Tuesday, September 30, 2008

OCT 31 EGG CALL Vignette - Author Peggy Collins

I am pleased to announce that Peggy Collins - the author of Help is NOT a Four-Letter Word will be our vignette speaker on the October 31st Executive Girlfriend's Group call.

“I felt like I was looking in a mirror”
“This is life-changing”
"It’s like reading an autobiography!”

These admissions are just a few of the rave reviews from Peggy’s recent workshop evaluations.

On the EGG call, Peggy will be answering the questions:

• Can you ask for help?
• Do you do everything all by yourself?
• Do you help others but can’t ask to have the favor returned?

Explorer - discoverer extraordinaire – Peggy Collins, professional speaker and trainer, has uncovered a never-before-identified self-defeating behavior she calls The Self-Sufficiency Syndrome, the subject of her McGraw Hill book, Help Is Not a Four-Letter Word: Why Doing It All Is Doing You In.

Peggy has been an executive in the relocation and banking industries where she had president and senior vice president after her name. She’s also owned two businesses including her current speaking and training company where she’s delivered messages to thousands in Fortune 100 and 500 companies as well as many association conferences.

She’s a member of the National Speakers Association, an MPI Platinum Speaker and a member of the Whitehouse Project. She makes her home in Hendersonville, NC.

We hope you will mark your calendar and join us on October 31, 2008 for Peggy Collins vignette.

Chicke Fitzgerald
founder

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Friday's call on TRILLION DOLLAR MOM$ was a hit

Thanks to those who participated in the call on Friday and the interview with Bonnie Ulman. Bonnie spoke about the mom market and about some of their key behaviors. In addition to her book and communications/research firm, the Haystack Group, Bonnie has an online magazine called Mom's Easy Chair. It has about 15k readers monthly.

Key characteristics of today's overachieving moms:

  • Feel like they've given a bit of themselves away
  • Need to be more, do more and as a result, end up micromanaging
  • Are hyper-kinetic, doing everything (including multi-tasking) at light speed
  • Losing trust in marriage, which can result from a catalytic event that brings new stress into the marriage
  • Tend to think "no one can do it like I can", so take on too much
The antidote is to treat yourself and take on things in bite sized pieces, versus trying to do everything or fix everything at once. Also stop and do some "belly gazing" once a month, focusing on what you want, what makes you happy. Look for "soul sisters", whether online in a community or on a call like this!

In marketing to moms, and dealing with male marketing directors, use the message:
  • Imagine you are your wife....
Also explore the generational possibilities - marketing to mom, daughter and grandmother. This fits right in with what Renie talked about two weeks ago when we talked about Girlfriend Getaways.

Have a good weekend all. See you next week for the interview with Erin Bethea, the female lead in the new movie, Fireproof, just out in theatres this weekend.

Chicke Fitzgerald

Friday, September 26, 2008

Special Speaker for October 3rd call - Subject: Relationships









Whether you are married, divorced, in a long term relationship or single, you should put this movie on your list of "must see" films this weekend.

Dr. Phil talked about the film yesterday and in particular about the impact of job stress on marriage. We are fortunate to have the female lead from the film, Erin Bethea, lined up to speak on the Executive Girlfriend's Group call on Friday, October 3rd.

Let me know what you think about the movie. I've seen the trailers and am looking forward to seeing the film with Michael and some neighbors on Sunday night.

I hope you can join us on the 3rd.

Chicke

Friday, September 19, 2008

Call for healthy recipes

Great call today Thanks so much to Julie Webster for sharing healthy tips with us to reduce stress and improve our health, weight and well being!

For those that missed the call, Julie talked to us about the physiology of stress and recommended some things that we can add to our diets to improve our health. Vitamins (B & C in particular), minerals, good fatty acids, good grains that produce seratonin, good sea salt, berries (antioxidents) and lots of leafy green veggies.

Of course exercise was high on the list of good things for your body, as was breathing (actually paying attention to taking deep breaths) and meditation. But most importantly finding something that you really love (Julie does salsa dancing!) and do it frequently!

On the call the group decided that we needed to have some good recipe ideas (as well as good snack suggestions, particularly for travel). So send them to me via email @ chicke@solutionz.com and I'll post them on the blog.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Chicke

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

EGG VIgnette Speaker - Sept 26th - Bonnie Ulman, co-author Trillion Dollar Moms


I am pleased to announce that Bonnie Ulman, co-author of Trillion Dollar Moms will be speaking during our 10 minute vignette on the EGG call on Friday, September 26th.

We look forward to hearing her insights on this powerful market and to discuss how the travel industry might want to look differently at moms.

A hybrid communications practitioner, Bonnie blends the disciplines of account planning and traditional public relations with influencer communications and new age grassroots programs.

Considered a pioneer in the dynamic marketing-to-moms category, Bonnie is a frequent speaker and media commentator on the subjects of marketing to women and mothers. She was one of the top-ranked presenters at the prestigious Marketing2Moms conference in 2005 and 2006. She is co-author of “Trillion-Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and has been toiling away on a new book about female-friendly customer service. Her reputation in the area of mothering issues made her a natural choice as a 2007 and 2008 spokesperson for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies “Childhood is Calling” program.

In 2006, Bonnie and the Haystack team concepted and launched www.momseasychair.com, a unique online magazine and virtual gathering place for women with children who are eager to learn and connect about non-Mommy topics and trends outside of their own homes and communities. Access to thousands of mothers with informed opinions and disposable dollars has proven to be an asset that Haystack Group clients covet.

She understands how to market to the family dynamic, a key need for brands that need to appeal to children and parents. Bonnie helped prescribe communications strategies for Leapfrog, Mattel, Philips Consumer Electronics, Dimetapp and BestBuy.

Bonnie lives on a small farm outside Atlanta with her husband and two children, spending her “spare” time as a competitive equestrian.

Don't miss this one!

EGG Vignette Speaker - Sept 19th - Julie Webster The impacts of stress


On our call on Friday, the 19th of September, I'm pleased to announce that educator Julie Webster of Boulder, CO will be joining us to talk about stress and its impact on our health.

Not that any of us have any stress in our lives..... but we may have friends that do. Right?

Our vignettes normally start about 20 minutes into the call and last for about 10 minutes. Our guest will remain on the call to answer questions from the group.

Please join us on the 19th.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

EGG Vignette Speaker - Sept 12th - Renie Cavallari Author the Official Girlfriend's Getaway Guide

Renie Cavallari of GivetoYourself.com to speak to Executive Girlfriend's Group on Friday, September 12th

The Executive Girlfriend's Group is pleased to announce that Renie Cavallari, CEO of Aspire Marketing and author of a new book "The Official Girlfriend Getaway Guide", will address the EGG Call on Friday, September 12th.

Renie has recently established GivetoYourself.com. The focus of this site is to help us overcome the invisible obstacles to success and shares how to find and ignite radical passion.

Renie is a dynamic speaker and amazing motivator and over the course of the last year has been researching this interesting market, with AAA.

The introduction for the book was written by author John Gray, of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus". You can click here to sign up to receive a copy of the book and the research.

On the call Renie will help us understand what she uncovered about the need for “girlfriends” to get away and the challenges they have. This information will help your business capture a piece of this “blue ocean” market segment. With 44% of US spending totaling over $6 billion in annual dollars, these women are looking for places to bond, enjoy themselves and escape their daily and endless responsibilities. Most are moms on the move and when you offer them what they want in an easy way you will get their business. See her website for more information.

Please join us.

Chicke Fitzgerald
Founder of EGG