Past Meetings 2006 and older

General Member meetings feature an invited speaker, dinner and networking opportunities.
Board of Director (BoD) Meetings are where ICCA organization business is discussed.

Recent Past Meetings (2007 and newer)

Leveraging Open Source in Your Consulting Business

There is a wealth of open source software readily available. Whether you develop in the Windows, Linux, Unix or OS/X environment, the options are many. Including the source code in your custom-built solutions is tempting. Why re-invent the wheel? Deliver more value to your clients for less cost.

Similarly, incorporating open source executables into your solutions can speed up the development time, improve quality and provide more functionality.

What's not to like?

Business, licensing and intellectual property issues create a minefield around open source. You must become familiar with the underlying constraints or risk exposing yourself and your clients to business restrictions and legal ramifications.

This panel discussion explores the benefits and risks of software development with open source. Learn to take full advantage of open source and deliver more value to your clients.

Panel:

End Well to Begin Well: Project Retrospectives to Improve Product and Process

Project retrospectives may be one of the best ways to improve your project results and build a healthy project community. You conduct a retrospective at the end of a milestone, iteration, or project, using the project as a live learning lab to improve your work and teamwork.

For projects large and small, retrospectives offer your organization significant benefits, helping you acquire and use collective wisdom, define best practices, avoid faulty decisions, and assess the chances for the success of future innovations. Insights gained from retrospectives help new project teams start successfully or, in the case of an interim retrospective, enable the project to improve in midcourse.

This presentation will address the essentials of effective retrospectives:

• the benefits of retrospectives
• the characteristics of successful retrospectives
• questions you should ask and answer
• creating a safe environment that supports honest and productive interactions
• sample activities
• tips for planning and design

Ellen Gottesdiener is Principal Consultant and founder of EBG Consulting, Inc., www.ebgconsulting.com. Ellen has authored several books including Requirements by Collaboration: Workshops for Defining Needs, and Software Requirements Memory Jogger: A Pocket Guide to Help Software and Business Teams Develop and Manage Requirements and has written numerous articles. Since 1991, Ellen's consulting company has provided a broad range of services including consulting, mentoring, facilitation and training. Her clients include Ameritrade, Cisco Systems, Eli Lilly and Company, JP Morgan Chase, Mayo Clinic, Microsoft, Pitney Bowes, National Institute of Health, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to founding EBG, Ellen spent thirteen years as a manager, team leader, developer, and trainer with a major insurance and financial services organization.

She is a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) with extensive experience as a professional workshop facilitator with particular focus on smart starts to projects through facilitated workshops (e.g. project chartering, product visioning, project planning, and requirements development) and on project and process improvement.

Ellen is Advisor for the Software Development West and Best Practices, the World Congress for Business Analysts/Project World Conference and the Stickyminds web site. She is also an industry expert reviewer for the International Institute of Business Analysis Body of Knowledge. She presents at numerous industry conferences including Agile Development, Business Analyst World/Project World Summit, World Congress for Business Analysts/Project World, Software Development Best Practices, and the International Association of Facilitators.

Click here to download the presentation slides.

 
This special event was held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston as part of the SD Best Practices Conference & Expo.

Online Communities

Joint Meeting with the Greater Boston Chapter of the ACM

The Greater Boston Chapter of the ACM and ICCA-Boston will present a lecture about Online Communities in the context of health care.

Online communities provide a way for people to learn new things, find information, and connect with others who have similar interests. Online communities are supported by a variety of Internet technologies and are hosted by individuals, advocacy groups, trade organizations, and corporations.

These communities raise difficult design challenges because of the wide variability of members' expertise and needs. The importance of online communities is evidenced by the impact they have on people's lives and literacy and by their popularity, which is likely to increase due to increased infiltration and use of the Internet. This talk explores current trends in online communities and the significant issues in designing and evaluating systems that help members interact with other participants and experts in meaningful ways.

This presentation uses online health communities as an example of this rapidly emerging field. Join us for an exploration into the future of learning.

Lisa Neal teaches about new technologies for health communication. She is Editor-in-Chief of eLearn Magazine and a consultant who specializes in the creative use of collaborative technologies for learning. Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Harvard University. Lisa's web site is www.lisaneal.com .

 
NOTE: This meeting is a joint meeting with the Greater Boston Chapter of the ACM, and is being held at their regular meeting location. The meeting is free and no registration is required.

New England Mega User Group Meeting: Developing with .NET in 2006 -- What's Hot and What's Not

Panel Discussion and Mini-Cabana co-sponsored by INETA North America and ICCA-Boston

For details about this event see: bostondotnet.org/Events/MegaMeeting/.

We've arranged for Mega Meeting registrants to receive a Free TechEd Exhibit Hall Pass for the day on Monday. Check out the Mega Meeting link above for details.

 
NOTE: This meeting is being held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center during the TechEd conference. The meeting is free and open to all, though registration is required.

Sell More, Sell More Easily for the Consulting Professional

Are you looking to generate new business opportunities or shorten the amount of time it takes to do business and get prospective clients to make decisions? We will talk about doing more business, more quickly, more often and with more money!!

Attendees will learn:

• How traditional sales techniques turn you into an Unpaid Consultant
• How to take control of a sales situation without being pushy
• Why selling "Features and Benefits" may be costing you business!
• How to deal with "I want to think it over!" and other secrets to shortening your sales cycle
• Why people who should be good at sales do not succeed
• How to be viewed as a trusted advisor and not just another salesperson

Chris Socha is a Vice President of TEM Associates, Inc., an award winning sales training and consulting company with offices in Connecticut and New York. Chris's career began in management, operating multiple businesses in the hospitality industry. After graduating from Framingham State College with a degree in Business Management and a minor in marketing, Chris continued to grow his business venture until he joined the TEM team.

Chris's interest and commitment are with his clients; working with salespeople, managers and business owners who have a common goal to increase their business through effective sales training. Chris's view that success in sales is a process involving hard work and continued refinement is shared by everyone at TEM Associates.

Everything you wanted to know about consulting, but were afraid to ask

Joint Meeting with the IEEE Consultants Network

The IEEE Consultants Network and ICCA-Boston will present a panel discussion consisting of 5 consultants who will share their experiences and tips on how best to consult.

Topics proposed for discussion include:

• Specialization vs generalization
• On site vs Off site
• Your tools vs Clients' tools
• Proposals
• Record keeping
• Corp, Sole prop, partnership
• 1099, Corp to Corp, W2
• Consulting, contracting, and employees
• Pitfalls and traps to avoid

The session will be be an open discussion and questions are encouraged.

Panel:

Discussion with Dan

Join us for a free-ranging discussion with Dan on topics including:

• His experiences developing wikiCalc as open source software
• His recent essay When The Long Tail Wags The Dog
• Related issues facing software consultants

His latest creation is wikiCalc, a web authoring tool for pages that include data that is more than just unformatted prose. It combines some of the ease of authoring and multi-person editing of a wiki with the familiar visual formatting and data organizing metaphor of a spreadsheet. It can be easily set up to publish to basic web servers accessed by FTP.

Could this be the "next big thing" in software?

WikiCalc is being developed as an open-source application. Dan believes that companies that develop closed systems that don't take advantage of widespread "open format" content/application creating tools will be eventually wiped out by those that do.

Come meet Dan and brainstorm with him as we explore these topics and related ones that you feel affect your consulting practice.

Dan Bricklin is currently president of Software Garden, Inc., a small consulting firm and developer of software applications that he founded in 1985.

Mr. Bricklin is best known for codeveloping VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet, while he was a student at the Harvard Business School. VisiCalc is widely credited for fueling the rapid growth of the personal computer industry.

Until early 2004, Mr. Bricklin served as CTO of Interland, Inc., after it acquired his previous company, Trellix Corporation, in 2003. Prior to founding Trellix in 1995, he served as president of Software Garden, Inc., where he developed a variety of software programs, including Dan Bricklin's Demo Program. Mr. Bricklin also cofounded Slate Corporation, a developer of application software for pen computers, as well as Software Arts, the developer of VisiCalc.

Mr. Bricklin is a founding trustee of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council and has served on the boards of the Software Publishers Association and the Boston Computer Society. His blog is widely read by those in the industry.

Microsoft Technology: What does it mean to your clients?

Clients demand ever higher levels of productivity, business value, and technology re-use from their software investments. To meet this demand, consultants need to understand how and why vendor technologies are evolving, the opportunities they offer and the pitfalls they include.

One major technology vendor is Microsoft. Join us in a panel discussion that will illuminate Microsoft's strategic direction, survey their major technologies, and explore, in response to your questions, specific issues. With this knowledge you'll be able to uncover new opportunities and leverage Microsoft technologies to provide greater value to your clients.

The session will cover:

• Real world experiences using Microsoft technologies to deliver successful engagements
• Enabling technologies such as .Net, SharePoint, Office, and SQL Server
• Future Microsoft technologies including Windows Communications Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation, "Office 12", and Windows "Vista"

Whether or not you currently use Microsoft technology in your practice, this discussion will provide powerful insights into the technology you encounter daily.

Attend this interactive session and learn how you can be more successful. Take away technical references you can use to explore topics of interest to your clients.

Our panelists have more than 60 years of collective software experience, most of it on Microsoft technology, and...they have lived to tell about it.

Panel:

The Opportunity and Challenge of Disruptive Innovation

Although industry transformation appears random and unpredictable, change typically conforms to a particular pattern. Even the best run firms appear to be at the mercy of innovators armed with disruptive innovations' simple, convenient, low priced approaches that start innocently at the market's fringes before exploding into the mainstream. Of course, what one firm considers a threat another considers a tremendous growth opportunity. And established companies that learn to harness the power of disruptive innovation can create powerful new growth businesses.

This presentation will provide an overview of the disruptive innovation model. It will give case studies of companies that have successfully grappled with the challenges of disruptive change and provide general principles about how to make sense of industry transformation.

Attendees will learn:

• How to spot disruptive developments
• Organizational constraints that make it hard for existing companies to realize the potential of disruptive change
• Principles to follow to spot transformational trends early
• Ways to organize and act to create new growth

Who should attend? Anyone who is looking for new ways to understand how industries change. The talk will be of particular interest to managers seeking to create new growth businesses and consultants / analysts looking for new frameworks to help their clients navigate through disruptive change.

Scott Anthony is a partner at Innosight, an innovation consulting and training company founded by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen. Scott has worked with both Fortune 500 and start-up companies in industries such as media (print and broadcast), consumer products, transportation and logistics, health care, medical devices, software, petrochemicals and communications equipment. He has run training workshops and given speeches to both senior management teams and broad audiences.

Scott is the co-author (with Christensen) of Seeing What's Next: Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change (Harvard Business School Publishing, 2004). He has published articles in The Wall Street Journal, Strategic Finance, Optimize and Research-Technology Management to name just a few. Scott also serves as the editor of Strategy & Innovation, a bimonthly newsletter published by Innosight.

Prior to joining Innosight, Scott was a Senior Researcher with Christensen, managing a group that worked to further Christensen`s research on innovation. Previously, he worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Co., a Strategic Planner for Aspen Technology and a Product Manager for WorldSpace Corporation. Scott received a BA in economics, summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College and an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.

November 29, 2005

The Secrets of Rapid Networking

Are you ready to take advantage of the many networking opportunities available around the holiday season? We can help!

Join us for a special "Rapid Networking" session. You'll spend just minutes apiece with many of those in attendance. Introduce yourself one-on-one to more colleagues than usual.

This speedy collegiality will be timed, facilitated, and guided. You'll learn how to meet new people and maximize each encounter. When it's over, you can go back and get to know those of particular interest to you at greater length. This will be fun as well as effective!

Join us and discover how to lay a strong foundation for your business as we approach the new year.

Kristin A. Salada, Principal, New Angle Consulting, is a management training consultant, team coach, and corporate facilitator. She is an expert at transitioning management groups into top performing teams. Kristin consults with clients in team and leadership development, effective communication, decision-making, producing results, managing change, job interviewing, and training trainers. Her approach is personable, professional, and focused on the quality and impact of the learning experience and the outcomes.

Kristin is qualified in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, FIRO-B and Best Year Yet(r), and she maximizes the relevancy of these tools by incorporating engaging experiential learning techniques resulting in higher work performance and increased self-awareness and team esteem. She has a B.S. from Northwestern University and a M.S.M. in Organizational Communication & Training from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. Kristin is certified in low and high ropes courses and rock climbing. She is fluent in Spanish and has spent 12 years in experiential education, instruction and group and team facilitation.

Getting to Yes: 4 Questions a Computer Consultant Must Answer (Before a Prospect Asks)

Whether new to consulting or a seasoned pro, many talented consultants just don't know how to effectively promote their own services. Quite simply, they are challenged as to how to "make a long story short" and present their expertise in a succinct, compelling and timely manner. Problem is, if they can't convincingly describe their services, many a qualified prospect will unnecessarily be lost.

In this interactive, educational, and entertaining session, participants will learn the four key questions every consultant must ask -- and answer -- in order to successfully market her/his business. While the questions may appear fundamental, the answers are not. Nor are they necessarily what you think.

Participants will receive new insights, actionable advice, and specific directions on how to effectively present their services and grow their consulting practice.

Attendees will learn:

• How to identify - then answer - the 4 key questions every prospect will ask of a consultant
• Methods of tightening their "key messages"
• "Tales from the trenches" on how to grow their consulting practice
• Tips for becoming a more confident consultant

For over 20 years Rob Levinson has been a brand strategist developing innovative marketing and public relations programs for leading technology, finance and consumer brands.

Rob played increasingly senior roles at advertising agencies in New York and Boston where he developed award-winning brand awareness programs for existing and new product launches for DeBeers Diamonds, The Trump Organization, Cointreau Liqueur, Rolls Royce Motorcars, CBS-Television, Timberland, Seagram America, Century 21 Real Estate Corporation, Fleet Bank, Fidelity, PricewaterhouseCoopers and others.

Later Rob was Vice President, Marketing Communications at Pro CD, a software development company; edu.com, the first e-commerce site exclusively for college students; and Rovia, a software security company.

Rob is frequently quoted on marketing related issues in national business publications including Entrepreneur and Inc. He writes the monthly "Consultant Strategies" column for StartUp Journal.com, an online resource for entrepreneurs published by the Wall Street Journal, as well as the "Marketing Matters" column for The Boston Business Journal.

In 2001 he founded RL Strategies (www.rlstrategies), a marketing consultancy that provides expert counsel for individual consultants and companies seeking to update or fortify their brand.

Adopting The Unified Process: Can It Be Agile Or Is It Too Heavy?

The Rational Unified Process (RUP) is being adopted by many companies at an astounding pace. However, many of these companies are unsure of which deliverables are core to the process and which deliverables are optional. Some firms view RUP as prescriptive requiring that all deliverables be leveraged. Others view RUP as a heavy-weight process that's burdensome, bulky and bloated.

Can RUP and Agile be used in the same sentence?

In this presentation, William shows us how to strike a balance among deliverables and which ones to emphasize. Additionally, CIOs and Directors championing the adoption of RUP don't understand that their expectations and requested metrics are at times counter-productive to a successful roll-out. As a consultant, you need to set appropriate expectations and metrics for your clients.

The following pitfalls hinder and in some cases, guarantee disaster:

• Scheduling iterations in months rather than weeks.
• Assuming mountains of documentation lead to success.
• Expecting that all requirements are complete before moving forward.
• Demanding 90% accuracy on early time estimates.

Attend this presentation and become a champion of the Rational Unified Process. Miss this event and you could become RUP's next victim.

William F. Nazzaro is the Principal and founder of Nazzaro & Associates, a Philadelphia-based consultancy dedicated to the highest-quality delivery of training and project mentoring. With over 16 years of industry experience, he has provided unparalleled services in use case training, use case modeling and requirements capture, project mentoring, application architectural review and assessment, and technical curriculum development and delivery.

William's pragmatic emphasis on project execution and process improvement has benefited major travel, insurance and stock market organizations where he has enabled the transformation of their corporate development processes and development teams of diverse skill-levels. His accessible and down-to-earth speaking style has brought him to numerous speaking venues where he has provided in-depth talks on use case modeling and object technology. He has extensive background in project management, and has successfully lead teams on multi-million dollar projects to provide the highest-quality technical solutions in the most efficient and effective manner.

 
This was a special event held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston as part of the SD Best Practices Conference & Expo.

Winning and Keeping Big Clients

Winning a consulting project with a large client has many advantages. This is true for software and hardware R&D or product development, or for sales and marketing services along with many other consulting engagements. Winning and keeping big clients can be challenging and we will discuss some important strategies and best practices.

Topics will include:

• The advantages and the challenges of having big clients.
• Marketing & sales strategies for big clients
• Competing with boutique consulting houses
• Influencing the RFP
• Key negotiating issues with contracts and agreements
• What to do after winning the big client
• How to keep the big client beyond the initial project
• Growing more business within the big client
• How to manage time and resources to get the next big client

Michael Kayat has extensive experience as a management consultant and worldwide sales and marketing executive. He is founder and Managing Partner of Metrisys, LLC, a company that provides strategy, sales, marketing and business development services to emerging technology companies who want to win top customer accounts. He has previously served in senior executive roles as Director and Vice President, Sales and Marketing at infrastructure and security services company Integris and simulation software company Exa. He was a sales manager at supercomputer companies Convex and Alliant. At Logica, a leading global management consulting and IT services company, he was a senior consultant. Michael Kayat holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Leicester (UK) and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

Closing The Sale

Closing is an art and a unique skill that is used through out the cycle of a sale. Though many people think closing is reserved for the very end, every action a sales person takes during the sales process plays a big part in successfully closing the sale. My focus will be on learning to close throughout the sales process to increase the likelihood of success, rather than making it a singular event or avoiding it at all costs.

Attendees will learn:

• Define and establish differences between negotiating, trial closing and closing
• Discuss the importance of the customer interview and presentation to closing the sale
• Talk about the role rejection plays in closing the sale and how to use the fear of rejection to your advantage
• Learn the elements of a customized close

Who should attend?

Consultants who want to

• Bring closure to outstanding proposals
• Write fewer proposals that go nowhere
• Learn to formally close a sales

Suzanne Paling Principal of Sales Management Services, Suzanne Paling has over twenty years of experience in sales consulting, sales management, and sales for both field and inside sales organizations. Suzanne founded Sales Management Services in 1998 to provide practical advice to business executives, owners, and entrepreneurs seeking to increase their revenue and improve their sales organization's performance. Suzanne writes frequently on sales topics for Mass High Tech and Women's Business. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Professional Consultants.

Non-Traditional Negotiation Tactics

Attendees will learn:

• How traditional sales and negotiation techniques turn salespeople into "Unpaid Consultants".
• How to take control of a negotiation or sales call (without being pushy!)
• Why selling "Features and Benefits" may be costing you business!
• How to deal with "I want to think it over!" The secrets to shortening your sales cycle.
• How to get the business, even when the competition's price is lower.

Chris Socha is a Vice President of TEM Associates, Inc., an award winning sales training and consulting company with offices in Connecticut and New York. Chris's career began in management, operating multiple businesses in the hospitality industry. After graduating from Framingham State College with a degree in Business Management and a minor in marketing, Chris continued to grow his business venture until he joined the TEM team.

Chris's interest and commitment are with his clients; working with salespeople, managers and business owners who have a common goal to increase their business through effective sales training. Chris's view that success in sales is a process involving hard work and continued refinement is shared by everyone at TEM Associates.

E-Newsletters That Work

In today's tightened economic environment, consultants are looking for ways to reduce expenses, while still continuing to grow and market their businesses. Effective E-Newsletters provide a systematic, highly targeted, extremely cost effective means for achieving this.

In this fast paced, 60 minute session, Michael J. Katz - founder and Chief Penguin of Blue Penguin Development, Inc. - reviews the basics of E-Newsletters and electronic communications in general, and uses real world examples to demonstrate how consultants are using these tools to improve the way they market their businesses.

Attendees will learn:

• The 5 benefits to building an effective E-Newsletter
• The 6 key guidelines for building an effective E-Newsletter
• How to use an E-Newsletter to hypercharge an under performing web site
• How to develop an appropriate E-Newsletter "voice and personality," that grabs the attention of readers while reinforcing brand in the process
• Effective newsletter management: Opt-in Vs. opt-out; handling privacy concerns; HTML Vs. text delivery; content development and archiving; tracking and list management

Michael J. Katz is founder and Chief Penguin of Blue Penguin Development, Inc., a consulting firm that helps companies increase sales by showing them how to market to their existing relationships, and which specializes in the development of electronic newsletters.

His consulting practice has been profiled in The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Bloomberg TV, Business Week Online and in a special report by Peppers and Rogers on the subject of effective email marketing.

Michael is also the publisher of "Michael Katz's E-Newsletter On E-Newsletters," a free biweekly now in its 5th year, and is the author of the book, "E-Newsletters That Work."

Michael has a BA in Psychology from McGill University in Montreal and an MBA from Boston University. He also has a second degree black belt in karate (Kempo), a first degree black belt in parenting (three children), juggles and rides a unicycle and was the winner of a 1999 New England Press Association award for "Best Humor Columnist."

Sweaty Palms, Butterflies and Bucks: How to Advance Your Career Through Public Speaking

In this energetic workshop, Mark teaches consultants how to apply specific communication skills to important business situations. Learn how to master the sweaty palms and butterflies that arise during communication opportunities with prospects and clients. Acquire the techniques that will make you comfortable, confident and poised during these critical times.

The success of your consulting practice depends on your ability to communicate. Let's face it, in many business situations there is not a significant "technical competence" difference between you and your competitors. In these cases, who gets the business often depends on a variety of factors including: perceived professionalism, persuasion, sensitivity to customer needs and projected enthusiasm.

All of these factors are critical to your success at networking events, in telephone conversations, voice mail messages and one-on-one meetings with prospects and clients. The ability to win people over will give you a competitive edge.

In over 20 years of teaching communications skills, as both an internal and external consultant, Mark Campbell has discovered that the skills, techniques and strategies taught in his presentation workshops and graduate courses are fundamental to success in face-to-face and telephonic communications.

The bottom line of this workshop is, "Never forget, there is a direct and significant correlation between your earning power and your communication skills."

Networking Your Way to Strategic Alliances

As principal consultant for Effective Networking, Inc., she founded the company on the premise that everyone can learn to network, they just need to find their own style.

Combining interactive training, strategic planning and an exploration of the natural fears of networking, Darling demystifies the process by providing techniques that can be immediately implemented

She has received rave reviews for her seminars and speeches and is increasingly sought after as an expert resource on the subject of networking.

McGraw-Hill commissioned her to write the definitive book on networking called Networking Survival Guide which was published in April 2003 and went into a 2nd printing just 90 days after the book hit the shelves. The translation rights for the Korean version have been purchased.

Timely Tax Planning and Recent Developments You Need to Know About

The discussion will be brimming with the latest innovative techniques for building and conserving your hard-earned wealth, employing beneficial tax planning and investment strategies.

Among the items to be discussed are the following:

• Recognizing planning opportunities to be found in new and recent tax developments
• Increasing wealth by focusing on tax-saving angles, exploring investment opportunities, and avoiding penalties
• Reviewing recent developments affecting Massachusetts taxpayers in particular
• Understanding of the new Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004

James A. Samples is a Certified Public Accountant with 25 years experience doing business in Newton, Massachusetts. He provides financial and tax services to individuals, partnerships and corporations countrywide.

Mr. Samples has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Masters of Science in Taxation from Bentley College. He has engaged in tax planning seminars regionally in partnership with such companies as A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. and Dolan Investors.

I Know It's Here Somewhere... Creating Effective Office Organization

The average executive loses up to an hour a day looking for something s/he can't find, or recreating work previously completed. Can you afford to lose that kind of time in your consulting business?

In this interactive session, we will explore a variety of ideas aimed specifically at home-based consultants and sole proprietors who want to reduce stress and enhance productivity. We'll also explore some myths about organizing, and develop an action plan for tackling an organizing challenge you are currently facing.

Topics will include:

• Prime real estate: using space to your best advantage
• Paper management: conquer the chaos permanently
• Turn piles into files: use the coin-sorting metaphor to avoid being overwhelmed
• Taking the show on the road: solutions for your briefcase and car

The costs of disorganization are sometimes obvious and significant, other times more subtle. Solutions have to match the problems in scale. You may need to do a complete office overhaul, or you may just need a minor attitude adjustment. Either way, this presentation will contain material you will find immediately useful.

Maxine Gautier brings an eclectic background to her work as a professional organizer. She earned an undergraduate degree in behavioral science, then spent 12 years in the computer industry as a technical writer and support specialist. Later, she was a special events coordinator for a non-profit volunteer service organization, managed a bookstore, painted faces at festivals, and ran the housekeeping department at a resort.

Reorganizing the system used to keep a 250-bed facility running like clockwork, she realized she'd found her next career, and Out from Under was born. Maxine relocated to Boston in the fall of 1999 and has been successfully helping homemakers, sole proprietors and people who are moving get "out from under" ever since.

Using Email Marketing to Build Customer Loyalty - without looking like a spammer

Email marketing has become a pervasive tool across industries and companies of all sizes. Why? Because it is the best way to build your company's reputation and stay in touch with your customers and prospects. Learn how to put this tool to work for your company.

Learn how to:

• Build your email list professionally, with permission.
• Get your email read - best practices for subject lines, content, etc.
• Measure your results - what are the metrics and how can you improve them.
• Get your mail delivered - update on anti-spam practices, deliverability and email authentication.

Gail Goodman, Chief Executive Officer of Constant Contact, is a seasoned software executive with senior management, marketing, product management, business development and management consulting experience with Constant Contact, Open Market, Progress Software, Dunn & Bradstreet Software and Bain & Co.

Under her leadership, Constant Contact has developed the leading self-service email marketing solution, which is used by more than 100,000 small and medium businesses.

At Constant Contact, Gail develops and tracks best practices in email marketing, focused specifically on permission-based email and stopping spam. She works closely with the Email Service Provider Coalition charting the direction for an industry-wide spam solution, known as Project Lumos. She is a frequent speaker at industry events.

She holds a BA from The University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Software Council.

SPC Annual Networking and Barbeque Event

Meet and greet SPC and fellow ICCA members at this annual Barbeque Event hosted by SPC.

Government Contracts -- Not Just for Big Businesses

Think government contracting is only for large businesses? Think again!

Whether you are new to government contracting or you have sought contracts in the past, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) can help you! Bidding on government contracts is a time-consuming, yet worthwhile process. PTAC is here to guide you through the process and give you information and referral on how to be more competitive. Their services are free and easy to access. Their experienced staff is fully mobile and ready to work with you at your location.

PTAC can assist your firm by:

• Assess your potential as a government contractor
• Identifying government contract and subcontract opportunities
• Providing specifications and standards
• Providing electronic commerce information
• Assisting with contract management

Len Green retired from TASC, a company in Reading, MA where he was Vice President for Contracts. TASC is a company with annual sales in excess of $500 million, most of which is business with the U.S. Government.

Following his 18 years at TASC, Len became involved with the Small Business Development Center located at Salem State College where he lectured on how to do business with the government.

Shortly after starting at Salem State, he helped bring the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) into Massachusetts, and joined PTAC as a Procurement Advisor.

PTAC can help you access procurement opportunities within the various federal and state agencies, at no cost. You can contact PTAC via their web site.

What's Happening to Consulting - Update from the ICCA National Meeting

You'll hear the latest about what's happening to consulting from around the country, including:

Networking: How to make a 3-minute networking opportunity both fun and productive: The Five Phases of a 3-minute Meeting

Negotiating: Nine Tips for Success/Eight Mistakes to Avoid

Getting your business tuned in to the times

All of the above and more - an informal presentation and discussion based on material from the national ICCA conference. Presenters will include Norman Daoust and Jackie Grubb.

New Security Technologies, Nanotechnology, and Social Networks

who presented an excellent talk on security last July (see the July 2003 meeting on the Past Meetings page), will be talking about three areas of emerging technology:

• New Security Technologies and how to secure what is a moving target.
• Nanotechnology -- an overview and and some of its applications
• How Social Networks work and the challenges of providing software to support them.

Chris Spirito has been working professionally for 10 years in INFOSEC positions, but has been hacking since his parents bought him an Apple II when he was 12 years old. He has held positions with Partners Healthcare, BBN, The MITRE Corporation, and EMC, researching and applying appropriate technologies and processes to ensure information is secure and available. He currently has two pending patents on Intrusion Detection through the ESN and Multi-Level Data Storage on a ESN.

He has a BA in Mathematics from Boston College and is a graduate student in Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has also attended the Harvard School of Public Health to study Biostatistics.

Chris is currently an INFOSEC Engineer supporting the Army at General Dynamics C4 Systems, a Department of Defense contractor located in Needham, MA. He also teaches and mentors the SANS-GIAC General Security and Information Systems Security Officer classes.

Effective Sales and Marketing Strategies for Technical Experts

Do your sales and marketing strategies need improvement? Could you benefit from taking a fresh approach? If so, this presentation will help you improve through learning and applying a 3-step process for opening the door to new business opportunities.

The presentation will teach you how to apply assertive communication techniques to cold calling, new business development, retaining clients, and closing business in a high technology environment. By the end of the program you will have the tools and confidence you need to articulate the benefits of your products/services and control your sales and marketing initiatives.

Gail Birger is an executive coach and leadership training professional with 14 years of experience in coaching, mentoring, and advising executives and professionals in the areas of assertive communication, effective sales and marketing strategies, and approaches to navigate the political environment of the workplace. She has concurrent, front-line, high tech industry experience in business development, account management, and marketing research which has enabled her to bring a practical understanding of the issues management faces as well as insight and perspective in how to successfully deal with management.

Gail holds an MBA from Simmons School of Management, and an MEd from Northeastern University. For over a decade she has taught and coached professionals in business, law, medicine, and education in how to address their communication problems and develop more effective work strategies. Gail has also been a trainer and workshop leader for professional organizations in the areas of assertive communication, conflict management, and perception management and has been recognized for her ability to translate technical concepts into business vernacular.

Influence Without Authority

Have you ever

• Been asked to do a project which you knew was doomed to fail?
• Worked with people who were regarded as talented and turned out to drag down the quality of your project?
• Had to disagree with your client about the way to implement a project?
• Had a client who didn't really know what you did?
• Had to interact with other departments to get your work done?
• Had to turn down a project rather than risk your reputation?
• Directed the work of others even though you weren't the manager?

Then you are a consultant whose career depends in large part on influencing others. This presentation will cover the basic elements to help you increase your chances of successfully influencing others, and will also provide the risks and rewards of different approaches to help you chose the right one for a given situation.

The presenter, Janet Britcher, is President of Transformation Management, a consulting company dedicated to improving organizations' effectiveness. She has an MBA in organizational development, and held leadership positions in the software division of Thomson Financial Software Solutions and the law firm Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo. She is a faculty member in the Management Department of Lesley University.

How to Create All of the Consulting Business You Can Handle!

Strategy is king in marketing success. Every consulting professional struggles with marketing and in achieving controlled, profitable growth. Marketing is the one aspect of business that must be mastered if true success is to be realized. It is especially important for those who sell intangible services. Marketing is not simply an event that is launched only when you have no customers! Business owners must see the bigger marketing picture and decide what type of marketing philosophy they want to adopt.

This fast-paced and lively session will present several powerful marketing strategies for growing any small business, with an emphasis on programs that generate measurable results, and down to earth, easy to implement lead generation strategies. This session is designed for the small business owner who needs to develop an effective marketing strategy to meet their revenue and profit goals. The seminar will present a strategy framework for marketing goal setting and management, as well as a game plan for effective lead generation. Topics to be covered include a discussion of marketing options and the relative effectiveness of each method, determining the lifetime value of a customer, and how to differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace. Tips for ensuring a successful marketing campaign will also be presented.

Attendees will leave the session rejuvenated and optimistic about their business, with a clear marketing action plan that they can begin working on the very next day.

Among the topics to be covered: the only three ways to grow any business, nurturing the lifetime value of a customer, building perceived value and developing your unique selling proposition, how to determine what customers really want from your company, how to profit from the 80/20 rule, and why you must become a powerful persuader.

Learning Objectives:

• Develop a cost-effective marketing strategy that will result in controlled business growth (revenue and profit margins).
• Create a marketing system for acquiring new customers, retaining customers, and fro tracking the results of marketing programs.
• Evaluate current marketing programs based on results, costs per lead, and understand the marketing concepts that contribute to successful campaigns for small business.
• Evaluate the media mix recommended for their industry, based on national market data, to assist in planning media placement and spending to support their strategy.
• Calculate the lifetime value of a customer and build a marketing system around this powerful concept.

Our presenter is veteran marketing consultant and business development strategist Bob Martel, JMB Marketing Group -- Speaker, Author, Consultant, and Columnist for the MetroWest Daily News.

Network Appliances

Ed will talk about Network Appliances, you know - those single function, smart devices that hang on your home, office or factory network. He'll describe what makes a network appliance, how they are created, and a little about the industry that creates them. Most importantly, Ed will tell you what technologies are available now and what you should look for in your next network appliance.

ICCA member Edward F. Steinfeld has more than 25 years experience with realtime and embedded computing products. He began as a programmer writing code and designing hardware to test hybrid circuit boards for Picker X-ray. He has marketed embedded and realtime products to OEMs and resellers for Digital Equipment Corporation, VenturCom, Inc., and Phar Lap Software. His international experience includes a stint in Hong Kong as a Far East Channels Manager and responsibility for international OEM sales in Europe and the Pacific Rim.

Ed is now providing market research, planning, and services to the computing industry. Ed has been an evangelist for embedded Web products since 1995 when he announced the "World's Smallest Web Server" for Phar Lap Software. At the time it was one of the first diskless Web servers and was built on a 5"x5" (PC-104) card.

Society of Professional Consultants' Annual Invitational Holiday Party

Meet and greet SPC, IMCNE and fellow ICCA members at this annual gathering of consulting organizations hosted by SPC.

Branding Builds Strong Companies -- in good times or bad

In this session, you will learn steps you can take to increase the brand awareness for your indepedent consulting practice. The presentor, Van Smick, is the President of Branding Advantages -- a brand consulting firm.

Van has given similar presentations on branding to groups throughout New England to "rave reviews". This session is sure to be energizing and provocative.

Van C. Smick has been a leader in branding and international marketing for 12 years in positions including SVP Global Marketing Services with Marconi PLC and VP Global Brand Management with Nortel Networks. At Nortel, Van led the global team that delivered a 7-fold increase in brand awareness in 18 months.

Van has also started a new business, Integrated Presence, focused on advanced communication solutions.

"Don't Worry, It's Just Boilerplate" . . . and Other Pitfalls of I.T. Contracts

Contracts are an inextricable part of running any business. How a company makes money is directly dependent upon the contracts into which it enters. This talk will focus upon IT contracts in particular, and will emphasize some of the more practical aspects of these types of contracts and the provisions to which particular attention should be paid before entering into a business relationship.

Some of the subjects that will be covered are:

• Time and materials vs. deliverable contracts
• Ownership and licensing of intellectual property rights
• Warranties
• Limitations of liability
• Indemnification
• Option to cure
• Electronic self-help
• Acceptance provisions
• And other areas...

Attorney Batterman will provide valuable insight into the IT contracting process, which provisions tend to be the most problematic during negotiation, and some of the common mistakes that IT professional make when entering into these agreements.

Daniel A. Batterman, Esq. is an attorney in Boston who practices in the technology law field. This practice area includes contract negotiation and drafting, intellectual property, licensing, compliance, business development, employment, subcontracting, litigation, and collection matters. Mr. Batterman's clients include early stage technology companies, software and web development companies, service providers, information technology and business consultants, and internet and e-commerce companies.

Mr. Batterman received his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989 and his Juris Doctor from the New England School of Law in Boston in 1995, where he was a member of the Law Review. Mr. Batterman is a frequent lecturer at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in technology matters and has also lectured to various industry and legal groups.

Attorney Batterman can be reached at 617-948-9898 or at BatterLaw1@aol.com.

How to Play the Game

1. How to Play "What" Game? We're here to talk about Networking but the game really is growing your sales or your business.

2. This seminar will answer the question: Are you even ready to network?

3. Let me ask you:

• Do you know where your customers come from?
• What exactly is your company all about?
• What is your competitive situation?
• Do you have a well thought out 30-second elevator speech?
• What do you have to sell and who exactly who buys it?
• What is the one profession that refers you the most business?

4. Are you prepared to Network?

5. Networking -- Definition: Exchange of information and ideas

6. What should you want to accomplish during a network function?

7. Pre-Event Planning -- What do I need to do?

8. Fishing for business with the right bait

9. What events will give me the best results

10. 5-Important Requirements to Succeed At A Networking Event

• Know the info you need to gather
• Know who will be attending
• Know who you want to know
• Research the profession, business, trade or service industry firms that you'd like to meet
• Prepare a one sentence answer to a question you may be asked about your business

11. How to "play" a Networking Event like a Stravarius Violin

• What to do -- what you absolutely mustn't do

12. Chickens and Eggs

13. 30-second Elevator Speech

14. What to do after the event

15. Street Smart Training

16. David and Goliath -- A lesson for all of us

Jay Wallus, President of Street Smart Training Institute, Inc., is a professional sales trainer with over 15 years of direct sales and sales management experience in a variety of markets, who has an extensive background in all aspects of the selling process. His experience began the hard way (on the streets cold calling) in the office equipment industry where he quickly rose to sales management positions and ultimately culminating in a position of VP of Sales (growing that business by 500% over a 7- year period).

While in the direct sales arena, he collected countless awards for regularly exceeding sales goals. As a VP of Sales, he was noted for revitalizing a substandard performing organization through his positive motivation and systematized selling process. Today, he is recognized as a leading authority on "real world" sales training and business-to-business networking. With his unique formula that combines networking know-how, motivation, a step-by-step selling process and a lot of energy, Jay has helped his clients grow their sales numbers at a rate that even they didn't think was possible.

Trainer, speaker, consultant and entrepreneur, Jay specializes in sales development and personal achievement. His "How to Play the Game" networking seminars are standing-room-only and his weekly on going Winner's Circle classes continue to grow at a phenomenal rate. Jay's secret is simple: his programs work - as evidenced by the incredible transformations of his clients - in the business as well as personal arenas.

The State of Information Security: Attacks, Trends, and Solutions

Whether your customer is a small business, a large corporation, or yourself -- when your customer asks you to install a firewall, intrusion detection appliance, encryption software, or any other information security related product, you need to figure out what they really want to achieve. Only through good process can the appropriate processes and technologies be selected and implemented; providing the appropriate protection desired by the customer, at a price the customer can live with through acquisition and ongoing support.

This process is based upon understanding the value of information, the threat and adversary model for that customer, and what the threats and attacks are trending towards into the coming months and years. This talk will present a framework for understanding the needs of your customer, talk about the vulnerability lifecycle, the existing attacks on our systems, and where they are going. Once these areas have been analyzed, appropriate personnel and technical countermeasures can be applied to counter known threats and create a defense-in-depth approach.

Chris Spirito has been working professionally for 10 years in INFOSEC positions, but has been hacking since his parents bought him an Apple II when he was 12 years old. He has held positions with Partners Healthcare, BBN, The MITRE Corporation, and EMC, researching and applying appropriate technologies and processes to ensure information is secure and available. He currently has two pending patents on Intrusion Detection through the ESN and Multi-Level Data Storage on a ESN.

He has a BA in Mathematics from Boston College and is a graduate student in Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has also attended the Harvard School of Public Health to study Biostatistics.

Chris is currently an INFOSEC Engineer supporting the Army and Navy at General Dynamics C4 Systems, a Department of Defense contractor located in Needham, MA. He also teaches and mentors the SANS-GIAC General Security and Information Systems Security Officer classes.

The Changing Nature of the Relationship between Consultants and Clients

Discussion Topics:

• Impact on Contractor Selection and Relationships
• Effects of Company Downsizing
• Greater Reliance on Staff to Exclusion of Consultants

Client Strategies for problem solving

• Outsourcing
• Redeploying Internal Resources
• Automated Software
• Offshore Software Development/Support

Hourly vs. Project Pricing

Strategies for Consultants

The View from the ICCA National Conference

Panel:

Making Good Contracts: To Protect and Deliver Value for the Consultant

As a consultant or professional, you are often dealing with contracts: your own and others.

What should you be looking for in your contracts?
What makes a good contract?
When should you seek help?

Mr. Adelson will first discuss basic do's and don'ts.

• Making contracts enforceable
• What makes them unenforceable
• When to leave things unenforceable
• How to be clearer, avoid uncertainty
• How to cut legal costs to enforce the contract

Just because it's valid, is your contract any good?

Mr. Adelson will next discuss what makes a good contract.

• Mission - Defining your mission and covering the scope of contract
• Conditions - Current and relevant variables, contingencies to performance
• Reliance - Setting out warranties and representations that each side relies upon
• Consideration - Stating what each party contributes regardless of form it takes
• Mutuality - requiring each party to contract to "ante up"
• Commitment - Timing contributions so vulnerability to non-performance reduced

Finally, Mr. Adelson will discuss key terms of major contracts we face when selling or buying products, selling services as consultants, developing custom software, licensing technology, and then, subcontracting with others.

Discussion will include -

• How to handle payments
• How to handle liabilities
• How to handle intellectual property
• How to handle deliverables and milestones
• How to handle subcontractors

Along the way we can share our gripes, horror stories, tell some bad lawyer jokes, and get some down-to-earth legal advice from a veteran attorney.

Robert A. Adelson, Esq. is a partner in the Boston firm of Zimble & Brettler, LLP, a 10-attorney general practice law firm in Boston's Financial District. As a corporate and tax attorney, Mr. Adelson's clients are early stage technology-based companies, consultants and service providers, and senior executives and key employees. His main practice areas are entity choice, business formation, and capitalization, commercial and strategic contracts, executive employment, stock and options, severance and termination, trademarks and intellectual property protection and licensing, partnerships and joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Adelson received his BA from Boston University, Phi Beta Kappa, his JD from Northwestern University in Chicago, where he was a member of Law Review. He also holds an LL.M in Taxation from New York University.

Mr. Adelson is a frequent lecturer and also the author of numerous published articles, including articles in Boston Business Journal, Genetic Engineering News and The Culpepper Letter (serving the software industry). A member of the Massachusetts and New York bars, Mr. Adelson's work as an attorney has been recognized in articles in the Boston Globe and Boston Herald and in a chapter of the book End of Shareholder Value, published in 2000.

Marketing on a Shoestring

Marketing on a Shoestring is a low-cost, high-impact approach to marketing for small businesses. Computer consultants are often very good at their own technologies, but may be unsure and unskilled when it comes to developing their business.

This program is for small business owners who want to upgrade their marketing efforts without spending a fortune. It includes proven approaches to help you increase sales and profits by using skills and assets you already have.

This is an interactive session, with worksheets and "ideas you can use". We will take a broad view of marketing and consider elements in your marketing mix that could include:

       service offering, pricing (levels and type), name, logo, and printed materials professional organizations and other purposeful networking client referrals, endorsements, and direct mail subcontracts, strategic alliances, and private labeling advertising, published articles, and white papers web-based marketing and electronic magazines . . . and maybe balloons, billboards, and funny hats!

Effective marketing doesn't have to cost a fortune.

Louise Reilly Sacco develops marketing strategies for small companies. She has worked with companies in software, technical services, health care consulting, training and nonprofit organizations. She has provided US marketing support for European companies.

Louise has an MBA from Simmons College and a BA in management from Northeastern University, both with highest honors.

She is a guest lecturer at Lesley College, Babson College, Framingham State College, Northeastern University, and Simmons College. She has been a speaker or panelist for Cambridge Business Dev Corp, New England Women Business Owners, MIT Enterprise Forum, and many more. Many ICCA members know Louise from her years as a SIG Director and member of the Board of the Boston Computer Society.

Insurance

Property Insurance contract provides for restitution in the event of a specified loss - includes:

• Business Personal Property
• Property of Others

Liability damages for which insured is legally responsible to pay - based on:

• Product
• Premises
• Services

General Liability covers Bodily Injury and Property Damage and usually excludes coverage for professional services.

Professional Liability policies address wrongful acts and/or errors and omissions committed in rendering or failing to render a service.

Professional Liability is non-standard - Defense inside or outside of policy limits:

• Occurrence or claims-made
• Deductibles or retention limits
• Exclusions

Workers Compensation is required by state law for all employees regardless of how paid.

• Corporate officers can now waive out of WC
• Self-employed and partners can purchase
• Sub-contractor issue

Group Medical insurance is available to self-employed in MA on guaranteed basis.

Standard Homowners insurance policies exclude business pursuits.

Carolyn B. Ehrman, CLU, CIC, joined what is now the Provider Insurance Group, Inc. in 1987, following ten years with the Aetna Life & Casualty Co. She began her insurance career selling life, health and retirement plans. Subsequent responsiblities at the Aetna included marketing and training. Ultimately she made the decision to return to her first love of working directly with clients in all areas of personal and business insurance. She is a past director of the Needham Business Association and is an active member of New England Business Owners. Carolyn has recently taken up the game of golf (fore!) and is an avid hiker.

Carolyn B. Ehrman, CLU, CIC, Provider Insurance Group, Inc.
1237 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA 02492
781-726-7118
cehrman@providerig.com

Selling Consulting Services

In this seminar, you will learn how to:

• Think of yourself as a sales person in a way that will help you overcome your fear of selling and distinguish yourself from your competitors at the same time.
• Get past gatekeepers and get to the decision-makers who can buy your services.
• Ask questions that will give you the information you need to win the business while demonstrating your unique value to the buyer.
• Overcome the three major objections you encounter: "You're too small," "Your skills don't match the job exactly," and "Your price is too high."
• Negotiate on value rather than price.

Herb Fox, is founder and president of MultiTrack Sales Consulting, helping companies improve sales performance and productivity. Herb has more than twenty-five years of practical sales management experience. He has created and successfully managed both Inside and Field sales organizations for Fortune 500 companies. He understands the objectives and needs of all sales channels and has specialized in implementing innovative strategies and programs to sell directly to End Users as well as through resellers.

Herb has staffed organizations, created performance and incentive plans, managed the relationships between Field Sales, Inside Sales, and third party resellers, and introduced new products. His methods have helped hundreds of sales people in many organizations to achieve outstanding sales performance.

Herb is Vice President of Marketing for the Society of Professional Consulting and serves on that organization's Board of Directors. He holds an MBA in Finance from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a BSEE from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He can be reached at (617)232-7780 or via e-mail to herbfox@multitracksales.com.

Minimizing income taxes for the smaller business

• Tax tips for the self-employed (or sole owner entity)
• Type of entity to use and benefits/pitfalls of each ("C" Corporation, LLC, "S" Corporation, partnership, LLP, Massachusetts Trust, or sole proprietorship)
• What is a deductible expense
• Timing of income
• Keeping records of your business related transactions
• How to save income taxes for you and your business

Roger A. Kahan, CPA is a Certified Public Accountant, Business Advisor, and Wealth Care Professional with an office in Stoughton, Massachusetts, serving the tax and financial needs of individuals and small to medium sized businesses almost anywhere in the United States.

Roger says: "Many accountants view their goal as minimizing their clients' taxes. NOT ME! I like to see my clients pay more taxes - because their earnings and profits are increasing dramatically. In addition to minimizing clients' taxes, I can help my clients with strategies designed to help them achieve those profits." Remember, "It's not what you make that counts, it's what you keep."

Informal Networking Get Together

In December we do not have a standard general meeting. We have a small end-of-year get together for consultants to reminisce about the past year, discuss plans for the future, and generally have a good time.

The is no program fee, but guests should plan on buying their own dinner and drinks.

It'll be at the Peking Garden on Waltham Street in Lexington on Tuesday, December 17th, 2002, from 7:00 PM on.

Joint Discussion Panel: Getting and Keeping Good Clients

Discussion Topics:

• What to put in a web site
• Good design and layout issues
• How to get included in the search engines
• How much time and money will it take
• Communication as the means to attracting and keeping clients

• The tricky balance between frequent contact and too many touch points
• What are your options?
• The Era of Instant Gratification

• Creative ways of expanding your business

Panel:

Sponsored by:

What is the best retirement plan for your business?

How do you increase contributions and minimize taxes? How can you keep costs down? These are some of the questions facing independent consultants and entrepreneurs. Gloria Rabinovich, a financial advisor with AXA Advisors, will discuss the various plans available, the pros and cons of each, and the new plans specifically designed for a one person enterprise.

As a financial advisor with AXA Advisors, Gloria provides creative strategies for individuals and their families, professionals, executives and business owners, in the areas of retirement and tax planning, life, disability, and long term care insurance, health insurance, education planning, annuities and investments.

Gloria is licensed to offer securities and insurance in MA. Her background includes work as a systems analyst, specializing in the development of financial, banking, and accounting systems. She has a BA from Goucher College, an MA from American University, and is currently working on her CFP designation.

Buzz Your Business with Marisa D'Vari's Media Magic

Jealous to see a colleague - or a competitor - getting all the business in a challenging economy? Chances are they're not better than you, just better known! Discover the tools that can get you the Print, TV, and radio coverage about your business you deserve with this entertaining, edifying, interactive workshop.

Marisa D'Vari - TV host and author of the new book Media Magic: Profit and Promote with FREE Media Placement. Come in clueless, leave with your marketing plan in place!

SPC Barbecue

The Society of Professional Consultants has invited all ICCA-Boston members to their August barbecue. The Society of Professional Consultants is a non-profit, New England-based resource organization for consultants who represent diverse disciplines and work in multiple industries.

The Barbecue will be held at Rebecca's Cafe on August 19 from 6 pm to 9 pm. The barbecue will feature several round tables on subjects of interest of consultants, networking with consults in a wide range of businesses and general summer relaxation.

Food will be included with the meeting fee of $20. Beer and Wine for an added fee. To avoid a door fee surcharge, please preregister with the SPC. This will allow us to order the correct amount of food.

The 2002 President's Initiatives for the ICCA

Al Cole will be speaking in July at the Greater Boston Chapter of the ICCA. Al will discuss his initiatives for the ICCA in 2002. His talk will cover such topics as:

• Temporary H1-B Visa Program
• ICCA National Marketing Program
• Committees, Task Forces and Volunteers
• Member Recognition Programs
• Consultant Mentoring Program

Al Cole is the President of NorthRidge Software, LLC - a provider of consulting and custom application development services to manufacturing design companies. Al has served as Vice President on the ICCA's National Board of Directors in 2001. Today, he is serving as President on the ICCA's National Board of Directors.

How chiropractic approach can benefit the workplace ergonomic and injury prevention.

Chiropractic-definition; what it is, what it is not. Treatment methods-types of conditions treated and how

Born in MA; started off in healthcare field as pharmacy clerk; attended UMass/Amherst studies micro/molecular biology, former emergency medical technician Armstrong Ambulance, former biomedical researcher Tufts School of Medicine/St. Elizabeth's Medical Center; attended Chiropractic school in San Jose, CA graduated cum laude; director of own practice since 1999.

What you need to know about XML: An Overview

What is XML and when should I use it? What do all those other acronyms mean: DTD, XSL, XSLT, style sheets, XML schemas, ebXML? How can UML class models improve the quality and consistency of XML DTDs and schemas?

Norman Daoust specializes in information modeling and systems integration. He has more than ten years experience analyzing and modeling data, as well as designing, programming and implementing data interfaces between operational systems and data warehouses. He has been an active participant in the development of the Health Level Seven Reference Information Model, a comprehensive data model of the healthcare environment used to create XML messages for the healthcare environment.

Shepherding Clients to Your Doorstep - Grow Your Business and Develop Your Professional Practice

Professional Development for Business Executives, Sales Professionals, Service Providers who want to:

• Think More Strategically about What They Have to Offer to Whom
• Effectively Seek, Create and Acquire New Business Opportunities
• Grow Their Professional Practice through Business Contacts, Connections and Collaborations

Beyond Networking: Developing a Marketing Strategy for Yourself or Your Small Professional Group.

The biggest challenge for the potential (or frustrated) consultant or entrepreneur is truly understanding the needs and motives of the key players in the business development drama: the consultant or entrepreneur him/herself and his/her customer. The focus of the discussion will be how to understand both yourself and your potential customers needs and motives and how to design your business and your marketing mix to respond to both parties' needs and motives.

We'll discuss how to develop a general business plan or strategy and how to build on that with a marketing plan. We will discuss how to assess the opportunities available and contrast them with your strengths, interests and goals to develop a positioning statement by identifying target markets or customer segments and their needs and developing a marketing mix that will be attractive to them.

Robin Chase is an Assistant Professor in the Lally School of Management & Technology at the Hartford, CT campus of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prof. Chase has also taught marketing at schools in greater Boston, greater Los Angeles and New York City. She teaches Principles of Technological Entrepreneurship. She has degrees from Harvard University, U.C.L.A. and the University of Southern California. Her consulting clients have included small professional firms, small service providers (including software designers) and non-profits in the Los Angeles and Boston areas. Prof. Chase was Vice President of National Cable Marketing, a direct marketing agency. Dr. Chase can be reached at (860) 232-0460 or chasemktg@aol.com.

Writing Solutions

Writing can be a daunting task, especially when you provide technical expertise. Marketing collateral, web site content, proposals and newsletters are valuable tools for consultants, but it is not easy to write clearly and concisely about technical topics. Tracy Filosa, of TAF Consulting, will provide simple writing solutions and tips that can help you communicate your value and results to clients, potential clients and peers.

We will discuss writing to:

• Convey your results
• Differentiate your solution
• Explain how you work and your process
• Market and sell your services

Tracy Filosa is the Principal of TAF Consulting, a firm that provides communications planning, documentation and business writing services. TAF Consulting helps start-ups, independent consultants and large corporations get the most out of their technology investments, employees, client relationships and outreach efforts.

Tracy Filosa has over 13 years of experience as a financial analyst, management consultant, project manager for technology implementations and professional writer. She has a BA in English from Tufts University and an MBA high honors and certificate in Public and Nonprofit Management from Boston University. She is a member of the Association for Business Communication and the Society of Professional Consultants (SPC). She is also the editor of Gray Matter, the SPC Newsletter.

Tracy can be contacted at http://www.tafconsulting.com or tfilosa@tafconsulting.com.