Eric Bergman is a media training and presentation skills consultant and executive presentation coach. Reach him at 416-410-3273, [email protected] and his website, Present With Ease. Connect with Eric on Twitter at @ericbergman and on LinkedIn.
What's your background?
I got into PR because I wanted to write, and earned a diploma in advertising and public relations from Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton in 1982. I conducted my first media relations campaign in 1981 as president of the college's students' association, and wrote my first speech for a senior executive one year later as a public affairs officer with the Government of Alberta.
I received the ABC designation in 1991, the APR in 1993, was named a master communicator in 2002, and joined the college of Fellows of CPRS in 2014.I earned a bachelor of professional arts in communications studies from Athabasca University in 2009 (I always promised the kids I'd finish before them!).
When did you launch your independent business?
It will be 31 years in September -- 1985.
How did it come about?
I started with the Government of Alberta. Three years, three months and three days later, I realized that this could be a great career for many people, but it wasn't for me, so I hung my shingle as an independent communicator. In a market like Edmonton, you had to do everything from writing video scripts to managing special events to survive.
I worked and traveled for a year and a half, then packed my worldly possessions into my Dodge Colt and moved to Toronto, primarily as a freelance writer to corporate communication clients. My career has evolved from there.
How would you describe what you do now?
I have a four-word elevator speech: "I teach communications skills."
There are two sides to my business. One is providing presentation skills training and executive coaching through a program known as Present With Ease. The other is media spokesperson training through At Ease With The Media. If needed, I can also provide strategic content development services on the presentation skills side, and issues management and crisis consulting on the media side.
What do you enjoy most about being an indie?
The flexibility. I have the most flexible lifestyle of any human I know. For instance, I'm on a five-week motorcycle trip, and you and I are having this conversation while I'm in Banff, Alberta.
That's not to say I don't work hard. I typically work 50 to 60 hours a week, but you can often find me at the gym or taking a long walk at 2 p.m. a couple of afternoons a week.
I love the rewarding work. It's nice to be able to provide advice that helps an organization effectively manage a delicate issue, or create a presentation road show that generates measurable business results.
But the most important aspect of being an indie is having been there for my kids. Our son is now 29 and our daughter is 26. I have coached baseball and ringette, watched as our daughter captained her high school rugby team, and have attended two games at Rogers Centre when our son pitched during provincial high school baseball championships.
What don't you like about being an indie?
I dislike the need to constantly market my services. In my mind, I have the best mousetrap on the planet and the world should be beating a path to my door.
But if you're self-employed and think you can get by with a blog and social media, good luck. To be successful as an indie, you need some form of customer relationship management process, and the discipline to keep putting that process to work.
I work the telephone. I make telephone calls three to six hours per week. It might take 25 tries to get someone, but once I do, my goal is to bring value to them in ways that gain their permission to begin the conversation. Invest in contact management software to help. I use Contacts Journal CRM (CJournal) on my iPad and MacBook Air.
What advice would you give someone new to independent life?
Pay yourself second, and pay Revenue Canada first. Learn how to invest money; compound interest is a beautiful thing and every percentage point increases the value of your portfolio over time. Oh, and it is a portfolio, not a nest egg -- well-balanced and invested in something other than GICs.
How long have you been a PIC member?
Probably since it started, about 1998.
What value do you get from your membership?
Not as much as I should. A lot of the events have been on Wednesday nights, and for 19 years my partner Julie and I taught karate that night so I couldn't attend. We retired from teaching karate this past June so I'll try to get out to more events now.
Then what value do you see in PIC?
It's great when independent, entrepreneurial people get together to talk and learn. It's similar to having mentors. I had a number of mentors when I started, and they were invaluable in getting me where I am today.