ICON - Session Information

Keynote Address: How to Align Your Marketing Strategy with Buyer Behaviour Presented by Green Hat

APAC buyers are changing the way they research, evaluate, and purchase B2B solutions. Did you know that buyers don't engage with sellers until they are 73% through the buyer journey? And that 82% of the time the seller that wins the business is the first one contacted?

To succeed in this dynamic market, you need to embrace the change and align your marketing strategy with buyers' needs and preferences. Green Hat, a marketing consulting agency that shifts the narrative for B2B businesses, will share their insights from a landmark study of 733 APAC organisations, conducted in conjunction with the 6sense research team and incorporating supporting evidence from Gartner, Bain & Company, and LinkedIn.

Join this keynote presentation to find out how to get in front of buyers sooner, engage them throughout their journey and win more business.

Session 1: Leadership and Team Resilience: Fostering a Resilient Workforce

This workshop will be structured to provide a comprehensive understanding of resilience in the workplace and why it's so crucial for everyone, regardless of their role or experience level.

An introduction to what resilience means in a professional context and its importance for personal and organisational growth.
Tips on how to build the mental and emotional strength needed to handle professional hurdles.
Whether you're leading a team or looking to self-lead, we will provide strategies that can be applied to guide yourself and others through times of uncertainty and change.

Session 2: Global Insights and Trends in Professional Services

Panel discussion on how international exposure has contributed to the panellists' personal development, broadened their cultural understanding, and enhanced their professional expertise.

The session will delve into the latest trends in professional services across different regions, including shifts in client expectations and service delivery models.
Attendees will learn about innovative practices and strategies in marketing, BD and pursuits that have been successful in overseas markets and how these can be adapted and implemented in their own firms.
Panellists will share the challenges they faced while working abroad, including cultural, linguistic, and operational barriers, and how they overcame them.

Session 3: Mastering Influence and Embracing Change

BDMC professionals can be great catalysts for change in professional services firms. As such, it is critical to master effective change management and influencing skills are critical to master.

For senior leaders, these skills go to impacting the size, shape and impact of your BDMC team as well as affectively effectively rolling out new initiatives and change projects across the business. For more junior team members, it’s learning to be impactful within changing and agile environments.

This panel discussion will delve into the dynamics of embracing change and affecting change throughout your career. The panel will delve into areas such as:

Influencing investment by communicating your team's impact within the organisation, showcasing the return on investment of teams and initiatives, elevating perceived value
Articulating the value proposition of new initiatives, linking them to the firm's strategic objectives and the bottom line
Strategies for leading and influencing BDMC-led change and transformation projects throughout a business
What you can do both as a senior leader, and, a more junior team member to lean into change
How stepping into the gap can lead to new and unexpected career journeys

You will hear from seasoned professionals who have successfully impacted change in their firms, assumed new and sometimes unexpected responsibilities, reinvented their roles in response to change and navigated career transitions.

Session 4: Crafting Compelling Content

Every marketing plan calls for ‘content’, but what does the term mean today? Why is it so important? And what’s the best way to get it done and out the door?

In this session, Editor Group founder Grant Butler will invite two industry practitioners to share their views on content strategy, production and distribution, including the impact of AI.

They’ll also delve into how audiences are engaging with content and thought leadership specifically, which is central for professional services and tech organisations.

Session 5: Cultivating Enduring Client Partnerships: Strategies for Growth

In the competitive landscape of professional services, successful client relationships are critical to achieving long-term success. This interactive discussion will delve into the core strategies that can embed exceptional client experience within your firm, ensuring growth, development and maintenance of client relationships.

This session will feature seasoned industry experts who will share their insights, experiences, and best practices. The session will encourage audience participation, with many opportunities for Q&A.

This session will:

Explore how to strengthen connections with clients through personalised interactions and proactive communication.
Review real-life examples of how firms have successfully integrated client feedback to enhance their service offerings.
Look at how sales and CX work together and which other metrics of success firms use.
Discuss how to use data to inform retention strategies and adjust them for maximum impact.
Understand the concept of Client Lifetime Value (CLV) and how it can be used to measure the long-term value of retention efforts.
Explore methods for quantifying the return on investment for marketing and business development CX activities.

Attendees will leave this session equipped with actionable insights into how to foster robust client relationships that stand the test of time. They will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of client feedback and the impact of retention strategies on the firm's financial health tools and knowledge necessary to drive their firms forward in a client-centric manner.

Session 6: Leveraging Technology for Competitive Advantage

During this interactive and engaging session, we will delve into the dynamic landscape of technology in the context of the evolving world of professional services. The focus is on harnessing the power of technology to not only adapt but also thrive amidst the changes that define the 'new normal'. We will navigate through the compelling narrative of a forward-thinking BD & Marketing professional who exemplifies resilience and innovation by leveraging cutting-edge tools and strategies to drive growth for a professional services firm.

The session will cover:

1. Adaptability in Action: Learn how to embody adaptability by understanding the role of technology in transforming BD & Marketing practices. Discover how to pivot strategies and embrace innovative tools that align with the shifting demands of the market.

2. Technology as a Catalyst: Gain a comprehensive view of the technological advancements that are setting new standards in professional services. From AI to integrated opportunity management, see how these tools can be harnessed to create a competitive edge and drive sustainable growth.

3. Benchmarking for Success: Benefit from the insights of the 2024 Tech-Powered Growth in Professional Services Survey. Use this benchmarking data to evaluate your firm's position relative to industry standards and identify areas for improvement and investment.

This session is an impetus for professionals to not just adapt to change but to lean into it, to find the silver linings in the challenges, and to emerge stronger, more agile, and more innovative. It's about finding potential in the new normal and transforming it into tangible growth through the power of technology.

ICON thanks our Sponsors

Gold Sponsor:

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Cocktail Party & BDMC Lunch Sponsor:

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