THE NEW SELL
How we grow at scale in a transformed SMB marketplace.
If you sell at scale to Small Business, you need to be here. The B2SMBI Leaders’ Forum May 14th & 15th in Sonoma gathers Business-to-Small-Business peer-execs from dozens of major brands to talk shop: the winning, keeping and growing of SMB customers.
Our agenda on Day 1 is full of opportunities to learn from your B2SMB peers:
– Explore and engage effective go-to-market strategies
– Deep-dive into successful GTM playbooks
– Find valuable connections and partnership opportunities
– Harness the immense growth potential AI offers to SMBs and their solution providers
And of course, enjoy the setting, the food and the camaraderie!
9:30AM-11:30AM
CHECK IN
You don’t need to present tickets – we got you! Pick up your badge, your swag, and your Speaker instructions (if you are indeed on stage.) If you haven’t already, please inform us of any dietary restrictions you might have.
9:30AM
PRE-EVENT WORKSHOP
We all have thoughts about AI’s impact, import and implication to SMBs, so let’s talk over coffee and “Smart Muffins” – see LI post for recipe! Join as you arrive, or arrive early – it’s a casual talk-around of what each of us is seeing, hearing and thinking about this revolution we’ve enjoined called AI2SMB. Bonus: a special surprise announcement.
11:00AM-11:30AM
EARLY LUNCH
We won’t load you down with lots of carbs, but instead get your brains fueled for what promises to be a jammed Day 1. Grab a plate, enjoy the view, and start your engines!
11:30AM-11:45AM
WELCOME
Nothing like that feeling of “lift-off” at one of our events! Dave Walker gives the 411 on our Leaders’ Forum 2-day agenda, on logistics of the venue, on our format and activities, on ground-rules for “no pressure” engagement, and on how to make the most out of your next 24 hours with your B2SMB Leadership peers. Let’s go!
11:45AM-12:00PM
MEET & GREET
As always, we start our event with an informal greeting on a mission – to work with a fellow-attendee to identify what’s the “one big thing” YOU want to take aways from the Leaders’ Forum – with a little help from your friends!
12:00PM-12:25PM
KEYNOTE
Over the course of two successful exits of more than $100Mil each, Sangram Vajre has been teaching the business of marketing with his signature frameworks. His best-seller, “Move” focuses on creating and executing effective go-to-market (GTM) strategies at any stage of a business’ lifecycle, a systematic approach to align and to grow effectively. He illustrates his concepts through real-world examples and practical guidance for implementation. As the B2SMB market continues to experience revolutionary change, GTM Playbooks have to change ahead of the waves impacting products, marketing, selling and delivery. Sangram’s framework is more than a guide, it helps you and your teams – well – MOVE!
12:25PM-12:50PM
PANEL
Those three little letters – GTM – are most often followed by the word “plan.” But how do actually plan your GTM when your Market, and your product, and your customer is undergoing daily change? We’ll explore some ideas on how to frame GTM as a process, not a plan, and offer some specific ideas on how your fellow practitioners are responding.
12:50PM-1:15PM
WORKSHOP
We’ll mix the bowl pretty good here in small groups of attending B2SMB Marketers, Developers and Sales Leads to apply the framework of Sangram Vajre’s “Move” to a hypothetical Seller of AI at scale to SMBs. We’ll step out of our own offerings to find means and methods of validating our GTM approach, and how to improve it.
1:15PM-1:40PM
KEYNOTE
In his recent column for the Forbes Business Council, InfoBip’s Chief Business Officer, Ivan Ostojic wrote: “The race to redefine customer experience (CX) is accelerating. As interactions between businesses, brands and their customers shift, I believe we will see significant developments across the critical layers of infrastructure, application and experience this year… From ever-evolving technology, business models, and delivery to hybrid AI deployment and scaling strategies, here are 10 predictions that I believe will shape CX in 2025.” Prepare for a provocative view ahead.
1:40PM-2:10PM
PANEL
We’ll go both broad and deep into AI adoption – not just how many and how much, but just plain how – how are SMBs applying AI, interfacing with AI, upskilling with AI? We’ll also get our Panelists’ perspectives on the state of AI innovation, and the impact of so many innovations arriving at such an overwhelming pace. How do we sort it? How do we work it into forward planning? How do we build with it?And finally we’ll talk about the jobs of AI2SMB, on the talent and skills required to be successful in future AI2SMB Product Development.
2:10PM-2:30PM
BREAK
2:30PM-2:55PM
PANEL
With so much sales talent in our B2SMBI community, its an “embarrassment of riches” when selecting Sales Leadership Execs who can move our audience. We’ve tapped 3 of our best-and-brightest to lay out the realities they face on the front lines of SMB sales: what’s working, what’s not, and where are SMB customers taking us.
Training: Chris Shank
Performance Management: Britney Bartlett
Hiring: Brian Bar
2:55PM-3:20PM
PANEL
It’s bloody well time we had a panel of Gen Z and Millennial Entrepreneurs in the B2SMB community – well – spill some tea! Moderated by Bryce Colburn (age 30) of Forbes Small Business Advisor, we’ll hear from Start-ups, Developers and even a Gen Z SMB ($300Mil is small?) With 19Mil new SMBs since 2020, Next Gen is Now Gen when it comes to our customers.
3:20PM-3:50PM
PANEL
By this point in our agenda, we’ll have digested a LOT. So now it’s time to get the perspective of the C-Suite. We’ll talk change management, finding talent, the now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t economy, and whether they are using AI themselves.
3:50PM-4:15PM
WORKSHOP
By now, we’ve fully covered the waterfront of AI’s role in “The New Sell,” but have we actually defined a new kind of offering for B2SMB Enterprises? Three Members of our Leaders’ League briefly present a vision, a purpose, and a call to make the most of our shared AI2SMB opportunity. Then we’ll break into our last workshop of the day to collaboratively define what AI2SMB could be.
4:15PM-5:15PM
PANEL
We’re now on our 3rd go of what instantly became our event’s most popular segment. It’s time to hear from the Customer! Dan Gliatta is back to moderate a live panel of SMB decision makers on what it takes to win their business. This highly interactive session allows all of us to hear directly, without filters, what moves a SMB to “Yes.” PS – we’ll be inviting “larger” SMBs to the panel but NO selling them on breaks!
5:15PM-6:30PM
RECEPTION – WINE TASTING & CHARCUTERIE
“… or at least until this bottle ends!” It’s time to unwind as the Kunde Family Winery offers their very best to the weary attendees of the Leaders’ Forum. With long and beautiful views of the Sonoma Valley at sunset, we’ll share the day.
THE NEW SELL
How we grow at scale in a transformed SMB marketplace.
Our agenda on Day 2 of the Leaders’ Forum dives deep into two key elements of “The New Sell”: Media and Partnerships.
We’ll begin the day with an overview of our new “Media Center of Excellence,” in partnership with Intuit SMB Media Labs. Our Speakers will talk SMB-targeted Media Strategy and Planning, providing a framework to sort, select and measure from literally hundreds of options to reach our prospects.
Then we’ll convene our B2SMBI Partnerships Circle to talk collaboration within “The New Sell.” We’ll move beyond the theory of successful partnerships and get down into the nuts and bolts of finding, launching, managing and measuring cooperative marketing, selling, development and distribution.
We’ll start the day relatively early (been up late?) with a classic Sonoma brunch, and end mid-day with a boxed lunch to go.
8:30AM-9:15AM
SPONSORED BY INTUIT SMALL BUSINESS MEDIALABS
A very good reason to stick around for Day 2, and a reprise of a great new Leaders’ Forum tradition. We invite all attendees to join us for a classic Sonoma brunch. And he’s back! Season 3 Chopped Winner, Daniel Gomez Sanchez’s menu includes great combinations, from Wild Mushroom and Feta Quiche to Smoked Mt. Lassen Trout Roe with crispy Sourdough and fresh local Cherries with Creme Fraiche. Another great opportunity to sit with new friends and partners as we kick off Day 2.
9:15AM-9:30AM
INTRODUCTION
The mission of our new Media Center of Excellence: help our Member organizations achieve breakthrough performance in reaching and engaging small business decision-makers through data-driven media strategies, innovative channel optimization, and deep audience understanding.
Our Core Value Pillars:
– Audience Intelligence
– Media Strategy Excellence
– Channel Innovation
We’ll both present and seek feedback on the components of each pillar.
9:30AM-9:55AM
KEYNOTE
Last year, Dave Raggio introduced Intuit’s Small Business MediaLabs, and we wondered why no one had really thought of the idea before: leverage your existing customer base like a media channel, rich with media strategic and tactical insights. Over the last 12 months, not only has the concept taken hold, it’s established a powerful and now proven way to grow your top of funnel.
9:55AM-10:15AM
PANEL
We’ll ask Marketing leaders in the house how they measure their efforts, kicking off with Data Science Leader Sagar Ganapaneni of Intuit. We’ll l talk about different KPIs used, with attention to what’s common, what’s different, and most importantly, what can improve your overall Media and GTM performance.
10:15AM-10:30AM
PANEL
We’ve certainly heard that Partnerships can be “ships to nowhere.” Maybe that’s because we still struggle to understand the form, the function and the fundamentals of Partnership that really sail. We’ve assembled both SMEs and Partnership leads to unpack how to engineer collaboration for a complex B2SMB marketplace.
10:30AM-11:00AM
We’re dedicating time to hear from “Newbies” to B2SMBI, each with powerful offerings. Kelly Benish asks each of them to give a brief overview of their business, and what they need from our Partnerships Circle. Qs welcome!
11:00AM-11:30AM
Back by popular demand: we’ll invite attendees to stand and introduce their company, their partnership opportunities and what they’re looking for. 3-Minute time limit per Pitch!
11:30AM-11:40AM
We’ll end Day 2 with summary take-aways and a commitment to meet within 14-days with prospective partners we’ve identified during the time together.
11:40AM-12:00PM
WALKABOUT
The Kunde Family Winery grounds afford us a number of paths to stroll – perfect places to casually engage in small group walkabouts. It’s an opportunity to meet and greet more of your Partnerships Circle attendees.
12:00PM-1:00PM
LUNCH
We’ve got boxed lunches for attendees on the go. For those with a more leisurely departure, we’ll head to downtown Sonoma for lunch and more wine.
902 South Randall Road Suite 309
St. Charles, IL 60174
info@b2smbi.com
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© Synth LLC/ The B2SMB Institute, b2smbi.com | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
