ISA Expo: Help, advice offered to system integrators

New or existing automation system integrators will get some help in a series of presentations at ISA Expo. Advice includes...

Houston, TX – New or existing automation system integrators will get some help in a series of presentations at ISA Expo , on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008. Conference organizers offer help with the marketing and sales information needed to increase business.
Developing the System Integration Marketing Plan will be presented by Shari L.S. Worthington, president, Telesian Technology . Worthington says, “Competition is fierce. If you’re not competing with the guy next door, you’re competing with a company across the globe. Today’s successful SI requires engineering expertise and a solid marketing plan. We’ll discuss how to put the marketing plan together– finding and understanding your best customer base, differentiating your company from the rest of the pack, creating a compelling message, generating quality leads, and integrating online and offline marketing efforts.”
Internet Marketing Opportunities for System Integrators will be presented by Vance VanDoren, consulting editor, Control Engineering magazine. VanDoren, editor of the Control Engineering Automation Integrator Guide ,search engines at a fraction of the cost. Examples of particular interest to system integrators will be included.”
System integrators: Closing the Sale will be presented by Scott Sommer, PE, CAP, automation technology manager, Jacobs Engineering Group . Sommer says, “Closing the sale requires making the sale at the first handshake, when both parties are still at‘hello.’ This first meeting sets the stage for every other conversation that will occur until the contract is signed. If not done correctly, the sale is lost.” Sommer explains that systems integrators need to know:
1. When the sale is made, so that it can be closed;
2. When to stop selling (and especially how to stop over-selling);
3. What not to do to avoid losing a sale once it is made; and
4. How to assess when a sales opportunity is un-winnable.

– Edited by  Mark T. Hoske , editor in chief
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