New URI Men’s Basketball Coach Added to Speaking Program at RIBX 2012

Newly appointed University of Rhode Island Men’s Basketball Coach Dan Hurley will share his keys to motivation and achievement with audiences at the RIBX 2012 when he takes the stage at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 3 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. This will be Hurley’s first public appearance in Providence, Rhode Island since being named the 19th head coach at URI in March. The event is free to the public with a business card.

Highlighting the importance of motivation and teamwork, Hurley’s high level presentation will provide attendees with tips that can be taken from the basketball court to the office.

“We are truly excited to provide the opportunity for Coach Hurley to talk about how he has been able to inspire student athletes both on and off the court to succeed,” said Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. “There is no doubt that his presentation and message of focus and dedication as tools of development will certainly resonate with audience members representing businesses both large and small at RIBX.”

Hurley comes to URI after a two-year stint at Wagner College. Prior to Wagner, Hurley had a standout career as head coach of Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School, where he built the New Jersey school into one of the top high school basketball programs in America. He is the son of Hall of Fame high school coach Bob Hurley and younger brother of former Duke and Sacramento Kings guard Bobby Hurley, who will join him on the coaching bench at URI.

Which Sales Channel Is Best?

By Bob Mannal and Dick Lush -Fire Alarm Marketing

Bob Mannal

One definition of a sales channel is that “it is the pipe through which a producer’s product flows to the user.”  Like all pipes it can be straight, crooked or have many branches.  And reflecting today’s new technologies the pipe can reflect a flow of information in two directions.

Dick Lush

Which channel is best for your business?  As with all such broad questions the immediate answer is “It depends.”  It depends on how your customer wants to buy, the price and complexity of your product, the length of the buying cycle and a myriad of other intertwined elements.

The most common channels today are:

• Direct, where a company’s sales people interact directly with the buyers
• Indirect, where a company sells to distributers, who in turn sell to either other distributors or buyers
• On-line, where the buyer contacts the company directly over the Internet

And, once a company decides on its main distribution channel, secondary or alternative channels often spring up.  Managing the relationships that arise due to multiple channels of distribution is a difficult and time consuming process. The failure to pick the right channel can result in business failure, as key buyers are missed and competitors swoop in and win sales.

Sales channels or Distribution is one of the classic “4 P’s” (Product, Place, Promotion, Price) of Marketing.  Dick Lush and I have over 50 years of experience in Marketing and will be discussing Sales Channels at 2:30 in Platform A at RIBX, and look forward to answering any questions you may have.

Walk the Small Business Resource Avenue at RIBX

RIBX 2012 will feature a new destination area — the Small Business Resource Avenue.

The area was created specifically to bring together city, state and federal agencies to provide the necessary information businesses need to start, expand and sustain their operations.

We want to make it easier for show attendees and other exhibitors to find small business help, mentoring, resources and solutions in one place on the Show Floor . Companies will have access to a range of programs and services on important business topics including government procurement opportunities, financing, insurance, taxation, licensing requirements, trade, business planning, etc.

Visit the following companies located in the Small Business Avenue (Booths 1124-1133 )

Better Business Bureau

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Providence Economic Development Partnership

R.I. Department of Labor & Training

Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation

RI Small Business Development Center

RIPTAC

Secretary of State Ralph Mollis

The Providence Foundation

US Small Business Administration