The Future of Marketing Summits

Each Summit assembles a small group of thought leaders to speak to a seminal issue facing marketing today. These are the big picture issues that challenge traditional practices and assumptions. They bring into focus the impact of change on customers, business dynamics and technology. Each speaker will define the issue, propose solutions and engage participants in roundtable discussion of the implications, challenges, opportunities and strategies. Join other forward thinking business and marketing leaders in a lively discussion—leave with a clearer view of the new marketing imperatives.

The Council on Customers

The Council on Customers is a forum for senior executives to gain new insights into customer dynamics and to explore the implications of this changing landscape.

Abundance, overwhelming choice, the uncertainty of rapid change and a 24/7 always on world, confronts businesses with daunting challenges. These same factors and the open flow of information brought on by the Internet have dramatically transformed customers and what customers’ value. A good product at a good price does not insure repeat business or loyalty. Abundance and choice is increasingly leading customers to see products as undifferentiated commodities. Customers can readily fulfill needs, but what do they desire? They want an emotionally and psychologically gratifying customer experience, and these experiences must be meaningful to them.

Since most businesses are proficient at making and selling products, not experiences, there is a growing disconnection. The Council on Customers is designed to help executives gain the insights and strategies needed to deliver what customers value. Addicted Customer briefings are designed to expose executives to the principles underlying the Council on Customers and gives them a basis to judge whether they would like to pursue membership.

Winning Customer Mindshare Workshops

This workshop provides the insights and strategies that will enable companies to escape price competition while gaining profitable, committed customers. It is tough to beat the giants of any industry on price. This workshop shows you how to create competitive differentiation by winning customer mindshare. This entails delivering the emotionally and psychologically gratifying experiences customers value.

This half-day workshop an the accompanying workbook will systematically take you through key winning mindshare concepts. In each case the concept will be discussed and shown how it is successfully being put into action. A series of interactive exercises will help you recognize the concept in your own experiences and then assist you in applying the concept to your business.

Engaged Employees Workshops

Gallup Research has shown that 75-90% of employees are less than fully engaged in their job. This means that while they are physically present, they are at least partially psychologically absent. This disengagement erodes company profits and competitiveness and it has a dramatic impact on a company’s ability to deliver the type of customer experience that they value and reward with loyalty. Customers are up to 20 times more likely return to a business if they perceive employees to be engaged.

This half-day workshop and accompanying workbook systematically takes you through key principles for increasing the engagement level of employees. In each case the concept will be discussed and shown how it is successfully being put into action. A series of interactive exercises will help you recognize the concept in your own experiences and then assist you in applying the concept to your business or industry.

Addicted Customer Bootcamp

This three day bootcamp systematically works through the principles discussed in John Todor, Ph.D.’s new book Addicted Customers: How to Get Them Hooked on Your Company. It covers many of the principles covered in the Winning Customer Mindshare and Engaged Employee workshop but it does so in much more depth. In addition it guides participants in building a plan of action that will enable their company to quickly seize short-term benefits and most importantly provide an actionable framework for gaining sustainable results.

Experiential Events

These events are designed to immerse participants in emotionally and psychologically gratifying experiences. In the process the underlying principles will be highlighted and discussed. These Experiential events are an ideal way to feel the principles in action and to stimulate powerful ways to apply the concepts to your own business. In addition, these events are an ideal venue for BtoB companies to bring their best customers. Through the process of the experience and the illumination of leading-edge concepts, the host company has an opportunity to raise the level of the dialogue, to engage their client in ways they can work together to apply the principles and reap the benefits.

Keynote Presentation

All of the above topics make provocative and motiving keynote presentations at company meetings, trade-shows or customer events. In each case the presentations will be customized to the audience and industry.

“Insights on Customers” Teleseminars

These teleseminars will provide the attendees with insights into Customers and Customer Relationships. The format will vary. Some will be interviews with thought leaders or business leaders who are doing a great job of putting leading-edge ideas into action. Others will be commentaries on customer-centric business practices. Attendee participation will be encouraged. The goal of these teleseminars is to provide a forum that brings innovative customer-centric business practices and principles to the forefront. Some of these teleseminars will be free of charge, others will have a nominal fee. Audio recordings will be available at www.aarm.org.

Teleseminars Series Workshops

The Teleseminar series is a method of providing workshops without geographical boundaries. Both the “Winning Customer Mindshare” and “Engaged Employee” workshops will be available. Other are anticipated. Typically, the Teleseminar Series Workshops take the form of 8 - one hour sessions spread over eight weeks. Participants will receive course for each session via email. In each case the concept will be discussed and shown how it is successfully being put into action. A series of interactive exercise will help you recognize the concept in your own experiences and then assist you in applying the concept to your business or industry.