WPC 2012 Session Recap

It's been a busy time. Last week, I flew into Toronto to speak at the week-long Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. During the week I participated in four programs that I'm going to recap for this blog. (If you want any follow-up details, simply send me an e-mail).

The first program, "50 Marketing Tips in 50 Minutes," was so successful, the meeting room was moved to accommodate the massive number of people who signed up for it -- over 450 people attended the session! Each of the six panelists spoke about:

• the components of a marketing plan,
• list-management strategy,
• compelling content (how to write effectively),
• partner marketing execution,
• creating successful LinkedIn profiles, and
• why sales and marketing "can't we all get along."

I presented that last topic and had some fun discussing how sales and marketing must work together, the importance of metrics to measure sales and marketing effectiveness, and how to perform a competitive analysis (if you would like a competitive analysis tool, send me an e-mail at [email protected]).

The next session was a panel discussion on solving partner marketing problems. We took questions from the audience and from people tuning in from LinkedIn and Twitter.

My last two sessions were "The Role of Sales Leadership in a Recovering Economy" and "Building a Culture of High Performance." They were jammed-packed, standing-room-only. In fact, many of the over 250 participants simply sat on the floor! 

In "The Role of Sales Leadership in a Recovering Economy" I discussed the need to "invest early" to ensure you are ahead of your competition; your manpower plans, sales compensation plans and sales leadership programs are defined; and sales management is focused on executing on all aspects of the organization. We provided attendees a salesperson development plan and a pre-call planning worksheet.

"Building a Culture of High Performance," which covered culture-building, was extremely well-received. I reviewed the six factors that high-performing organizations focus on, as well as how to "align the soul of the individual to the goals of the organization." One of the tools I offered is from my keynote program, "Gourmet Living: Finding a Recipe for Personal and Professional Success." The attendees received the "Personal and Professional Pizza Assessment" that allows a person to evaluate their balance in eight different categories. We have found that the most successful leaders are in balance both on a personal and professional level. Let me know if you would like that tool.

It was a great week from a business perspective and for the opportunity to spend time with friends from Toronto.

Posted by Ken Thoreson on July 17, 2012