Business-to-Business

BREAKFAST (9:00 – 9:30AM)
INTRODUCTIONS (9:30 – 9:45AM)


I. ELEVATING CLIENT/AGENCY PARTNERSHIPS (9:45 – 10:45AM)
On the whole, clients and agencies agree that the state of their union is pretty strong due to the fact that agencies are the marketer’s valued business partner and play an important role in driving results and the development of the client’s strategy. Unfortunately, that’s only part of the story; there are also pockets of dissatisfaction, ranging from an inefficient client approval process to inadequate assignment briefings. Further, clients and agencies are often at odds about how well the other is doing at some of the most fundamental areas.

With this in mind, Howard will review the critical areas of dissatisfaction providing his insight into how to improve the situation. Key among the issues is the Assignment Briefing process. Bad briefs are frustrating to agencies and cost clients both time and money, not to mention the opportunity costs of subpar creative in the marketplace. Howard will offer ways to fix this continuous challenge.

Speaker:
Howard Sherman, CEO, President – Doremus

II. NEW B2B RESEARCH: INSIGHTS INTO OLD B2B MARKETING CHALLENGES (11:00AM – 12:00PM)
ANA has undertaken the next phase of B2B research, to help form the development of future marketing tools, resources and insight for B2B Marketers. We endeavored to uncover how B2B Marketers can become a catalyst for business growth, and why so many B2B marketers still struggle to be viewed by their leadership as vital and strategic assets. This study was just recently fielded.

Michelle Smith, VP of marketing at OC Tanner, and a member of BMA’s Board of Advisors, will share the learnings from this major industry study, including the insights discovered that will help ANA develop new and innovative tools to help B2B marketers overcome the many obstacles in their way. We tapped a host of recognized industry leaders, and their vast networks of B2B experts, to ensure we gained the largest survey response possible. You will want to hear not only the survey results, but also the suggestions of how to put the findings to work within your company.

Speaker:
Michelle Smith, VP Marketing  – OC Tanner

LUNCH (12:00 – 1:00PM)

III. NAVIGATING THE INVISIBLE MARKETINGPLACE: TURNING COVERT BUYERS INTO CUSTOMERS (1:00 – 2:00PM)
Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

• Even though you’re spending considerable amounts of time and money on advertising, your revenue growth is not meeting expectations
• Your key competitor always seems to be closing sales ahead of you – time and time again

It’s not you, your products or your sales force.

The fact is, buyers complete nearly 60% of the purchase process before engaging with sales. They’re called covert buyers. And unless you engage them in a meaningful and measurable way, you’re at risk of losing market share as these buyers make purchasing decisions without you.

In this seminar you'll learn:

• What the invisible marketplace is, and how it impacts your marketing efforts
• Who covert buyers are, what types of content and tactics they respond to, and why they are absolutely critical to your marketing success
• How CMR (Customer Managed Relationship Marketing) can help you reach and communicate effectively with covert buyers

Speaker:
Maryann Kuzel, SVP, Head of Healthcare Strategy, NA – RAPP, Division of Omnicom

IV. DEVELOPING & AMPLIFYING YOUR STORY (2:00 – 2:30PM)
Everyone has a story. Small, big, individual, non-profit ... everyone has a story to tell. But getting to that story could be a challenge. More of a challenge is developing, organizing and amplifying those stories that drive results.

Tell Your Story’s George Rafeedie will share a proven process for developing a purposeful message, building consensus, and then building a plan to amplify your story. On any budget. Plus he will share some examples and inspiration for developing great, purposeful statements that drive great stories.

Speaker:
George Rafeedie, Founder & CEO – Tell Your Story Brand Communications