Thursday September 29 th , 2005.

Time: 6:00pm to 8:30pm

Location: Metro Hall, 55 John Street, Toronto, ON

Room: 302

Meeting fee: $10 (to cover costs only)

More than 25 members and guests attended this informative and eye-opening workshop.  

Professional Development Session

Speaker: Martin Obern, Principal, Martin Obern & Associates

"What's in it for me?"  Sizing up and delivering on a prospects expectations.

Far too often, Freelance Professionals "pitch" before they "listen".  Martin will take participants through the process of learning how to determine the right set of questions that will not only gather the information you need, but impart your sincere understanding of the prospects business needs as it relates to your offering.  If you have ever been guilty of calling on a prospect and telling them what you can do before you really know what they truly need, this workshop is a MUST!

Professional Profile:

British born Martin Obern  was originally trained as a graphic designer and operated his own design practice for more than 25 years. His client base included organizations as diverse as Motorola, IBM, TD Canada Trust, the governments of Sweden and Finland to 'Ma and Pa' start-ups. He was also the creator and instructor of "Design for Organizational Communications" at Centennial College in Toronto.

During this time, Martin was asked increasingly to help various organizations to market their goods and services in addition to creating design solutions. This business evolved into full time marketing consultation in which he developed numerous products such as BrochureCheck® which measures the effectiveness of company's brochures and collateral material.

Today, Martin pursues his first love by teaching new and small businesses to create effective marketing strategies without spending a fortune. Or as he puts it: "Learn more. Earn more."  His eclectic and irreverent style coupled with typical "Pythonesque" British humour, simplifies complex issues in a way that makes them easy to understand and removes all of the intimidation factors that often prevents small businesses from being effective marketers. For more information on Martin Obern, visit his website (www.martinobern.com) or send him an email at martin@martinobern.com