More Companies Turning to Account-Based Marketing to Spur Increased Profits and Positioning, Says ITSMA

Upcoming ITSMA Events Will Introduce Marketers to a Proven, Six-Step Approach to Account-Based Marketing

Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, and Xerox Among Firms Already Leveraging Powerful New Marketing Approach

LEXINGTON, Massachusetts—October 11, 2005—According to research conducted by ITSMA, a membership organization that helps companies market and sell technology services and solutions, account-based marketing (ABM) can deliver substantially greater results than more traditional, broad-based efforts. ITSMA will outline a step-by-step methodology for creating and effectively executing ABM programs at upcoming events including ITSMA's 2005 Annual Conference: Marketing on the Verge and ABM-specific workshops to be held in Massachusetts, California, and London in November and December.

ABM is an approach that treats an individual account as a market in its own right, helping companies form increasingly close, collaborative, and profitable relationships with their key accounts. Companies including Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, and Xerox are among those that have implemented ABM as part of their overall marketing strategies.

"We used ITSMA's events, online briefings, and publications to build our understanding of the ABM approach, and then asked them to help us outline a marketing plan for one of our pilot accounts,” said Robert Corbishley, Marketing Strategy Manager, Xerox Global Services Europe. According to Corbishley, "The pilot has changed customers’ perceptions, helped differentiate Xerox Global Services, and reinforced the company's track record in outsourcing. Overall, it has been a great success."

Karen Walker, Vice President, HP Services Marketing, will speak at ITSMA's upcoming 2005 Annual Conference: Marketing on the Verge about how her company has implemented ABM to:

• Uncover more sales opportunities within target accounts
• Increase revenue from key accounts
• Decrease the length of the sales cycle for those accounts

The conference, which will take place on November 7-9, 2005 at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA, will also feature a break-out session focused on ABM and a pre-conference workshop titled, Mining Markets of One: Growing Your Business with Account-Based Marketing. The half-day workshop will outline ITSMA's six-step approach to ABM and show participants how to apply it to their key accounts.

For more information about ITSMA's conference and pre-conference workshop on ABM, please visit: http://www.itsma.com/conference.

For those who are interested in exploring ABM in more detail, ITSMA will offer a two-day workshop on ABM in San Francisco, CA on November 30-December 1, and again in London, U.K. on December 8-9. These workshops will provide attendees with:

• A clear and proven methodology for building and executing an end-to-end ABM strategy
• Industry-leading examples and benchmarks to strengthen ABM marketing campaigns and initiatives
• Expert-guided practice in designing ABM campaigns in a supported environment

Liz Vega, Manager of Account Marketing at Xerox Global Services, will be on hand for the San Francisco workshop to share:

• Why Xerox implemented an ABM initiative
• How the company designed, developed, and executed its ABM programs
• What has worked and what hasn’t

For more information about ITSMA's upcoming ABM events and to register online, please visit: http://www.itsma.com/ABM.

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.