By Al Maag, BMA President
It seems like every president has that 100-day window to figure stuff out. I wanted to give you folks the same commentary I gave our national board at our mid-September meeting, when I took the reins from Gary Slack. My main message is that there seems to be a lot of energy among all of the BMA chapters I have visited, from Atlanta to Chicago, to Denver and Phoenix, and that is generating a wellspring of ideas for the association. That energy is also in our national board, as everyone has signed up for 17 committees that are working on programs that will bring more value to our membership.

For Cindy Humphrey, VP-product and marketing at telecom company CenturyLink Business, an open attitude may be the secret sauce for effective B2B marketing. "My teams sat down and had an open-attitude conversation about experimentation; let's try this in a small area and see how it goes. When you do that, you end up with some success stories," said Humphrey, who was recently named by the Direct Marketing Association as its 2011 B-to-B Marketer of the Year. The award recognizes B2B marketers for their achievements, innovation and leadership.

By Ann Wylie

When my family moved from Oklahoma to Texas in the 1960s, my brother and sister and I were quick to adopt an accent. When Aunt Mary came to visit us from the Midwest, my 5-year-old brother drawled proudly, "I used to talk human. Now I talk Texas." Do you ever feel like that? I used to talk human, now I talk LinkedIn. I used to talk human, now I talk choose-your-company. When it comes to B2B marketing, speaking human - and losing the jargon - can help you get heard.  

BMA Minnesota Chapter Social Media Event
10/18/2011 | Minneapolis, MN    

BMA New York City Chapter Event: Creativity 2020: Prepare Yourself for a Cooler, Smarter World
10/18/2011 | New York City, NY 

BMA Phoenix Chapter Event: Avoiding Common B2B Marketing Pitfalls
10/18/2011 | Scottsdale, AZ

BMA Chicago Chapter Breakfast Seminar: Generational Divide
10/19/2011 | Chicago, IL  

BMA NorCal Chapter Clean and Green Roundtable: VERGE: What's Next in Corporate Sustainability
10/19/2011 | Palo Alto, CA  

SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS> 

Segal: Social media to go 'full throttle' in 2012  

Buckle up. Social media moved quickly from early adoption to proven medium. But it will move much faster from experimentation to the B2B mainstream, according to Rick Segal, president and chief practice officer of gyro and BMA national board member. BMA Buzz spoke with Segal about the rapid growth of social media and other trends that are having a big impact on B2B marketers.  

Industry analysts are a powerful influence on b-to-b purchasing decisions and often help buyers to differentiate from one brand to the next. But, for B2B marketers, cultivating relationships with industry analysts can be a tricky business. A new white paper provides several tips on how B2B marketers can embed analyst relations into the company's communications strategy. The white paper, titled "Analyzing analysts (demystifying industry analyst relations)," was written by Kim Crosby, founder of CustomerClix, and released by U.K.-based technology PR agency Johnson King.

Social media at the service of direct marketing >

Workplace social policy gets an overhaul >

Shifting direct landscape requires quick response >

Sharpen Your Pencils its Marketing Budget Season >

Exploding marketing automation myths for real results >  

Marketing Manager - Nutrition

Corn Products International / National Starch  

Corn Products International, Inc. (NYSE: CPO) is more than just one of the world's leading ingredient solutions providers. We are a critical component of global commerce, and a vital part of everyday life. Our more than 10,000 employees around the world are dedicated to bringing to market the kinds of ingredients that our customers depend on every day.

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