Summit Agenda 2012

(agenda subject to change)

Morning Sessions

9:00 - 9:30 am

Introduction

 

9:30 - 10:30 am

Panel: Beyond the Hype — What You Need to Know About the Cloud

[Online software, or cloud computing is no longer a fad. It is proven critical for business success. This panel will help you understand why it's important, what to watch out for and how to leverage online software for YOUR business]

Moderator: Rhonda Abrams (USA Today columnist, small business advocate and advisor)

Panelists: Laurie McCabe (Analyst, SMB Group),
Bill Odell (Dell Cloud Business Applications),
Kathleen Q. Fable (Quinn Fable Advertising)

10:30 - 11:15 am

How Orabrush Used Social Media & Creativity To Attract Walmart's Attention

[Orabrush used creative video, low cost advertising and a boat load of creativity to astronomically grow their business. In this panel we'll tell you the secrets of their success.]

Austin Craig (Orabrush)

Joined by Wendi Caplan-Carroll (Constant Contact)

Tech Tools for Online Marketing

[Wendi will share how to use specific tools and strategies to get more customers and keep the ones you have]

11:15 - 11:30 am

Gizmos and Gadgets for Ultimate Business Productivity

[Grant Wickes, a lover of tech productivity gadgets will unveil his tool bag of goodies for business productivity - you might even win some of his gadgets]

Grant Wickes (Wasp Barcode)

11:30 am - 12:00 pm

Networking and Break

 

12:00 - 12:45 pm

Lessons from a Customer Service Ninja

[Without customers you have no business. Without great customer service you'll have few repeat customers. In this session you'll get the strategies and insights in how Bonobos endears themselves to customers]

John Rote (Bonobos), joined by Bill O'Dell (Dell Cloud Business Applications) for discussion and Q&A on customer service

12:45 - 1:00 pm

Strategy Awards

 

Lunch Break

1:00 - 2:30 pm

Lunch and Lunch Keynote, John Lawson (2:00 - 2:30)

Persuading Customers To Buy by Leveraging Their Friends

[In this stimulating, energized and informative presentation, John "ColderICE" Lawson will share how you can use social media to persuade YOUR CUSTOMERS to buy from you, through the influence of THEIR friends. ]

John Lawson (ColderICE)

 

Afternoon Sessions

2:30 - 3:15 pm

Listening to Customers and Hiring Smarter: A Lesson in Success

[Scott Hintz has built and sold two successful companies. Hear him share the secret sauce of his success. Psst - humility is one of the secrets.]

Scott Hintz (Tripit)

3:15 - 3:45 pm

What We've Learned from Small Businesses

[Highlights of best practices and challenges from the pages of New York Times small business coverage.]

Loren Feldman (New York Times) and Gene Marks (Marks Group and NY Times writer)

 

3:45 - 4:15 pm

Networking and Break

[Drawing for Bank of America Big Prize]

 

4:15 - 5:00 pm

Inner Game of Prospecting: How to Overcome Sales Call Reluctance

[Selling is not easy, in fact its one of the hardest things for many business owners. In this session you'll learn how to SELL MORE and you might event start to LIKE sales!]

Connie Kadansky (Exceptional Sales Performance)

Joined by Shannon Duffy (Salesforce.com)

Tools for Sales Success

[Once you know how to sell it's important to use the right tools. This session will give you an overview of the top tools you can use to boost sales]

5:00 - 5:15 pm

Closing and Big Give Away