June 15, 2004
Meeting Comments

Guest Speaker: Ilise Benun

Speaker Photos

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Webmaster@NJCreatives.org

Thank you Ilise Benun, for an extremely informative presentation. You have a wonderful relaxed, animated and down-to-earth manner that made you very easy to listen to. Self-promotion has always seemed so daunting and confusing - what can I say about myself without sounding like I'm bragging? How can I keep in touch with potential clients without being annoying? Your program gave such clear ideas and made them all seem so simple and logical, I wondered why I hadn't thought of them myself! I took several pages of notes, and reviewed them the next day, marking some as "action items." Beginning to put them into practice was as easy as you said, and those I marked as "step 1" were completed in very little time.

Again, thanks so much for your presentation. Come back anytime. I'm anxious to learn more!
-Liz Kassler, Illustrator
http://lizkassler.com
VP, NJ Creatives

I've been to a lot of "how to build your business" presentations over the years, and I felt that Ilise's program last Tuesday was one of the best. She made a well thought out, persuasive presentation, she gave us extremely helpful advice to implement, and made us think more clearly about how we're marketing ourselves...all in a very charming and memorable way.
-Peter Adler, Designer
http://www.peteradlerdesign.com
Member Emeritus

I'm glad I attended the NJ Creatives meeting on June 15. It was a pleasure hearing the prepared lecture on Simple Strategies to Build your Business and Attract New Clients, as I learned some interesting facts as well as I was reminded of the things I SHOULD be doing to maintain my freelance illustration business.

Ilise was funny and personable, and was the perfect fit for our somewhat "specialized" group of creative professionals. Maybe we have more in common with the regular business community than we think.
-Dave McCoy, Illustrator
http://davetoons.com
VP, NJ Creatives

Ilise Benun is an animated and confident speaker who practices her own networking advice with great skill. She offered members of NJ Creatives some valuable tips on the art of self-promotion. From always remembering to bring your business card wherever you go to never pre-judging anyone because you don't know what connections or possibilities that contact may offer, she provided a cornucopia of common sense ideas to help market creative freelance businesses.

I especially liked her point about being clear and specific about what kind of work you do when talking to potential clients. For those who have websites, she offered some great tips on how to better market your site and add value for readers. In one networking exercise, she got participants to rethink their brief promotional blurbs. And in another, she enabled members of NJ Creatives to get to know one another a little better both personally and professionally. Thanks to Ilise for sharing her self-promotion and marketing expertise.
-Donna E. Poler, Writer
http://www.DonnaPoler.com
Publicity Chair, NJ Creatives

Ilise Benun is a wonderful motivational speaker. She offers help to those who seem to need it most. She encourages and speaks from her own experiences which made her entire presentation believable. Being a gag cartoonist, I need reinforcement every once in a while and Ilise has been helpful in that regard. She's also pretty and that can't hurt.
-Wally Littman, Illustrator and Gag Cartoonist
http://WallyLittmanIllustrator.com
Member Emeritus

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