Virtual Shred School Curriculum & Agenda
Shred School® is the premier sales training program for secure data destruction professionals, hosted by i-SIGMA®. During each workshop attendees will dive into the secure destruction industry including actionable steps to improve business, sales best practices, marketing insights, data protection legislation, association program opportunities, and much more.
Please Note: This is the curriculum for the VIRTUAL three-day Shred School event, being held Wednesday – Friday, 26-28 October. To learn about the curriculum for the live event being held in Chicago, please visit this page instead.
Pre-Event Add-On: Special Triple-Session for Newcomers
An Industry Introduction (Regulations, market Mix, Industry, Association Outlook, etc.)
Tuesday, 25 October @ 2:00 PM EST
- The history of the secure destruction industry
- Key industry concepts
- The evolution of and current thinking on sales and marketing
- An understanding of the key players and market segments
Co-Presenting this Session
- Ray Barry, Shred America
- Kelly Martinez, i-SIGMA
What You Need to Get Started and When
Tuesday, 25 October @ 3:00 PM EST
- The pros and cons of various service platforms and types of media destruction
- Options for maximizing the sale of recyclable media post-destruction
- The difference in the types of containers supplied to clients
- Operational best practices
Panelists for this Session Include:
- Jim Beran
- Rob Gianini
- Jay Lankford
An Introduction to Selling Information Destruction
Tuesday, 25 October @ 4:00 PM CDT
- The pros and cons of various service platforms and types of media destruction
- Options for maximizing the sale of recyclable media post-destruction
- The difference in the types of containers supplied to clients
- Operational best practices
Presenting this Session
- Ray Barry, Shred America
Main Event – Virtual Shred School 2022
Day One – Wednesday, October 26
Welcome to Shred School 2022 and The Top 10 Mistakes Information Destruction Companies Make
Wednesday, 26 October @ 8:00 AM CDT
Join us for the kickoff to this year’s Shred School! This Welcome Session will be full of introductions and give an overview of what you can expect. You’ll receive session previews, and we’ll discuss how to get the most out of what you learn during this time. We’ll also dive into current industry trends, best practices, and what you need to know to stay ahead. Welcome to Shred School 2022! This is the beginning of amazing new opportunities!
Also, receive a comprehensive “fresh” overview of the secure data destruction marketplace. The session outlines the historic landscape of information destruction and the top ten mistakes to avoid in the industry for 2022 and beyond. Attendees will leave this session with a thorough understanding of the interrelationships between the factors and players that influence the secure destruction world and the potential pitfalls for industry veterans and newcomers.
Presenting this Session
- Ray Barry, Shred America
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Generating Inbound Web Leads
Wednesday, 26 October @ 9:00 AM CDT
I bet you know someone pretty well before inviting them into your home. Typically, you know their name, a little bit about their family, where they work, perhaps attended school, and all sorts of other information before the invite is extended. That’s generating an inbound lead! During this presentation, attendee’s will cover CRMs, social media, email, automation, and how to make your website your best performing sales professional.
Presenting this Session
- Daryl Woytowicz, NetGain SEO
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Effectively Handling Web Leads and Call-Ins to Close More Sales
Wednesday, 26 October @ 10:00 AM CDT
When prospective clients call or inquire about services through your website or lead aggregator, they are usually ready to buy! They are also very misinformed and lack knowledge regarding what differentiates competitors. This is an excellent opportunity to make sure prospective clients become well-informed buyers. How call-ins and web leads are handled and the questions these referrals/leads are asked will have a DIRECT impact on the amount of business closed. Companies who do not ask the right questions in this situation usually wonder why their opportunities always come down to price. In this session, attendees will learn how to handle these opportunities effectively and take away the right questions to ask with Barry’s “incoming call/ lead form” to close more sales! (Roleplay alert: there may or may not be roleplaying in this session).
Presenting this Session
- Ray Barry, Shred America
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
How to Make Regulatory Compliance Relevant in the Sales Environment
Wednesday, 26 October @ 11:00 AM CDT
Increasingly strong data protection regulations have been the important drivers of industry growth over the past decade, but they remain among the most misunderstood, misrepresented, and underutilized areas. As a result, many RIM service providers are missing out on opportunities to capitalize on them. Similarly, Contracts and insurance are most often thought of as necessary evils. Filled with complicated language and legal terms, few would think they are among the best sales tools a service provider can use – provided they know how to talk about them intelligently. There are even legal parameters around placements in a facility and leveraging this knowledge that can make you a value partner on the front line. In this session, attendees will learn how to change the discussion from price to service provider qualifications and ways to help clients achieve compliance. Competition is left in the dust once a customer understands that a real information destruction professional can explain how and why regulatory compliance, due diligence, contracts, and insurance are at the heart of providing real data destruction protection.
Presenting this Session
- Jennie Gift, CSR Privacy Solutions
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Equipped. The Right Tools for the Job
Wednesday, 26 October @ 1:00 PM CDT
You don’t use scissors to accomplish a wire cutter’s job and for good reason. Attendees will discover which tools can maximize impact in yielding the best results for optimal business practices, marketing messaging, and sales growth with retention. This session will take a look at key opportunities that tend to get overlook in the secure data destruction service provider/client relationship and orient service providers on out-of-the-box solutions NAID makes available to fully equip them for the job. Discover how to leverage the power of each tool available in the toolbelt to maximum capacity, including the NAID AAA Certification Program, Downstream Data Coverage, the Customer Employee Training Program, the new global service provider contract, the Information Disposition textbook, the CSDS program, and the Doctors’ Office Marketing Program and walk away fully equipped.
Presenting this Session
- Kelly Martinez, i-SIGMA
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Virtual Game
Wednesday, 26 October @ 4:45 PM EDT
Grab your drink of choice and join this year’s Shred School attendees for some virtual happy hour fun. Network, mix, and mingle with colleagues in a laid back setting.
Day Two – Thursday, October 27
Opps based best practices for all services session
Thursday, 27 October @ 2:00 PM CDT
Coming Soon
Presenting this Session
- Nathan Campbell, i-SIGMA
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Electronic Data Destruction: Identifying Sales Opportunities & the Destruction Options
Thursday, 27 October @ 3:00 PM CDT
The opportunities to provide secure destruction of electronic media continue to expand. This not only means more profit, but the ability to better serve clients. It also means sustainable growth well into the future. Presented by one of the most respected electronic data protection authorities in the industry, this session will provide the basic information needed to talk to clients about their needs, to identify opportunities to help them, and on how to choose from among the many proven business models. Electronic Media Sanitization: Endpoint Security for the ‘Other’ End.
Alt: This session explores the electronic side of secure data destruction starting with what electronic storage media are, how they work, and where they are. Then, looking at the risk of data breaches, dive into the sanitization methods available today and the risks and benefits of each. In the light of existing regulatory requirements like HIPAA, FACTA, et. al. we will also look at what guidelines are available for secure sanitization and how these practices may be affected by global trade and recycling issues. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of available options and how each might benefit their business.
Presenting this Session
- Michael Harstrick, Garner
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
The Value of Establishing Strategic Relationships
Thursday, 27 October @ 4:00 PM CDT
Content to include Building Your Network – marketplace, competitors, avoid disreputable competitors, collaboration, how to set-up strategic partnerships (ITAD other markets to expand)
Presenting this Session
- Ray Barry, Shred America
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Sales Weapons of Influence: How to Set Yourself Apart Throughout the Sales Cycle
Thursday, 27 October @ 8:00 AM CDT
In many cases, objections occur at the end of the sales process because a good enough job wasn’t done in the beginning, communicating effectively with the prospect, mutually agreeing on how to move forward in the discussion or even if it makes sense to keep talking! There are certain sales “weapons of influence” that separate the sales superstars from the average sales professionals. In this interactive session, attendees will learn what those sales weapons of influence are to SHRED the Competition immediately. The class will then devise a strategy to proactively mitigate objections by managing outcomes, expectations, and biggest fears for the prospect and you, the sales professional. This session alone should help attendees close more business! Content request to include How to Simplify it for Prospects & Customers – where can we wrap this in better?
Presenting this Session
- Ray Barry, Shred America
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Breaking Through: Reaching the New WFH & Hybrid Office Environment
Thursday, 27 October @ 9:00 AM CDT
TBD
Panelists for this Session
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Day Three – Friday, October 28
How to Handle Fuel Surcharges & Price Increases to Maximize Effectiveness
Friday, 28 October @ 10:00 AM CDT
No employees interact with clients as much as route drivers. They are the eyes and hears of the company and yet, for most secure destruction service providers, their potential goes untapped. In this session, attendee will learn how to train drivers to collect the valuable sales and market intelligence, engage with existing clients to increase loyalty, and recognize opportunities to for additional revenue. The session will also explore strategies that allow drivers to pursue new business on their own or give them tools to better coordinate with the sales team.
Presenting this Session
- Steven Innerfield, CSDS, Co-Owner/Founder of ShredMetrics
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Ways to Increase Profit Margin
Friday, 28 October @ 11:00 AM CDT
Often, business owners are so preoccupied with the daily grind, that they overlook ways to be more productive and more profitable. This session will explore a wide range of operational best practices and unexploited strategies for secure shredding and electronics recyclers to make more money, while at the same time, better serving their clients.
Presenting this Session
Presenters:
- Nathan Campbell, i-SIGMA
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Using Email & Direct Mail to Grow Your Business
Friday, 28 October @ 1:00 PM CDT
Have you heard that email or direct mail are dead? Neither is true and there are statistics to prove it. What’s important is learning how to appropriately leverage communications tools today, be it digital or analog, speedy or snail mail, to get in front of clients. Discover best practices for 2021 in email and direct mail and what you can do to better reach and engage perspective and existing clients regarding RIM, ITAD, and secure data destruction services.
Presenting this Session
- Kelly Martinez, i-SIGMA
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Your SWOT Analysis
Friday, 28 October @ 2:00 PM CDT
How often has your organization done a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)? How often do you as a sales professional do a SWOT analysis? Having a sales professional involved in this exercise can be vital to a company’s growth. When Ray Barry did his for 2019, COVID-19 was not listed anywhere as a “threat”! I guess we learned our lesson. In this interactive workshop session, we will work on doing your own SWOT Analysis from a sales standpoint to help any person responsible for business development sell more in a competitive market.
Presenting this Session
- Ray Barry, Shred America
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Creating an Effective Action Plan
Friday, 28 October @ 3:00 PM CDT
The knowledge gained and the tools provided in Shred School give an excellent foundation, but true success can only be realized by becoming a student of the industry. This session will discuss how attendees can level up their professional game. Class participants will then work on putting what they have learned during Shred School into a workable and manageable action plan. Each participant will leave with a direction and a PLAN to put into place to achieve optimal results over the coming weeks, months, and year.
Presenting this Session
- Ray Barry, Shred America
Thank You to Our Shred School Sponsor,
Register Now »
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Thursday, January 01
Welcome to Shred School & Top 10 Mistakes Information Destruction Companies Make
Speaker: Presented by Ray Barry, Stevens & Stevens BRM, Inc.
The first session of Shred School is a comprehensive overview of the records and information management (RIM) and secure destruction services marketplaces. The session outlines the historic landscape of information destruction and the top 10 mistakes to avoid in the industry. Attendees will leave this session with a thorough understanding of the interrelationships between the factors and players that influence the secure destruction world and the potential pitfalls for industry veterans and newcomers.
What I’ve Learned by Getting Back in the Business 10 Years Later
Speaker: Presented by Ray Barry, Stevens & Stevens BRM, Inc.
From 2000 to 2006, Ray Barry was a part of one of the fastest growing information destruction companies in the world. Shred First grew from 1 truck to over 20 in 6 short years before they sold the business in 2006. The company made the Inc. 500 twice. Fast forward to 2016. After 10 years of various industry-related roles (one of them teaching Shred School) Ray followed his heart, reentering the day-to-day world of information destruction! In this session, Ray will explain what is different about the industry now compared to then and attendees can do to adapt and evolve in order to maintain rapid growth for their business!