COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) has announced the speakers for its upcoming Marketing & Sales Focus Conference on Sept. 18-19 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is the last and largest HARDI Focus Conference of the year.

Marketing and sales professionals attending the Marketing & Sales Focus Conference will learn from joint sessions that help them align their strategies and improve synergy between the departments. Attendees will also expand their core skills through concurrent sessions tailored to either marketing or sales. Topics range from leveraging emerging technologies and utilizing various marketing channels to executive sales planning and other sales boosting techniques.

HARDI members can look forward to participating in the following 10 sessions:

Tim David (Keynote) — “The Magic of Human Connection — A Dying Art in a Noisy World”

Tim David’s presentation will uncover the keys to creating more human connection at work and in life in a world that has forgotten how. After experiencing engaging stories and humor, provocative science and David’s incredible “brain science magic,” attendees will leave feeling refreshed and with a renewed sense of what is really important — bringing that sense of purpose and meaning into the workplace with astonishing bottom-line results.

Jamie Turner — “7 B2B Consumer Behavior Secrets to Help You Improve the Impact of your Next Sales and Marketing Campaign”

Internationally recognized author and CNN commentator Jamie Turner will discuss some of the more advanced and effective B2B sales and marketing techniques. If members are interested in learning what works and doesn’t work in the world of B2B sales and marketing, this will be a fast-paced, fun, and upbeat presentation for them from one of the world’s leading experts.

David Richardson — “B2B Branding — Be Better than your Industry”

Differentiating your B2B brand has never been more challenging. David Richardson, director of strategic marketing at Spire Agency, will discuss the obstacles B2B brands must overcome and how to tackle each one head on. In this session, attendees will learn best B2B branding practices that they will be able to implement into their current marketing strategy immediately.

Kevin McGirl — “Your Sales Team is Making Junk Calls!”

Too many salespeople are making junk calls that lack purpose. Tech pioneer Kevin McGirl, co-founder of sales-I, will discuss strategies and techniques members can use to end junk sales calls once and for all.

Eddie Bluff & Brian Bluff — “What Every HVACR Marketer Needs To Know”

For the past year, HARDI members have participated in an effort to map out the ideal HVACR distributor marketing program. Survey data has been collected, personas developed, tactics identified, and expert opinion collected. In this session, Eddie and Brian Bluff will review their findings, address the “why,” and provide tools and tips to cover the “how to.” Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of how to more effectively compete in today’s complex digital world. Members will learn the role of big data and which technologies apply to your situation and audience.

Paul Reilly — “Value-Added Selling”

Sales organizations are facing several challenges. Sales organizations are providing similar solutions using the same message. Products, companies, and even salespeople have become commodities. Sales organizations fail to stand out. Organizations are too quick to say, “Me too,” instead of “Surprise, we’re different.” Customers are left thinking all the solutions are the same. To be different and succeed, sales organizations have to compete on the total value of their solution. Value-Added Selling is a content-rich message of hope: You can compete aggressively and outsell the competition while maintaining your profitability. The theme of this customer-oriented philosophy is: add value, not cost; sell value, not price. Value-added salespeople are more focused on making a difference than just making a deal; they know that a cheap price is not the only way to compete — they compete with their total value-added solution.

Cindy Mann — “The Marketing and Sales Optimization Fit: What makes sense for your business and the keys to user adoption”

Cindy Mann will lead a panel discussion to see how an HVACR wholesaler, manufacturer, and manufacturer’s rep are using marketing and sales optimization in the field right now and where they see it going in the future. We can use sales and marketing automation for almost every aspect of our business to increase organization and effectiveness. Some organizations struggle to finally pick something that will work, and, for others, it has become a core of their operation. When everything is connected through powerful CRM, it truly makes a difference. Learn first-hand from industry peers on what is working today and what to expect.

Lincoln Smith & Travis Smith — “How to Architect a Dealer Incentive Program using Performance-Based Budgeting”

Seeking to accelerate sales? Take market share? Further penetrate existing accounts? Create a robust customer engagement marketing platform? Performance incentives can lay the groundwork to drive growth. This session will detail the steps needed to launch a robust strategy that engages customers and drives sales. This presentation will reveal how to enhance member programs and power to the next level. Learn what it takes to engage customers and appeal to their psychological needs and business interests. This session will cover program structures, communications, program administration, analytics, and performance-based budgeting.

Barry Wright — “NEGOTIATE to Drive Revenue and Profitability”

Barry Wright will deliver a fast-paced, interactive and expansive workshop guaranteed to improve commercial outcomes. Avoid mistakes that frequently impact the bottom line. Examining the bad habits we may have created and learn how to avoid them in the future by using reliable and proven creative techniques.

Tama Williamson — “Going Live with Your Own Signage Network”

Simply stated, you have more to offer the buyers in your market and yet you struggle to get this message understood in a way that changes how purchases are made.  Learn how to build a digital signage network that generates conversations, revenue, and can be validated with your top-level executives and supplier partners. Digital signage is taking over how customers are being serviced, products are being promoted, and how corporate is communicating to the field. Deploying digital signage can be done without costly mistakes making it a low cost, effective marketing solution. Learn where to place digital signage for optimal exposure, what content works and why, what software solutions should offer you as an end user, and how not to overpay for implementation.

HARDI members can register for the Marketing & Sales Focus Conference at hardinet.org/marketing-and-sales.

Publication date: 6/9/2017

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