Sippin’ the Kool-Aid, Cheers to SMPS Chicago’s 30^th Anniversary

As SMPS Chicago’s President-Elect, this past April 14-16, I had the pleasure to attend the SMPS Chapter Presidents’ Leadership Symposium (PLS) in Alexandria, VA. This symposium is the backbone of training/development for President-Elects whom represent our 6000+ members from coast-to-coast. Let’s just say that the information (Kool-Aid) they were serving – I was gulping down.

During the 3-days, we learned what it meant to take on the role of Chapter President. By the end of the symposium, I had a profound new respect for our previous SMPS Chicago Presidents/Leaders whom help create one of the best chapters in the country. Additionally, a new sense of pride and ownership hit me square in the face. Thus, my goal for this historic SMPS Chicago 30^th Anniversary year is to consistently provide value to our supporters through exceptional programming, continuing education and networking events.

I personally found tremendous value by attending the SMPS National – Build Business: The Bottom Line conference here in Chicago. One of the best presentations I attended was Scott McKain’s keynote presentation – Collapse of Distinction – How to Stand Out & Move Up http://scottmckain.com

For me, the following excerpt clearly stood out during Scott’s 75-minute presentation:
Destroyers of Differentiators
    1. Copycat Competition - Too many professionals worry more about what their competition is doing than their customers.
    2. More or Tougher Competitors - Customers are more globally connected, thus more access to solutions provided by your competitors.
   3. Familiarity Breeds Complancency - The more familiar your customers are with what you do...the more likely they are to take you for granted.

Individually, each destroyer presents a significant challenge. Collectively, they create a Collapse of Distinction.
The Cornerstones of Distinction
    * Clarity - You cannot differentiate what you cannot define.
    * Creativity – Develop a difference
    * Communication - Write a story about how a client improved his or her situation as a result of your involvement. Start telling the story!
    * Customer Experience Focus – Too much focus upon the transaction and a failure to consider what kind of experience is created for the customer!

I assure you the SMPS Chicago Board and their committees are working hard to establish programming, education and networking events to help you clearly differentiate your firm and help you build business.

Dates to Remember
* SMPS Chicago Monthly Programs  
      * 2^nd Wednesday of the Month (September – May) – visit our website for details and registration.
* SMPS Midwest Regional Conference in Cleveland, OH, April 25-27, 2012
* SMPS National Build Business: Take Action Conference in San Francisco, CA, July 11-13, 2012

We have a phenomenal board of directors to serve our members and supporters. If you ever want to comment on the "taste of our Kool-Aid" or recommend a "different flavor", please feel free to contact any board member http://www.smps-chi.org/bod.html or me at 312-266-4700 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

And stay tuned for more on the festivities for our year-long celebration of our 30^th Anniversary.

Thank you for supporting SMPS Chicago!
Matt Rebro
President, SMPS Chicago