Betancur built his career as a turnaround specialist and will apply practical lessons from outside the agency world. He has led very successful turnaround initiatives at a number of international organizations, including Publisher’s Clearing House, Urban Brands and the direct division of PPR (a $12B French luxury goods retailer). At Jump Ramp Ventures, Betancur’s team creates new revenue streams for their clients by taking them online and by revitalizing old products with new sales potential.

In this session, Betancur will cover the eight stages of orchestrating a business turnaround. This will include:

• Properly defining clear, attainable, measurable goals.
• Instilling leadership and responsibility in your subordinates.
• Building an infrastructure that allows your people to explore and experiment within defined parameters.
• Building a culture of build, test, refine and launch.

Take away a step-by-step approach that you can apply to building your own agency plan – particularly if you’re in rebuilding mode.

Despite the challenge of the last year, there are a number of agencies that have experienced significant growth. Beyond just digital service offerings, which many agencies now offer, this session will uncover the fundamental business and business development lessons that can be applied to all agencies. From the strategic plan for the agency to executing that strategic plan, this panel of very different agencies will discuss how they think – and how they act differently – to capitalize on the current economic climate.

Take away best practices that you can immediately begin to apply to your own agency.

If you’re not going in with the attitude of converting the business, you’re not taking the right approach. It’s not “all about ideas” or “consumer insights” in 2010. In fact, you should forget the brief. And definitely forget the agenda. Based on the latest strategies from Mirren’s on-site training, this double-length session will laser in on exactly what has changed in 2010. It follows with the steps you must take to make the kind of impact your prospects will not soon forget:

• Why the client makes their decision in the first 10 minutes.
• The two most important ideas you must hammer home.
• Opening with a bang, then holding them right through.
• Why you should never present spec work.
• The role of analytics.
• How to sell business impact.
• Pitch team members.
• Presentation structure & design.
• Dressing the room.

Note: This is a double-length hands-on working session that begins with instruction. It is then followed with all participants doing a rewrite of their existing capabilities presentation. Coaching and support will be provided.

Congratulations… you won the business! Well, almost. Now you must begin the fee and contract negotiations. Does this process give you stress akin to a day-long root canal?

The Gap Partnership is a global firm that specializes in negotiation consulting. In this session, they will provide cutting-edge strategies and tools that you can apply to secure the best possible outcome from your next client negation. Areas covered will include:

• Getting inside the head of your client (marketing & procurement).
• Planning your negotiation strategy and tactics.
• Understanding competitive and collaborative negotiations (and when each is appropriate).

The Gap Partnership trains and consults with some of the most sophisticated negotiators and will use real-world examples from their work.

The hands-on working session continues from Part One at 10:00am. This double-length session will begin with instruction and be followed by everyone doing a rewrite of their existing presentation. Learn exactly how to make the kind of impact your prospects will not soon forget.

Note: You may not join this session part way through. You must participate from the beginning at 10:00am.

The Mirren team holds a lot of pride for this particular session. Cinquino+co applied lessons learned from this conference, which they credit for helping to completely transform the agency – during the recession. We love the underdog. We love come-back stories, and this is a good one.

Just a few short years ago, the agency was facing massive client cutbacks and no pipeline. The agency’s future existence was uncertain. However with the tenacity of the agency’s president, John Cinquino, the firm managed to stabilize with a loyal team and base of clients. But then, as the recession kicked in, so did their exponential growth. In a very short period they not only bounced back, but have created an unstoppable new business machine. Proactive prospecting is that the core of their new engine. But should they decide to enter a competitive review, their win rate is 75%. In a case study format, Cinquino will cover:

• How crisis stimulates opportunity.
• Looking outside the agency world to realize the need for a new business team.
• How to adapt account planning and prepare to convert the first meeting.
• Total agency involvement from the top down.
• Less is more, quality not quantity is the path to victory.
• How to adapt some of what you will learn at this conference to make it your own.

Each year, we host several top clients as they provide a frank perspective on agencies. What is top of mind for them coming out of the recession? How are they balancing short-term revenue goals with long-term strategic objectives? What does it take to get in the door? Where will their spending increase? Where will it be cut further? Will procurement ever get a grip on reality?

Past panelists have included the marketing chiefs from General Mills, JetBlue, Toyota, BMW Mini, Xbox, GE, Verizon, to name a few.

This year, the panel will be hosted by Peter Krainik, CEO of The CMO Club, an exclusive network of top CMOs. We will be announcing our panel line up on Monday, February 1st. 

In 2010, you must convert every single opportunity that presents itself. But as you know, a “big idea” in no way guarantees a win. Facing competition like you’ve never experienced before and the fickle nature of clients, selling that big idea is a real challenge. There’s nothing worse than receiving the call where you’re told, “Sorry, but you came in… second.”

Based on the latest insights from Mirren’s on-site training, this double-length session will focus in on how to orchestrate the entire final pitch presentation – with the end goal of converting every prospect. Completely new strategies have been incorporated into this 2010 session, including a look at procurement, selling the value of your work, analytics and the mind of the decision-maker. This session will address:

• Why you’ve written your presentation for the wrong person.
• Becoming the prospect’s champion.
• Pre-empting procurement.
• Selling the value of your work.
• Storytelling and dramatic arcs.
• Measurement and analytics.
• Presentation structure.
• Presentation design.
• Visual aids.
• Room theater.

Note: This is a double-length hands-on working session that begins with instruction. It is then followed with all participants doing a rewrite of an existing final pitch presentation. Bring a print-out of a representative pitch presentation to work with. You may also work with one on your laptop. Coaching and support will be provided.

The double-length hands-on working session continues from Part One at 10:00am. This session begins with instruction. It is then followed with all participants doing a rewrite of an existing final pitch presentation. Bring a print-out of a representative pitch presentation to work with. You may also work with one on your laptop. Coaching and support will be provided.

Create a more impactful final pitch approach that you can apply to all of your presentations.

Note: You may not join this session part way through. You must participate from the beginning at 10:00am.

This session will provide a step-by-step overview and guide for creating a social media strategy to build credibility quickly and to generate inbound new business leads for your agency:

• Major Shift in Advertising Means a Shift for Agency New Business Practices
• The 4 Ways Social Media is Changing Ad Agency New Business
• The Benefits of Social Media for Ad Agency New Business
• The Best First Steps Into Social Media
• A 4 Step Approach to a Social Media Plan
• Social Media Best Practices: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogging
• Time Management: How Do I Keep Up with Social Media?

Cutting-edge panelists will discuss what it will take to generate the greatest possible revenue from digital over the next two years. Within the digital world, what are clients most seeking right now? What are the most significant opportunities for agencies? While traditional agencies have been talking the talk for almost a decade now, there has been little progress – as witnessed by the continued shift of work and budget over to the digital world.

Understand more about what these elite do differently - and no matter what type of agency you are, learn more about evolving your agency, your own interactive practice and your approach to business development.

Is there a direct correlation between the size of an agency and its ability to win business? Absolutely not. Each week the headline are peppered about how the larger agencies are having just as difficult a time right now. In fact, there has never been a better opportunity to go after bigger and better accounts. Not only are the larger agencies in a more vulnerable state, but clients are looking outside for ideas. Clients are open to the right ideas, packaged and positioned in the right manner. At the core, is properly organizing and deploying the resources you already have in place.

Learn new insights from the business development consulting and training boutique that has improved the win rate of agencies across the country. This session will look at exactly what it takes to go up against and beat larger agencies in competitive pitching/RFPs and in prospecting.