There are many ways to create unity within your chapter whether going to sporting events together, making chapter t-shirts, or having movie nights. Creating unity within your chapter makes every member feel like they are wanted at all of the events. Creating unity within your chapter also helps increase membership and retention. Invite your chapter members to help with the preparation of these chapter events and get everyone included. Remember DEX is not only about vocational understanding and civic consciousness but social intelligence and leadership development. Creating unity will also get new members involved and what to possibly become a chapter or state officer. Help your chapter members grow and get them involved with as much as possible because they will then recruit their friends to become members.

First, I would like to welcome all new members, returning members, advisors, and alumni to another fantastic year of WMMA/Delta Epsilon Chi! This year will be filled with opportunities to develop professionally, network, compete, travel, and meet students all across Wisconsin who share the same interests and career goals as you. Students in WMMA/Delta Epsilon Chi really are today's students that are tomorrow's leaders. This organization not only enhances what you learn in the classroom, but also what business professionals want you to know for the 'real world.'

I'm very privileged to be working with an incredible State Officer team this year. We have all been working hard to ensure that this year is great for all of our members. The website is up and running, and there will be new information streaming in on a weekly basis.

Mark your calendars everyone, because the 2009 Fall Leadership Conference is quickly approaching! This year's conference will be October 27th-28th at Hotel Sierra, in beautiful Green Bay WI! As the kickoff to our WMMA year, you have the opportunity to attend workshops presented by Leadership Specialists, Keynote Speakers, and WMMA State Officers, network with WMMA chapters and other Career Technical Student Organizations, and have a blast during our latest and greatest entertainment night—the "Olympiad 2." Also, at Fall Leadership Conference, we will be unveiling a brand new event that will be taking place at the State Career Development Conference in March. Be sure to register before October 5th—you won't want to miss this!

If you haven't already, I'm sure your chapter will be having its first meeting of the year within the upcoming weeks. Now is the time to recruit new students to attend your meetings and events. Although recruiting new members can sometimes be a challenge, our newest post on the WMMA website "Top 32 Ways to Recruit Members," jumpstarts your recruiting process with some great ideas for your chapter to try. If you would like to share ideas that worked for your chapter in the past, or have already worked this year, please feel free to e-mail me, and we'll get those ideas up on the website as well.

After your chapter has found its potential members, share with them all of the great opportunities you've had while being a part of WMMA/Delta Epsilon Chi, and inform them of the great events they can be a part of this year (Fall Leadership, Collegiate Leadership Academy, ICDC, etc.). All in all, continue to accomplish the four points of the DECA diamond during chapter activities and you will be off to a great start this year.

Finally, I'm hoping all of you will continue to Live, Learn, and Lead to our fullest potential with WMMA/Delta Epsilon Chi this year!

Greetings fellow Delta Epsilon Chi members,
I have found another wonderful topic to discuss that I think will benefit you greatly. I believe networking is a huge part of future success. While attending the Fall Leadership Conference in Green Bay next month you will be introduced to many business professionals. I think it is a great idea to have business cards prepared and ready to hand out. So…. here are 15 tips on making business cards. Check it out!

15 Tips on making business cards

1. Make sure the information on your card is correct.
2. Put your most important information in the focal point (the focal point is usually in the center of the card or where there is bigger print or a design).
3. Consider the psychology of colors listed below:
4. Include your picture. It is easier for the business professional to match a face with the name.
5. Vertical cards are different and will catch the eye.
6. Color backgrounds catch the eye more than white backgrounds.
7. Designs and pictures can often draw attention.
8. If your business/organization name does not clearly state what it is, you may want to list a few services that it provides.
9. Use both sides of the card (possibly tutorials, services, your bio, etc on the back).
10. Make sure your card says something about you and what you bring to the business/organization.
11. Make sure the important information (contact) is easy to find.
12. ALWAYS include your email and website address.
13. Include your logo.
14. Don’t use too many fonts or try to cram too much information.
15. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make sure to spell check.

Spend the extra money for a professional printed card.
For examples visit:
http://tutorialblog.org/creative-business-cards/
http://www.lifeclever.com/584-ways-to-design-a-business-card/

For more tips on making and presenting visit:
http://visualaccentsdesign.com/designtips/50surefire.htm

I hope this helps when making your business cards. See you at Fall Leadership next month!
Nicole Vinson
WMMA State Secretary

I was introduced to the SPIN selling model in my Advanced Sales class last year and I used it for the Sales Representative competitive event at the state and national levels. It is new in the business world, but it will set you apart from the competition when you compete. Check it Out!

What is SPIN selling?
After much research, studies show that in successful sales calls, the buyer does most of the talking, so SPIN selling gets the buyer to talk by asking questions. It asks four kinds of questions: Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-Payoff. These four questions create a problem, so you can solve it (just read on, you’ll understand).

A Few Facts about SPIN Selling
• It is a set of ideas about how to sell successfully in large or complex sales.
• It is based on the most extensive research ever carried out about effective selling.
• More than half the Fortune 100 companies use it to train their sales forces.

Situation Questions
Definition: Finding out facts about the buyer’s existing situation.
Examples: “How many people do you employ at this location?” “Can you tell me how the system is configured?”
Impact: These are the least powerful question, but they are needed for SPIN selling. Don’t ask too many. A good amount to ask would be two to three questions.
Advice: Eliminate unnecessary Situation Questions by doing your homework in advance.

Problem Questions
Definition: Asking about problems, difficulties, or dissatisfactions that the buyer is experiencing with the existing situation.
Examples: “What makes this operation difficult?” “Which parts of the system creates errors?”
Impact: These are more powerful than Situation Questions. People ask more Problem Questions as they become more experienced at selling. A good amount to ask would be three to four questions.
Advice: Think of your products or services in terms of the problems they solve or the buyers- not in terms of details or characteristics that your products possess.

Implication Questions
Definition: Asking about the consequences or effects of a buyer’s problems, difficulties, or dissatisfactions.
Examples: “What effect does that problem have on output?” “Could that lead to added costs?”
Impact: These are the most powerful of all SPIN questions. Top salespeople ask a lot of Implication Questions. A good amount would be five to six questions.
Advice: Think of Implication Questions as cause and effect questions.

Need-Payoff Questions
Definition: Asking about the value or usefulness of a proposed solution.
Examples: “How would a quieter printer help?” “If we did that, how much could you save?”
Impact: Versatile questions are used a great deal by top salespeople. There is a positive impact on customers who rate calls high in Need-Payoff Questions as helpful and constructive. A good amount would be two to four questions.
Advice: Use these questions to get buyers to tell you the benefits that your solution can offer.
Note from Nicole
The SPIN selling model is a new and fun way to sell, but it must be done correctly. If you are going to use this model, make sure you do your research thoroughly. For more information on SPIN selling, here are a few websites to check out:
http://www.articlealley.com/article_30714_15.html
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art19745.asp

Good Luck,
Nicole Vinson
WMMA Secretary
Wisconsin Delta Epsilon Chi

First, I would like to welcome all new members, returning members, advisors, and alumni to another fantastic year of WMMA/Delta Epsilon Chi! This year will be filled with opportunities to develop professionally, network, compete, travel, and meet students all across Wisconsin who share the same interests and career goals as you. Students in WMMA/Delta Epsilon Chi really are today’s students that are tomorrow’s leaders. This organization not only enhances what you learn in the classroom, but also what business professionals want you to know for the ‘real world.’

I’m very privileged to be working with an incredible State Officer team this year. We have all been working hard to ensure that this year is great for all of our members. The website is up and running, and there will be new information streaming in on a weekly basis.

Mark your calendars everyone, because the 2009 Fall Leadership Conference is quickly approaching! This year’s conference will be October 27th-28th at Hotel Sierra, in beautiful Green Bay WI! As the kickoff to our WMMA year, you have the opportunity to attend workshops presented by Leadership Specialists, Keynote Speakers, and WMMA State Officers, network with WMMA chapters and other Career Technical Student Organizations, and have a blast during our latest and greatest entertainment night—the “Olympiad 2.” Also, at Fall Leadership Conference, we will be unveiling a brand new event that will be taking place at the State Career Development Conference in March. Be sure to register before October 5th—you won’t want to miss this!

If you haven’t already, I’m sure your chapter will be having its first meeting of the year within the upcoming weeks. Now is the time to recruit new students to attend your meetings and events. Although recruiting new members can sometimes be a challenge, our newest post on the WMMA website “Top 32 Ways to Recruit Members,” jumpstarts your recruiting process with some great ideas for your chapter to try. If you would like to share ideas that worked for your chapter in the past, or have already worked this year, please feel free to e-mail me, and we’ll get those ideas up on the website as well.

After your chapter has found its potential members, share with them all of the great opportunities you’ve had while being a part of WMMA/Delta Epsilon Chi, and inform them of the great events they can be a part of this year (Fall Leadership, Collegiate Leadership Academy, ICDC, etc.). All in all, continue to accomplish the four points of the DECA diamond during chapter activities and you will be off to a great start this year.

Finally, I’m hoping all of you will continue to Live, Learn, and Lead to our fullest potential with WMMA/Delta Epsilon Chi this year!

Emily Leonhard
WMMA President

Here are a few ideas you, and other students can plan to recruit potential members:

1. For every (# of members) paid members you personally recruit, you get some amount of money off of your membership fee
2. Insert DEX bookmarks in textbooks at campus bookstore/library
3. Visit this website for sample brochures http://deltaepsilonchi.org/pdf/bookmarksrecruit.pdf
4. Create a chapter webpage link off of WMMA site
5. Create chapter webpage off of student organizations website
6. E-mail business students via .edu e-mail
7. Conduct open house/socials before actual DEX meetings
8. Write on boards in classrooms—When and where open house and meetings are
9. Use DECA College Connection to contact more interested students on campus
10. Put up flyers/leaflets in classrooms and bulletin boards
11. Speak about kickoff meeting in business classes
12. Advertise “free food” at your meetings (College students LOVE that!)
13. Go to first year/freshman orientation and recruit new interested students
14. Set up a booth at club day/student organization fair
15. Set up a display in a trophy case at school, or on bulletin boards in the hallways
16. Send out a press release to school newspaper/local newspaper about start of chapter and what it will bring to the area
17. Contact student services to put up announcements on the TV system in school
18. Provide student counselors a set of promotional materials to students who express interest in marketing, management, business, etc.
19. Have a kick-off cookout in the middle of your campus
20. Talk to local high school marketing classes in order to recruit new students for next year
21. Put up signs in dorms, and on campus apartments, put flyers in student mailboxes
22. Get an article in the student newspaper/school website/local newspaper about your new organization
23. Advertise on campus news station/radio station
24. Bring a friend to a meeting
25. Secure a display window/trophy case/bulletin board for your chapter to display upcoming events and past pictures/awards
26. Conduct a visible community service event on campus
27. Sell Homecoming shirts sponsored by DEX
28. Sponsor a raffle where the proceeds will go to charity
29. Visit the DECA Images section of the national website. Order banners, pens, recruitment brochures, and other promotional materials
30. Plan events during DECA/Delta Epsilon Chi week—October 11-17, 2009
31. Talk to roommates, classmates, and former DECA members about joining
32. Use websites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter to search for people with DECA/Delta Epsilon Chi as an interest

Hopefully this list will get you thinking about all of the ways you can get students to think about joining WMMA/Delta Epsilon Chi!

Emily Leonhard
WMMA President

Congratulations on the start of a new year in which you will have the opportunity to LIVE,LEARN, and LEAD in The WI Marketing & Management Association affiliated with Delta Epsilon Chi, the college division of DECA. The above is the theme for the 2009-2010 year. Below are the dates for the year's activities -- mark them on your calendar. Learn to look to the website: wideltaepsilonchi.org.

It is with deep regret that I announce the resignation of the President of WMMA. It was for personal reasons that he felt it necessary to resign his position. We wish him well in all his future endeavors.

According to our constitution, the ranking vice president is then asked to step into a new and additional leadership role. It is my pleasure to announce that Emily Leonhard had accepted that challenge and is the new President of WMMA. She will also continue to serve as the Western Region Vice President.

Now the next news. I learned that I am in the hospital and dying - sorry to disappoint you - but I am alive, well, and healthy -- well almost. I have had a few challenges but nothing that will prevent from outliving any you even if I have a heart murmur. You may not recognize me at the next conference but I will be the one with the "Big Mouth."

Just some information for the future - all the Delta State Advisors agreed that whatever the name change will be for this division at the International level - all the States will adopt the name. We agreed on College DECA but this will not happen until the DECA Inc. Board meets in the spring. There will come an amendment to be voted upon at the State Conference and we can also vote to do a name change for us with a proviso that it will begin when it is passed at the National level. There may be members from China and Germany as well as Canada in Louisville next spring.

"Thunder Over Louisville" will be at the international conference in April. We need to be in by Friday if you do not wish to carry your luggage 6 blocks to reach the hotel. We are at the Galt House again and it has been completely remodeled and is now beautiful.

The deadline dates for the CTSO Fall Leadership Conference are:
October 5, 2009 - $10.00 penalty for registration 10/6/09 until October 27; 50% refund until October 15, and no refunds after October 15 but substitutions will be allowed. You will register the same as you did for State - I will give you another website and use the same password as before. You can make your own changes until Midnight on October 19 - then you will have to email me the changes.

You should have the Fall Packet over the weekend.
Hotel will be $115 for singles, $110 1-6 in the room.
Registration is $95.00 per person.

Mae J. Laatsch
Executive Director-WI Marketing & Management Association