On April 9 and 10, 2019, everything will revolve around the subject of “Lead Management” in the Vogel Convention Center Würzburg. Because then the marconomy Lead Management Summit takes place. The specialist congress shows those responsible for marketing and sales from medium-sized companies how interested parties, so-called “leads”, can be generated, new customers acquired and existing customers expanded.
The marconomy Lead Management Summit (LMS) has been the meeting point for all marketing and sales managers from medium-sized companies who deal with the subject of “lead management” for seven years. From beginners to professionals – the specialist congress uses interactive formats, cross-sector know-how exchange and practical examples to show how lead management can be used successfully in companies, current developments and trends can be implemented and lead management processes can be optimized.
With a focus on the topic of “Lead Management”, marconomy – the specialist portal for B2B marketing and communication (www.marconomy.de) as organizer of the congress brings industrial companies and experts onto the stage who report on their practical experience. B2B marketers show how they deal with the topics of marketing automation and content marketing and how they have set up the lead process from generating prospects to the point of sale. The main topics of this year’s Lead Management Summit were defined on the basis of a topic survey among the readers of the specialist portal marconomy. The following focus topics emerged, which can be found in the program: Introduction of lead management, touchpoints, social selling, lead qualification and marketing and sales software.
“This is my third visit to the LMS. What do I like about the LMS? For me it is the perfect mix of interactive workshops, exchange of experiences, best practices and the presentation of the latest solution approaches and tools. Every time I go home with a lot of new knowledge and input, which I then implement step by step in our marketing. Participation in the LMS thus has a direct influence on the results of my work, ”says the former participant Isabell Oerder, who is now involved in the program committee.
Program committee: from practice, for practice
According to the motto “From practice for practice”, a program committee made up of lead management users and experts from the B2B area came together to put the presentations to the test.
Members of the committee:
- Isabell Oerder from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
- Stefan Schulz from Brady
- Norbert Schuster from strike2
- Kathrin S. Höne von Rundstedt
- Julia Oppelt from marconomy
“For me, the Lead Management Summit is one of the big highlights of my professional year. But what is really special about the LMS takes place in the background. It is the real and honest focus on the user. Every year we (the organizer and the program committee) look each other deeply in the eye and analyze how we can become even more user-oriented. This year, for example, there were video calls for the qualification of speakers and presentations for the first time. With this in mind, we will continue to focus on quality and user orientation for the Lead Management Summit and continue to optimize it, ”said committee member and lead management expert Norbert Schuster.
Exciting B2B practice cases and in-depth expert knowledge
After viewing the submissions, it quickly became clear to the committee that the program would be practical and that the participants of the Lead Management Summit 2019 would have exclusive insights into current lead management projects from industrial companies.
“In general, the Lead Management Summit is a great forum for being informed about current topics or trends. But it is almost more important to be able to exchange ideas directly with other experts. Through the committee, I can actively contribute to ensuring that the topics cover areas every year that are or are about to be exciting in the B2B environment. Above all, however, it is important to the entire team that the cases come from the marketers from the industry themselves and that they authentically depict practice, ”said committee member Stefan Schulz, confirming this year’s program.
Some of the highlights from the program are the following practice cases:
- The customer journey at Continental: from classic marketing to data science – practical report from the current project
- Experience report: Introduction of digital lead management at trade fairs at Bosch Building Technologies
- Social Selling: With LinkedIn for successful lead generation at SKF
- A lot of “try” and now and then an “error”. Lead generation in the food and beverage industry at Freudenberg
- Video content that moves – how Würth integrates videos into its content strategy
Some expert presentations could also be won for the Lead Management Summit. They show the participants what will be important in the future as well as concrete suggestions for action in various stages of the lead management process.
Some highlights from the expert presentations:
- The roadmap to the perfect lead management strategy from Norbert Schuster
- Update GDPR & e-privacy from Dr. Carsten Ulbricht
- Project plan for the right marketing & sales software selection in medium-sized businesses by Peter O’Neill
- Content Marketing in the Customer Journey: These are the formats that matter from Sascha Tobias von Hirschfeld
Committee member Tobias Eickelpasch also emphasizes the practical relevance of this year’s Lead Management Summit: “What I appreciate about the Lead Management Summit is that it focuses heavily on practical implementation. Anyone who gets an undisguised, honest look at practice approaches lead management differently. I even claim: this is a ‘better’ approach to lead management. The Lead Management Summit helps with an undisguised view of the practical side. “
Exchange of know-how in interactive formats
The exchange of know-how among the participants plays a particularly important role at the Lead Management Summit. This is not only reinforced in the breaks and through panel surveys, but also through a special format in the congress program: the bar camps. In the barcamps, participants have the opportunity to bring their own project with them and develop it further together with other participants and experts. One month before the start of the event, participants in the Lead Management Summit can register for two barcamps in order to secure a place.
Julia Oppelt, Head of marconomy, introduced this format for the first time last year at the Lead Management Summit and so far has only received positive feedback: “Most of all, I look forward to the bar camps, where the participants interactively in a relaxed atmosphere and in small groups – ideally with a cup of coffee in hand – this is how the idea of integrating the unconference format on the LMS came about in the 2017 committee meeting. “
There will be a total of 10 bar camps focusing on different areas of lead management. Here are some highlights:
- Micro targeting using the example of the craft target group
- Voice as a new, authentic touchpoint in lead management
- How innovative marketers can get more leads with growth hacking
- Face Reality: How do I get our leads into the safe sales haven despite isolated solutions?
Live presentation: CRM systems compared with tools
In order to maintain the practical relevance of the entire program, there will also be a tool comparison at the Lead Management Summit this year: CRM manufacturers will present the participants with a specific task in a 15-minute live presentation of the possibilities and functionality of their system. Because choosing the right CRM system is a challenge for many marketers. The CRM is an important basis for the lead management process. We are pleased to have already won the following partners for the CRM tool comparison: Marini Systems, cobra CRM and Grzutck Software GmbH.
From beginner to expert: there is something for every level of maturity
Viewed across the board, the program of the Lead Management Summit 2019 contains a lot of highlights and interactive formats that invite B2B marketing and sales managers to the cross-industry exchange of know-how and advance their daily work.
“I am delighted that more and more B2B marketers are networking with us and are ready to share their experiences with like-minded people. From beginner to expert, there is something suitable for everyone interested in lead management – this is always a great challenge in program creation, but at the same time extremely important for us. Because regardless of the maturity level of lead management in the company, the Lead Management Summit offers learnings and solutions for all levels of knowledge ”, summarizes Julia Oppelt.
