document.write('\x3cmeta http-equiv=\x22x-dns-prefetch-control\x22 content=\x22off\x22/\x3e\x3col class=\x22tumblr_posts\x22\x3e\x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eLiberty Club | The Upside of a Downturn: Building Broker Business on a Budget\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eWith advertising budgets dwindling and businesses feeling the impact of the economic downturn, it\x26#8217;s easy to feel discouraged. \u00a0Over the past few years, one thing has become abundantly clear: the economy will never return to what it once was. \u00a0So how can business people begin preparing for the dawning of a new economy? \u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIt starts with getting back to the basics, finding business faults and the innovating to succeed in a completely new marketplace. \u00a0This presentation, which I delivered on June 9, 2010 at the Liberty Club at \x3ca title=\x22R2L\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.r2lrestaurant.com/\x22\x3eR2L\x3c/a\x3e in \x3ca title=\x22Two Liberty\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.twoliberty.com/\x22\x3eTwo Liberty\x3c/a\x3e was meant to address just these issues in front of a group of Philadelphia brokers. \u00a0Brokers have been hard hit by the downturn and it really is time to take advantage of the upside: this is a prime opportunity to build broker business on a budget.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3e\x3ca title=\x22The Upside of a Downturn: Broker Business Building on a Budget\x22 href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman/the-upside-of-a-downturn\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eThe Upside of a Downturn: Broker Business Building on a Budget\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/strong\x3e \x0a\x3cobject height=\x22355\x22 width=\x22425\x22 id=\x22__sse4445953\x22\x3e\x0a\x3cparam value=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=upsideofadownturn-100608190559-phpapp02\x26amp;stripped_title=the-upside-of-a-downturn\x22 name=\x22movie\x22\x3e\x3cparam value=\x22true\x22 name=\x22allowFullScreen\x22\x3e\x3cparam value=\x22always\x22 name=\x22allowScriptAccess\x22\x3e\x3cembed height=\x22355\x22 width=\x22425\x22 allowfullscreen=\x22true\x22 allowscriptaccess=\x22always\x22 type=\x22application/x-shockwave-flash\x22 src=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=upsideofadownturn-100608190559-phpapp02\x26amp;stripped_title=the-upside-of-a-downturn\x22 name=\x22__sse4445953\x22\x3e\x3c/embed\x3e\x3c/object\x3e\x0a\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eView more \x3ca href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3epresentations\x3c/a\x3e from \x3ca href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eBen Grossman\x3c/a\x3e.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThis presentation, which specifically examined the broker sales funnel, studies ways to find efficiencies by preventing pre-existing prospects from falling out of the funnel and by creating evangelists who will fill the funnel on a broker\x26#8217;s behalf. \u00a0Of course, a look at how to repair that funnel with social media and emerging technology is central to fully leveraging the true upside of this downturn.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cscript src=\x22http://b.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js?c1=7\x26amp;c2=7400849\x26amp;c3=1\x26amp;c4=\x26amp;c5=\x26amp;c6=\x22\x3e\x3c/script\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eBoston\x26#8217;s Microsoft BizSpark Meetup | Marketing Startups\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eOne of my favorite things about Boston is the thriving start-up community\x26#8212;even in rough times. \u00a0I enjoyed being the featured speaker at the \x3ca title=\x22Boston BizSpark Meetup\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.meetup.com/Boston-BizSpark-Meetup\x22\x3eBoston BizSpark Meetup\x3c/a\x3e, organized by \x3ca title=\x22Marsh Sutherland\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.linkedin.com/in/marshcochransutherland\x22\x3eMarsh Sutherland\x3c/a\x3e of \x3ca title=\x22Social Grow\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://socialgrow.com/\x22\x3eSocial Grow\x3c/a\x3e on February 9, 2010. \u00a0I spoke to a group of about 50 professionals involved with start-ups on how to market start-ups. \u00a0The presentation is below:\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3ca title=\x22Out-Think | Marketing Start-ups, From The Ground Up\x22 href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman/outthink-marketing-startups-from-the-ground-up\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eOut-Think | Marketing Start-ups, From The Ground Up\x3c/a\x3e \x0a\x3cobject height=\x22355\x22 width=\x22425\x22 data=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=out-thinkmarketingstart-ups-091007150014-phpapp01\x26amp;stripped_title=outthink-marketing-startups-from-the-ground-up\x22 type=\x22application/x-shockwave-flash\x22\x3e\x0a\x3cparam name=\x22data\x22 value=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=out-thinkmarketingstart-ups-091007150014-phpapp01\x26amp;stripped_title=outthink-marketing-startups-from-the-ground-up\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22allowFullScreen\x22 value=\x22true\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22allowScriptAccess\x22 value=\x22always\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22src\x22 value=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=out-thinkmarketingstart-ups-091007150014-phpapp01\x26amp;stripped_title=outthink-marketing-startups-from-the-ground-up\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22allowfullscreen\x22 value=\x22true\x22\x3e\x3c/object\x3e\x0a\x3cbr/\x3eView more \x3ca href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3epresentations\x3c/a\x3e from \x3ca href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eBen Grossman\x3c/a\x3e.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe underlying message of the presentation is that smart and sound strategy is the best policy to battle competitors who can out-spend you and your company. \u00a0Indeed, start-ups face a key opportunity to out-think and thus, out-perform competitors by tapping into the power of new marketing.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg src=\x22http://img124.yfrog.com/img124/5755/dnwi.jpg\x22 alt=\x22Ben Grossman Out-Think Marketing Start-Ups\x22 width=\x22448\x22 height=\x22336\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3ePhoto via Twitter from\u00a0\x3ca title=\x22utollwi\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://twitter.com/utollwi\x22\x3eutollwi\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eTuesday\x26#8217;s presentation emphasized the power of social media within the new marketing landscape as well as the importance of consideration of the value proposition companies present consumers and influencers with along the way. \u00a0Thanks to the wonderful audience for some great conversations!\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eConsumer Electronics Show 2010: CES10\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eOn January 6, 2010, I made my second speaking appearance speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. \u00a0I spoke about how to determine the Return on Investment (ROI) for Social Media specifically in the marketing and advertising spaces. \u00a0As detailed in the presentation, widely it involves strategic incorporation of metrics from the beginning of initiative design and a willingness to explore Return on Brand Investment (ROBI) and Return on Consumer Investment (ROCI).\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg src=\x22http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs175.snc3/20233_251059616552_500501552_3481547_5154243_n.jpg\x22 alt=\x22Ben Grossman CES Social Media Jungle \x22 width=\x22422.8\x22 height=\x22280.7\x22/\x3e\x3cbr/\x3ePhoto via Facebook from \x3ca title=\x22Dave Taylor\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://askdavetaylor.com/\x22\x3eDave Taylor\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThanks to Jeff Pulver for hosting a great event and to the other speakers at Social Media Jungle who gave some very rousing presentations. \u00a0The speaker list is here, in order of appearance:\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/jeffpulver\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3ejeffpulver\x3c/a\x3e: Jeff Pulver\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/davetaylor\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eDaveTaylor\x3c/a\x3e: Dave Taylor (co-host)\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/24k\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3e24k\x3c/a\x3e: Chris Raushnot\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/sass\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3esass\x3c/a\x3e: Jeffrey Sass\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/Weave\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eWeave\x3c/a\x3e: Eric Weaver\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/scobleizer\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eScobleizer\x3c/a\x3e: Robert Scoble\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/BenGrossman\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eBenGrossman\x3c/a\x3e: Ben Grossman\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/WarrenWhitlock\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eWarrenWhitlock\x3c/a\x3e: Warren Whitlock\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/deanmeistr\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3edeanmeistr\x3c/a\x3e: Dean Meyers\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://witter.com/DeanLand\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eDeanLand\x3c/a\x3e: Dean Landsman\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://setlinger/\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3esetlinger\x3c/a\x3e: Susan Etlinger\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/ksablan\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eksablan\x3c/a\x3e: Kevin Sablan\x3cbr/\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://twitter.com/justinlevy\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3ejustinlevy\x3c/a\x3e: Justin Levy\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eCEA Industry Forum | Social Media and Business: Where\x26rsquo;s the Money?\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eBack on October 20, I was out in Phoenix, AZ to speak on a panel at the\u00a0\x3ca title=\x22CEA Industry Forum\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.ce.org/events/default.asp?siteUrl=%20http://speaker.ce.org/index.cfm?do=cus.meeting%7CmeetingID=1123%7Cstyle=0%7CmeetingContentType=descriptionFull\x22\x3eConsumer Electronics Association Industry Forum\x3c/a\x3e as the advertising agency voice on a panel entitled\u00a0\x3cb\x3eSocial Media and Business: Where\u2019s the Money?\x3c/b\x3e The panel, moderated by \x3ca title=\x22Jess3\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://jess3.com\x22\x3eJesse Thomas\x3c/a\x3e and with \x3ca title=\x22Kelly Feller\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://armchairmarketing.blogspot.com/\x22\x3eKelley Feller\x3c/a\x3e, was recorded by the CEA and is available \x3ca title=\x22Recording of Social Media and Business: Where\'s the Money?\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.bigcontact.com/2009industryforum/social-media-and-business-wheres-the-money\x22\x3ehere\x3c/a\x3e or with the player below.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x0a\x3cobject height=\x2225\x22 width=\x22450\x22 data=\x22http://bigcontact.com/feed-player/2009industryforum/social-media-and-business-wheres-the-money/r:1;t:100\x22 type=\x22application/x-shockwave-flash\x22\x3e\x0a\x3cparam name=\x22quality\x22 value=\x22best\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22wmode\x22 value=\x22window\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22allowScriptAccess\x22 value=\x22always\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22allowFullScreen\x22 value=\x22true\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22src\x22 value=\x22http://bigcontact.com/feed-player/2009industryforum/social-media-and-business-wheres-the-money/r:1;t:100\x22\x3e\x3c/object\x3e\x0a\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eLots of talk about social media strategy, objective setting, sales funnel, measurement and, of course, scalability.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eOut-Think | Microsoft Incubation Week | Windows 7\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3eOn October 7, I had the pleasure of speaking at Microsoft BizSpark Incubation Week for Windows 7 at the Microsoft Technology Center.\u00a0 I gave a presentation entitled \x26#8220;Out-Think | Marketing Start-ups, From The Ground Up,\x26#8221; which reviews the basics of branding both B2B and B2C start-ups.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3e\x3cimg src=\x22http://blogs.msdn.com/blogfiles/sanjayjain/WindowsLiveWriter/Day3MicrosoftBizSparkIncubationWeekBosto_13899/DSC_0031%20(3).jpg\x22 alt=\x22Ben Grossman | Microsoft Incubation Week\x22 width=\x22512\x22 height=\x22342\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3eOut-Think is my philosophy that smart\u00a0and sound strategy and positioning (out-thinking) is the key to battling against competitors who can out-spend your brand or company.\u00a0 We also spoke about social media basics and the importance of creating an easy-to-remember value proposition to communicate to their consumers.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3ca title=\x22Out-Think | Marketing Start-ups, From The Ground Up\x22 href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman/outthink-marketing-startups-from-the-ground-up\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eOut-Think | Marketing Start-ups, From The Ground Up\x3c/a\x3e \x0a\x3cobject height=\x22355\x22 width=\x22425\x22 data=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=out-thinkmarketingstart-ups-091007150014-phpapp01\x26amp;stripped_title=outthink-marketing-startups-from-the-ground-up\x22 type=\x22application/x-shockwave-flash\x22\x3e\x0a\x3cparam name=\x22allowFullScreen\x22 value=\x22true\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22allowScriptAccess\x22 value=\x22always\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22src\x22 value=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=out-thinkmarketingstart-ups-091007150014-phpapp01\x26amp;stripped_title=outthink-marketing-startups-from-the-ground-up\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22allowfullscreen\x22 value=\x22true\x22\x3e\x3c/object\x3e\x0a\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eView more \x3ca href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3edocuments\x3c/a\x3e from \x3ca href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eBen Grossman\x3c/a\x3e.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3eI spoke with a wonderful group of very impressive start-ups, who are hard at work, learning about some of the unique features of Windows 7 and drawing from Microsoft\x26#8217;s off-shore developers to get their products up and running!\u00a0 The start-ups are surely worth checking out at their respective websites:\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3col\x3e\x3cli\x3e\x3ca title=\x22AnswerPoint Medical Systems\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.apmedicalsystems.com/\x22\x3eAnswerPoint Medical Systems\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3e\x3ca title=\x22Baydin\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.baydin.com/\x22\x3eBaydin\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3e\x3ca title=\x22BumpTop\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://bumptop.com/\x22\x3eBumpTop\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3e\x3ca title=\x22Panopto\x22 href=\x22http://www.panopto.com/\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3ePanopto\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3e\x3ca title=\x22SocialGrow\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://socialgrow.com/\x22\x3eSocialGrow\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3c/ol\x3e\x3cp class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3eMy presentation was also recorded using Panopto, which will pair audio/video with the presentations I gave and be available here as soon as I have it ready to go.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eMicrosoft BizSpark Incubation Week | Windows 7\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eThis past April, I had the pleasure of speaking at \x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 title=\x22Ben Grossman at Microsoft Incubation Week\x22 href=\x22http://blogs.msdn.com/sanjayjain/archive/2009/04/23/day3-2nd-crm-incubation-week.aspx\x22\x3eMicrosoft\x26#8217;s\u00a02nd CRM Incubation Week\x3c/a\x3e, where an elite group of startups had the opportunity to leverage Microsoft\x26#8217;s resources to build next generation business solutions on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Platform.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg height=\x2249.5\x22 width=\x22480\x22 alt=\x22Microsoft BizSpark\x22 src=\x22http://blogs.msdn.com/blogfiles/sanjayjain/WindowsLiveWriter/PicturePlaceHolder_F9BB/MSBizSparkIncubationWeek_thumb.png\x22 align=\x22top\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eNow, on October 7th, I\x26#8217;ll be returning to Microsoft to speak to a new group of\u00a0startups who will be building applications based on some of the unique features of Windows 7, during Boston\x26#8217;s \x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 title=\x22Ben Grossman at Microsoft Windows 7 Incubation Week\x22 href=\x22http://blogs.msdn.com/sanjayjain/archive/2009/09/15/last-call-for-microsoft-bizspark-incubation-week-for-windows-7-boston-during-week-of-5th-oct-2009.aspx\x22\x3eMicrosoft BizSpark Incubation Week for Windows 7\x3c/a\x3e.\u00a0I\x26#8217;ll be speaking about building start-up brands and how to use Web 2.0 and social media tools to promote them.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eLooking forward to meeting all of the participating start-ups there and sharing some actionable insights.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eConsumer Electronics Association Industry Forum\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eAfter a summer of very intensive and all-consuming work with \x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 title=\x22Oxford Communications\x22 href=\x22http://www.oxfordcommunications.com\x22\x3eOxford Communications\x3c/a\x3e in Lambertville, NJ,\u00a0I\x26#8217;m looking forward to returning to speaking more often this fall upon my return to Boston.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI\x26#8217;ll be speaking out in Phoenix, AZ on October 20th at the 2009\x26#160;\x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 title=\x22CEA Industry Forum\x22 href=\x22http://www.ce.org/events/default.asp?siteUrl=%20http://speaker.ce.org/index.cfm?do=cus.meeting%7CmeetingID=1123%7Cstyle=0%7CmeetingContentType=descriptionFull\x22\x3eConsumer Electronics Association Industry Forum\x3c/a\x3e as the agency voice on a panel entitled \x3cb\x3eSocial Media and Business: Where\x26#8217;s the Money? \x3c/b\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI\x26#8217;m also looking forward to attending some of the other sessions and events during the forum\x26#8212;especially since it serves as the launching point for \x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 title=\x22iStage\x22 href=\x22http://i-stage.ce.org/\x22\x3eiStage\x3c/a\x3e, which is a competition between all of the hottest new developments from start-ups and established companies alike. \u00a0The winner gets a space and lots of attention at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas come winter.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eMicrosoft CRM Incubation Week | Microsoft Dynamics\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eOn April 23, I had the pleasure of speaking to lots of promising start-ups at \x3ca href=\x22http://blogs.msdn.com/sanjayjain/archive/2009/02/25/startups-announcing-2nd-microsoft-dynamics-crm-incubation-week.aspx\x22 title=\x22Microsoft CRM Incubation Week\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eMicrosoft\x26#8217;s CRM Incubation Week\x3c/a\x3e, where leading start-ups had the chance to tap into Microsoft\x26#8217;s resources to build next generation business solutions on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Platform. \u00a0There were certainly some interesting projects being developed when I popped in for my session!\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg height=\x22103.5\x22 width=\x22523.5\x22 alt=\x22Microsoft Incubation Week\x22 src=\x22http://blogs.msdn.com/photos/sanjai/images/9074471/original.aspx\x22 align=\x22middle\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI \x3ca href=\x22http://blogs.msdn.com/sanjayjain/archive/2009/04/23/day3-2nd-crm-incubation-week.aspx\x22 title=\x22Ben Grossman at Microsoft CRM Incubation Week\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3ejoined the teams\x3c/a\x3e to speak about the power of the ability to OUT-THINK (rather than out-spend). \u00a0We talked about how to build a brand as a start-up and how to use Web 2.0 and social media tools to execute on a brand promise and support a newly developed solution. \u00a0A big thank you to all the wonderful people I met and to Microsoft for having me and sending me off with a very nice, MIcrosoft Dynamics CRM backpac\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eWIND/North: Online Personal Brands\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eOn April 8, 2009, I was had a wonderful time speaking at \x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 title=\x22WIND Professional Networking\x22 href=\x22http://www.windnetworking.net/\x22\x3eWIND/North\x3c/a\x3e to an audience of about 70 people eager to jump-start their personal brands as they transition to new career paths. \u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe organizer, \x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 title=\x22Fred Nothnagel\x22 href=\x22http://www.linkedin.com/pub/6/20/185\x22\x3eFred Nothnagel\x3c/a\x3e, had enjoyed seeing \x26#8220;How We All Became Elvis\x26#8221; so much that he asked me to speak from that deck, shown below or on my \x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 title=\x22Ben Grossman SlideShare\x22 href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman\x22\x3eSlideShare.net profile\x3c/a\x3e.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3ca style=\x22font:14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;display:block;margin:12px 0 3px 0;text-decoration:underline;\x22 href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman/how-we-all-became-elvis-a-note-on-online-personal-branding?type=presentation\x22 title=\x22How We All Became Elvis: A Note On Online Personal Branding\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eHow We All Became Elvis: A Note On Online Personal Branding\x3c/a\x3e\x0a\x3cobject height=\x22355\x22 width=\x22425\x22 codebase=\x22http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\x22 classid=\x22clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\x22\x3e\x0a\x3cparam name=\x22allowFullScreen\x22 value=\x22true\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22allowScriptAccess\x22 value=\x22always\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22src\x22 value=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=userscellobgdesktopprofessionalworkassociationofcareerprofessionalshowweallbecameelvisvsmall-090226152518-phpapp02\x26amp;stripped_title=how-we-all-became-elvis-a-note-on-online-personal-branding\x22\x3e\x3cembed height=\x22355\x22 width=\x22425\x22 src=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=userscellobgdesktopprofessionalworkassociationofcareerprofessionalshowweallbecameelvisvsmall-090226152518-phpapp02\x26amp;stripped_title=how-we-all-became-elvis-a-note-on-online-personal-branding\x22 allowscriptaccess=\x22always\x22 allowfullscreen=\x22true\x22 type=\x22application/x-shockwave-flash\x22\x3e\x3c/embed\x3e\x3c/object\x3e\x0a\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eView more \x3ca style=\x22text-decoration:underline;\x22 href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3epresentations\x3c/a\x3e from \x3ca style=\x22text-decoration:underline;\x22 href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eBen Grossman\x3c/a\x3e.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eMobile Marketing Roundtable Reflections\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eI had a wonderful time hosting the \x3ca href=\x22http://mobilemarketingroundtable.eventbrite.com/\x22 title=\x22Mobile Marketing Roundtable\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eMobile Marketing Roundtable\x3c/a\x3e\u00a0on behalf of \x3ca href=\x22http://pongr.com/\x22 title=\x22Pongr\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3ePongr\x3c/a\x3e\u00a0yesterday. \u00a0We had a great group of attendees around the table to participate in the conversation. \u00a0Thank you to those of you who attended for a great time and really interesting conversation!\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIf you are interested in being invited to a future Mobile Marketing Roundtable, please feel free to be in touch at MMR [at] ben-grossman [dot] com. \u00a0We\x26#8217;re looking forward to hosting more roundtables in the future focused on keeping up with, innovating, and connecting the mobile marketing industry. \u00a0If you\x26#8217;d like to get a taste of where we started today, you can check out and comment on the presentation I gave pre-conversation. \u00a0The folks over at \x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 title=\x22Slide Share\x22 href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net\x22\x3eSlideShare\x3c/a\x3e were nice enough to dub it a\u00a0\x26#8217;Presentation SuperStar\x26#8217; and are featuring it on their homepage today.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3ca title=\x22Mobile Marketing Mystery\x22 href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman/mobile-marketing-mystery?type=powerpoint\x22 style=\x22font:14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;display:block;margin:12px 0 3px 0;text-decoration:underline;\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eMobile Marketing Mystery\x3c/a\x3e \x0a\x3cobject height=\x22355\x22 width=\x22425\x22 codebase=\x22http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\x22 classid=\x22clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\x22\x3e\x0a\x3cparam name=\x22allowFullScreen\x22 value=\x22true\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22allowScriptAccess\x22 value=\x22always\x22\x3e\x3cparam name=\x22src\x22 value=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=mobilemarketingroundtable-090331101453-phpapp01\x26amp;stripped_title=mobile-marketing-mystery\x22\x3e\x3cembed height=\x22355\x22 width=\x22425\x22 src=\x22http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=mobilemarketingroundtable-090331101453-phpapp01\x26amp;stripped_title=mobile-marketing-mystery\x22 allowscriptaccess=\x22always\x22 allowfullscreen=\x22true\x22 type=\x22application/x-shockwave-flash\x22\x3e\x3c/embed\x3e\x3c/object\x3e\x0a\x3cbr/\x3eView more \x3ca href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/\x22 style=\x22text-decoration:underline;\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3epresentations\x3c/a\x3e from \x3ca href=\x22http://www.slideshare.net/bengrossman\x22 style=\x22text-decoration:underline;\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22\x3eBen Grossman\x3c/a\x3e.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eHope to see you at a future event!\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a\x3c/ol\x3e');