At the Top recognizes the value of those participants that commit to the entire series and will provide you with great rewards for doing so.

From a discount on the total purchase, to a mid-season private reception with other full season ticket holders, sponsors, and the Invited Skyline Club Board of Governors, being a full series ticket holder is clearly the way to go.

Entire series pricing:

MEMBER – All 6 events valued at $150.00 – Special offering – $125.00 and a private full series member / sponsor reception mid season – the reception alone is valued at $59.00 – total value would be $150 + $59 = $209 for only $125.00

NON-MEMBER – All 6 events valued at $210 – Non Member – Special offering – $175.00 and a private full series member / sponsor reception mid season – the reception alone is valued at $59.00 – total value would be $210 + $59 = $269 for only $175.00.

NOTE: The private reception is not open to the general public. Only the full series participantsSimilar Posts:

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• Register Now!

Preceding the launch of Langham Logistics, Cathy was a two-time franchise owner in the transportation industry. She founded Langham with her sister Margaret and their brother John, both of whom are still actively involved in the organization. Langham’s third-party logistics company, now 21 years old, has grown its client base internationally and has over 85 full-time employees.

As president and CEO, Cathy invests her time three ways: She devotes 40% to clients and prospects, including many Fortune 500 companies. She spends another 20% with city, state, and national business leaders, tackling topics that include economic development, air cargo security, and business growth; and spends the 40% her time working in the day-to-day business, and as a part of strategic management.

Cathy’s affiliations include:

• Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC)

• Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors

• The Finish Line, Board of Directors

• Celadon Trucking, Board of Directors

• 500 Festival, Board of Directors

• Young Presidents OrganizationSimilar Posts:

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He serves as Member of the U.S. Advisory Board of Eskye Solutions, Inc. He serves on the Kelley School of Business Executive Board of the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Named to the Board of Directors for The Hundred Club of Indianapolis (assisting families of fallen police officers and firefighters)
• Trustee, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School
• Recipient of the William L. Haeberle Entrepreneurial Legacy Award for 2008
• Inducted into the Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame in 2008
• Received a Stevie Award for Best Turnaround Executive in 2007
• Recipient of the Distinguished Entrepreneur Award by the Kelley School of Business Alumni Association (1999)
• Recipient of the Indiana Entrepreneur of the Year Award (1995)
• Received an honorable mention in 1995 Inc. Magazine National Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• Former Board Member of United Way of Central Indiana
  • 1990 L.L. Goodman Award
  • 1992 David M. Cook Memorial Award
  • 1992 Ernst & Young – Supporter of Entrepreneurship Award
  • 1993 North Central High School Alumni Hall of Fame
  • 1994 B’nai B’rith Isidore Feibleman Man/Woman of the Year Award
  • 1994 National Multiple Sclerosis – Hope Award
  • 1995 Sagamore of the Wabash – Governor Evan Bayh
  • 1995 University of Indianapolis Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws
  • 1996 The Indianapolis Star – Indiana Jefferson Award

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The Summer Networking Challenge is an inspiring, adventurous program designed to strengthen your self-awareness, build your character and leadership skills and expand your communication abilities.

The challenge is a partnership between At The Top and the Spice Challenge, and will take place on Thursday, July 15, 2010.

There will be a morning, an afternoon, and a full day session, available to 4 groups of 15 people. There will also be a sunset networking event for participants at the end of the day.

The cost is $79 per person for a half day session, or $125 for a whole day session. Space is only available for 120 people, and we’re expecting slots to fill up fast, so be sure to register as soon as possible.

To register for the Spice Challenge, contact Laura Borders at Laura [at] SpiceChallenge [dot] com or (317) 695-1114.

If you are interested in sponsoring the event, contact Ron Sukenick at rs [at] ronsukenick [dot] com or at (317) 216-8210.Similar Posts:

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• Over the Top
• Register Now

A discussion lead by General Manger Jeff Markowicz and Membership Director Linda Houpt, you will learn why people all over the country are taking advantage of private club memberships.

When it comes to growing a business, and getting better connected, this fast-paced discussion will provide your road map to success.

Every attendee at this session will receive an offer to help take your business to new business levels.

Ron Sukenick, one of America’s leading authorities on the topic of networking and business relationship strategies, and creator of the At The Top event, will also share his thoughts on why the Skyline Club, and their offerings, is a good idea for all to consider.

We look forward to seeing everyone at this last strategy session for the season.

Jeff Markowitz

Linda Houpt

Ron Sukenick

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• April Strategy Session: Marketing mistakes business people make, and how to avoid them
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Before he came to the Pacers, Jim was the executive director for the United Nations World Food Programme. The WFP has more than 12,000 staffers, and provides food to people in need all over the world.

Jim has also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for IWC Resource Corporation and Indianapolis Water Company. He was the president of Lilly Endowment, Inc. from 1984-89, and served as Administrative Assistant and Chief of Staff to the Office of the Mayor, City of Indianapolis from 1967-73.

Jim has been a strong leader in Indianapolis, and to the world, and we’re proud to have him speak to our group on Thursday, May 20th.

You can register for the next At The Top Networking event, and be entered to win a free 7 night cruise.

Van Horn Vacations will be giving away a free cruise for 2 to the Caribbean. That’s right, a FREE 7 Night Cruise for two adults from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to Nassau, Bahamas, including your cabin, all your delicious meals, Las Vegas style casino, live entertainment, full spa & salon, state-of-the-art Gym, all you can eat buffets, fine dining, and more. Plus, you’ll enjoy a full day in the Caribbean where you can sun on white sand beaches, swim in crystal clear waters and shop duty-free!Similar Posts:

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So I was pleased to be asked to be one of the speakers at April’s strategy session, “Mistakes Every Marketer Makes.” As the social media professional, I was asked to address the three common social media mistakes every company makes. Carissa Newton of Delivra spoke on email marketing, Karen Scharf of Modern Image spoke about marketing in general, and everyone’s favorite networker, Ron Sukenick, talked about networking mistakes.

I have to say, I think this was one of the best strategy sessions we’ve had over the last several months, and not just because I was in it. (Okay, it’s totally because I was in it.)

The odd thing is that as marketers — and most of the people who come to an At The Top networking event are marketers of one sort or another — we’re blind to these mistakes. We are all brilliant in our fields (not just the four of us, but everyone who comes to the event). We’re at the top of our marketing game, and our companies look to use for guidance in the marketplace. And yet, we’re like the emperor and his new clothes when it comes to certain issues.

For example, I’ve been in marketing for 16 years, but sitting next to Karen Scharf on the panel, I still learned a few things from her. I’ve been a networking fiend for many years, but still gleaned some wisdom from Ron Sukenick.

If you were able to attend, I hope you learned something from at least one of us. If you weren’t, you missed a valuable session with a lot of great information. And if you want to gain a few nuggets of wisdom, I’m sure any of my colleagues or I would be happy to sit down with you over coffee to share our years of experience and knowledge.

You’re buying though.Similar Posts:

• April Strategy Session: Marketing mistakes business people make, and how to avoid them
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So the April At The Top strategy session will be Mistakes people make when marketing their business, and how you can avoid them. We’ll discuss how people and small businesses can avoid many of the mistakes their competitors and colleagues are making.

The session will be held at the next At The Top strategy session on Thursday, April 22, from 4:30 – 5:30 pm.

We’ll be holding a panel discussion with our At The Top marketing experts, including:

1. Erik Deckers, ProBlog Service (Social media marketing)
2. Carissa Newton, Delivra (Email marketing)
3. Karen Scharf, Modern Image Communications (Marketing communications)
4. Ron Sukenick, Relationship Strategies Institute (Relationship Strategies)

Scott Cramer from Delivra will facilitate the panel. Each of our experts will talk about their area of expertise, and how it can help your business and personal brands.

Each panelist will present how businesses and people can succeed in each area, and we will answer questions from the audience. This promises to be a lively, active discussion, since this is a topic that affects anyone and everyone who comes to At The Top. We hope to see you there.

Erik Deckers

Erik is the VP of Operations & Creative Services for Pro Blog Service. He has been blogging for more than 11 years (even before it was called blogging), and has been a published writer for more than 20 years. He has written humor newspaper columns, business articles, stage plays, radio theatre plays, and is currently working on a novel. He helped write Twitter Marketing for Dummies, is currently two writing other social media books on personal branding and networking, and frequently speaks on blogging and social media.

Carissa Newton

Carissa Newton is Delivra’s Director of Marketing. She is responsible for developing and managing all marketing and communications efforts for Delivra’s email marketing solutions and services. Additionally, Newton manages the company’s strategic business partnerships.

Newton is an accomplished marketing professional with more than 15 years marketing experience in a variety of industries, including SAAS software, financial services, apparel, and retail. She has used email marketing since 2000, when she introduced the technology to her organization as director of marketing for American United Life Insurance Co.

Newton is dedicated to both the business and nonprofit community of Indianapolis. She is an active member of the American Marketing Association (AMA), Business Marketing Association (BMA), Marketing Sherpa/Marketing Profs, Girl Scouts, United Way and the YWCA. Newton has also served as a board member with the AMA, BMA, and YWCA on a local level in Indianapolis.

Newton earned an MBA from Anderson University, Anderson, IN., graduating summa cum laude; and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management/Marketing from Northwood University, Midland, MI also graduating summa cum laude.

Karen Scharf

Karen Scharf began designing and developing websites in 1998, when she began Modern Image Communications. The marketing communications firm has since grown to provide a wide variety of marketing-related services to small businesses and entrepreneurs, including business and marketing plan development, newsletter publication and distribution, copywriting services, graphic design and print ad creation, info-product development, and strategic planning. Modern Image Communications basically serves as a one-stop-shop for a small business’s marketing needs.

Karen Scharf is a marketing consultant who helps small business owners attract and retain more clients. Karen coaches, and trains website owners on various tricks and techniques which have been proven to increase website conversion. She offers coaching programs and a Marketing Makeover to turn your ineffective marketing into a profit-pulling system. Grab your FREE checklists, white papers and reports at http://www.ModernImage.com.

Ron Sukenick

Ron is the president and founder of The Relationship Strategies Institute, a training and business development company that provides the business community with strategies for developing and effectively utilizing deeper professional relationships. He is a dynamic presenter, an intuitive business coach, an expert consultant, and a successful author. His presentations on relationship collaboration and transformation deliver practical information, humor and immediate results. Ron’s work consistently focuses on the areas of personal and professional relationship success and he has extensive insight into the processes that connect people to people. He shows his clients how to transcend the standard networking practices to build more authentic and mutually-beneficial relationships that enhance the bottom line. One of his most popular services is his consulting as Chief Relationship Officer. He has helped countless companies improve their internal relationships, as well as develop and improve critical relationships with clients, vendors and others outside the company.Similar Posts:

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• Facilitators

Let’s look at a few possible scenarios:

• David owns a small law firm that he runs with three other partners, and they specialize in intellectual property. The firm has a few associates, a couple paralegals. And let’s say one of their better clients asks them to handle a rather large issue dealing with tax law. The problem is none of them are specialists in tax law. They could try to read up on it and deal with it themselves, but if they blow it, at best, they’ll only lose the client.
  
  
  
  Rather than trying to deal with the situation themselves, David instead refers it to a friend, Kristen, at another small firm that specializes only in financial and tax law. Since Kristen’s firm specializes in tax law and David’s firm only does IP, the odds of them poaching each other’s clients are nil. Four months later, Kristen refers a corporate client who has a new product they want to patent. The client ends up working with both firms, one for IP, and one for finance and taxes.






• Beth runs a small marketing agency specializing in video production and graphic design. A potential client asks her to design a marketing campaign for their new clothing line, which will include video production, but it will only be 10% of the entire project. She could hire a freelance contractor and make it look like she has the staff to handle it, but worries that a freelancer will have too many other projects when the client invariably asks for major changes three months later.
  
  
  
  Beth instead passes the client off to Kyle’s agency, who specializes in B2C marketing, with the understanding that they re-hire Beth’s agency to handle the video. Because the client is happy with Kyle’s work, they continue to work with his agency, which means Kyle continues to hire Beth’s agency to produce not only this video work, but all future video work as well.






• This one is my favorite, because it’s true: Lorraine and Tony each run a small marketing agency. They’re friends, but they’re also competitors. On paper, they’re competitors. In real life, good friends. They rarely pursue the same clients, and tend to stay out of each other’s way. So one day, Tony suggests to Lorraine that they try a little experiment.
  
  
  
  “I will go out and sell for you for a few weeks,” Tony says. “I will only tell clients about you, and not sell my services at all.”
  
  
  
  “Sounds great,” says Lorraine. “What do I have to do for you?”
  
  
  
  “Tell them about this networking organization I’m starting,” says Tony. The two agree and give this new arrangement a try.
  
  
  
  The net result is that Lorraine grows her business significantly. And Tony’s organization, Rainmakers, grows to a respectable size, and Lorraine becomes one of the first members, and later, the president. With her guidance, Rainmakers becomes one of the largest networking organizations around, growing to 1,500 members and 41 hubs by 2009.

Now I’m sure that some lawyers and marketing agency principals are rolling their eyes. “That sort of thing would never happen,” they say. “We don’t help our competitors.”

Maybe so, but that’s an awfully short-sighted approach to take, because of the bigger opportunities you’re missing. There are plenty of examples here in Indiana of companies that do this kind of thing with great success.

Last month, I met two lawyers at a talk I gave down in Evansville. One was a trial lawyer, and the other was a corporate lawyer, and they shared business and referred clients all the time. They didn’t want to go into partnership together, but they recognized their relationship had resulted in hundreds of billable hours for each other.

Just today, I had lunch with several social media friends, and we discussed several different business deals we had shared with each other, or other friends. We realized we had created thousands of dollars of business for each other — money we would never have seen ourselves if we had been selfish.

“When I first started out,” said one person, “I tried to take on every project I could get my hands on. I was constantly fighting to meet deadlines, was working 16 hours a day, and was not happy.

“I started passing off the work I didn’t like doing, and only kept the projects I did. Now, I work less, get everything done on time, and I’m actually making more money than when I tried to do it all.”

The moral of the story? You can only achieve a certain level of success by yourself. With the help of your closest competitors, you can reach a whole new level of success, and so can they.Similar Posts:

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No, seriously. I’ve been lucky enough to have some excellent relationships with my competitors. Over the past several years, I’ve gotten a lot of business, sales, and even personal and professional opportunities. I’m even friends with a couple of them.

Why? Because they’re not really my competitors.

For one thing, I don’t see business as a Zero Sum game, or that I need to clutch at every possible sale with bony claws. I choose a niche, make sure I’m an expert in it, and focus on getting the clients that fit that niche. And I work with companies that do what I do, but in a separate niche.

Then — and here’s why I love my competitors — we pass business back and forth to each other. Because who knows more about my business than my competition? They’re doing it too, so they know the issues, the benefits of our industry, and the pitfalls.

So if I do work in the agricultural industry, and my biggest competitor works in the healthcare industry, I really don’t want to do healthcare. I don’t know the players, I don’t know the issues, I don’t know the things to avoid or talk up. So if a healthcare company comes to me, I’ll gladly pass it off to my competition.

“Why?” you’re probably asking. “You’re passing up a big paycheck.”

Because I don’t want to do work that I would do poorly or wouldn’t enjoy. Why should I jeopardize my reputation and future projects just because I feel like I have to gobble up every job that comes my way. I will either get in over my head, and fail completely, or work myself too hard, and then do a shoddy job. Either way, I’m not going to get hired by that client again, and word of my failure will spread faster than any news of my success.

When it comes to most of my “competitors,” I don’t believe we’re competition at all… I have far different qualifications, strengths and weaknesses than the other social media folks in town. I’m a writer, he’s a designer, she’s a strategist, they do education, and this other one does programming. We might all be social media professionals, but we could go for years without bumping heads.

When I was writing this post, my good friend (and semi-competitor), Doug Karr, emailed me this quote:

For those of us with a proven track record, there’s more work than there are people. Of course, my target client isn’t actually an Indiana-based company, it’s national enterprises. Erik Deckers, Duncan Alney, Kyle Lacy are all colleagues I admire much and we’ve all worked together on at least one project or more together. That means we’ve all profited from working with one another – not against.

Unfortunately, I see this desperate, scrabble-for-everything in a lot of agencies and creative companies around town. Their niche is “everyone,” and their market is “everywhere.”

They forget that we have more than 55,000 companies in Indianapolis alone, and several million companies in the United States. This is not a zero sum game. There’s enough for everyone. And if you work together, there will be more than enough for you to handle.

But I also look to the future, because I never know who my competition may turn out to be in just a few short years. They may one day be my employer. That person I snubbed at a networking event may be the person I’m trying to get an interview with in five years. Do you think they’ll remember that?

So if you come to At The Top this month, make a point of talking to your competition. Find those niches that you both love to work in and see if you can help each other more than stabbing each other.Similar Posts:

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