10.19 A Message Do-Over for a Sales Message (LO10.7) Bianca Genova is the VP of sales for a social networking platform called LinkedB2B (see Exercise 10.18 for more background). One of her goals is to increase attendance at in-person networking events for LinkedB2B members. She is currently using Los Angeles as a test market to explore new ways of attracting members to the events. The Los Angeles market now has approximately 2,500 members. On average, just 40 members attend in-person networking events. This is enough to cover costs of the events but does little to generate profits. Bianca believes that by increasing attendance at these events to between 150 and 200 people, the events will help her company in the following ways: they will make the events more profitable; they will make LinkedB2B membership more valuable, and they will increase LinkedB2B's brand value of growing business-to-business relationships. Bianca created a message to attract more members to these events. SUBJECT: Come Network to Find New Business Partners!!! Dear LinkedB2B Members of Southern California! We are so happy to bring you more and better networking events to help you build your professional networks and build your careers. As a LinkedB2B member, you know how important it is to cultivate your networks and find the next great business partner. But, did you know how much difference it makes to not only meet people online but also in person? Our internal surveys show that members who attended LinkedB2B events in the last year say they found three new business partners at these events. Ninety-three percent of these members also say they gained new business insights. We're now going to take our networking events to the next level by making more opportunities for you to find business partners and more opportunities for you to get cutting-edge business knowledge to transform your organizations' performance. Beginning on May 3, we will begin holding networking events every two months that involve a speaker series. On May 3 the speaker will be Jeff Sedgewick, an expert in B2B social media. On July 7 the speaker will be Janna Chen, an expert in B2B ecosystems. Then, on September 4, we're fortunate to have world-renowned author and expert of deal-making and conflict resolution Madison Avery talk about how to get a deal done. Now, all events will include two complimentary drinks and light refreshments. Also, we're adding a new e-introduction feature that will allow you to see who is attending the event ahead of time. This same tool will help you follow up with people you meet at the event. Sincerely, Bianca