The Client-Centric Marketing Course:
Accelerating Services Growth

"Services have grown in importance for most IT, networking, and telecom companies during the economic downturn. For services marketers, the next frontier is to position services within more comprehensive solutions strategies."

Stephen T. Hurley, Vice President, Learning and Performance Excellence, ITSMA

Why Participate in ITSMA's Client-Centric Marketing Course?

Services marketers face significant challenges in today's economy: positioning services.measuring the value of services marketing.understanding buyer behavior.building a stronger services brand.developing and marketing solutions.and doing all this with smaller budgets. And the biggest challenge of all is creating a truly client-centric marketing program which organizes all activities around the definition and delivery of business value to prospects and clients.

ITSMA's three-day course is focused precisely on the unique skills and processes required to be successful in marketing services within the IT, telecom, and networking sectors right now. The course provides participants with an accelerated learning experience based on leading-edge research, innovative methodologies, industry best practices, ready-to-apply tools that will have an immediate impact on marketing performance. Leveraging the unique ITSMA Marketing Framework, the course gives participants a road map for developing and refining services marketing programs that respond directly to today's buyers.

Key Benefits       

Course participants will leave the program with more confidence, new ideas and data about what works best in today's economy, and new energy to tackle their toughest challenges-not a bad payoff for three days of work!

To accomplish this transformation, this program will help participants:

• Apply the latest techniques and tools of the trade
• Understand which tools are most effective for each phase of the marketing process
• Share experiences with marketers who have faced similar issues and challenges
• Build a network of new friends and professional colleagues

Jim Barker, Premium Program Manager, Novell

Course Content   

The Client-Centric Marketing Course curriculum is organized according to the four key phases of the ITSMA Marketing Framework:

I. Strategy and Market Planning

• Services Marketing Framework
• Market Selection and Development
• Client-based Analysis (including Voice of the Customer)
• Market Segmentation
• Opportunity Analysis
• Brand & Positioning

II. Solutions Management

• New Services Development
• Pricing
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Value Propositions
• Transitioning from Services to Solutions

III. Internal & External Communications

• Building Awareness
• Brand Communications
• Integrated Marketing Communications
• Internal Communications
• Measuring the Value of Marketing

IV. Relationship Management

• Reference Management
• Building Customer Loyalty
• Leveraging the Sales Force

Babson College Partnership

ITSMA has developed the course in partnership with Babson College, tapping the resources and expertise of one of the world's top 15 schools in executive education. BusinessWeek and US News & World Report have also rated Babson number one in the world in the field of entrepreneurship-a critical business competency in technology companies.

ITSMA's partnership with Babson enables participants to obtain MBA credit for the course.

Faculty         

	Stephen T. Hurley, is Vice President of Learning & Performance Excellence at ITSMA. He has extensive experience in the fields of professional services and management education, and has designed and delivered marketing, sales, and management programs in over 50 countries. Prior to joining ITSMA, Steve was with Arthur D. Little where he served as a business practice leader as well as the Director of Executive Education for the Arthur D. Little School of Management.
	Philip Dover, Ph.D., is the Faculty Director for the School of Executive Education for Babson College. He is a leading authority on strategic marketing and has published extensively in academic and industry journals on the topic. Phil's distinguished career includes faculty positions at Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom and the Sloan School of Management at MIT in the United States.

Guest Presenters

Participants will also benefit from the knowledge of several guest speakers with extensive experience in services marketing.

Dr. Christopher Hart, President of the Spire Group. Chris is a recognized expert in the area of loyalty and client satisfaction. Chris' book, Extraordinary Guarantees, is considered the best resource for building client confidence through the use of guarantees. He will address new research on the topic of loyalty and guarantees, and provide examples in the IT and networking space.

Philip L. Juliano, Vice President of Marketing, IBM. A longtime services marketing veteran, Phil led the highly successful marketing efforts of IBM Global Services through its late 1990s emergence as a global powerhouse. In his current capacity as head of marketing for worldwide Linux marketing in the IBM Software Group, Phil is responsible for developing a comprehensive solutions focus for one of IBM's fastest growing divisions.

Who Should Attend         

The Client-Centric Marketing Course is designed for marketing professionals with less than ten years of services marketing experience. Sample titles of persons appropriate for this course include services marketing managers, directors, and associates, services sales managers, services program managers, solutions marketers, and services marketing communications specialists.

Admissions        

Admission to the Client-Centric Marketing Course is based on an application process to ensure that the class is made up of individuals having the appropriate experience and background to enhance the learning for all participants.

Step one is registering for the course. Upon completing this initial registration, ITSMA will send a confirmation email with a link to the admission form. Please fill it out completely and then submit it for approval. You will be notified shortly after filling out the admission form of your eligibility for the course.

Confirmation of acceptance will be sent upon review and approval of application. Enrollment is limited.

Fees and Registration

If payment is not received by the start of the course, a credit card or other form of payment will be required for admittance.

Schedule and Dress Code         

Registration will begin at 7:30 am, Wednesday, December 4. The course will begin each morning at 8:30 am and end at 5:00 pm Wednesday and Thursday, and 4:00 pm on Friday, December 6. All meals are included between Wednesday breakfast and Friday lunch. Evenings will include reading assignments and group work.

Please make your travel arrangements so that you will stay in the course through 4:00 PM on Friday. It is important that all participants be involved in the final course activities.

Dress code is business casual.

Cancellation Policy          

Any cancellations or substitutions must be in writing and forwarded to ITSMA, One Militia Drive, Suite 4, Lexington, MA 02421 or via email to cjefferson@itsma.com.

You may cancel your enrollment without penalty up to five business days before the start of the event. A $350 administration fee will be imposed for cancellations received after this date. Nonattendance without cancellation will incur the full course fee. Substitutions approved by ITSMA are permitted up to the start of the course.

Satisfaction Guarantee           

ITSMA guarantees your complete satisfaction with this event. If, however, you are not satisfied, we will provide you with a full refund of your money or provide a credit towards another offering.