1. Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence
2012 Membership Programs
February 9 Is Selling Dead?: Sales Are Changing Rapidly in the World Today
7:30 am – 10:00 am Marc Miller (of Ohio)
Fairmont Pittsburgh Has the faster cadence of business and technology communication channels made sales
personnel less relevant? Undoubtedly, the paths to new customers, the driving force behind
real and significant growth, have become more complex. You can lead the charge to
transform your transactional sales team into a dynamic and flexible group adapting quickly
to different or emerging buyer opportunities. Marc Miller, a thought leader in the field of
sales today, is the founder and CEO of Sogistics Corporation, a sales productivity
improvement firm and the author of A Seat at the Table and Selling is Dead. Regardless of
your industry, this program will provide your business the tools to win new customers, sell
more to existing customers, and sustain a higher level of sales productivity while
ultimately sending profits soaring. All attendees will receive a copy of A Seat at the Table.
March 14 The Age Curve: Profiting from the Demographic Storm
7:30 am – 10:30 am Ken Gronbach (of Connecticut)
Rivers Club Demographics don’t lie. Sandwiched between the massive but aging Boomer market and
the emerging super-abundance of Generation Y is the much smaller and often
misunderstood Generation X, numbering 9 million fewer people than its predecessors—an
11% reduction in the customer base. By understanding the impact of these shifting
demographics you will be able to position and lead your business in conquering each.
Kenneth Gronbach, an internationally recognized expert in the field of demography and
generational marketing, consultant to small businesses and Fortune 500 companies across
the country, provides an exciting journey of counter-intuitive views into the fascinating
world of shifting demographics that will bode well for the knowledgeable company leader as
he demonstrates that the best days are ahead.
April 24 Wall Street Intelligence: Market Signals That Can Help You Keep Your Business Ahead of
7:30 am – 10:30 am the Curve
Duquesne Club Peter Ricchiuti (of Louisiana)
The stock market is a rich source of information, not only for personal investors but also for
entrepreneurial business leaders who want to increase sales, attract new customers, and tap
into new markets. This member educational program will provide valuable intelligence about
which signals to pay attention to and how to interpret trends related to your industry,
customer base, and suppliers so you can stay ahead of the curve and align your business to
capitalize on emerging opportunities. Presented by Peter Ricchiuti, Founder and Director of
Research for the nationally recognized BURKENROAD REPORTS, with introductory remarks by
Stuart Hoffman, Chief Economist at PNC Financial.
June 7 Summer Signature Social
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Lenzner Farm
Estate
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2. June 27 Cloud Computing: The Silver Lining for Your Business
8:00 am – 10:00 am
Rivers Club Moving critical applications to the Cloud might seem like a scary or daunting task but there
are significant business and technology benefits for those willing to brave the journey. Join
us as Tim Fitzgerald with Matrix Solutions and Mark Talton with Virtual Officeware share
their experiences on how the Cloud is enabling their businesses to grow.
Key Takeaways:
 A clear understanding of how the Cloud can make IT systems more manageable and
eliminate operational redundancies.
 Cost comparisons of Cloud computing versus conventional technologies.
 Step by step instructions for incorporating Cloud computing into your business.
July 10 Let’s make a deal: Negotiation strategies for women in business
11:30 am – 1:30 pm MJ Tocci
Rivers Club Effective negotiation skills are critical to achieving your personal and professional goals.
Whether you want to better leverage the skills you already have, or get past negotiation
anxiety, this program is for you. We will examine negotiation from the unique perspective of
women entrepreneurs. Our speaker will be MJ Tocci, director and co‐founder of the Heinz
Negotiation Academy for Women at Carnegie Mellon University. Guests are strongly
encouraged, so please invite another woman business owner.
Key Takeaways:
 Stronger negotiation skills to help you get what you want for yourself and your
company.
 Tips for identifying negotiation opportunities you may be missing.
 More confidence in your ability to negotiate successfully.
July 17 What’s next? Planning an orderly exit from your privately-held business
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Elliott N. Dinkin
Cowden Associates Your business is one of your greatest assets, thanks to your significant investments of time,
energy, creativity, and other resources. What will happen to it when you are ready to move
onto other ventures? Join Elliot N. Dinkin, president and CEO of Cowden Associates, Inc.,
for a workshop on the ins and outs of exit planning to help you make informed decisions
about next steps.
Key Takeaways:
 Tips for maintaining effective control during the exit planning and execution process,
while the company becomes less “you centric”.
 A thorough understanding of the wide range of exit options, including selling the
company to an outside entity, transferring ownership to the next generation,
offering equity opportunities or ownership interests to the management team
and/or employees (ESOP), selling stocks (IPO), and hybrid approaches.
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3. September 6 Innovate Like Edison: The Five-Step System for Breakthrough Business Success
7:30 am – 10:30 am Michael Gelb (of New Mexico)
Regional Learning Personal success and fulfillment requires you to learn how to think like an innovator, and, for
your business to be successful, innovation is now more important than ever. Thomas Edison
Alliance
was the inventor of the systematic, disciplined process of innovation and creator of the
world’s first Industrial Research and Development laboratory. Each of Edison’s Five
Competencies of Innovation™ will be brought to life with specific, practical “take-home”
applications. Michael J. Gelb is the world’s leading authority on the application of genius
thinking to personal and organizational development. A pioneer in the fields of creative
thinking, accelerated learning, and innovative leadership, he is the author of 12 books on
creativity and innovation including the international bestsellers How to Think Like Leonardo
Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day and Innovate Like Edison.
October 10 Collateral Damage: Is Marketing Sucking the Profits Out of Your Company?
7:30 am – 10:00 am Alyssa Dver (of Boston)
University Club When it comes to marketing your company, the number of options available is often
daunting—social media, tradeshows, blogging, outsourced marketing services, purchasing
customer lists, tweeting, increasing your internal staff… Every company worries if they are
making the right marketing decisions , and ask ‘are we getting the most out of our current
investments of money AND time?’ Alyssa Dver, Founder and CEO of the global consulting
company Mint Green Marketing uses real client examples to demonstrate how you can
objectively assess and realign your company’s marketing to ensure it is delivering real sales
results. Author of No Time Marketing and Software Product Management Essentials which
have sold over 35,000 copies globally, Dver is regularly published in media including Forbes,
BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur and Chief Marketer and Software Magazine. Attendees will
learn how to align their company’s marketing strategy, personnel, and programs; ensure
that the right measurements are in place to ensure revenue and profit growth; and apply
filters to judge if marketing is well thought-out and the best use of company resources.
October 15 More Money Than God
8:15 am – 10:30 am Rabbi Steven Leder (of Los Angeles)
University Club In More Money Than God, his bestselling book of the same title, Leder teaches that money
can be the source of good and the source of evil…it depends. Join Institute members and
YPO/WPO leaders as this special breakfast explores the different paths that will help you
think differently and explore new approaches to “money.”
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4. November 20 Family Building: Preserving Your Family and Your Business – The Biggest Investments of
7:30 am – 10:30 am Your Life
Duquesne Club Ron Law (of Denver)
Oftentimes the entrepreneur or family business leader feels misunderstood. Working hard every
day to provide a rewarding life for employees and family can be a thankless job but both can be
more satisfying by understanding a unique balancing approach developed by Dr. Ron Law,
founder of the Family Building Institute and a serial entrepreneur including several with his
siblings. Ron’s life experiences as well as innovative medical practice led him to embrace that
family wealth is a combination of business success and family non material wealth but the
success of the business can occur at the expense of the family. Dr. Law grew up with incredibly
successful entrepreneurial parents who were the very first to seize the opportunity to develop
children plastic toys in conjunction with blockbuster movies – starting with Star Wars so many
years ago. Family Building begins when basic parenting ends and business success is transformed
for the good of the family and the business.
Accurate as of October 30, 2012
Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence • 412-648-1544 • www.entrepreneur.pitt.edu