This event is brought to you by Wildfire in partnership with Elevate Rapid City. 

This 90-minute workshop is designed to help entrepreneurs create and optimize a robust sales and marketing funnel tailored to their business. Participants will learn how to attract, engage, and convert customers through a strategic and data-driven approach. The session includes practical exercises, real-world examples, and actionable strategies to implement immediately.

Key topics covered include identifying target audiences, building awareness through marketing channels, nurturing leads, and streamlining the conversion process. By the end of the workshop, attendees will have a clear understanding of how to align their sales and marketing efforts to drive growth and improve customer acquisition.

Key Takeaways:

1. Understand the Funnel Stages: Gain a clear understanding of the stages in the sales and marketing funnel—Awareness, Interest, Decision, and Action—and their role in customer acquisition.
2. Target Audience Insights: Learn techniques to define and refine target customer personas to improve the effectiveness of outreach efforts.
3. Channel Selection: Identify the most effective marketing channels (e.g., social media, email, content marketing) for driving awareness and engagement.
4. Lead Nurturing Strategies: Explore best practices for guiding leads through the funnel using personalized content, email campaigns, and follow-ups.
5. Analytics and Optimization: Learn how to measure funnel performance, identify drop-off points, and optimize the process for higher conversion rates.
6. Practical Framework: Leave with a step-by-step plan for creating a sales and marketing funnel customized to their business model.

This workshop equips entrepreneurs with the tools and strategies needed to build a funnel that drives consistent results, helping them grow their customer base and scale their business.

About the Speaker:

Mike Vetter

Mike has spent his entire career building software companies. He started his first software company out of his parents basement in college, and since that time has helped found, grow, and sell 6 SaaS companies. 

During his years building businesses, Mike has personally worked on each aspect of building a software company – marketing, sales (yes including cold calling), product architecture and development, and operations management, fund raising, and everything in between.

Mike earned a BS in Computer Science & Information Security from Dakota State University in Madison, SD. Mike is based in Brandon, SD with his wonderful wife and four children. Mike loves overlanding and backpacking with his kids in the most remote places. This is probably because Mike was born in Canada where wilderness is everywhere.

Aaron Grinager

Aaron is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in healthcare administration, manufacturing, and higher education.  Aaron is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and during the past eight years of adjunct teaching in innovation and entrepreneurship at SD School of Mines and Technology, he has encouraged numerous students to develop creative business ideas and assisted them in preparing for various business plan and pitch competitions. 

Aaron earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from SD Mines and an MBA from the University of South Dakota.  He has spent the past 18+ years working for the federal government, emphasizing process-based thinking in developing, deploying, and improving national programs to deliver benefits to veterans.  Before that, he worked for 9 years with various manufacturing companies in quality assurance, supply chain management, industrial engineering, and production supervision roles.  Aaron is also a veteran of the South Dakota Army National Guard. 

With a keen eye for identifying opportunities and an obsession for driving improvement, Aaron has played a pivotal role in the success of multiple organizations. His strategic thinking, strong leadership skills, and ability to foster collaborative relationships make him an invaluable asset.  

Aaron lives in Rapid City, SD with his wife and 3 children.  He enjoys fishing, golfing, and swimming. 

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