ITSMA ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR 2003 SERVICES MARKETING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Leading services marketing organization will honor standout performance in marketing technology services and solutions

LEXINGTON, Mass.—May 6, 2003—ITSMA, the leading organization for services marketing professionals in the technology and professional services industries, announced today that it has opened the nomination process for the sixth annual Services Marketing Excellence Awards. The awards focus exclusively on the largest segment of the technology business: services and solutions. Last years' winners included Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Infosys, Network Appliance, and Unisys.

"Services and solutions are the most important areas for growth in the technology industry today, yet many companies remain caught in a product marketing mentality and fail to connect with customers looking beyond speeds and feeds for real business value,” said Dave Munn, President and CEO of ITSMA. “By honoring standout performers in marketing services, the Services Marketing Excellence Awards will showcase those companies that truly understand the requirements for succeeding in an increasingly services-centric world.”

The awards program is open to all companies that market and sell technology-related services and solutions. Applications are due by June 30, 2003. ITSMA will honor the winners during its MarketingServices/2003 Annual Conference, October 20-22 in Berkeley, California.

Services Marketing Excellence Award Categories for 2003 include:

• Developing New Solutions: Designing, launching, marketing, and selling integrated solutions that solve customers' core business problems

• Managing Brand and Reputation: Launching, building, repositioning, and/or managing the corporate or services brand

• Marketing with Partners: Developing and delivering collaborative services marketing programs with business partners and/or channels

• Strengthening Customer Loyalty: Maximizing customer satisfaction, retention, and growth

• Increasing Sales Effectiveness: Improving the services sales process, including opportunity analysis, sales enablement, and account management

• Measuring Marketing Results: Building and improving programs to provide accountability within the marketing function itself and to senior management

For more information on the Services Marketing Excellence Awards, please visit http://www.itsma.com/news/sme/default.htm.

About ITSMA
ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions more effectively. As a membership organization, we work with the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services providers to generate increased demand, strengthen customer relationships, and improve brand differentiation. ITSMA members include business leaders such as Accenture, BT, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others. Our comprehensive research, consulting, and training on topics including ITSMA Account-Based Marketing ^SM, Brand Positioning, and Solutions Development provide the insight and experience companies need to improve business results. ITSMA is based near Boston, and has offices in London and Tokyo. Learn more at www.itsma.com.