Sales & Marketing Society of the Mid-South

We were thrilled to have Laurie Tucker speak to us on May 19th about the Power of a Personal Brand. We had a packed house for this one, so you can check out the photos here:

Interested in social media, but you don’t know how to measure it? Join Katie Paine, CEO and founder of KDPaine & Partners, for sure fire tips and advice on how you can measure your social media efforts.

PRSA is offering a lunch meeting with Katie, followed by a 90-minute workshop that will give you a one-on-one opportunity to discuss your social media strategy. This information is especially beneficial to non-profits, small businesses and government agencies.

Monthly Luncheon
May 12 from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
University of Memphis Holiday Inn
Members Free
Non-Members $25

Social Media Workshop
May 12 from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
University of Memphis Holiday Inn
Members: $25
Non-Members: $35

Register at www.prsamemphis.org

One hundred percent of people surveyed prefer to do business with kind companies.

That was the message shared by author Ed Horrell of The Kindness Revolution today at the Sales and Marketing Society of the Mid-South luncheon.

“There are companies that get it and some that don’t,” Horrell said. “If you have to ask what ‘it’ is, you don’t get it.”

Horrell’s non-profit organization, The Kindness Revolution, is based on his best-selling book of the same name about companies that strive to eliminate the number one reason they lose customers.

Horrell cited research by American Society for Quality that found nearly 70 percent of people surveyed stopped doing business with a company because of an attitude of indifference on the part of one employee.

“Customers have choices,” Horrell said, pointing out that every company has competition. “Values such as kindness are important in the consumer’s decision about customer loyalty.”

While many SMS members know Lori Turner as managing partner of RedRover Company Sales & Marketing, they don’t realize that she was also contributing ghost writer for “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Guerrilla Marketing.” She possesses tremendous knowledge about how small businesses can use non-traditional marketing tactics to promote their brand, product or service.

Lori shared the secrets of why guerrilla marketing works and 10 types of guerrilla marketing that you may have never heard of in a recent SMS workshop. Attendees learned about proximity marketing, intrusive marketing, ambient marketing, and more. The presentation also included examples of brands using guerrilla marketing – some successfully and some not so much. Lori also outlined the six steps to creating your own winning guerrilla strategy.

We had a packed house for the workshop, so if you missed out then make sure you’re on our mailing list to find out about our great upcoming events! You can register on the homepage of our website at http://www.sms-midsouth.org

Billions of dollars are spent every year on creative and artistic advertising campaigns that don’t resonate with consumers because they fail to reach them where and when they want to be reached.

This was the message from Maria McLendon, a marketing and communications leader who shared her expertise in market segmentation, targeting and positioning with attendees of the Sales and Marketing Society of the Mid-South March luncheon. McLendon is a marketing and public relations consultant who is skilled in orchestrating internal and external resources in order to develop and implement effective advertising and sales promotion programs.

“Great ads and marketing can be lost if we are not fully aware of who is receiving the message,” McLendon said. “We have to know our customers inside and out. To have a successful campaign, we must identify our ideal customers, and then reach them when, where and how they want to be reached.”

“Maria’s presentation was timely and well received by our SMS audience,” said Lori Turner, Managing Partner, Red Rover Sales and Marketing. “As business owners and marketers, its easy to get excited about all of the new and exciting marketing delivery channels, thanks to the explosion of social media, but it’s critical that we don’t lose sight of the fundamentals — proper market segmentation, understanding the common traits of those segments and messaging accordingly.”

The Sales and Marketing Society of the Mid-South is a network providing continuing education to sales and marketing professionals with the intention of continually improving the standards for professional selling, sales management and marketing. Its primary goal is to provide educational events and services for sales and marketing professionals. In addition to being a source for education and information, SMS is also involved in sponsorship and scholarship programs for college students from the University of Memphis, Christian Brothers University and Southwest Tennessee Community College.

Check out the photos from the Luncheon, courtesy of Gary Baldwin:

Our February luncheon was another great success. We were excited to have Susan Stephenson, who did a wonderful job explaining and discussing the current banking industry.

She is the Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and President of Independent Bank in Memphis, Tennessee.  Established in 1998, Independent Bank is now an $800 million institution, the second largest bank headquartered in Shelby County.  One of the fastest growing financial institutions in Tennessee history, Independent Bank is also one of the top performing banks in the state and country in terms of earnings, margins and asset quality.

Prior to starting Independent Bank, she was Chairman, President and CEO of Boatmen’s Bank of Tennessee.  When named to the position in 1995, the 37-year-old Stephenson was the first female Chairman and CEO of a Tennessee bank.  Following their acquisition of Boatmen’s Bancshares, Nations Bank appointed her President of their Memphis/West Tennessee market.

She provided a thought-provoking lecture that was timely and interesting. We appreciate her spending time with our group.

We were very fortunate to have Scott Williams speak at our January luncheon. Scott is the Vice President of Marketing for Elvis Presley Enterprises and discussed “Elvis 75: Still Taking Care of Business.” Scott reviewed how EP Enterprises utilizes social media, marketing campaigns and brand image to keep the King alive. It was a fascinating look at how a high-power brand uses marketing strategies that would work for any size business.

Check out our sideshow, thanks to Merrick Photography.

We had a great turnout for our workshop featuring our own president James Hutto with Valeo Design & Marketing. He focused on The PLET Method for understanding Twitter. We learned everything from the basics of starting an account to tips and tools to growing a successful following. No matter the exact industry you may be in, we learned there are already people talking about it, and we need to be a part of the conversation.

Check out his slide show below. It has lots of great tips that will help you use Twitter successfully for your business!

We also want to thank Union University for the use of their facility, and Simply Fabulous Catering for the delicious lunches.

Don’t miss our February 17th luncheon, featuring Susan Stephenson. Sign up here. We’ll see you there!

We’ve got an exciting workshop coming up on January 27th at Union University, featuring James Hutto of Valeo Design & Marketing. He’ll be covering a 4-step method to understanding and successfully using Twitter for Business. The PLET Strategy will give you the understanding and tools you need to implement Twitter for your business:

Post | Why, What, When, How
Listen | Real-time searches and Monitoring Tools
Engage | Rules of Engagement, Best Practices
Track | Analytics, URLs, Phone numbers

Click here for more details and online registration for this event.  The cost is $10 for SMS members, $30 for non-members.  Ticket price includes lunch.

We had a great speaker this month, David Bullock, who spoke to us about how Barack Obama used social media tools to win the Presidential election.  David is the author of the book, Barack 2.0, which examines Barack Obama’s social media lessons for business.

David did a fantastic job of explaining social media and some of the tools and strategies that are available. You can read more about this event in an article written by James Dowd that appeared in the Commercial Appeal.

Check out the photos from this month’s Luncheon:

Upcoming Event: Small Business Council Sales & Marketing Summit

Our yearly event in association with the Greater Memphis Chamber is coming up shortly!  Check out the event details and register online. There is a great lineup of speakers including:

• Don Hutson, Keynote Speaker
• Austin Baker, on Building Relationships
• Amy Howell, on Social Media
• Dr. George Deitz, Selling in Tough Times
• Dotty Summerfield Giusti, Panel Q&A

There will also be a networking mixer afterwards, so make sure you register now to reserve your spot.  The cost is $100 per ticket, but $50 for Sales & Marketing Society and Chamber members.