CPSM Chronicles: Don’t Crowd the Plate

by Heather Brown, Lydig Construction

Today, a colleague and I headed over to Whole Foods for lunch. As we caught up on what’s happening in our lives and watched all of the busyness that swirled around us, a theme seemed to emerge. That swirly, whirly space reminded us to give ourselves some grace and breathing room in our lives.

I think I may have signed up for too many opportunities this year – all very good and meaningful opportunities, particularly the CPSM certification process. Instead of getting overwhelmed, I need to take it one swing at a time. Everything seems to go back to baseball right now – thank you to my little man. Back to the topic at hand – and why I raised my hand to write this blog – the CPSM exam.

Our study group had our first meeting this month and the wait was definitely worth it. Marcie Lohr worked so hard at evaluating the new study guide and A/E/C Marketing Fundamentals book – both are fantastic, by the way – and aligning them with the study program to hit our exam preparation needs.

During our session, Marcie led our team through “Domain 4 – Proposals” practice exam questions. I felt pretty good about this section going into it and only missed one. Fortunately, we answered them together as a team which eliminated any embarrassment or pressure. Starting off the study sessions with a nice win for everyone felt great. What a confidence booster! 

I’m grateful that our study group mates will take on various sections of the reading and provide cliff notes for us to share. I don’t recall doing that in undergrad or graduate school so this will be a new experience. I’m looking forward to it because it help reminds me that I can’t crowd the plate and be too earnest or crowd the plate in the sense that I put too much on my figurative plate and end up dropping it.

So with that, please remember to give yourself some grace in this busy marketing/BD/proposal/digital media/PR/everything season – there’s plenty to do, but take time to enjoy that breathing space. Maybe even catch a baseball game…I know I sure will.

If you’re curious about the new study guide, visit: http://www.smps.org/pv/core/orders/category.aspx?catid=6

Here’s the new content included in the update CPSM Study Guide:

1. Practical study tips to help candidates understand how to better retain information and prepare for application-based questions on the exam
2. Best practices to maximize your reading time
3. Valuable guidance for taking the CPSM examination
4. A self-assessment tool to help candidates measure their comprehension of the SMPS Domains of Practice for Professional Services Marketers 
5. A detailed study plan for each of the SMPS Domains of Practice for Professional Services Marketers including:
• Preparation journal
• Recommended reading assignments
• List of key terms and concepts
• Practice exam questions drawn directly from previous CPSM examinations
• Scenario-based questions to help the candidate with analytical thinking
6. A 75-question CPSM assessment test
7. Answer keys for all practice questions and the assessment test with references to books from the current CPSM suggested reading list. (Please go to http://www.smps.org/Certification/Study/ to access the suggested reading list and to order books.)