SES Chicago Makes an Impact

Thousands of online technology enthusiasts converged on Chicago this week for Search Engine Strategies. Since 1999, SES has served to educate webmasters, digital agencies, online marketers and corporate decision makers.

This week I sat down with Mike Grehan, publisher of Search Engine Watch and ClickZ, and producer of the SES international conference series. There is something different about this conference, though, and I wanted to find out what.

I asked him why Chicago was chosen as a place to host this event.

“There is something about this place. It is, of course, beautiful, but more than that this event really attracts people from all over the region. Which is great because this becomes a little like a local event,” Grehan explained.

That's not the only thing that draws people to this event. There is a major learning point that we should all be applying to our business that will increase our engagement level with our prospects and clients.

I speak at a lot of these events and there is something different about SES that puts it into a small class of events. You see, a ton of events turn into a big sales show: Too many speakers just trying to push their services, and too much focus on the tradeshow.

Mike explained what makes SES special.

“SES started out as an educational conference that added a tradeshow, not the other way around. Our motto has always been ‘Helping marketers to do their job better.’ This is important because people come here to learn and we our proud that our conference is focused on education.”

The amazing opportunity for any sized business is to adopt this motto as their own… with a twist. We should all strive to “help our prospects towards their own success." Not focusing on the transaction of sale, instead digging down to find out what people truly need and pointing them in the best direction. If this happens to be our product or services great, if not, that is ok too.

When we strive to educate our prospects on making the best decision, instead of trying to force them to choose us, we will build a stronger long-term relationship and that will lead to better clients. Everyone wins.

If you are involved in technology at your company conferences like SES are important to educating you on the latest greatest techniques that you should be applying to your business. With a focus on education, this is sure to live up to its motto and equipping you with the tools you need.

Jabez LeBret has authored three books and is a managing partner for Get Noticed Get Found. Over the last nine years he has delivered over 700 keynote addresses in five countries. His main area of expertise is managing Gen Y in the workplace, advanced Facebook strategies, LinkedIn strategies, Google+, SEO, local directory optimization, and online marketing. He recently relocated to Chicago.

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