October 13 – Private Practice Division – Marketing Anxiety: Bragging with Aplomb – Speakers: Dan Berler, Michael Altman, Gwen Wright, Anne McBride, moderated by Deana Rhodeside

If you work in the private sector, whether as a sole practitioner or in a larger firm, you know that marketing is a fact of life.  And, from a public sector perspective, you know that certain marketing approaches are impressive while others are sometimes, frankly, off-putting.  While excellent past performance is perhaps the strongest marketing tool, how do planners effectively reach out to new clients and convince them that they would be the perfect choice for a project?  How do you effectively communicate what do you do best?  One of the ways is through the establishment of a strong “brand” that speaks to what your firm does well and how this sets you apart from your competition.  Yet, determining a brand that is timely, attractive and accurately descriptive of your practice is a tall order --- one that may require the assistance of a branding specialist. Or, alternatively, are there ways to establish your brand on your own?   This session will explore several different views about marketing, both from the perspective of a marketing consultant, a branding consultant and several private and public sector practitioners who have been exposed to a variety of marketing techniques over the course of their careers.  Come and share your views of marketing techniques that work and don’t work for you in this interactive session focused on a very challenging part of private sector planning practice.