Technology Marketing/Sales Think Tanks

SMA is instrumental in engaging marketing and sales executives in thoughtful and provocative discussions about the state of technology marketing and best practices. We invite you to find out what your colleagues are saying.

SMA sponsors and chairs the Marketing and Sales Executive think tank and roundtable events of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). Here are summaries of some of the recent events:

Searching for Marketing ROI

June 16, 2016

And the continuing quest for real leads Our most recent ITAC Think Tank addressed issues facing all technology marketers: how to find increased return on marketing investment with the right mix of digital and traditional marketing tools. Our key conclusions from this event include:  Challenges continue to […] Read More >

The Great Race for New Customers: Navigating Rough Terrain

April 19, 2016

Integration and brevity are key On April 14, 2016, our ITAC/SMA Marketing & Sales Think Tank addressed issues that are front and centre today with technology marketers:  how to balance challenges that you regularly face with the need to find and acquire new customers. We found […] Read More >

Doing More with Less: Making Marketing Dollars Count

February 16, 2016

The Delicate Balance of Digital vs. Traditional Marketing, and Marketing vs. Sales Our most recent ITAC Think Tank addressed issues facing all technology marketers:  balancing new digital marketing techniques with sales lead generation, and balancing the needs of Sales with the mandate of Marketing. Our […] Read More >

Digital Marketing: The Next Holy Grail of Marketing?

December 16, 2015

With digital marketing, the fundamental concepts of marketing still apply. You must know who your target market is, you must know how to reach them, and your message must resonate with the challenges and issues they’re facing in their business.  And if […] Read More >

Customer Loyalty: Best Practices in Customer Retention & Growth

November 3, 2015

In many technology firms, Marketing is focussed almost exclusively on identifying prospective accounts with very little effort on existing customers. Once a prospect converts to a sale, the relationship is primarily managed by Sales. This divide makes it challenging for Marketing to […] Read More >

Tracking Marketing ROI: Mission Impossible?

June 15, 2015

What are the primary reasons tracking ROI is so challenging? Tracking Marketing ROI is challenging for almost all organizations: clearly defining what a touch point is, whether you are tracking activities and/or results, and what is to be tracked in both Marketing and […] Read More >

Sales vs Marketing, Closing the Great Divide

April 28, 2015

  Sales and Marketing have different perspectives, but collaboration, and common objectives will go a long way to creating cohesion. Transparency is critical. The “Farmer’s Field” is an excellent analogy for effective cooperation.  Marketing plants the seed, and cares for the plants while they […] Read More >

Social Media Report Card – Are you getting the leads you need?

March 9, 2015

Based on your experience so far, what is working with social media, and what is not? How is social media defined, used and evaluated within the context of all marketing activities? This ITAC/SMA Marketing & Sales Executive Think Tank was hosted at Avnet Technology […] Read More >

Exceptional Marketing ROI: What's the Secret Sauce?

December 9, 2014

  What elements of marketing provide the best ROI? What role should the sales team be playing for best results? This ITAC/SMA Marketing & Sales Executive Think Tank was hosted at HighVail in Toronto, Ontario by Claude Reeves, Director, Enterprise Sales, Canada, Red Hat Canada. The […] Read More >

Mining for Gold! Best Practices in Contact List Management

October 16, 2014

What are the best practices in managing contact lists? And are there even any "best practices"? Is email still a viable option for building lists in light of CASL requirements? This ITAC/SMA Marketing & Sales Executive Think Tank was hosted at Symantec Canada in […] Read More >