6 Steps to save $1,875/yr in telecommunication costs and nab me an iPhone 4S FREE!
I made some big leaps today and I’m poised to save $1,875 in 2012.
It all started when the battery in my Sprint Overdrive device started to die. I was just going to replace it, but I wasn’t to my upgrade eligibility date yet, so I waited. During the wait, I called AT&T and started piecing together that I could review my plan and save a whole lot of money!!
1) I changed from 3000 shared minute to a 900 min per month
I originally had 5 phones on this plan, but over the past years, I got rid of 4 of them and went back to just me on the plan.
2) I got rid of my Sprint Overdrive and turned my iPhone into a hotspot
Even though I was grandfathered in with unlimited iPhone data ;-(, I was only using 2G/month on my phone, so 4G/month should be sufficient.
It was going to cost me $50 to upgrade my device, now I have a shot at selling it on eBay and getting money back.
In addition while I love Sprint and the Overdrive, the battery only lasted 3 hours and it was very slow to turn on, meaning it was off most of the time.
With the iPhone, it’s always on, it’s one less device to lug around so I’ll think it’ll be more functional.
3) I went from group unlimited texting to individual texting
I saved $10 here because I’m not longer on a group plan.
4) I changed from a business plan to a personal plan
You’ll see why in a moment.
5) I then took advantage of my Harley Davidson Owners Group Lifetime Membership benefit which has a 17% discount with AT&T
I had to do this to take advantange of my HOG discount which requires an individual account.
Because the 900 min is not unlimited I get 17% back of that too, if it’s unlimited then there’s no discount. 17% of $60 = $10.20 per month x 12 = $122.40 savings per year.
6) I’m ordering a sparkling new iPhone 4S for $400 and then I’ll put my prestine iPhone 4 up for sale on craigslist for $400, the current going rate, meaning FREE upgrade!
Before
$140 - 3000 shared minutes
$ 30 - unlimited data
$ 30 - unlimited group texting
$ 60 - Sprint Overdrive
—-
$260/month
After
$ 60 - 900 shared minute, with weekend and nightly calling
$ 20 - unlimited texting, also free cell to cell minutes
$ 45 - 4G data with 5 device hotspot
——————
$125
-$ 21.25 17% HOG Discount ($21.25 x 12 = $255/year savings for this discount alone!)
————–
$103.75/month
$260 - $103.75 = $156.25 x 12 months = $1,875.00
Even with $10/1G data overage and .40/min cell overage and I have rollover minutes, this should fit my lifestyle at the present moment and give me plenty of room to go over when I need to.
If you’re continuing to cost cut, have you reviewed your telecommunications plan and is there something you can do to save money?
I’ve been keeping up on the latest ideas for holiday parties and if you’re planning your now, here are some of the coolest ideas I’ve come across.
1. Ice Carving - Get a block of ice, light it from the bottom and get a drill to carve words into the ice.Interactive and fun, drilling ice is cool, Creative Ice in Seattle does this.
2. Ceviche Martini - I’ve been to two parties with this cool food, you choose the seafood and they shake it with your choice of sauce and serve in a martini glass, yum.
3. Giving Back - Times are tough, do a team building event you can feel good about by volunteering part of a day at a non-profit.
4. Food Truck Catering - Food Trucks are hot and they serve amazing food such as the Bacon Jam I’ve been eating from Skillet, many are for hire and will get you amazing food for your party.Also you can also use companies like Parties That Cook to help you make your own food.
5. Cell phone photo scavenger hunts - This is a new breaking trend, using your cell phone and camera to organize fun photo scavenger hunts during the holiday party.Always leads to some hilarious photos.
Speaking of which, this is the 3rd Annual Geotouring Holiday and this year we’re using the cell phone scavenger hunt with Facebook-like status updates, real time high score list and over 100 missions to complete in 2 hours.As a holiday gift and thank you for being a fan, I’m giving away the first 50 tickets away free, and all other tickets are 50% off.Where else are you going to get a cool holiday event for $13?Every day 4-6pm Nov 25th to Dec 24th.
Did you know that Cascadia is a QUARTER of a MILLION dollar conference?
That’s a $1,000 value per participant (using 250 participants)
Did you know that you can access it for only $250?
And if you’re a qualified meeting planner you can go for FREE!
How does the Cascadia Educational Conference do it?
45% of the value comes from in-kind donations by our generous sponsors who give back to the industry by donating their goods and services to this event.
38% of that comes from registration, cash sponsorship, tradeshow, hosted buyer and silent auction.
17% comes from the 100’s of hours from the volunteer team that puts on this event.
So instead of paying $1,000 per person like a international conference, you only pay $250 and much less travel and expenses and still get world class international education and events by Meeting Local. What has to happen for you to not lose $750 of value?
The Cascadia Educational Conference is one of the most cost effective, return on investment benefits for joining MPI and keeping your meeting knowledge cutting edge. When are YOU going to make sure you have budget and sign up for the Cascadia Educational Conference Mar 4-6, 2012 in Tacoma, WA for the heART of the Meeting!
Register today at http://mpicascadia.com.
-John Chen
MPI Board Member, Director of Industry Relations
CEO, Geoteaming http://geoteaming.com
(206) 856-8491
I recently got an email inviting me to what I feel is a pretty amazing group of event professionals who hang out. It wasn’t something I necessarily wanted (or that I even knew about), but I’m looking at this email and it’s one of my top 10 moments of the year. It’s funny the emotions a few characters arranged in the right order can do to you. Let me tell you a story about how it happened.
I was doing research for a new book I’m writing, 50 Digital Team Building Games (May 2012 http://teambuildinggames.eventbrite.com) and decided to participate in a Twitter chat. I thought it was so cool, that I asked to moderate. Luckily they said yes and invited me in. Little did I know this chat needed a little help so I took the chance to step in, cover for someone who needed a last minute change and got a chance to do new things and bring new life to the Twitter chat.
It led me to a Skype interview for a research project that we had a blast talking on. And that led to a referral to join when this group hangs out.
I did a similar feat when MPIWSC (MPI Washington State Chapter) asked me to co-chair their Cascadia Educational Conference (http://mpicascadia.com a joint collaboration between MPIWSC and MPI-OR Oregon Chapter) which I discovered is a $250,000 conference by the time you total the revenue and in-kind sponsorship! This led to massive exposure, winning the MPI Supplier of the Year award and most of all the trust of my colleagues that when asked, I can deliver.
(Dedicated to @hduckworth, http://leadsolintl.com who has a tremendous passion for Volunteer Leadership) While I know many people join associations with dreams of immediate new sales, I thought I’d offer these 7 tips to maximize your volunteering efforts for your personal and professional returns.
1. Set expectations on long term goals. - Too many people are disappointed when they don’t book business in the first year, take at least a 3 year time frame to evaluate your return.
2. The more you give, the more you get. - Get involved! Look for excuses to align your goals with the organizations goals and do something.
3. When asked, say YES! - Too many people say no because they have too much to do, we all have too much to do, when the opportunity comes around, say YES as much as possible because you don’t know when that chance will come around to you again.
4. When you say YES, do your absolute best. - Whatever you do, if you’re going to say NO, say NO before you say YES, as saying NO after YES never looks good. Also, do more than expected, don’t wait to be asked, if you see a challenge, then use the opportunity to solve it and your brand as someone who gets things done will be noticed!
5. Look at YES as your best training opportunity. - If you thought the educational sessions were your big win, think again. Saying YES to a volunteer opportunity means you get the chance to learn a new tool, service or process without your boss or a paying client to beat you up if you mess up. In a volunteer organization, they’re just thankful to have you there and will give you more (not infinite) latitude to learn and grow. Studies show that on-the-job training is way more effective than just going to class as you see what works and doesn’t work in a short amount of time. I know I’ve personally learned more about technology selection and application after chairing a conference then listening to any 60 minute breakout.
6. When in a position, ASK others. - When you get into leadership position, use the most powerful tool you have, the ASK. This is a power tip from Chris Matthew’s HARDBALL book, it shows that you can get someone to do something for you AND they will appreciate that you thought of them first. Don’t worry about NOs (people who haven’t learned #3) just keep ASKing and eventually you’ll find people you’re friends for life with.
7. Reap the rewards of relationship. - The real reward for volunteering is the chance to REALLY get to know amazing people in the industry. I know when I ASKed Carrie Zimmerman, CMP to be my vice-chair, I would have never guessed that we’ve become great friends, share our love of food, and that she would save me in multiple dimensions at the conference by taking over the technology implementation and silent auction. Oh yeah, and she became an expert in both areas including a 30% increase in silent auction revenue! This and many more relationships have led to more referrals then I could have ever asked for and the ability to create unique partnerships in less time when I need them.
So if you think you have no marketing budget or want to increase your influence in your industry, look at volunteering, give back to the industry that’s given something to you and soon you’ll be viewed as an industry veteran and subject matter expert. What tips or stories do you have for volunteering as marketing?
Congrats on amazing teamwork and what a revolutionary idea, simple and effective! I can’t wait to see this in a meeting, a hotel or more!
NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Winners
The NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge presented by MasterCard Worldwide, in association with Kathryn W. Davis, took place on October 6 in New York City. Out of over 15,000 NFTE students across the nation, there were 28 Regional Winners selected to travel to New York for the top prizes. Hayley Hoverter and Shomari Patterson, our Greater LA representatives, impressed the judges with the viability of their unique business ideas and focus on social responsibility. They advanced to both the semi-final and final rounds of competition, and we are excited to share the following results:
First Place:
Hayley Hoverter (pictured left)
Sweet (dis)SOLVE (sugar packets encased in soluble rice paper to eliminate sugar packet waste)
CET: Michael Jaquias
Downtown Magnets High School
Hayley won $10,000 from Mastercard to advance her business or education goals, a $5,000 college scholarship from the Coleman Entrepreneurial Scholarship Program, and an additional investment offer of $5,000 from Daymond John, Founder and CEO of FUBU who served as one of her judges. Judges Tina Wells, CEO of Buzz Marketing Group and Shazi Visram, Founder and CEO of HAPPYBABY joined together to match John with an additional $5,000 pledge. Wells also offered marketing support to Sweet (dis)SOLVE and Visram committed to an introduction for the product at Whole Foods markets.
Hayley shares, “I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity. I am very fortunate that NFTE not only gave me a taste of the business world, but also empowered me to take the initiative to help solve the large issues that I personally care about.” Check out Hayley’s winning presentation!
Geoteaming CEO John Chen (@bigkid) will host and moderate multiple speakers on the 1 hour Twitter chat on the #eventprofs hashtag.
Come join these established authors and learn the secrets and realities behind their books:
Dr. Simon Priest, PhD, author of 13 books on the experiential field, a ‘Godfather’ of experiential education.
Laura Leist, professional organizer, CEO of Eliminate Chaos and author of 8 books including Eliminate The Chaos at Work http://eliminatethechaosatwork.com
Chris Rugh, author of 1-800-AWESOME, Tactics for Making $10,000/hr and founder of Custom Toll Free, http://chrisrugh.com.
Adrian Segar, author of Conferences That Work, is at the forefront of cool meetings, http://www.conferencesthatwork.com/
and more authors to come!
Here are the questions I’ll be asking:
#eventprofs Q1: What is your name, your book, your website and the book you’re reading now.
#eventprofs Q2: Why did you choose to write your first book?
#eventprofs Q3: What cool unexpected benefits have you gotten from writing a book?
#eventprofs Q4: Some say writing a book is only 10% of the process. What’s been the best way to market/sell your book?
#eventprofs Q5: What would you do different if you were writing a new book today?
#eventprofs Q&A: OK let’s open it to questions, please ask a question and lablel it Q# so authors can choose which question to answer, thanks!
#eventprofs CLOSE: Please write a haiku (5/7/5 syllables) to sum up your twitter chat experience from today, THANK YOU in advance for your time!
#eventprof The chat log from today is located at (URL)
To join, create a Twitter account and go to http://tweetchat.com/room/eventprofs on Thursday October 20th, 2011 at 9AM PST, 12PM EST for 1 hour.
This promises to be a high value session with great contributions from successful authors.
In this video interview with Master Facilitator, Jo Ann Fjellman, she shares her experience in designing and executing a 320 participant team building event where every team built a part of a puzzle that led to 3 major images about their company values coming together when it was all completed.
She also gives a key tip on how to keep her internal team on track while working on so many logistics, something you can use immediately with your large projects!
Hoan Do, Geoteaming and a few others of us are looking to WIN the International Examiner’s 2011 API (Asian Pacific Islander) Reader’s Choice Awards!
Can you PLEASE help us out and vote for the following slate and please put us in contact with those who can fill in areas that we don’t have yet, thanks!
-John Chen
CEO, Geoteaming
2011 International Examiner’s 2011 API Reader’s Choice Award Candidate for Favorite Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Vote Here, by clicking the link and then clicking Submit
Favorite Entrepreneur/Business Owner
John Chen
CEO of Geoteaming, http://geoteaming.com 14th year in the business and has one of the FUNNEST companies ever, team building with technology.
Best Dim Sum Worth Rolling Out of Bed for
Jade Garden - A Seattle Dim Sum Institution
Best Finger-Licking Korean BBQ
Kaya - Awesome new Korean in Shoreline, WA
Best Fresh Sushi
Shiro’s - the Best Sushi in Seattle
Best Happy Hour
Daniel’s Broiler - Great happy hour, my good friend Jeannette Davidson, works with Schwartz Bros.
Best Bang-for-Your-Buck Restaurant
Tsue Chong Co - Best Cheap Eats
Favorite Chinese Restaurant
Favorite Vietnamese Restaurant
Favorite Thai Restaurant
Wild Ginger - Just ate there after MPI-PCMA Summit!
Best Bubble Tea Café
Favorite Local Artist
Best Local Musician/Band
Favorite Local Community Activist
Kip Tokuda, founder of ACLF Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation http://aclfnorthwest.org/
Favorite Member of Seattle City Council
Bruce Harrell, the ONLY Asian on Seattle’s City Council
Favorite Politician that’s Not a Politician
Favorite Entrepreneur/Business Owner
John Chen, CEO of Geoteaming, http://geoteaming.com 14th year in the business and has one of the FUNNEST companies ever, team building with technology.
Favorite “Mom and Pop” Business
Favorite Neighborhood Coffee Shop
Favorite Neighborhood Bookstore
Third Place Books - A great community bookstore and meeting space.
Favorite Philanthropist
Scott Oki - This guy has served on 14 board at one time! He has given a LOT back.
Favorite Corporate Giver
Microsoft - With it’s matching program and proliferation of API’s, Microsoft is a philanthropic force in the NW
Event you look forward to attending each year
Kollaboration http://www.kollaborationseattle.org/ - Hoan Do is judging this year, this is an amazing event of Empowerment through Entertainment.
Favorite Executive Director of an Organization
Starr McDonald, Executive Development Institute - http://ediorg.org this organization is the Asian MBA in Seattle and seeks to be the Diversity University of the NW!
Most Beloved, Invaluable Volunteer
Best Youth Mentor
Hoan Do - http://www.facebook.com/succeedingintherealworld, Author at 23, this guy is amazing, helping 1,000s of college students Succeed In The Real World!.
Favorite Community Center Last Year’s Winner: FILIPINO COMMUNITY CENTER
ACRS - Asian Community and Resource Services http://acrs.org, spoke her last year at the EDI Leadership Tomorrow and learned how much they help the Asian Community.
Defender of Green Causes
Best Advocate for API Health
Favorite Writer
Best Karaoke Bar
Favorite Local Newscaster/Journalist
Lily Jang - ljang@tribune.comhttp://www.q13fox.com/about/station/newsteam/jang/ -
Favorite Park to Return to Nature
Discovery Park - http://www.seattle.gov/parks/environment/discovparkindex.htm - Seattle’s biggest park at 534 acres, this is THE place to Return to Nature, the site of the world’s first Geoteaming event!
Favorite Youth Advocate
I have lot of people asking me about the value of team building.In addition, there appears to be a changing climate that many people can’t ‘afford’ to take 4 hours out of the office in this existing climate.I have been working on ROI for our team building events for years and I thought I’d share my thoughts around this.
Costs
First there’s the investment in the team building program.A facilitated and customized team building event where your goals are incorporated into the program costs say $195 pp.
20 x $195 = $3,900.00
Let’s say you have 20 people you want to take out for a team building event.Let’s say they get paid roughly $50/hr
20 people x 4 hours x $50/hr = $4,000.00
Total: $7,900.00
Benefits
Time Savings
The biggest gain a team can get is by improving current team processes.For instance, we had a team that took 4 hours to report back where their cash flow was.After going through a team building session, they took the time to redesign and automate the process from 4 teams and reduced the time on this process to 1 minute with the push of a button.This was done at least once per week so 52 weeks x 4 hours x $50 / hr = $10,400 time savings to do more valuable tasks
Another client I worked with incented new ideas by sharing 10% of the cost savings of the 1st year of implementation with the person who submitted the idea.This company was spending over $8M a year in print production, by moving it in house, they were able to save $4M a year and the person who submitted the idea received a $400,000 bonus for implementing the idea.When you work on a large company, small things done a lot can yield tremendous savings!
$4,000,000 cost savings
Revenue Generation
I recently heard a story that a hotel worked with multiple teams (sales, marketing, operations, spa, management) to put together a package for GroupOn, they sold 500 rooms in 8 hours at $200 each and create $100,000 of extra revenue for this hotel as well as residual marketing value.
Intangibles
And the key intangible is happy employees.There are a lot of studies that say over 60-70% of the workforce is disengaged in some way, BUT if you have engaged employees, they not only work the 40 hours per week, they spend some of their precious brain cycles solving problems for you after hours, when they sleep and on the weekends.PLUS happy employees make the workplace a fun place to be and ‘infect’ other people to enjoy what they’re doing.
Total: $4,110,400.00 on a cost of $7,900.00
Of course your results can vary AND in the end it’s up to you as the leader to extract the value of team building.I’m not the only one who values team building, here are some great articles on the value of team building.
Susan Heathfield talks about creating a culture that values collaboration.That teamwork is not just doing something once, but doing it every day and using key events to accelerate that culture creation.
Darren Trumeter says building relationships in a high-speed technology company is priceless as is the memories created by their high-speed team building event with sail cars!
I finally got to meet Anne Thornley-Brown who is a tremendous blogger and we share similar values that team building is a key strategic meeting if you design it correctly.She has great resources such as this article on:
Team Building: 10 Key Questions to Ask Before Requesting Proposals.
