The 22nd SIMA Show is just around the corner and there’s no question the schedule is absolutely jam-packed with fantastic events. As the largest trade show in the industry, there’s a lot to see and do at the 2019 SIMA Symposium this year.

Of course, the educational opportunities also abound and are a part of the show you don’t want to miss. The educational sessions carve the way for innovative thinking and new ideas. With 35+ hours of diverse education—which doesn’t overlap with tradeshow hours—you’ll have the chance to choose from some great topics.

With so many exciting possibilities on the list, you might not be sure what to choose. While we don’t think you can go wrong with any of the sessions this year, there were some that really stood out to us as great picks.

Here are the 6 that we’re most excited about at the 2019 SIMA Show.

1. Get a Grip on Your Business: Using the Entrepreneurial Operating Systems (EOS) to Gain Traction

As a business becomes increasingly successful it’s not uncommon for business owners and managers to say they feel like the “business is running them” instead of them running the business. Oftentimes this occurs when there are not high-level systems in place. That’s where EOS comes into play.

EOS®, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, is a complete set of simple concepts and practical tools that have helped entrepreneurs get what they want out of their business. According to EOS Worldwide, the founding company, thousands of businesses across the nation have used the system to generate powerful results. These include soup chain Zoup, paving company ASI Asphalt, Inc., and convergence marketing agency Brogan & Partners, among many other big names.

There are more than 263 EOS implementers including session speaker Bobi Siembieda of Conrad Business Results in Chicago. In this session, Siembieda will talk about the 3 areas that EOS focus on to drive businesses forward: Vision, Traction, and Health. Attendees will receive a workbook that they can take back and implement in their own snow and ice company. The targeted audience for this session is owners, CEOs, and high-level managers.

2. Maximize Sales with the 3Ms: Metrics, Management and Mentoring

Though he’s been a “show favorite” in the past, Kirk Armstrong of Armstrong Sales Coaching has not been to the Symposium since 2015. This year he returns for a session that will help engage attendees in interactive exercises and lessons that will help salespeople and their managers to be more efficient and effective at selling. Armstrong’s session will focus on the 3Ms: Metrics, Management, and Mentoring.

At Include Software, metrics is obviously something that we talk about often. While our landscape and snow management software can assist with effective tracking, we also believe that it’s of vital importance to understand what to track—and when. This session will help develop some clarity around the sales tracking process and therefore strengthen this key area of your business.

Of course, there’s more to sales than just understanding your metrics which is why it’s so valuable that this session will also cover management advice (such as learning how to manage special sales situations or the proposal process) and mentoring advice (which will cover effective closing skills and motivational techniques). Your company’s salespeople and high-level managers will not want to miss it.

3. Know Your Numbers: Metrics to Track to Ensure You Win Every Snow Season

Tracking your metrics is obviously what we’re all about and we really believe in it. By knowing your numbers you can identify strengths and weaknesses and set you business up for success.

That’s why we’re really excited about this session, taught by Ken Hochkeppel who many know spent 14 years as Chief Financial Officer for industry heavyweight Ruppert Landscape, Inc.—so he really understands the importance of knowing the numbers.

Now he runs Enterprise Analysis and helps industry businesses to be more successful. During his session, he will help identify key performance indicators for companies to measure and ensure they are “winning” every step of the way. The targeted audience for this session is CEOs and operations managers.

4. 10 Tips to Regain the Disappearing Act of Communication

Are you a good communicator? If you’re not, then you might be missing out on business opportunities. According to speaker Dave Molenda who will run this session, 85 percent of success in business these days is not due to education, drive, or passion but is due to how well you communicate.

Molenda, who is the author of the book Growing on Purpose and founder of Positive Polarity, a business growth training firm, will focus his session on how businesses can improve communication. The session will include a self-test in which you can grade your communication skills and find out ways to improve them.

5. Structuring Your Company for Maximum Productivity

According to session speaker Danny Kerr of Breakthrough Academy, creating an aligned and defined organizational structure is key to running a profitable and scalable snow and ice management business.

In this session, he will share some of the tools that will help you to create a clear organizational structure for your landscaping or snow management company. The session will include examples for how to create job descriptions as well as processes that will help you hold accountable goals.

6.  Selling to Millennials: Boost Leads, Sales and Satisfaction

Millennials are shaping the future of all business and snow and ice management is no exception. According to session speaker Ryan Jenkins, author of The Millennial Manual and a speaker focused on generational insights, millennials buy differently from other generations.

That could make your company’s sales approach ineffective with this audience. In this session, Jenkins will discuss an effective sales script with Millenials including how to exceed their buying expectations, win their business, and secure “lasting loyalty.”

Plan Ahead for the SIMA Show

There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of great educational opportunities at the 2019 SIMA show and if you’re like us, then you’re probably starting to get excited with the announcement of this year’s lineup, we think that there is a lot ot look forward to.

Of course, if you’re going to get the most out of it, we would advise that you take time to plan ahead. Knowing in advance which sessions you plan to attend will make sure that you don’t miss anything. Spend time on the show’s website to start figuring out your plans.

In addition to the educational sessions, we also recommend that you fit in plenty of opportunity to network. The Snack & Chat roundtable discussions, for instance, are a great opportunity to discuss relevant topics with other professionals while also enjoying lunch.

We’d also advise that you never go out to dinner alone. Some of the best networking often happens after the SIMA show hours are officially over when you have a chance to talk to other business owners and bounce ideas and questions off of one another.

Include Software at the SIMA Symposium

If you’re planning to attend the SIMA show, we’d also love to have you stop by our booth, which is #625 on the show floor. We’d love to hear about the challenges you’re facing at with landscaping or snow management operations and discuss if Asset, our new iKPI dashboard product, our client portal, or our new enhancements to iCREWtek can help you run a more profitable business.

We look forward to seeing you there!

After all, that’s a big part of what the show is all about—the opportunity to connect face-to-face. We hope that you’ll stop by and say “Hi!”

If you want to find out more about Include Software, let’s explore and see what Asset can do for you.

Image source: SIMA Snow & Ice Symposium Logo, Neave Group