Jay Sachetti joined Jeff O’Brien, partner at Husch Blackwell and Dyanne Ross-Hanson, president of Exit Planning Strategies talked about the market for mergers and acquisitions, exit planning opportunities for companies that don’t end up for sale and how companies can maximize their eventual sale price during an early October panel at the first Upsize on Tap event at Summit Brewing Co. in St. Paul.
When the state Legislature passed a law requiring employers to provide paid leave and safe time for employees, Justin Bieganek started hearing differing details from friends, colleagues and peers.
A new song commissioned by Spoken Impact is striking a nerve among customers and clients. “I Hate Public Speaking,” it’s called, and its local writer and performer Barbara McAfee cites the all-too-familiar symptoms: sweaty palms, upset stomachs, hiding in the bathroom, brain freeze.
Spoken Impact’s Joan Moser and her business partner Sue Stoen wanted a new way to capture clients’ attention. The firm helps customers improve their presentations and public speaking to be more effective.
“I’m really tired of the same old way of communicating,” Moser says. “I always say, do things that are memorable and entertaining.”
She got the idea while attending a seminar at which McAfee sang a song to drive home the presenter’s point about the power of sound branding.
They were surprised that the whole project — finding a songwriter, writing a song, cutting a CD — could be done for about $5,000.
She says more and more of their clients are coming to them to get over their fear. “I thought this would be a great unifier with the marketplace,” she says.
They’re rolling it out in stages. First was public appearances with McAfee, in conjunction with a mini-seminar on 15 ways to reduce presentation anxiety. They went to places such as Toastmasters for that.
Phase 2 was to get the CD recorded and sold, so people could buy it at the workshops and on the Web site. “That’s not a moneymaker per se. It’s like a pet rock,” she says, and drives people to their site.
Phase 3 is promoting it on the Web site. Phase 4 was sending it out to clients. Phase 5, starting early this year, will be to put a video clip on their Web site to attract traffic.
“People just think it’s clever,” she says. “People who have been at the presentations say, 'Oh, you’re the ones with that hilarious song.' ”
All is in the service of one goal: “Keep us growing at 25 percent a year; ‘06 will see about $300,00 in annual revenue,” Moser says.
Joan Moser and Sue Stoen, Spoken Impact: 952.697.3560; jo********@**********ct.com; www.spokenimpact.com
