We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Monica Compton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Monica below.
Alright, Monica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?
For the 20 years I’ve owned my business, I’ve worked from a home office. This remote business model has worked well in several respects. I save costs by not having the overhead of a traditional office. And because I employee contractors, I don’t need office space for full-time employees. I also find that I’m more productive working from home. I’m not disrupted by office politics and can concentrate on the job at hand. While there are always tasks around the home that could distract me, I’m able to prioritize and stay steadfast on company business.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
In college, I was studying to be a professional ballet dancer and unfortunately, an injury ended my career. I thought if I couldn’t be a performer myself, I would like to work with performers. I started a job managing events for the concert promoters in Pittsburgh. I learned how to run large-scale events at an outdoor amphitheater. I booked the entertainment, managed the catering, box office and sponsorship logistics. From there I entered the corporate world and took a position running events for a motorsports marketing firm. I traveled the world managing CIO-level events that included everything from a suite at the Monaco Grand Prix to skeet shooting in Australia. I managed a team of event planners and was responsible for the events division’s budget. I worked my way up to vice president of the company and decided it was time to go out on my own. That was 20 years ago and my company, Pinnacle Productions Inc., has successfully managed programs in over 30 countries. In addition to full-service logistics, we provide marketing and writing services to assist in promoting the event to a wide audience. Our background in advertising gives us experience to consult on marketing and sponsorship packages. We’ve developed a proprietary return-on-investment analysis that we customize for each client and each event. The metrics we’ve devised reveal the success of the event and are also used to show sponsors the value they are receiving. We then apply the results and make changes to future programs. Our clients value the strategic view we take when putting together a program. We look beyond logistics and center our services on the goals and objectives the client wants to meet.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
LinkedIn has been a great resource to garner new clients. It is like cold calling in that you are reaching out to people you don’t know with a three-sentence description of what you do. I’ve found many people respond if you keep it short and don’t come across as salesy. Also, it’s important to contact those people with whom you have a connection, even if it’s a distant one. LinkedIn lists people who went to your college. I often reach out to these people and start with the alma matter connection. Try to make a goal of contacting five people per day and increasing from there. Good luck!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Having been in my field for 30 years, most of the business I gain is through referrals. My colleagues and clients tell me they refer me due to my dependability and honesty. Ethics is important in every industry, but I think it’s especially important in the meeting-planning industry. I have access to budgets that could be in the millions of dollars and I attend meetings where confidential information is being shared. Over the years I’ve learned that it’s best to admit if you made a mistake and work with the client to find a solution. The open and honest dialogue I have with my clients has fostered long-standing relationships that have lasted decades.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pinnacleprod.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicacompton