Terri L. Maurer provides Small Business Success programs, as well as keynote presentations and training. If you don’t see a topic that meets your group’s current specific needs, we can develop one.
“Terri is a polished speaker who presents rich information in an energetic, engaging and open style. She speaks as a highly informed guru on a myriad of design and business development topics and provides skills and leadership coaching as well as strategic future scenario planning.”
To schedule Terri to present a seminar or keynote at your group’s event, contact her at:
speakers@maurerconsultinggroup.com or call: 330.283.3999
Downloads for Event Planners
Popular Small Business Success Programs:
Nothing Succeeds like SUCCESSion Planning
At some point during the growth of a business, the founder will have to let go of some of their control, delegating work and empowering others. Once the growth pattern begins, business owners focused on success need to address leadership development and succession planning. Succession planning is not just for billion-dollar, multi-national corporations. Nor is it just for business owners planning to retire. Gaps in leadership can occur in any firm at any time. The owner, or one of her family members, could have an unexpected severe accident or illness. How will the firm continue operations? Will income stop? Planning for who will take over the business to keep it going is critical to the survival of the firm. It is imperative to know how, when and why to develop a succession plan.
Neurological Triggers That Make Customers Buy
In our highly competitive world, the sales process is more difficult than ever. The economy has remained stagnant for a number of years. Customers buying habits have drastically changed. They now spend extensive time on research to locate the best values and prices. The Internet has greatly expanded the scope of where customers can now buy. Inbound marketing (bringing targeted customers to you) has overturned outbound marketing (sending messages to the masses) in nearly every industry. The good news is, science has caught up with marketing and sales. Or, marketing and sales have caught up with science.
Stop Selling Time – Switch to Value Based Consulting
Are you tired of “How much is your hourly fee?” being the first, and perhaps only question you answer for a potential client? Instead of being considered for a project solely on how much, or how little you charge hourly for services, start thinking and being compensated like a consultant. Learn how to talk with clients about fees, how to transition existing hourly fee clients into a fixed fee for knowledge and value, and ways to handle clients that feel your fees are too high. Become an interior design ‘consultant’ and be paid accordingly.
Starting Your Own Business – Should You?
Starting and running your own business may be your dream. Before making that dramatic leap from gainful employment to entrepreneur, there are a number of things you ought to consider. “Starting Your Own Business – Should You?” provides an insider’s look at what it means to own and run your own business, touching on things you may not have considered when this seemed like a great idea during moments of angst and frustration over your job, your boss or your co-workers. You will take away better understanding of a number of issues that deserve your serious consideration, a presented in a light-hearted vein.
Branding: It’s Not Just For Cattle and Major Corporations
Branding is the hottest topic to hit the business world in some time. Everyone is talking about it but few understand exactly what branding is in the business world. Having a clear brand for your firm is the first and most important tool in a small business marketing toolbox. It should come before any other marketing efforts are developed. ‘Branding: It’s Not Just for Cattle and Major Corporations; is a program devoted to the topic of Personal Branding for individuals and small firms. Gain an overview of what branding and personal branding can do for your small business success and why you should care. Learn a systematic process that allows participants to discover and develop a Personal Brand to serve as the basis of all marketing efforts and tools.
Take Your Business to the Next Level
Are you a small business owner thinking about growing your business or moving to a higher level? This small business success program provides basic information to consider before making that leap. It helps a lot to know when to make the move to grow your business. Planning a successful transition to that next level is as important as making the actual move. Success is the goal of these advancements, not disaster. ‘Be prepared’ is the Boy Scouts’ motto, and wise advice for those considering moving their businesses forward. Learn the signs that it is time to move your small business ahead successfully and how to make necessary changes.
Designing For and Selling to the Generations
Have you noticed that your last several new clients are vastly different than the ones you have worked for over the years: different ages, different attitudes toward you and your services, and maybe even somewhat more opinionated than you’re used to? If so, these changes are more the result of the changing marketplace than just changes in your particular client base. We are at a crossroads where there are now four very active generations in the marketplace, and each one is unique in terms of its needs and wants. Gain useful insights about each generation and tools you can use to get back in control of your clients and projects.
The Changing Marketplace: Communicating and Selling to the Generations
We find ourselves at a crossroads situation when four different generations are all active in the marketplace at the same time. Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and now Generation Z are all in the workforce together, earning funds to feed and support the economy. Each cohort group has its own unique value system that determines how they prefer to be approached and communicated with. In order to provide better service and products to your customers, it is imperative to identify and understand the needs and wants of each generation, and implement them to your advantage. This program provides useful insights into each group, and tools you can use to stay ahead of your competition.
Recruiting, Retaining and Managing an Age-Diverse Workforce
Four different and unique generations are active members of the workforce for the first time in recent history. Being faced with dealing with four generations of employees under the same roof at the same time can be quite a challenge. This unique situation creates both excitement and frustration for managers as they try to get the best from four distinct groups: Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials and Generation Z. Learn about each of these generational groups, what makes them tick and why. Learn unique characteristics of each cohort group and how to engage them as employees and reach out and recruit them as potential employees. Find what workers from each generation want, how they work and what they can contribute to the success of your organization. Getting the most from staff and management is critical to small business success.
Move Your Customers’ Experience to WOW!
One of the most important ways to differentiate your company from competitors is by providing outstanding customer experiences when dealing with your firm. Customer service is not enough if consumers walk away with the opinion that service was just ‘OK’ or ‘Fine’. Customers at this level are ripe for the picking by competitors. Today’s consumers want – no, they demand – so much more than past generations. They want a buying ‘experience’, not just a basic buy-sell transaction. Learn to move your customer experience to WOW! and stand out. Make your extremely satisfied customers talk to family, friends and colleagues about your small business in glowing terms. Turn a customer into a brand ambassador in your marketing toolbox.
Develop Your Online Presence
The Internet is definitely here to stay, and its importance as a marketing tool is already outpacing traditional marketing channels. It may be changing at an astoundingly rapid pace, but it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. We just have to learn to keep up. Having a website is one online channel, but there are so many more small business success options available. Learn a variety on-line avenues to develop a strong online presence, or be left in the dust of those embracing cyberspace to market their brands.
Target Market: Interior Design Practitioners
As a supplier of products and services to the interior design community, do you struggle to find ways to make inroads with this group of highly trained design professionals? You know that you represent an excellent array of products and services their clients will want. But how do you connect with the designers and convince them they need you as a key resource? Learn about this strange breed: ‘interior designer’—who they are, how they work, what their challenges are and how you can interact with them to become a valued resource for them.
Set Yourself Apart – Personal Branding (Audience: Students and Entry Level Designers)
OK, you’re nearing graduation, or just graduated from design school. Time to find a job in your chosen profession, interior design. You’ve printed up resumes, fine tuned your portfolio and are ready to go. How can you stand out from other designers competing for the same job openings? Learn to develop a Personal Brand to tell potential employers who you are, what you can do and why they should hire you over someone else with the same, or similar credentials. Learn the value of your unique, authentic brand and how it makes you superior to other candidates seeking employment in this competitive field.
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