Experiential Manager (Senior Account Manager)
January 2004 – March 2005
PGI, INC. - Chicago, Illinois
Reason for leaving: Downsized for sale of company
 
PGI is a full service event and communications agency concentrating on five areas of expertise - Creative and Production Services, Interactive Services, Exhibition Services, Meeting Services and Destination Services.

• Responsible for targeting, penetrating and closing new business.

• No quota was established.  Pipeline growth in the first 12-months was in excess of $5 million dollars.

• Expected closed revenue to be in excess $3.3 million dollars in new target industries that included financial, consumer products, and cosmetic industriess.

• Managed a national sales meeting that grew to over 300% of its original expected revenue dollars, and from one to five executive producers to support the project in just a two-week turnaround.  Served as client’s advocate throughout the production process and oversaw the relationship between the client and the internal team.

• Leveraged resources as a full-service brand communications agency and best practices to deliver fully integrated experiential communication services including communications strategy, meetings and events, consumer promotions, interactive media, exhibitions, and meeting services.  

Director of Business Development
January 2002 – August 2003
VMS, Inc. – Chicago, Illinois & Parsippany, New Jersey
Reason for leaving: Closed Chicago office
 
VMS, Inc connects people, places and ideas through meetings, events and interactive media for Fortune 500 companies.  They offer strategic planning, developing quality content through an evidence-based medicine approach, and logistics to medical marketing initiatives of Fortune 500 pharmaceutical, healthcare and biotech companies.

• Working with the CEO, was driving force in developing and managing rebranding process to better articulate companies’ offerings.  Created new messaging, managed the marketing materials, and collateral support for the entire company.

• Created and launched a sales process that would ultimately drive high growth for both brands of VMS.

• Drove the planning, execution, and development of all new accounts for both domestic and international opportunities.

• Delivered measurable results by closing business with top two targeted key accounts in less than 3 months.  Sold over $500,000 dollars in first 12-months.

• Developed, introduced, and trained Executive Team and Account Managers on strategic approach to sales process. 

• Developed a pipeline of new prospects, created “dashboard” report for efficient reporting, developed and organized contacts and prospects databases, trained on basic selling skills, developed proposals and contract templates to ensure consistency, developed contact management process, and trained on prospecting techniques.

• Prospected and qualified new clients within each key account from both a strategic and tactical level.  Served as primary contact with both senior level management as well as key stakeholders in tactical purchases targeting Fortune 500 companies. 

• Developed and leveraged numerous alliance partnerships to enhance company offerings, bring additional services and support to our clients with value added services, and promoted networking opportunities.

Senior Account Manager
November 2000 – October 2001
Jack Morton Worldwide – Chicago, Illinois
Reason for leaving: Downsized

Jack Morton Worldwide – Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., a brand communications agency that helps over 250 companies around the globe inspire their most important audiences through live meetings, events and targeted experiences that are set in both physical and electronic environments.

• Delivered measurable results by establishing executive relationships with nine new accounts in less than 10-months when company average was less than two new accounts per account manager.  Penetrated two accounts that had eluded the current company sales team during the past several years.  Managed a national sales meeting worth close to half-a-million dollars in the first three months of employment while significantly expanding the relationship with client to include their executive team.  And, salvaged an unmanaged legacy account worth close to $1 million dollars.

• Leveraged resources as a full-service brand communications agency and best practices to deliver fully integrated experiential communication services including communications strategy, meetings and events, digital media, learning, environments, video, graphic and print design, and lead generation services.

•  Generated revenues by managing and developing existing relationships by taking an unmanaged, negative client relationship worth close to 1 million dollars who had removed our company from bid consideration to awarding us new business and client commenting “you bring enormous value to your team”.

• Served as client’s advocate throughout the production process and oversaw the relationship between the client and the internal team.  Committed to identifying and understanding the project’s strategic business objectives ensuring that client’s concerns were addressed, open communications were fostered, and business goals were met.

• Prospected and qualified new clients within each key account from both a strategic and tactical level.  Served as primary contact with both senior level management, as well as key stakeholders in tactical purchases targeting Fortune 1000 accounts. 

Major Account Manager
June 2000 – November 2000
e2 Communications – Chicago, Illinois
Reason for leaving: Company Closed

e2 Communications is a dot.com company that focuses on bringing innovative email marketing to Fortune 1000 companies.  e2 is one of the first in both the US and UK to have a strong email marketing presence.

• Generated measurable results by winning sale from competitor and closing my first sale in the first two weeks of employment prior to corporate training, by developing a new four state-territory and created a 500-business pipeline in 90 days.

• Developed four-state territory from ground up for an Internet start-up firm.  Serve as primary contact with senior level management in target accounts to sell a comprehensive suite of services and applications designed to maximize marketing programs and presence on the Internet.

• Developed territory business plan adopted by manager including email letters, phone scripts, and compensation planning spreadsheet.

• Coordinated proposal process including data applications, custom applications, and reseller applications.

• Technology savvy able to communicate with senior level management and staff to show how technology can help build customer loyalty, and long-term personalize E-business relationships from the application side.

• Community technology presentations used to educated chamber of commerce’s, and community organizations on the industry of email marketing and commerce-commerce trends.

Strategic Account Manager, Growth Markets Division
February 1998 – June 2000
AT&T – Oak Brook, Illinois
Reason for leaving: dot.com opportunity

Domestic and international voice and data applications. Growth Markets Division was a full-suite of services offerings which included: Voice included local, long distance, teleconferencing and wireless; Data: included Web hosting, electronic-commerce, frame-relay, MIS, private line, and videoconferencing.

• Achieved over a 123% client growth rate by cross-selling the firm’s entire capabilities. Achieved acquisition sales goals by meeting over 100% of 1999-2000 sales objectives.

• Served as primary contact with senior level management and performed retention activities, including negotiating new contracts, informing clients of new technology and services, expanding relationships via cross-selling the firm’s entire capabilities, and mediating conflict resolutions.

• Prepared customer business reviews. Prospected and qualified new customers-concentrating in dot.com and hyper-growth companies, identified needs, prepared business solutions plan, directed the customer presentation, prepared contracts, closed sales, oversaw implementation processes and manage the initial engagement.

• Coordinated proposal process, including domestic and international voice and data applications. Voice included local, long distance, teleconferencing and wireless.  Data included Web hosting, electronic-commerce, frame-relay, MIS, private line, and videoconferencing.

• Motivated others towards goals through Mentoring Achievement and Assignment which required being in an Account Manager title for more than nine months, consistently meeting quota, having demonstrated leadership potential, and was highly rated in a significant number of competency areas. Noted for the ability to build confidence in others, motivate others towards goals, and provide professional growth and development advice through one-on-one training. Mentor since January 1999.

Founder and Marketing Director
September 1994 – November 1997
Greim & Company, P.C. – Bloomington, Illinois
Reason for leaving: Company sold

• Participated in business plan and marketing strategy development for a start-up accounting firm.

• Exceeded projections in annual sales by reaching nearly $600,000 in less than one year and expanded to three locations in the same period to accommodate growth.

• Created go-to-market strategy and corporate image program.  Managed the brand that included communication strategy, collateral design for print, and direct mail, as well as managed media purchasing.

Christine G. Wren Resume