MIB Business Solutions

Next week is Australian Marketing Week and I have received my 'final call for registrations' from the AMI today for the so I should hop to it. Ironically, just like the SAGE-AU conference it will be at the Holiday Inn on Hindley Street which adds to the visual awareness of Club X two doors down. (I am in marketing so I notice these things).

For business professionals who are serious about Marketing and want to learn more then this is a great place to start. You will have the opportunity not just to learn about marketing but also surround yourself with a large number of marketing professionals who also attend these events. I'll be honest, it can be truly staggering how much free and useful advice you can pick up at these events especially if you are just getting your head around all that marketing involves.

So, as a marketing consultant, how do I determine what to attend? When making these choices I go with a plan to attend everything and then eliminate those that are least cost-effective. For me there are three main considerations which lead to elimination of sessions.

In no particular order, the first, is eliminating those things in which I am already skilled and knowledgeable. An example of this is my depth of experience in Information Technology which, in effect, eliminates my need to attend Session 2D for example as I come to my role with a solid understanding of Web 2.0, community building and rapid prototyping. I would suggest however, that this session would be fantastic for businesses that have not yet considered their web presence since Web 2.0 introduction.

The second area of elimination is marketing domains in which I actively choose not to be skilled. Marketing is a gigantic beast of an industry and I am a strong proponent to being an master in your sub-domain rather than being all things to all men. I do not have specialist skills in areas such as the wine industry and export marketing for example. Within marketing strategy I consider the value of direct marketing and sometimes recommend it. However, my role is to link businesses up with reputable direct marketing experts, who are members of ADMA, rather than try to be one myself. So presentations in this field a less relevant to my professional development.

My third consideration is my clients. Of course, some appointments are made in advance and in some cases, I have little choice in time or date due to staff availability. My clients are my #1 focus at all times and this means balancing my professional development, to fulfill their needs in the best means possible, with the need to physically be there and actually get work done. So there are some things that I simply will not be able to get to as I will have client work which needs to take priority.

So, I have browsed my options and these are my personal picks for the event.*

• Master Class - "New Rules, New Ideas"
• Session 2A - Acceptance and Use of New Media with the over 50's market
• Session 2C - A Look at the Latest Online Trends and Customer Acquisition Strategies for Marketers
• Session 3A - Why advertising can't solve every problem. Why communications ideas are better than advertising ideas. Why advertising agencies will be closed in 5 years.
• Session 3D - Recent Developments in Advertising and Marketing Law
• Session 4B - Digital Marketing - Your Role in the Revolution
• Session 4D - How to Build a Business from the Ground Up

* My personal attendance is subject to client needs, however, I am registered so I do expect to be there.

Yes, resource, not resources - I apologise to those at the SAGE-AU conference who wanted more resources to refer to. I am certain that I hold a high benchmark and few things meet my standard when it comes to marketing. I have but one recommended resource for people wishing to learn the basics of marketing but will keep my eyes peeled for anything new that hits the shelves. If you have come across something helpful other than this book then please let me know and I'll look at adding it to my very short list!

It's all happening for MIB Business Solutions this year at the SAGE-AU's 16th Annual Australian System Administrators Conference. It was requested that I present on three different topics. One is already done and I have two to go. Tomorrow I will be presenting on:

• Introduction to Business Analysis Tools
• SWOT then what? Hitting the Sand Hills of Marketing Hard & Fast

Earlier today I presented on 'Strategic Human Resource Management' with the employee perspective in mind. Unsurprisingly, no matter what industry you go to the need of employees for information to develop their careers is in constant demand. The information technology sector is no different.

I geared my presentation about human resource management approaches to help attendees in identifying businesses which may be a match for what they are looking for as well as giving some ideas for questions to ask when at interviews. In amongst the questions asked by so many people afterwards it has also become clear that there is a need for employees to be equipped with approaches to help them gain better outcomes with their current employer as well as preparation for answering non-technical questions in an interview setting.

Food for thought for future presentations I expect.

As presented at the Open Source Developer's Conference 2007, the paper for Capturing Competitive Advantage: What Your Clients Need to Hear is now available online for you reference.