The Marriage of Marketing and Profits: How to Make It Work

Entrepreneurial Roundtable

March 21, 2011: 6:30 PM - 8:45 PM

Want to learn practical ways that you can make your business more profitable – on a limited budget? Spend an evening with Jim Kendall, prominent marketing expert and business columnist for the Daily Herald newspaper. Jim excels at finding creative, practical and inexpensive ways to market products and services effectively.

Where

Northern Illinois University - Naperville Campus
Lobby and Auditorium - First Floor
1120 East Diehl Road
Naperville, Illinois

Driving Directions:Take I-88 to Naperville Road exit.  Take exit to first traffic light (Freedom Drive).  Turn south (left turn if coming from the East) onto Freedom Drive.  Go to "T" (Diehl Road) and turn right onto Diehl Road.  Go 2-3 blocks to Northern Illinois University facility (on left across from Hampton Inn).  Take drive to rear of facility to park.

Event Details

A prerequisite of successful marketing is involvement by the owners and leaders of the business. While different aspects of marketing can be delegated, successful marketing requires that the business owners and leaders take certain fundamental steps to establish a basic marketing plan for their business. According to Jim, making marketing happen requires that you, the business leader:

  • Actually know your marketplace, which likely has changed more than you expect.
  • Can explain why customers should buy the product or service you sell.
  • Can articulate your goals for the business.
  • Realize how pricing impacts your marketing strategy.
  • Know the web is important, but acknowledge traditional media sometimes still matter.
  • Are willing to commit time, effort and money to marketing.
In his low-key, practical style, Jim will discuss how small businesses can address each of these key points with concrete examples drawn from Jim’s vast experience in advising small and mid-sized companies.

Jim Kendall understands entrepreneurial businesses and the environment in which they operate. His firm, 121 Marketing Resources, Inc, provides marketing and management support to businesses and banks throughout the Midwest. In addition, Mr. Kendall:

  • Authors a popular weekly newspaper column, “Jim Kendall on Small Business,” that appears Thursdays in the Daily Herald, one of the three largest newspapers in Illinois.
  • Is a judge for the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, part of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago; a member of the Advisory Board at the Small Business Development Center at Elgin Community College; and a mentor at the Center for Professional Excellence at Elmhurst (IL) College.

Cost

$25 for non-Booth alumni $20 for Chicago Booth alumni, students and faculty. $5 discount if you register by March 16th

Registration

Register Online
Save $5 by registering by March 16th

Deadline: 3/21/2011

Program

6:30 PM-7:15 PM: Networking and refreshments

7:15 PM-8:45 PM: Program with Speaker

Questions

Bill Wentz, '88 
Roundtable Coordinator
630.344.1119