About Us
For three decades, we have served the needs of most every industry type and size, from Warner Bros and Universal to a one-person law firm and everything in between. Our business is helping companies, startups and individuals differentiate themselves from their competition through a variety of methodology, from promotional marketing to trade show and special event strategies and tactics. I also write and teach on the art of connecting and networking and my first book, "The Way of The Conscientious Connector" is available on Amazon. So you can see that with us you get a full package of expertise on how to promote your business but also how to build a database of the right, most rewarding and sustainable connections possible for business, career and life.
How We Got Started
Gaye Kruger Ribble, my wife and business partner and I worked for other companies for years before forming our own boutique company. Gaye's expertise is in coming up with ideas that no one else thought of or knows how to put together. Our strength is in helping our clients stand out from their competition in as many ways as possible.
The products and services we offer
Products & Services
In addition to providing expertise in assisting our clients with the strategies and tactics they need to StandOut from their competition, I also w...
Recent Activity
Get really good, collectively, at helping your colleagues in similar professional avenues, and expanding your influence as the company everyone wants to work for and with. There's networking, which is temporary surface-connecting just to look for more business, and then there's orchestrated,...
(more)
Get really good, collectively, at helping your colleagues in similar professional avenues, and expanding your influence as the company everyone wants to work for and with. There's networking, which is temporary surface-connecting just to look for more business, and then there's orchestrated, purposeful connecting to build relationships. Especially in the case of a very specialized business such as healthcare where there are plenty of competitors, it is the personal service that will win out, if everyone is on board.
It is my belief that our greatest, richest untapped resources come in the form of people we will never sell anything to, people who will never have a need to buy from us, but they are people who need good connections and who see the value in sharing their connections with others, regardless.
(more)
It is my belief that our greatest, richest untapped resources come in the form of people we will never sell anything to, people who will never have a need to buy from us, but they are people who need good connections and who see the value in sharing their connections with others, regardless.
Thanks, Ron. I empathetically hear you. Part of your Ron Hansen Strategic Branding has to do with 'strategic branding', which in my marketing, advertising and communication parlance also gives you license to be different than everyone else. Not sure what to recommend, here, but if you were...
(more)
Thanks, Ron. I empathetically hear you. Part of your Ron Hansen Strategic Branding has to do with 'strategic branding', which in my marketing, advertising and communication parlance also gives you license to be different than everyone else. Not sure what to recommend, here, but if you were working for a client who had that same obstacle, wouldn't you probably tell your client to differentiate from their competition? The other responses below are heading the same direction as me; instead of asking for a face to face, get in their face some other way, like notes that reflect your research on the person; something that is a pattern interrupt and interesting for them to read and experience. Gain the upper advantage. Just don't tell them what you're up to...Hope that helps.
Begin with the clear appreciation for what the organization is really all about. A good friend of mine once described it this way: "The Chamber of Commerce brings the Arena. It is we who must bring the game." The biggest challenge chambers have every year is getting people to renew and the...
(more)
Begin with the clear appreciation for what the organization is really all about. A good friend of mine once described it this way: "The Chamber of Commerce brings the Arena. It is we who must bring the game." The biggest challenge chambers have every year is getting people to renew and the reason they hear for not re-upping is "because the chamber membership didn't bring me enough new business to justify the cost." Really? Folks need to understand that it is not the job of the chamber to find them more business. Going into any chamber membership with that clearly understood is a great first step. Next? Get on a committee. Begin by showing yourself to be someone willing to work for the greater good. People do business with people they know, like and trust and this is a good way to show them your character. Just as everyone else has already stated and as Bonnie said so well, earn the referrals.Dave Ribble, Author, The Way of The Conscientious Connector
I would say that the best way to build a good referral business is to be kind to everyone you meet, to record the information on people you talk to and look for opportunities to be of service regardless of whether or not that person ever becomes your customer. In addition, I try to instill in...
(more)
I would say that the best way to build a good referral business is to be kind to everyone you meet, to record the information on people you talk to and look for opportunities to be of service regardless of whether or not that person ever becomes your customer. In addition, I try to instill in others this better approach so that more of us are on the same page. It is what I write about and teach in my book, The Way of The Conscientious Connector and I am sure, Jerry, that the great people of Send Out Cards talks this same language every day.Dave Ribble
People who are not going to pitch me but who are, rather, genuinely comfortable in themselves and interested in getting to know me to see if there is anyone in their world I might want to be introduced to. It requires someone willing to give me that time investment.
(more)
People who are not going to pitch me but who are, rather, genuinely comfortable in themselves and interested in getting to know me to see if there is anyone in their world I might want to be introduced to. It requires someone willing to give me that time investment.
All very good points. I would add that everything to do with networking, whether at a chamber of commerce or with a private networking group, began to improve dramatically as soon as I figured out how to conscientiously connect with people by putting their needs ahead of my own.
(more)
All very good points. I would add that everything to do with networking, whether at a chamber of commerce or with a private networking group, began to improve dramatically as soon as I figured out how to conscientiously connect with people by putting their needs ahead of my own.
1 Reply
I think Adam Kipnes provides a good, succinct way to look at it. If the company in question has a problem, whether they know it or not, and you come to them with a solution, it should be relatively easy to get the attention of someone who would like to have a solution to that problem. It takes...
(more)
I think Adam Kipnes provides a good, succinct way to look at it. If the company in question has a problem, whether they know it or not, and you come to them with a solution, it should be relatively easy to get the attention of someone who would like to have a solution to that problem. It takes research and digging deeper to find that than people often think. Those willing to go that extra mile will have a thinner group of competitors. I also believe that in terms of getting the decision maker's attention that we should never stop learning about the people we are approaching. Building a database of the right, most rewarding and sustainable connections possible for business, career and life is what I teach and talk about. The more one works on this and develops good habits by always learning about the decision maker along with learning about the problems one can solve will become even more effective over time.
1 Reply
I would only add that I coach and write about the importance of developing referral-worthy relationships with people who might never become a customer but who have connections, experiences and potential. I encourage that we always look for ways to help them, too, without concern for...
(more)
I would only add that I coach and write about the importance of developing referral-worthy relationships with people who might never become a customer but who have connections, experiences and potential. I encourage that we always look for ways to help them, too, without concern for reciprocation. What makes me referable is that I go out of my way to help them, first.
