About Team News

Oct 12, 2009  Using Social Media for B2B Lead Generation: SVAMA hosts industry experts

How can marketers feeding a sales force use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging as a direct method for lead generation? The topic of using social media as a B2B marketing tool is still being investigated today. At a Silicon Valley Marketing Association event on October 22nd, David Meerman Scott, author of the best-selling book, New Rules of Marketing and PR will join panelists Brian Halligan, CEO of the award-winning marketing software startup, HubSpot, and new author of Inbound Marketing, as well as Mike Linton, most recently the Chief Marketing Officer at eBay and former CMO at Best Buy, and Lilia Shirman, Managing Partner and founder of The Shirman Group.

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July 19, 2009  B2B Companies Increasing Investment in Industry-Focused Activity: Shirman Group Benchmarking Study Explores Industry Specialization Practices by B2B Vendors

The Shirman Group, a strategy consultancy specializing in B2B technology revenue growth, has released the highlights of the findings from its Industry Specialization by B2B Vendors Benchmarking study.  A key finding is that despite the slowed economy, companies are continuing to increase investment in industry-specialized functions.  More details about the study.

March 12, 2009  SVAMA Entrepreneurial Marketing Panel to Discuss Best Practices for Propelling Great Ideas into Successful Businesses

Lilia Shirman, Managing Director of The Shirman Group will lead a panel discussion to explore best marketing practices of some of the most exciting startups in history, and how new ventures can prosper in the current economy.  The panel will also include Donna Wells, CMO of Mint.com, Kimber Lockhart, CEO Increo Solutions, and TJ Scimone, Serial Entrepreneur who leads Slice by Karim, partybeans.com.  

In this exciting 1.5 hour panel discussion we’ll hear from experts in different industries and stages of their start-up ventures to learn what marketing tactics have worked (and not worked), and identify some key takeaways that you can put to use immediately in your business!  Register to attend here.

February 16, 2009  Sales and Marketing Leaders Share Strategies for Driving Revenue in a Recession with Entrepreneurs at TechChoire

VC’s and Angels are sitting out deals, waiting to see where the economic crash will take us in 2009.  To fuel their companies, entrepreneurs must become more effective at generating revenue and cash flow without investment capital.   Unfortunately, the unstable economy has made that difficult, too.  What does it really take to be heard over the noise to create customer interest?  How can you convince customers that are cutting back on spending to spend on you?  How can you execute effective sales and marketing efforts on a shoe-string?

This panel of battle-proven sales, marketing, and business execs will share their best practices and experiences.  Whether you’re bootstrapping, or trying to stretch the funds from your last round, you’ll want to hear what worked, and what didn’t, in getting the revenue machine started.  Panelists include Rajat Paharia, CTO and Founder of Bunchball, Igor Shoifot, COO and Founder of Fotki.com, Vadim Rosenberg, Director, Telecommunications Marketing at CA, and Lilia Shirman, Managing Director and Founder of The Shirman Group.

Discussion topics will include:

• Maximizing sales and marketing effectiveness on a tight (or non-existent) budget

• Differentiating your company from all the other vendors claiming to have great technology

• Building credibility with large accounts, or attracting a large consumer user base

• Identifying and reaching key decision-makers

• Mistakes to avoid when pitching your product or service 

• How to evaluate sales people you are hiring, and motivate them to join your cause