14 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday October 11, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com MONDAY OCTOBER 20 KICK-OFF BREAKFAST, With keynote speaker Ron Foxcroft,Owner of Fox 40 International and Fluke Transport and Warehousing, Inventor of the Fox 40 Pealess Whistle. Celebrate the week's launch with breakfast and hear success story Ron Foxcroft discuss: 1. Life as an entrepreneur in trucking, warehousing & sporting goods. 2. The Fox 40 journey. 3. Lessons learned. 4. Understanding your customers. 5. Quality customer service & achieving peak performance with your team. 6. Sound common sense business advice. HOLIDAY INN OAKVILLE-CENTRE, 590 Argus Road 7:30 a.m. MOTIVATE ME! TIPS TO BUILD YOUR ENERGY & KEEP THE PASSION By Theresa Syer of Syer Hospitality Group - Motivation is one of the most powerful driving forces in our personal and business lives. It can mean the difference between success and failure. Motivation momentum can't help but carry you forward. Understand that internal and external factors are motivating you and they can be equally powerful. This session will help you examine your motivating factors and identify what you can do to enhance your motivation, improve your focus and renew your enthusiasm. ORGANIZE OR AGONIZE By Andy Sherwood of Priority Management Systems Canada Upon completion of this presentation participants will: -Plan, communicate & work more eff ectively with others. -Learn to work from a clean desk. -Reduce crisis management -Delegate the right tasks to the right people. -Learn the value of planning -Feel less stressed -Be more motivated -Miss fewer details -Increase productivity HOLIDAY INN OAKVILLE-CENTRE, 590 Argus Road Self-Motivation Seminar Time 9:30 - 11:00 am Self-Organization Seminar Time 11:30 am - 1:00 pm TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21 WHAT STARBUCKS CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS (BRANDING SEMINAR) By Paul Copcutt of Square Peg Solutions Participants will leave with; -An understanding of global brands success and applying it your local market. -Three concrete action steps for you to build your on line brand immediately. -Understand the five things you should never do as a brand. GROWING YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH EFFECTIVE MARKETING By Ben Molfetta of Core Marketing Strategies Thought provoking insights about developing marketing strategies and tactics to grow your business. The presentation covers topics such as planning for growth, understanding your prospects, innovation, differentiating yourself from competitors and the importance of systemizing your business development efforts. Ben also walks the audience through a step by step process for developing marketing plans that lead to predictable and sustainable revenue growth. HOLIDAY INN OAKVILLE-CENTRE, 590 Argus Road Branding Seminar 9:00 - 10:30 am Marketing Seminar 11:00 am - 12:30 pm WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22 BUSINESS ADVISORY ROUND TABLE Hosted By Aby Alameddine, Bill Dodge, Ed Foster, Ben Molfetta, and Bill Weis - Three interactive venues moderated by some of Oakville's leading business minds in the areas of Advertising, Branding / Marketing and Sales. Move from table to table and have all your business questions answered by the moderators. HOLIDAY INN OAKVILLE-CENTRE, 590 Argus Road Winning the Sale Seminar 9:00 - 10:30 am Sales Seminar Time 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Business Advisory Round Table 5:00 - 10:00 pm THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 PROSPECTING ACTIVITIES TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS By Andrew Wall of the Sandler Sales Institute Have you ever looked at your business and thought: I really do need more new clients. How do I position myself to fi nd my "ideal clients"? What prospecting activities should I be doing to grow my business? Besides "cold calling" what can I be doing to speak to more new prospects? THE ART AND SCIENCE OF NETWORKING By Lisa Dennie of The Marrek Group Networking is fi rst and foremost about building relationships. To be eff ective in doing so one must understand both the "art" and the "science" involved. While this session will cover the basics of "how to, where to and when to network", (the science) you will also have an opportunity to discover your fl air or creativity (the art) which is what will set you apart from all other networkers. BUSINESS AFTER HOURS & TRADE SHOW The Chamber's popular monthly evening reception is combined with our Annual Trade Show. Come to network with local business leaders, enter into our 50/50 and door prize draws, and enjoy the catering and refreshments. Order your trade show table to showcase your business to all of those who come. Previous years have attracted nearly 300 attendees. Trade show space is limited; book today! HOLIDAY INN OAKVILLE-CENTRE, 590 Argus Road Networking Seminar 9:00 - 10:30 am Prospecting Seminar 11:00 am - 12:30 pm BUSINESS AFTER HOURS & TRADE SHOW Oakville Town Hall South Atrium, 1225 Trafalgar Road 5:00 - 8:00 pm WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22 WINNING THE SALE AT THE DISCOVERY/NEEDS ANALYSIS STAGE By Paula Hope of the Referral Institute Following this interactive session, participants will know -An excellent way to move smoothly from the introductory phase into asking all the right questions -How to establish rapport and trust -The eight key areas of customer information required to close the sale SELLING PERSONAL BENEFITS, CLOSING, & HANDLING OBJECTIONS By Bill Weis of The HRD Group -A tactical workshop that will ensure higher closing rates for participants -Learn how to play back benefits to the prospect that they want to here -Know WHEN to ask for the order by uncovering buying signals -Discover how to handle objections in a specific manner to get to the real issue, and ultimately close business. SEMINARS: $30 to attend one $75 to attend three $95 to attend ALL (GST not included) TRADE SHOW TABLE $150 (PLUS GST) FOR CHAMBER MEMBERS $195 (PLUS GST FOR NON-MEMBERS) ROUNDTABLE $15 (GST not included) BREAKFAST $10 to attend $70 reserved table for 8 (GST not included) FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE EVENTS, VISIT WWW.OAKVILLECHAMBER.COM Increase your profits by cutting your energy costs Are rising energy costs cutting into your bottom line? You're not alone Across Canada, small companies are searching for ways to contain fuel and electricity costs without causing disruptions to supply chains and customer service. The situation is even worse for small businesses in rural and northern Canada, and for companies in the agri-business, transportation and wholesale trades, where fuel and energy are the lifeblood of business. For example, many greenhouse growers are reporting massive increases in fuel costs that may affect the viability of some in the industry. The majority of small business owners adopt energy efficient strategies for one or two reasons: because they are encouraged to do so by an important business partner or because it will make their businesses more efficient and more profitable, says Bruce McConnell, vice-president, BDC Consulting. "If you're already into the supply chain of a large corporation then you are likely to be encouraged to develop an environmental strategy," he explains. And, he adds, if joining a supply chain is in your future, companies would be wise to implement environmental initiatives now to shore up their green credentials. Businesses who sell directly to consumers are also under increasing pressure to demonstrate solid environmental practices. "Don't underestimate the importance that environmental friendliness will have in the coming years for all businesses," adds McConnell. "It will become a differentiating factor in developing new markets." Whatever the motivation, it appears most Canadian businesses are responding. Eight years ago, energy conservation didn't even rank as a top environmental priority for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses. By 2007, however, CFIB members cited it as their second most important environmental issue, after recycling of materials. The CFIB's Achieving Eco-Prosperity survey found that 83 per cent of SMEs have implemented energy conservation changes, and that another 8% planned on doing so within the next year. However, most surprising from the survey is what motivates smaller companies to jump on the green bandwagon. "It isn't primarily the cost savings," explains CFIB president Catherine Swift. "By far, the most important reason SME owners make changes is because they personally believe it's an important thing. The environment is important to them as a person, not just as a business." WHERE TO START Rule number one, says Swift, are solutions that are relatively easy and affordable for small companies to implement. "These business owners are time-starved and often have limited resources. Expecting people to digest mountains of information from multiple sources simply isn't practical." As evidence, she points again to the Achieving EcoProsperity survey which identified three main reasons why one in six SME owners has yet to adopt even minor green practices: lack of information, lack of funds/too expensive and too complicated. As a first step, business owners should develop a solid energy savings plan. You may want to consider hiring an environmental consultant who will review everything from the layout of the operations to workflow processes and infrastructure and recommend modifications that could reduce your energy consumption. You can also try developing a green plan on your own. CFIB's Going for the Green offers small manufacturers a simple, do-it-yourself approach that maps eight essential areas of your business. It outlines where to look for waste, and how to find solutions. Another resource is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System (LEED). This market-based rating system measures the energy and environmental performance of your building, helping entrepreneurs to identify green design strategies, as well as measure and monitor progress. If you rent space for your business, you may want to consider entering a "green" lease. In June, the Real Property Association of Canada released the first green office lease for the Canadian commercial real estate industry. The National Standard Green Office Lease enables landlords and tenants to set targets for energy, water, indoor air quality and recycling, and enables landlords to carry out "green" renovations to existing building stock. While most SME owners have implemented some changes, about one in six has not yet done so. The main reason: cost. McConnell says BDC is geared up to provide financing to help small companies reduce their energy costs.