“If you want to be treated like a high end business, you have to act like a high end business. When I am talking with a client, I talk about the results, not the ‘how we get there‘,” said Jolene Jang, meeting impact consultant and owner of Meeting Maximizer, aka Fun Specialist. “Many entertainers are talking about their award winning balloons, but the client doesn‘t care. The client wants to know the results to his or her company.”
Knowing the corporate market is something Jang knows well. After she earned her business degree, she started The Fun Specialist in 1996. Over the years her emphasis has evolved and she is known for getting corporations high results as the creator of effective meetings, thus the Meeting Maximizer was developed. As she has said, she prevents boring meetings from becoming snoring meetings.
Jang’s client list reads like the Fortune 100 of top corporations including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, State Farm Insurance and Starbucks. According to Jang, the media loves to feature her because of her non-traditional business. She has been on numerous news shows, in magazines and newspapers.
Currently she is the president of the National Speakers Association (NSA) Northwest. In the past she has been the programs chair for the International Special Events Society (ISES) and the speaker chair for the Women’s Business Exchange (WBE) in Washington, among other involvements.
“In keeping or developing a professional image, I would suggest involvement with other business organizations,” Jang said, “It all depends on who your market is.” Joining these organizations can help you develop knowledge of your audience and there are also networking events to participate in.
“Definitely entertainers should look into ISES. Joining groups is an absolute must if you want to be able to use your client’s language and adapt to your market’s needs,” she said.
Do you look like a million dollars, a thousand, a hundred or a buck? Do you act like a beggar, rather than a busker, a hobbyist rather than a professional, or the class clown rather than a Clown College graduate? Does your income reflect your skill and experience? These are the questions Jang asks on her site, stressing the fact that if you polish up your professional image, you can reap the rewards of how your clients perceive you. She suggests you maximize your Return On Image (ROI).
“I’ve been coming to Twist and Shout since 2001,” she said. “When I come there I see a ton of talent and a lot of passion,” she continued, however there may not be many twisters that think of their talent and passion like a real business, that it is or can be a definite livelihood. Jang will be showing attendees how to improve their professionalism at Twist and Shout 2010.