of disgruntled exhibitors. No, it’s not the food (although that’s important!). Please, I beg of you, do not inflate your attendee numbers by adding staff and speakers to the attendee list. It leads to “negative nancy” conversations on the show floor. If your exhibitors arrive at a conference expecting to see a lecture hall and exhibit hall filled with 600+ attendees but they only see about 200, they are going to be upset. Not because there are only [...]
Rewarding Your Champions
Sarah Breymeier If you've gotten this far, you've likely noticed that the theme for this month's tips is customer loyalty. I don't think I've ever seen a more critical time where this comes into play for meetings. I hate beating a dead horse, but I'll say it again - the game has changed. Exhibit halls are getting harder to fill, costs keep going up and vendors are getting more frustrated with the lack of ROI. It's not a great recipe for exhibit hall glory. While the entire industry is still adjusting to all the new elements that have been created [...]