Of the 9,000 Attendees at ASTD International Conference & Exposition this week a lot of great tweets were flooding the #ASTD2013 news feed on Twitter.  Here is our curated list of the best tweets from #ASTD2013.

Day 1

• #astd2013 what r u best at? What do people come to u for? This is your personal brand statement

• Look at the world around you, not just your corporate environment, when putting a learning strategy together #astd2013

• Wow. Can't stop thinking about @SirKenRobinson - "If ordinary people can find their element, extraordinary things can happen." #astd2013

• Forty years of research says yes, games are effective learning tools. People learn more from games than other types of training. #astd2013

• "Sales people have not been taught how to solve problems. They've been taught to sell product. That's a problem." Tim Ohai #ASTD2013

• #ASTD2013 - The first driver of sales team performance is the quality of their manager, coach well and drive 19% more sales

• Best takeaway from @SirKenRobinson's talk - do what you are passionate about and success will follow. #astd2013

• The bilingual brain reflects a person ability for flexible thinking!

Day 2

• CEOs measure talent management by having the right people in the right place at the right time. #ASTD2013

• 3 Core pillars are Performance Improvement, Instructional Design & Training Delivery. #astd2013

• Explaining need can get people on your side. Win-Win  negotiation #TU318#ASTD2013#appliedImprov

• Learning can move the needle for business agility. via @samuelherring#IL_Blended#ASTD2013

• Don't choose a solution and then decide if it is worth it ... Figure out the value you need and scale the solution to it #astd2013

• If you don't have anything else to learn, lie down and let them put the dirt on you! ~Ken Blanchard #ASTD2013

• People find ways to learn regardless of failure when doing something their passionate about. :-) #ASTD2013

• Feedback is the breakfast for champions #astd2013@kenblanchard

• You can guide people to insight. You have to get someone to look at a problem in a different way - then get out of the way. #TU207

• #ASTD2013#TU306 use social media before class -ask participants to find & post an article or website that supports content that will be taught
  
  
• We learn better when our brain cells are switched on and off, or with short periods of learning and breaks in between. #astd2013

• Mike from Facebook: "People end up creating the job they hate" if you are not careful about saying 'no' to your weaknesses. #astd2013

Day 3

• 2 kinds of classroom instructors: Those who tell people to put away their devices, & those who say, “Here’s our hashtag." #M209 #ASTD2013

• "If you want your people to do tough things, you need your leaders to be at the front of the charge" robert osmond@astd #ASTD2013

• It's not what is taught, but what is caught by the learner! #ASTD2013

• Golden rule for social media - don't put it online if you don't want your boss or mother to see it. #astd2013 @piedmontastd

•  “The moment you stretch your necks (or the back of your legs) you start stimulating your #brain.” Nice! #ASTD2013

• What can I do with that? (WCIDWT) instead of What's in it for me? (WIIFM) @usablelearning #astd2013

• People + trust + effective communication = opportunity #w307

• If youre implementing ROI for the first time, identify managers who will support you #astd2013

• One of many key takeaways. Stop skating to where the puck is instead anticipate where the puck will be AND get there. #astd2013

We had a great time at ASTD if you'd like to connect with Executive Conversation on Twitter follow @buyertalk or connect on  Facebook and Google+

Dedicated HR professionals are committed to helping employees grow and develop professionally.  It’s an important role that’s necessary to make a company run efficiently.  Yet a recent post on CFO.com suggests that helping the company optimize its business results is not of especially strong interest in the HR profession.  According to 2013 State of Talent Manger Report more than 40% of respondents in HR saw their role as something they did not do to help their company maximize profit.   Great HR professionals understand that unless the organization runs effectively – and profitably – talent management budgets will shrink.  The goal must be that they are equally important, and that the right employee development plans improve the company’s overall performance with a solid ROI. The two “reasons” are symbiotic, and strategically aligned in top performing companies

 “I want to help people grow and develop” was the #1 answer for the primary reason respondents where in the HR field, but #2 was “I want to help my company maximize its profitability.”  How can you achieve both goals? Executive Conversation’s build It tool structures a business case which directly links the value of development with performance within your organization. Hit both targets by improving the sales development process within your company and achieving performance at the same time.

SEATTLE, WA –  March 14, 2013.  Executive Conversation, a global provider of business and financial acumen sales training, today announced it has been named to the Training Industry, Inc. 2013 Top Sales Training Companies list for the second consecutive year.

“This year’s applicants represent a competitive group of industry players,” said Ken Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, TrainingIndustry.com. “We see Executive Conversation’s focus on developing business skills as critical for building a strong sales force in what remains a very competitive economic landscape.”

Selection of this year's Top 20 Sales Training Companies was based on the following criteria:

• Industry recognition and impact on the sales training industry
• Innovation in the sales training market
• Company size and growth potential
• Breadth of service offering
• Strength of clients served
• Geographic reach

“We’re honored to again receive this level of industry recognition,” said Suzanne Sheppard, CEO of Executive Conversation.  “This further fuels our commitment to helping clients grow amid the challenges posed by elevated buyer expectations and changing market conditions."

Executive Conversation is also the first and only sales training company to be awarded Authorized Provider accreditation by International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). A universal model for learning process excellence, adherence to the ANSI/IACET 1-2007 Standard demonstrates a provider’s adherence to all aspects of program development spanning design, development, administration and evaluation of its programs.

“The 2013 Top 20 Sales Training Companies focus not only on the quality of training they provide, but also on the impact their programs have on the industry and the companies they support,” said Doug Harward, Chief Executive Officer, TrainingIndustry.com.

View the 2013 Top 20 Sales Training Companies

About Executive Conversation
Executive Conversation, Inc. works with sales organizations to build business acumen for effectively engaging and selling to business decision-makers.  

Fueled by a belief that every employee who interfaces with customers can drive top-line growth, the company’s role-specific curriculum has been delivered in over 60 countries and in seven languages.  Many of the world’s most respected organizations use the company’s integrated framework of online and onsite training to build learning plans customized to their business objectives. 

Executive Conversation is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with a regional headquarters in London.  For more information, visit www.conversation.com,  join Executive Conversation’s popular Linkedin group or follow @BuyerTalk on Twitter.

Contact
Eric Beckman
Executive Conversation, Inc.
Executive Vice President of Marketing and Strategy
ericb@conversation.com  
206.219.1447

Tasked to up your prospecting volume?  Pipeline in need of opportunities?  If that sounds familiar, check out the newly released special report from Industry Gems on the Best Companies to Sell to in 2011 and 2012. 

This recently updated special report for B2B sales professionals identifies a wealth of top companies in their class – and accounts that should be on any sales organization’s target list – such as:

• Top Private Companies
• Top Hospitals
• Top Public Companies
• Top Manufacturers
• Top Banks
• Top Insurers
• And many, many more….

The report is especially valuable for B2B sales professionals who target Fortune 500, Fortune 1000 and Global 500 companies.  Use it to help you identify leading companies that can help you have your best sales year ever!