The past few months have been indescribable — nothing like we have ever seen before. Living with the restrictions that the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust upon us has become routine. We are learning to make necessary adjustments, even if these adjustments are difficult.

The world is a very social place. We love to see people, face-to-face. Shake hands. Give a hug. Say hello to our favorite cashier at the grocery store. Eat at our favorite restaurants. Go to the movies or a Broadway show.

It’s human nature, as well as human emotion, to be bummed out right now – that the world we currently live in is one of protective plexi-glass barriers at the grocery store. Dark theaters. Restaurant servers and essential workers in protective masks. Take-out only services from your favorite restaurants. Giving virtual handshakes, high-fives, or fist-bumps to replace the real thing. Making sure that if you pass someone on a sidewalk or in an aisle in a store, you keep a safe distance from other people.

It certainly has been quite an adjustment for everyone. However, the silver lining in all this is that we are resilient! We (the human race) have made the necessary modifications in our lives in order to continue living and moving forward. And it likely has surprised the majority of us, how well things are going, even as we move away from personal, face-to-face communication.

Who would have thought…

…how successful our new virtual existence would be? While nothing can really ever replace the value of face-to-face meetings, gatherings, conferences, events, or communications, when there is no choice but to make alternative plans, we want it to be worthwhile. The pandemic has forced us to make alternative plans in just about every aspect of our lives. But again, we are resilient beings!

Exercise  — Have you taken an online class from either your own gym or a free class that many fitness experts have been offering? Peloton, Echelon, and NordicTrack have already mastered the virtual, online class. And the wonderfully talented Debbie Allen gave a free dance class on Instagram. In “real-life” we would never get the opportunity to take a class with this one-of-a-kind talent!

Live Music  — If you have never been to the live concert of a favorite artist, now is your chance. Many artists have done online performances with great success – John Legend, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Shawn Mendes, Celine Dion, Keith Urban, and more. What fun!

TV  — There are several examples in television, where the success of going virtual was a big question mark but the alternative would have been to cancel shows, new episodes, or special programming telecasts. Instead, the “can-do” spirit came out and networks gave it a try.

• The rookie courthouse TV show, All Rise, broadcasted their last episode of the season completely virtually and the episode was excellent.
• Longtime favorite show, Blue Bloods, hosted four virtual family dinner Zoom videos with the stars of the show all conversing casually, where the fans got a glimpse of their favorite actors. The show’s Sunday dinners are famous. Great Fun!
• All Late-Night TV shows are being broadcast from home.
• The Daytime Emmys are going virtual this year.
• The NFL Draft was broadcast virtually with TV cameras in the homes of the athletes, NFL head coaches, and NFL General Managers. The broadcast was met with tremendous enthusiasm!

We have all had to pivot in so many areas – schooling our children, business meetings, working from home, and even doctor’s appointments. Telemedicine is an adjustment that the insurance companies had to quickly accept as the pandemic brought severe restrictions to in-person office visits. We have heard from many SEN Members that they have transitioned previously in-person meetings to virtual, online meetings with successful results. And many have said they are incorporating these virtual meetings into their regular process, going forward. Another example of being resilient when we need to be!

This brings us to Gaining the SEN Edge: Ten Tuesdays with SEN, from September 15 – November 17, 2020. There are so many reasons you DO NOT WANT TO MISS this event!

This is the most important event of the year to gain valuable education from premier industry experts and to connect with friends and colleagues.

Why you don’t want to miss this event:

A stellar line-up of speakers  — The line-up of experts is one you do not want to miss.

• Karen Wistrom, Dura Supreme
• Heather Argo and Kristi Dodson, Cabinet Works Group
• Jodi Tramontin, OperateIT
• Cutco Katie will conduct a panel with five SEN Members
• Lynne Jensen-Nelsen, Conversionomics Speakers & Consultants
• Brian Javeline, MyOnlineToolbox
• Brenda Bryan, RICKI
• Pamela Danzinger, Unity Marketing

Momentum — With the cancellation of the Spring Conference due to the pandemic, it’s important to keep up the momentum for learning, connecting, and growing as a company and as an individual. Let’s finish this crazy year of 2020 on a high note!

Connections — We have scheduled three Happy Hours and the Dealer and Sales Roundtables. Technology allows us to stay connected in this social distancing world we currently live in. Take advantage of connecting with your peers and SEN partners because we have the technology to make this happen even though it will not be in-person.

Learning — Simply stated, always be learning. Commit to a couple hours on Tuesdays to your own professional development and the continual improvement and growth of your company. Don’t let your education lapse because there are unusual obstacles this year.

This exceptional line-up of speakers is coming directly to you — There is no excuse! Dedicate the time to your growth and to the growth of your company. No travel. No time away from home. Only a couple hours each Tuesday away from your office. It doesn’t get any easier than this.

Your investment is measured in hours, not dollars — Invest in yourself. This year, the investment is not a commitment of pricey travel costs. Invest in your team as well. Invite your team to join us for these educational sessions. It is only a commitment of a couple hours a week each Tuesday, from which you will gain invaluable business expertise.

Invite your team — Not only is this event free to you. Bring your team with you to attend these valuable sessions. This is their chance for professional development and a close-up look at how they are an important part of the team and your company’s growth and success. It will never be this low-cost economical again to bring the whole team!

Learning — Simply stated, always be learning. Commit to a couple hours on Tuesdays to your own professional development and the continual improvement and growth of your company. Don’t let your education lapse because there are unusual obstacles this year.

We’ve made it easy for you and your team to get the most ROI of your time committed to the #SENEdge, TEN Tuesdays with SEN.

Dos:

• Do…mark your calendar for the 10 Tuesdays between September 15^th and November 17^th.
• Do…commit the time for yourself and your team for this very small, weekly time commitment.
• Do…bring a drink and snack with you as you settle in for each Tuesday session. Get comfortable.
• Do…give the sessions your full attention. Turn your phone to silent and do not look at your email while you are attending the sessions. This time is for you.
• Do…ask questions in the sessions. The speakers are experts with valuable information for you.
• Do…invite your whole team. This is a great opportunity for professional development for them.
• Do…rewatch the videos for a refresher at a later date or if you missed the live presentation.
• Do…take advantage of show specials offered by SEN’s vendor partners.

Don’ts:

• Don’t…miss any sessions. There is a lot of learning packed into each session. Plus, there are prizes to be won. But you need to be in attendance.
• Don’t…answer phone calls or emails during these incredible speaker sessions.
• Don’t…book appointments during this allotted time if you can help it. These speaker sessions will be well worth your time.
• Don’t…be a wallflower. Take advantage of the awesome speakers we have lined up for you. Take advantage of this time to connect with your peers.
• Don’t…let a pandemic be an obstacle for your professional growth and the growth of your company. It’s easy to say “we’ll see you next year” but you are missing out on so much if you skip this year’s Fall event, the most important SEN event of 2020.

Take advantage of this terrific opportunity—the conference is coming to you this year! Keep the momentum going for a strong finish to this crazy year of 2020 and let’s push forward into 2021. We will be more ready than ever for the next SEN in-person Conference event.