Synergy hosted 62 members for our 2023 Sales and Marketing Forum on May 21-23rd at the Westin hotel in Indianapolis, IN. This year’s session featured large group discussions and small peer-to-peer breakouts.
The Sales and Marketing Forum started with a workshop on Spacious Productivity with Jason Henkel. Jason first shared some of the science behind why humans aren’t very good at multi-tasking and then showcased his strategies on how he gets more meaningful things done in less time. He showed attendees architectural calendaring, how to process their emails, and how to set up tasks within Outlook.
“This was really informative and eye opening to the functionality of Outlook and brain chemistry,” said Michael Shibata (Oahu).
After Jason’s workshop, attendees discussed the importance of diversifying client bases for long-term sustainability while considering their company’s ideal client profile. Members shared insights on their best clients, explored common challenges and needs that each vertical market has, and talked about the significance of identifying clients that may not align with their business objectives.
“Having everyone’s input and ideas is key to success,” said April Hollis (Storer Services). “Every company has things they focus on and are maybe better at than the next. It’s good to be able to gain those tactics and share as a group of peers.”
After lunch, members talked about how they’re growing their client base through prospecting, networking, and referrals. Attendees said they are persistently addressing customer pain points and taking unconventional approaches to stand out, such as leaving business cards inside pizza boxes or empty shoe boxes. Networking efforts outside industry groups and participating in boards of directors were also highlighted as effective strategies for securing significant projects and raising one’s status within an organization.
The last topic of the day was on Marketing and Social Media best practices with Allison Rodgers (Synergy). Allison encouraged members to think about social media as another way to network and a great place to share success stories with team members, current clients, and prospects.
“This was an eye opener about social media and the importance of networking and posting on social media platforms,” said Mike Johnson (MSD).
In the afternoon, attendees talked about how they’re handling objections, Jared Pourroy (Baker Group) shared Baker Group’s Customer for Life Philosophy, and members shared how they’re nurturing and building long term client relationships in small groups.
The session ended with each attendee writing down their action plan of what they want to implement and goals they will accomplish when they return home.
“This was the best informative conference I’ve been to in my 32 years in the HVAC industry,” said Mario Navarro (Five Star Mechanical). “The best part was growing the relationships with others here. I can’t wait to learn more at the next one.”
