Source: Mobile Beat Magazine – Ryan Burger

Toronto, Ontario – November 12, 2008 – The Canadian Online Disc Jockey Association Inc., (CODJA) Canada’s largest professional disc jockey association, announced today that the association has changed its corporate name and has become The Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association Inc. (CPDJA).

An amendment to change the association’s corporate name was filed with the government in September 2008 by the association’s corporate attorney and has now been approved. The association remains a not-for-profit association. The new name change will be reflected immediately in almost all communications with the membership. Website and logo updates will be over the coming weeks. This is the first time that the over 1,000 member association has changed its name since it was founded in 2000.

It was also announced that the association will restructure its management team for 2009. The current Board of Directors will be expanded to five directors and the operating Board of Management to ten managing department heads effective January 1, 2009. The plan also calls for a new Executive Board for 2009 including a new President. In the interim Dennis Hampson will remain in the position of President and CEO until January 2009 with Dina Deveau newly appointed as the Vice President.

“Our expanding membership over the past few years and the growth of our consumer profile necessitated this change to clarify exactly what this association is about in specific terms” stated CPDJA President and CEO Dennis E. Hampson. “We represent professional DJ members in over 250 locations across Canada and it was time to move past the perception by the consumer that we were merely an online association”.

About CPDJA:
The Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association Inc. (CPDJA) has grown into the largest Professional Disc Jockey Association in Canada. Their Mission is to promote professionalism in the disc jockey service industry through information, education, training and support for our membership. The CPDJA strives to maintain the highest standards of service to consumers in the areas of planning, organizing and coordinating the use of the services of our professional membership. Through the Association’s website www.cpdja.ca consumers may search for a disc jockey by location and other criteria. The CPDJA provides many benefits to it’s members such as assistance with obtaining licensing and insurance for their services, and allowing members to list their entertainment specialties such as language, culture and music specialties on the association website www.cpdja.ca in order to help consumers find the right DJ for their occasion

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: associations, business identity, canada, disc jockey association

One lesson I’ve learned repeatedly (sometimes I’m a slow learner) is what we think people understand and know about our business does not necessarily synch up with actuality.

As one’s business evolves, we add more products and/or services and, eventually, there is a dilution effect. Our peers no longer understand the focus of our business. The reverse can also be true. People know you for doing great wedding work (for example), but haven’t adjusted to the notion that you service other kinds of events and functions, too. Neither of these states of mind is a good thing.

Forget what you say for a moment. When other people introduce you, what do they say? Do they describe what you, what you do best, and who you do it for, without hesitation, and with clarity?

If not, maybe it’s time to retool your message and restate it, repeatedly, and with clarity.

It has to roll off your tongue. It has to roll off the tongue of your evangelistic advocates, with ease.

Here’s a small, but important project: Write a fresh mission statement. Then, turn it into a 10-second self-introduction. You have to take these two steps before re-educating your industry peers about precisely what you do.

Take the new mission statement, put it on every screen of your website, on the back of your business card, and in the signature block of your email address. Frame it, and put in view, near your desk (for you). Frame it, and hang it on the wall, if you have a waiting room.

An amazing change will happen, over time. As you show clarity and focus about your business, the people you interact with will do the same.

That can only result in good things, particularly qualified, sizzling hot leads and referrals. And that starts when people know where you fit in.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: business card, business identity, business image, clarity, focus, perception, Relationship Marketing

Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it. What business are you in?

Chance are, though, if you have been in business for a few years, your business has evolved, morphed, or changed either by choice, or by circumstance.

Since you’re immersed in your business, daily, you may not even be aware how much evolution has occurred. Even more critical, your clients and referral contacts are probably not up to speed. One would like to think that everyone knows all that you do, but often there is a huge blind spot.

You may have started as a balloon artist, and now you supply gift baskets. Are you in the balloon business or the event decor business? AND, in the corporate gifts business.

You may have started as a mobile DJ service. Then, over time, added lighting, karaoke, dancers, interactive games, live bands, and props. If you’re still promoting your business, primarily as a DJ service, your public identity is not clear.

Even a videographer, that has added photography, needs to make a new distinction. This example is a great example because in the buying timeline for weddings, photography usually is chosen, prior to videography. Therefore, videography leads flow nicely from photography; however, if a prospect is coming to you, solely for videography, they may already have selected their photographer.

The basic marketing principle is this: In the case of most service business, one can increase overall sales by cross-selling the full range of your services. Your existing clients and referral contacts offer the least resistance, because they are already happily dealing with you.

Take a few people to lunch, and bring them current on all that you offer, and how you identify your business. At the recent NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) conference, I sat in on a WEVA (Wedding and Event Videographers Association) meeting. The WEVA path is to introduce the term, ‘Digital Memories’ into the lexicon. That’s more all encompassing.

Going further, there is now technology that will allow videographers to generate still photos from their recordings. That creates a whole new source for wedding photos. Think of the possibilities.

Your wedding marketing assignment:

I invite your comments as you progress with your homework

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: business identity, business image, marketing plan, referrals, Relationship Marketing, wedding marketing