ONWARD17: Partner Summit Recap

Registered ONWARD attendees had exclusive access to attend our first annual Partner Summit. Held at the New York Stock Exchange, this half-day event was open to Agencies and Yext Partners offering Yext to their clients, and featured speakers from Google, Snapchat, Search Engine Journal, Convince & Convert, and others who dove deep into the Intelligent Future.

The day kicked off with opening remarks from Yext EVP, Small Business and Partner, Jonathan Cherins, Chief Strategy Officer, Marc Ferrentino, and DexYP CMO, Gordon Henry. Together, the three shared insight into the shared mission to help the world's leading brands and small businesses succeed through Digital Knowledge Managment. Henry specifically shared takeaways from DexYP's transition from print to digital powerhouse, the effect the Dex and YP merger had on SMBs, and how the company ensures success for its clients.

Ferrentino and Cherins shared information on Yext's recent product release.

Henry touched upon the latest innovations to DexYP's products and services.

Convince & Convert's Jay Baer then took the stage to share secrets to delivering customer experiences that compel word-of-mouth marketing. He also unveiled new research about customers' shifting expectations, and what companies can do to satiate them and keep the chatter coming everywhere — online and off.

"Everyone has expectations," Baer says. "You can build your business on exceeding expectations."

"No one says 'let me tell you about a mediocre experience I had.' We are wired to discuss things that are different."

What if there was a way to sell more, in less time, and create competitive differentiation quickly? We recently partnered with sales expert Barry Rhein, who joined Yext SVP of Strategic Partnerships, Joe Marchese at the Summit to share his selling secrets with guests.

"It's all about information gathering," Rhein says. "We need to understand our customers so we can provide them with the right value."

Rhein shared insights into his career of helping sales teams sell more effectively.

We then welcomed Three Things Consulting's Peter Hutto, PatientPop's Joel Headley, Boostability's Jared Turner, and Phocus.io's Clarence Williams to the stage, where they presented on structured data and why SMBs need to care about it. With 3x more searches occurring off a business's website, the three shared insights on how to provide consumers the answers they seek on today's intelligent services.

The group provided guests with key insights into structured data and beyond.

Duda CEO Itai Sadan gave Yext Partners a look at its web solutions and services.

Acquisio's Bill Dinan shined a spotlight on the company's technology.

Following lunch, Partners learned how to future proof their business during the session The Intelligent Future of Your Agency. Moderated by Yext's VP of Agency, Marissa O'Leary, Search Engine Journal's Loren Baker, RevLocal's Aaron Boggs, and Local Spash's Laure Brugnoni Muller discussed how digital services are evolving and how businesses can position their products for revenue growth.

The four discussed how companies can futureproof their businesses.

Partners then learned how to sell the importance of mobile consumer experiences to their small business clients with the help of Snapchat. Yext EVP, Data Partnerships, Christian Ward led a fireside chat with Snap Inc. Director of Revenue Programs, James Borow on how businesses can expand their digital services portfolio by utilizing the social media channel.

Borow shared how small businesses can benefit from Snap Inc.'s products.

Cherins then sat down with TripAdvisor Product Director, Gerard Murphy to discuss how Partners can influence traveling consumers and drive more SMB customers.

"Take the time to respond to reviews," Murphy says. "It will only help with engagement."

The two discussed TripAdvisor's new products, the importance of reviews, and structured data.

The event closed with a captivating keynote from Google's Dave Byrne, who shared how organizations can use use Google to enhance and diversify their digital advertising business. He also discussed the latest Google solutions and product innovations across sales, marketing, and training and shared best practices and testimonials from existing Yext Partners.

"Understanding your customers needs to go beyond demographics," says Byrne. "You need to understand who your customer is as a person."

Bryne shared key stats on consumer behavior and brought the crowd in for a little participation.

For those looking to understand the future of intelligent services and the importance of Digital Knowledge Management, ONWARD was a can't-miss event! A big thank you to everyone who attended including all of our speakers, as well as our sponsors: Verve, Vivial, Vendasta, Pitney Bowes, TrustPilot, Trabon, Tiger Pistol, Tapclicks, Radiu8, Public Reputation, Proofpoint, Mono, emma, Bing, Binary Fountain, SEMRush, Storeforce, Scorpion, Duda, and Acquisio.

Want to get in on the action during next year's event? Stay tuned for more information on ONWARD 18.