Seminars

St. Louis Business Expo Seminars, April 8
ALL SEMINARS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Kickoff Seminar
10am-11am
Rooms 104-105
7 Ready-To-Use Online Marketing Tactics To Grow Your Business…Now
Interactive marketing expert Tom Ruwitch will share seven examples of proven marketing tactics that he or his clients have employed to close more sales, improve customer retention or generate referrals. Tom has selected real-life examples that you can apply without busting the budget. This is not some theoretical, hocus-pocus. These are real strategies and tactics that Tom has taken directly from his playbook and that you can add to yours.
Presented by Tom Ruwitch, owner of Marketvolt.

Rooms 104-105
11:30-12:20
Email Marketing: Simple Strategies For Success
-What email marketing is and is not.
-Why businesses are using email marketing today.
-The do’s and don’ts of email marketing.
-Best email practices to help you create successful email campaigns.
-How email marketing can teach you what your customers really want.
-How your email can help you GO and GROW.
-Tips on crafting up content for your email campaigns.
-Learn how email marketing can help you “Keep and get more customers.”
Presented by Barry Coziahr, Response! Targeted Marketing. Sponsored by Constant Contact

12:30-1:20
How To Team With Other Companies To Accelerate Revenue
Designed for the entrepreneur, novice and experienced business professionals who operate or plan to operate in the commercial or federal space. Unlike most sessions, this is more than a general or abstract discussion. Joshua Frank, Principal of RSM Federal, will outline the core challenges faced by entrepreneurs and small business owners when you partner with other companies to jointly target opportunities. Focusing on techniques that facilitate increased perception of maturity and capability, we will discuss how to differentiate yourself, your company, and your products/services with techniques and strategies to differentiate from your competition; the most common teaming mistakes small businesses make with larger companies; the importance of business intelligence and how to use it. Also, the seminar will include a detailed discussion of the five functional areas larger companies use to evaluate and select small business.
Presented by Joshua Frank, Principal, RSM Federal

1:30-2:20
Grow Your Business With Email and Social Media Marketing
Many businesses find themselves seeking the right strategies, tools and tactics to make their marketing efforts as effective as possible. But between Facebook and Twitter, email and mobile, deals and whatever new social network is rolling out that month—there’s a lot to keep up with. The number of possibilities can feel overwhelming. This session will help make sense of the noise. Barry Coziahr of Response! Targeted Marketing will show you how to make the most of the combination of email and social media for your organization. You’ll learn what it means to run effective email and/or social media marketing campaigns and what tools you can use to measure the success of your efforts without spending lots of time or money.
Presented by Barry Coziahr, Response! Targeted Marketing. Sponsored by Constant Contact

2:30-3:20
SEO: Being Relevant And Found In Search Engines
A presentation full of tips on how your website can stand out from the crowd and get more traffic from search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing.
Presented by Will Hanke, Strategist at WhereIsMyBusiness.com

STAGE 1
11:30-12:20
Turbocharge Your ROR (Return on Relationship)
Join the Referral Diva, Virginia Muzquiz, and discover six must-know essentials every business owner needs to maximize their networking ROI.
Presented by Virginia Muzquiz, Manager Partner, Referral Institute St. Louis

12:30-1:20
The Conversation IS the Relationship
You've attended networking events, participated in lead-sharing groups, made your phone calls, engaged in social media, sent your letters, joined charities, sponsored golf tournaments, written your blog entries, answered questions in discussion forums and generally worked your butt off to land that all-so-important sales appointment.
The last thing you want now is to screw it up.
Join us on April 8 for "The Conversation IS the Relationship," where Gill E. Wagner will teach you how to interview prospects so you turn every conversation into a relationship, and every relationship into sales.
Presented by Gill Wagner, Yellow-Tie

1:30-2:20
Learn More About Phone Calling And The Art And Science Of Cold Calling
Are you interested in increasing sales and attracting new business. John Eyres, a local cold-calling strategy specialist, published author and publish speaker, will discuss the keys to making telemarketing work to bring in new business.
Presented by John Eyres, President, Business Connections Consulting

2:30-3:20
Getting Your Name In The News
Every business wants to be featured on the evening news or profiled in a local magazine. Jeremy Nulik, PR pro at KolbeCo Marketing, will explain how to make it happen. Jeremy is experienced in both pitching story ideas to the media and getting pitched ideas. Former editor of the St. Louis Small Business Monthly, Jeremy has written for such publications as Alive Magazine, St. Louis Business Journal and Feast. He will provide tips and strategies to help get your company noticed.
Presented by Jeremy Nulik, KolbeCo Marketing

STAGE 2
11:30-12:20
Organizing Social Media For The Busy Entrepreneur
Ed Mayuga, a partner at AMM Communications, Public Relations Marketing & Training of St. Louis, is a keynote speaker on social media marketing and business development strategies. He will provide tips on how to manage, share and market content on social media networks using online tools.
Presented by Ed Mayuga, AMM Communications

12:30-1:20
Leveraging The 4 Proven Marketing Systems To Achieve Explosive Growth
Most small business owners are not even aware of the four fundamental drivers of business growth and it is costing them. Ryan McMullen, Chief Digital Marketing Scientist at St. Louis Marketing Lab, will discuss Reputation, Reach, Resell and Referral and how every business can utilize these drivers to build a better business.
Presented by Ryan McMullen, St. Louis Marketing Lab

1:30-2:20
Cloud Computing, Implications for your Business
Cloud Computing is becoming ubiquitous technology.  Cloud Computing has many benefits, the most important one being low barriers to entry.  No longer must a business undertake a large capital expenditure to access computing resources to run its day to day operations.  No matter what type of business you operate, you are likely getting impacted by Cloud Computing or will soon be impacted by it, as the technology has its footprint in every aspect of business from sales and marketing to even accounting.  Come and learn about the basics of Cloud Computing and how to make informed business decisions regarding this technology.
Presented by Saeed Akbani of Data Dynamics

2:30-3:20
How To Grow Your Top Line By Leveraging Your No. 1 Sales Asset
When you started your business, did you realize you would be the No. 1 salesperson? What are you doing to develop this skill and grow your top line? Learn the 6 keys to sales success for business owners:
-Why do customers buy from you? What makes you unique? Really!
-It’s not selling…it’s helping them buy.
-“Fish where the fish are”
-Do you have a goal? Do the numbers add-up?
-I don’t have time to sell; I’m busy running a business.
-Technology is the magic bullet. You sure? Are you willing to bet your business on it?
Presented by Mike Fischer, President, Peak Performance Business Solutions

STAGE 3
11:30-12:20
Building A Better Business: Lessons From The Mentors
Come spend time with some of SCORE's top mentors who will discuss common challenges they help clients overcome. Challenges that impede their clients ability to grow, to maintain profitability, or to operate efficiently. As part of this session, participants will get a chance to ask their own questions and get expert advice from some of the best business mentors in the St. Louis area. Join us and begin your journey to a more successful business!
Presented by SCORE

12:30-1:20
Building A Marketing Plan That Gets Results
Michele Burghardt, Principal at Mareck Marketing Group LLC and a veteran marketing professional, will share five easy steps every business can take to make its marketing plans more targeted and workable, with an eye on bottom line success.
Presented by Michele Burghardt, Principal of Mareck Marketing Group, LLC

1:30-2:20

Engage Your Target Audiences with Mobile Marketing Strategies
As the digital landscape continues to expand onto mobile platforms, more consumers are accessing online resources with a mobile device. Consumers utilize smartphones and tablets for everything from email management to online purchases, and they expect brands to keep up. Stand out from the crowd by building mobile marketing strategies that effectively reach your target audiences on their devices. In this seminar, Joe Marcallini of SteadyRain will explain why your next business step should be onto the mobile platform. You’ll learn about mobile marketing best practices and how to get your brand started. By outlining tactics that can be customized for all types of small businesses and their respective budget levels, Joe Marcallini of SteadyRain will help you take your first step in reaching your mobile customers.
Presented by:  Joe Marcallini of SteadyRain

2:30-3:20

How Employers Can Prepare for the Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
A full-service benefits brokerage and HR consulting firm, MRCT SmartBenefits™ has provided innovative solutions to clients and licensed insurance agents for nearly 30 years. Having just launched SmartBenefits Marketplace™ as Missouri and So. Illinois’ first multi-carrier private exchange, MRCT continues that tradition, and remains committed to providing a level of service unparalleled in the industry. Benefits plan design, related compliance issues, as well as HR challenges have been a moving target, and MRCT works hard to consistently produce timely, leading edge solutions.
Presented by: Holley A. Maher, President of SmartBenefits Marketplace™ 

EXPO FAST FACTS

-St. Louis Business Expo is Missouri’s largest business-to-business shopping mall.
-Ability to creatively sell yourself and your company to a very targeted qualified audience.
-Great opportunity to market new products, services and technology.
-Excellent ways to get name out and let customers learn about your company.
-An opportunity to meet top executives and business decision-makers in a positive environment.
-Person-to-person interaction. Fantastic selling, prospecting and networking opportunity!
-Best one-day networking available with leads and prospects surrounding you.
-Promotional mentions in the St. Louis Small Business Monthly announcing you as a participant.