THE SALES & MARKETING INSTITUTE



The Sales & Marketing Institute is a not-for-profit professional association founded in 1994 to act as an influential voice for stronger, more effective sales management skills and expertise.

The Institute has 4,700 members in Australia and almost 6,600 in seven Asian countries - an integral part in forging a strong representative regional focus** in sales management practice and exchange.  The objective of the Institute is to enhance the standards of management in Australia and to create a similarity in management practice across the Asian region

The Institute has strong links with sales and related professional associations in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, enabling the latest in ideas and practices to be shared with members.  

SMI seeks to consistently challenge precepts and traditions to ensure that management practices continue to represent 'world best practice' at what can be broadly regarded as 'international standards'. 

The strong links in the Asian region have created a unique opportunity to develop a management certification program whichj will bring wide recognition to individual management across a range of countries in the region.  Further details will be announced in late 2009.

Membership in Australia comprises 77% sales management, 23% marketing or sales  & marketing management from almost 3,000 leading companies.  The membership ranges across a diverse range of management - engaged in retail, industrial, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, fmcg, B2B, financial services, automotive, healthcare, etc.

The Institute conducts a range of forums, exchanges and seminars - mostly in Sydney and Melbourne - to invoke fresh ideas, thinking, concepts and practice for management to grow their corporate role and build a strong bridge for their individual career path.

**The Institute is a founding element in the developing Sales & Marketing Institute International with representation in Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and China.


SALESPEOPLE ARE LIKE MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS...



The Institute subscribes to Neil Rackham's view (Rackham is the international author of the famous 'Spin Selling' book) that a salesperson is a vital and integral part of a corporation.  Indeed, Rackham likens the salesperson to being rather like a medical doctor - suggesting the salesperson evaluates situations and provides advice and solutions to a range of important issues contributing significantly to company growth.  Rackham even proposes a future where salespeople may be consulted by corporations to  provide answers and solutions...like a medical doctor.

Irrespective, salespeople in contemporary times are taking on increasingly important roles in the success and ongoing development of companies and organisations.
ELECTED ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Institute has an annually elected committee to assist and advise the management

Mike Cannon
(President)
General Manager
Foodbank & VicRelief

Hilary Lamb
(Vice President)
Human Resources Director
Crossmark Australia

Norman Woodcock
(Honorary Treasurer)
Sales Director
Roy Morgan Research

Phil Atkins
Sales Manager
Manassen Fine Foods

Marita Counsel
Business Development
EGO Pharmaceuticals

Paul Harmer
Director
The Brand Surgeon

Dr Marilyn Healy
PhD Supervisor
School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations
Faculty of Business
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane

Greg Heard
National Sales Manager
Ricoh Australia

Peter Hutchinson
National Sales Manager
Sands Solutions

Craig Scroggie
Vice President & Managing Director
Symantec Corporation

Mark Thompson
National Sales Manager
WAM Australia
APPOINTED MANAGEMENT

The elected Institute Advisory Committee appointed Graeme Orr as CEO in 1995.

Graeme has extensive experience in association management - including being awarded the GOLD AWARD 1994 by the Australian Society of Senior Executives in Canberra and three times keynote speaker at the World Congress of Associations (Vancouver 1998, New York 2001 and Hong Kong 2004)

His past experience includes developing national benchmarks and standards for associations, including;

• wrote and monitored the Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) for the CPA Society (1982-83)
• co-wrote the professional practices for Australian Institute of Management (1986)
• developed the Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) while CEO of the Australian Marketing Institute (1990-94) now the national benchmark for marketing management
• wrote an internal and external Charter for Credit Union Socety
• consulted in the restructure of Australian Corporate Lawyers Association (1995)
• media consultant to the National Institute of Accountants (1996-99)

among others

Graeme has been an active community volunteer and his involvement includes;

• President of United Nations Association of Australia (1996-99)
• President of Save the Children Fund Australia (1998-89)
• Board member UNICEF Australia (1995-98)
• State Chairman of Freedom From Hunger -now merged with Oxfam (1996-98)
• Board member of Metropoilitan Ambulance Board (1989-92)
• Board member Family Planning Victoria (2001-05)
• International Board of Accion International - organisation based in USA, acting like a 'bank' making smalll loans up to US$200 to the poor in Latin American countries, 60% to women

among others

Graeme has been recognised by, for example, the awarding of the 1986 GENEVE PRIZE from City of Geneva), a finalist in the bicentenary Australian of the Year 1988, named an Australian Achiever Awardee 1988 (awarded by then Prime Minister Bob Hawke)  and 'Melburnian of the Year 1989' (Melbourne City Council)