FMI Offers Pre-conference Webinars Leading up to Future Connect

ARLINGTON, VA — March 7, 2011 — The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) is offering a series of webinars leading up to Future Connect, featuring speakers and subjects that will be presented at the leadership development conference. Logging on to these free webinars provides value-added educational offerings for anyone planning to attend Future Connect. (NOTE: Registration for Future Connect is not required in order to participate in these webinars.)

Future Connect Webinars

Thursday, March 17, 1:00 p.m. EST

Shaping the Customer’s Experience: How Humans Drive Sales in a Ferocious Economy

In today’s tough business environment, what the customer feels — the unique, positive emotions engendered by a skilled and dedicated associate — spells the difference between loyalty and indifference. A culture that produces positive customer experiences begins by recognizing the difference between the business and human dimensions of every service interaction. This webinar will investigate the critical factors for building a successful Customer Experience Management strategy.
Presenter: Jeff Becker, AchieveGlobal

Thursday, March 31, 11:00 a.m. EST

Financial Focus on the “Ins and Outs” of Inventory

From the moment a product is purchased from a vendor until the time it leaves the store in a customer’s shopping bag, there are multiple opportunities along the way to impact profitability. This webinar is designed to expand the way you think about inventory. As a result of participating in this webinar, you will:

1. Understand the financial concepts related to inventory


2. See the relationship of inventory to cash


3. Recognize the impact points of inventory on the profit and loss statement


4. Discover ways to maximize profitability with inventory management.

Presenter: Sharon Collins, Catalyst Concepts

Wednesday, April 6, 2:00 p.m. EST

Coaching: Unlocking the Potential of Frontline Managers

Nearly 60 percent of frontline managers underperform during their first two years – and more than 60 percent would rather not manage people. It is crucial that managers understand their responsibility for managing their people to achieve an acceptable return on investment. Learn the six keys to unlocking the potential of frontline managers.
Presenter: Al Rainaldi, Profiles International

Wednesday, April 13, 2:00 p.m. EST

Sneak Preview: How to Make Social Media Sell, Starting Tomorrow

Using Facebook and Twitter to get attention and distribute promotions? Great. But you may be missing the real opportunity — to generate more incremental sales, more often. Get simple, clear tips suppliers and retailers can put to work tomorrow and create tangible results. In this sneak preview of Jeff Molander’s general session at Future Connect, you will learn:

• How two smart brands are creating more incremental sales with tools like Facebook and Twitter (and how you can too)


• Three things you don’t know about social media that will multiply your returns


• Two common social marketing best practices that often do more harm than good

Presenter: Jeff Molander, Molander & Associates

Wednesday, April 20, 11:00 a.m. EST

Optimizing Talent: How to Build Competitive Advantage through Your People

Having great talent aligned to your customers’ needs is the clear competitive advantage for any leader whether they are managing a store, leading a function or a running a large region. Any manager who deals with people knows that the quality of your talent is a key differentiator. In this webinar, you will learn the “ten deadly sins” that stifle your ability to have a talent-rich organization and what you can do to develop your talent to help drive tangible business results.
Presenter: Linda Sharkey, Global Leadership Associates