Discovering Marketing’s True Role in Driving Profitable Growth
On July 13, 2010, BMA-Minnesota welcomed Sean Geehan, author of The B2B Executive Playbook and founder of the Geehan Group and Tom Webster, CEO at Intesource. The duo described the framework and key principles B2B marketers should use to develop a game plan for creating strategic relationships with clients that yield valuable business results to predictably drive revenue and earnings.
A Futurist’s Guide to Anticipating and Leading Change
No one can predict the future, but on May 18, 2010, Futurist Cecily Sommers taught BMA-Minnesota meeting attendees how to understand and anticipate change in order to invent and own their companies’ and clients’ future.
Sommers’ media-rich presentation took attendees on a guided tour of the future, showing them how to manage long-term thinking in a world that demands delivery today, through four main ideas:
- The brain, business and government are wired for the “Permanent Present” and resist change
- There are four constant and predictable forces shaping the future
- Every strategic conversation should include three dramatic disruptions
- B2B marketers must manage an innovation portfolio that plans on the far and future, while delivering on the near and now
Brand Naming for the Digital Age
On April 20, 2010 Pollywog co-founders John Stucker and Devon Thomas Treadwell instructed BMA-Minnesota meeting attendees “to forget everything you know about naming for B2B because the rules are changing.”
Through a provactative presentation, Stucker and Thomas Treadwell took the audience on a journey through brand naming through the ages and how converging trends are affecting naming for B2B marketers. Along is journey they also discussed:
- What a Brand Name Needs to Succeed in the Digital Age
- Power Names
- Elements of a Power Name
- What a Power Name Does for a Brand
- Is Your Brand Working For You or Against You?
Understanding the Role of Emotions in B2B Marketing
While the B2B decision-making process may be more complicated and involve more people than the B2C process, the two have more in common than many may think. In the end it’s all B2P: business to people. Despite being snow bound in New Jersey on February 11, 2010, Dan Hill, Ph.D, president of Sensory Logic, Inc., and author of “Emotionomics: Leveraging Emotions for Business Success” shared with the audience via the Web a power presentation on the scientific basis of why everyone feels before they think, how B2B is really B2P, the guiding rules and examples of B2B marketing, and more.
B2B, Voice of the Customer and Steadfast Customer Loyalty
Everyone understands the importance of listening to the Voice of the Customer (VOC) and on October 28, 2009, Michael Happe, V.P. and General Manager, Commercial Division, the Toro Company shared with BMA-Minnesota how the breadth and depth of the company's industry relationships that drive innovation and customer loyalty. Happe outlined how organizations can activate their most important "P" - people - to increase the "Volume" and "Clarity" of VOC in the value chain and how to strategically extend your professional social network to improve the bottom line, enhance brand image, and increase loyalty in served market(s).
Marketing Automation Best Practices (Digital Body Language)
On September 24, 2009, BMA-Minnesota welcomed Steven Woods, Chief Technical Officer at Toronto-based Eloqua. An industry leader in using information technology solutions to automate marketing procedures, Woods shared with attendees his perspective on how companies can use customers/prospect's online behavior (aka Digital Body Language) to drive revenue through more qualified leads, increase efficiency and effectiveness of marketing campaigns, align marketing and sales, and demonstrate value and accountability.
Web Analytics: It's About the Story
On August 18, 2009, BMA-Minnesota explored results-oriented Web site measurement. Led by Kristen Findley, senior interactive planner at Carlson Marketing Group, the session focused on how to maximize Web analytics tools using business objectives and key performance indicators, how Web analytics can be applied to e-mail, media and even social sites, and how to translate the data into meaningful business results.
Managing and Leading Through Tough Times 
On May 28, 2009 BMA-Minnesota explored how business-to-business organizations should handle management and leadership challenges during a recession. Led by Keith Peterson, vice president of marketing communications at Ceridian, the session touched on the power of transparency, rising above corporate politics, the law of influence, setting priorities and boundaries, as well as responses to tough questions for marketing communicators regarding budgets, staffing and ROI.
Eight Critical Success Factors for Lead Generation
On April 2, 2009 BMA Minnesota hosted Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch, for a discussion on B2B lead generation. Brian, an industry guru, is the author of Lead Generation for the Complex Sale (McGraw-Hill 2006) and the B2B Lead Generation Blog.
Use of Social Media within the B2B Marketing Arena
On March 11, 2009 BMA-Minnesota presented a panel discussion on how business-to-business (B2B) marketers can use social media to boost their performance metrics and support a customer-centric business model.
Math Marketing: How to Make Your Funnel Flow Faster
On January 22, 2009 BMA Minnesota kicked off its 2009 professional development program series with an exploration of the emerging "Buyer Marketing" sales and marketing strategy. Led by Hugh Macfarlane, founder of Math Marketing and author of The Leaky FunnelTM, the session discussed the emerging customer-centric sales and marketing strategy that is changing the way businesses organize and manage their combined sales and marketing funnel.
10 Digital Trends Shaping the Future of B-to-B Marketing
On October 21, 2008, Jennifer Howard, head of Google's business-to-business marketing explored how advancing technologies and media proliferation are changing the way people generate and consume information. Howard used the following materials in her presentation.