If you’re best salesperson is a cut-throat, take no prisoners, numbers-oriented deliverer, he or she may become a has-been in the near future. That’s because the ability to “serve” is overtaking the ability to “sell” as the key trait of a champion salesperson, according to a new study by the National Center for the Middle Market.
Rebranding a business is a great opportunity for a company to show how it has evolved over time and debut its forward-thinking vision and mission to its constituents. It also is a tremendous undertaking, which requires precise strategy, exact timing and a great amount of preparation that must be communicated from the top all the way down.
Your company’s product—no matter how unique or superior to a competing product, no matter how affordable or cost-agnostic—isn’t enough anymore. Winning the war for customer acquisition and retention is no longer a product game, it’s a relationship game. The battleground is omni-channel consumer engagement. This requires a holistic view, which can only be achieved by having a complete customer platform.
Make no mistake; the world of sales is changing. Technology seems to be driving the sales vehicle in today’s society, but it’s the old school, tried and true, consultative techniques that separate the good from the great sales professional.
Former Valeant Pharmaceuticals chief executive Martin Shkreli may be the poster boy of price gouging run amok, but the heat is increasingly on for the rest of the industry to tamp down on drug price increases and base growth more on productivity and less on arbitrary hikes to please shareholders.
Millennials live in a world that is increasingly virtual. They text, Snapchat, and tweet instead of picking up the phone and calling one another, and Skype instead of going out for coffee. That is part of the reason companies are having a hard time filling a growing number of open sales positions, a profession that requires a great deal of personal, face-to-face connections.
While upgrading legacy systems can be costly and cumbersome, a growing number of middle-market companies are nevertheless investing to digitize both their back office and customer-facing operations.
The media industry is expected to undergo significant changes in 2016, and these shifts will directly influence all companies’ priorities as they develop and execute their marketing and overall business strategies.
Is dynamic pricing good for the bottom line? It depends on whether companies handle the varying pricing structures in ways that don’t turn off would-be buyers, experts say.
In late July, Yahoo released a disappointing sales forecast for the third quarter and, just days later, announced the appointment of Lisa Utzschneider as chief revenue officer. After integrating all of the company’s disparate sales teams together, CEO Marissa Mayer was hoping Utzschneider could uncover new ad revenue streams. Should you be doing the same?
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
