On the Road seminars to be held in 11 Montana cities this summer.
"Understanding the Future Customer" with Jim Oakley
2013 Family Business Program On the Road
The Family Business Program has been recognizing outstanding family run businesses throughout the state since 1994. In 2006, the program was enhanced with the On the Road speaker series. Since then, we have visited a number of Montana communities with presentations of interest to family run businesses. These presentations were well received and attendees suggested that we return to their and other communities with additional topics. Therefore, this year we have made a commitment to helping family businesses find ways to be more successful by continuing our annual tour to 11 cities in Montana.
For more information or to reserve your spot, please call Phyllis Johnson, program assistant, at (406) 994-6796 in the College of Business or e-mail familybusiness@montana.edu.
For the 2013 On the Road flyer, click here.
Tentative Schedule:
Lewistown-May 20: 3:00-5:00 pm, Central Montana Education Center
Glasgow-May 21: 3:00-5:00 pm, Cottonwood Inn
Havre-May 22: 3:00-5:00 pm, MSU Northern-Applied Technology Center -Hensler Auditorium campus map
Great Falls-May 23: 3:00-5:00 pm, MSU Great Falls, B101
Bozeman-May 28: 3:00-5:00 pm, MSU-Strand Union Building, 233 campus map
Miles City-May 29: 3:00-5:00 pm, Miles Community College, 106
Billings-May 30: 3:00-5:00 pm, MSU Billings-McDonald Hall, 355 campus map
Helena-June 3: 3:00-5:00 pm, Helena College - Donaldson Lecture Hall, 125 campus map
Kalispell-June 4: 9:00 am-12:00 pm, Flathead Valley Community College - Arts & Technology Bldg, 144 A & B campus map
Missoula-June 5: 3:00-5:00 pm, University of Montana - Gallagher Business Building, 119 campus map
Butte-June 6: 3:00-5:00 pm, Montana Tech, Frank & Ann Gilmore University Relations Center campus map
Jim Oakley, associate professor of marketing, is this year’s On the Road speaker.Oakley’s program will focus on the changing landscape of customer interaction in the marketplace. This is a time of numerous changes taking place in sales and shopping, most of which has been the result of mobile technology advances in recent years. This technology is here and it is influencing customer behavior, so it is incumbent on the business owner to embrace the technology and address why customers are utilizing it. Rather than fighting the technology and the comparison shopping customers are engaging in, turn it in your favor by providing the information they are seeking—business owners should provide customers with more information, including price comparisons and other relevant information, in the forms in which customers are seeking the information. This information should come from you, rather than have the customer track it down themselves. The program will describe several key changes in the market and examples of successful means of turning these changes in the business owner’s favor.
The program will also include a review of some of the key ideas learned from last year’s Family Business Day award winning companies, presentations from local university or college faculty members, and a community forum to discuss business issues in your community and some of the resources that are available to family run businesses. A representative from the state SBA (Small Business Administration) office will also be available to provide information about their programs and services.
The new version of the On the Road program is the result of discussions held in each community on the tour. We received input from the local Chambers of Commerce, local State Farm agents, faculty members from the local universities or colleges, and business owners and community members, including former winners of the Family Business Day awards. Without their support this program would not have been possible. In addition we would like to thank the sponsors of Family Business Day: State Farm Insurance, the Montana Chamber of Commerce, and Stockman Bank. Their contributions have been critical to the ongoing success of the Family Business Day program.
Please reserve your spot at the event of your choice by calling Phyllis Johnson, program assistant, at (406) 994-6796 in the College of Business or e-mail familybusiness@montana.edu. Upon your registration, we will send you room specifics and an agenda.
