Personal Selling and Ann's Gig at Champlain College

Yesterday my friend, Markey Read of Career Networks asked me at 8 a.m. to come speak about personal selling to a marketing class she was teaching at Champlain College at 11 a.m. 

Dressed in my most unprofessional garb and totally unprepared, I immediately responded with a hearty, "YES!" 

Whoa, is this the same Anxiety Annie I've known for 44 years?  I think not! (Maybe it's time to drop the Anxiety Annie moniker.)

I eagerly accepted Markey's invitation because:

1. I am passionate about marketing,
2. I am even more passionate about teaching,
3. Thanks to my involvement in BNI, speaking to large groups no longer scares me in the least. 

So, I arrived to class, eager and earnest, a box of shortbread under my arm, to a discussion about different types of marketing and the pros and cons of each.  My job was to lead a small group in a discussion about personal selling.  There were other small groups discussing other marketing techniques such as: direct response, publicity and public relations, and advertising.   After looking at a product and answering some questions, each group reported on their observations.  All the groups did a wonderful job (after being fed raspberry jam filled shortbread which is known to loosen up any group - hee-hee!). 

Okay, I'll admit right now...I've never taken a marketing or business course in my entire life AND I LOVED this discussion.  I learned a lot by interacting with a bunch of college kids and filling in some blanks in my own marketing wisdom through listening to a teacher lay out some definitions and the lively discussion and examples that followed.

You know how sometimes you just learn something by doing it, but you know that because you've never taken a class or read a book about the topic, there's some stuff you don't know that you don't know?  That's me and marketing.  That was me and technical writing.  Heck, that's me and LIFE.  I'm always stressing about the stuff I know I don't know and trying to figure out how I'm supposed to learn it if I don't know what it is.  (Does that make sense?)

I'm tickled pink that Markey thought enough of my knowledge and experience to allow me to share it with her class yesterday.  Thanks, all, for welcoming me warmly and teaching me a thing or two about marketing. 

My only complaint was that out of about 25ish people in the room, I knew, beyond any doubt, that I was the OLDEST one there (I've even got Markey beat by just a couple years).

Holy cow, that is just tooooooooo weird for me to wrap my brain around.  I need to take a nap now.

Your shortbread and personal selling expert,  AGED Annie (anxious nevermore)

Comments

[Ivan Misner]

Ann - thanks for your comment about BNI!

All the best.

Dr. Ivan Misner
Founder
BNI

[Markey Read]

Ann!
It is definetly time to let go of that old moniker! You are one of the best and most creative marketers I know. The great thing about what you do, is that it is so natural and authentic. You practice many forms of paid and unpaid, controlled and uncontrolled forms of marketing and you blend them all so well. As I have said to you before, you "get marketing" at a very real and practical level. The bonus is that your product is also high quality and represents your personal integrity so clearly. Thanks for helping me justify eating cookies -- these are carbs worth planning a day's eating around!

lots of love,

Markey Read
Career Networks
employvt.com