Group to Meet at Annual Summit June 7-10 in Orlando, Florida
April 7, 2015
The Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) is pleased to announce that it's launching a Business Development Community at its annual Summit, June 7-10, 2015, at Walt Disney World's Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida. Business development (BD) professionals in the accounting industry will now have the same opportunity to network and learn best practices from their peers as their marketing counterparts. AAM's BD Community is the first group to address the educational and networking needs of BD professionals in the accounting industry.
The community is open to AAM members who are BD directors, executives, and partners-in-charge of BD for the firm. Managing partners interested in developing an effective and engaging approach to selling the firm's services are welcome as well.
It is being established by seasoned BD specialists in the accounting profession for those who have BD quotas or manage BD, including partners. "We formed a taskforce of very experienced BD professionals to discuss what is needed," explains Mike Bowlan, AAM's board liaison to the BD taskforce. "These sales professionals are excited about creating a community to share, learn, engage and discuss effective sales approaches and techniques with their peers."
Starting Points
Bowlan urges interested parties to attend the AAM Summit. "There will be numerous educational and networking opportunities for BD professionals to enrich their careers and relationships. Besides all of the programs being offered by AAM, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is hosting its Practitioners Forum and TECH+ conferences and the Association for Accounting Administration (AAA) its National Practice Management Conference in conjunction with the Summit. BD professionals will benefit from the opportunity to expand their networks."
Specific programs for the BD Community at the Summit include:
- BD Community Kickoff Breakfast - attendees will be able to help shape the community they desire at this launch meeting.
- Pre-conference BD Sessions - will focus on why BD is gaining strategic traction, integrating marketing and sales, as well as partner selling and sales management.
- BD Track at AAM Summit - courses will include: Leveraging Special Projects to Land Clients, When Your Prospect Isn't Ready to Buy, 7 Sales Habits of Highly Effective Professionals, and Managing Pipelines.
Other Ways to Engage
“There are other ways to engage with this new BD Community throughout the year," Bowlan adds, including:
- BD Quarterly Calls - discuss critical concepts and the related practical applications of issues like metrics, compensation and follow up.
- BD Community Forum on AAM's New Website - share and discuss best practices.
- Thought Leadership - speak and/or participate in AAM webinars on BD topics. Write articles for AAM's Growth Strategies: The Journal of Accounting Marketing and Sales or the AAM Minute. Develop podcasts for the benefit of members of the BD Community.
"These are just the first steps," according to Bowlan. "The BD taskforce is exploring other options to make the community engaging and enriching. Until now, BD professionals had no formal group to discuss issues important to selling accounting services which are different from topics of interest to marketers. Now there is a forum to support people in this line of work."
The taskforce includes a number of well-known business developers in the accounting profession with prominent firm backgrounds, including Wade Clark, president, New Vision Advisors; Jason Delles, director of sales, Moss Adams; Scott Jensen, national sales leader, DGES Deloitte; Jason Jobgen, national cost segregation practice, BKD; Russ Molinar, director, Global Markets, EY; Chris Perrino, principal, business development, Barnes Dennig, and Mitch Reno, principal, chief marketing & sales officer, Rehmann. Bowlan is principal, director of marketing at Brown Smith Wallace.
Interested parties can visit www.accountingmarketing.org, contact Bowlan at 314.983.1207 or mbowlan@bswllc.com, or connect with any member of the taskforce.
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About the Association for Accounting Marketing
The Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) is a national trade association and a one-of-a-kind network of marketing, business development and growth strategists. AAM was formed in 1989 to provide education, community and resources for accounting firms, CPAs, consulting firm marketing and sales professionals, partners, firm administrators, and representatives of businesses offering products and services to the accounting industry and marketing professionals. Call 443.640.1061 or visit www.accountingmarketing.org to learn more about AAM.