(Invitation-only meeting for sponsors of ITSMA membership)

ITSMA Marketing Roundtable

101 Ways to Say No! – Prioritising Marketing Activities

9 November 2006
11:00 – 14:00 London time

Hosted by Unisys Ltd
London, U.K.

Overview

Over the last few years, marketers at a number of ITSMA member firms have succeeded in raising their profile and providing more value to the business. They have done this in various ways, including:

• Leading the charge from a product toward a solutions orientation
• Integrating more tightly with sales, often using Account-Based Marketing techniques
• Helping the firm think through its strategy in relation to the market
• Building stronger market differentiation based on deep competitive insight

With this value creation, however, we have begun to hear about two common challenges:

• Success breeds success: When we do something that creates real value in one part of the organisation, everyone else wants a piece of the action so demand for our services often exceeds supply
• Our budgets and hence resources are not increasing in line with these new demands being put upon the Marketing function, so we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.

There is no simple way to square this particular circle, but it is becoming a real issue with many of our members. At this Roundtable, we will share the latest ITSMA Research on how marketing budgets are being allocated and what priorities our members are giving to their different activities. In addition, we will show some examples of how firms are successfully using different balanced scorecards to help them stay in tune with the business and focus on their most important initiatives. Finally, as with all these roundtables, we will use this material primarily to stimulate discussion and hear from everyone what techniques you have used to tackle this issue.

The roundtable is designed to maximise discussion and peer interaction. Beyond the prepared topics, please feel free to ask the group for input and advice on other top-of-mind issues facing you and your company.

There is no charge for participation, but the roundtable is limited to representatives of ITSMA member companies. Lunch is included.

Participation is by invitation only. If you would like to discuss who might be eligible to participate from your company, please contact Victoria Keen on +44 1892 523060 or at vkeen@itsma.com.

Your Facilitator	[TOP OF PAGE]

Tim Shercliff
Associate Director, ITSMA Europe
tshercliff@itsma.com

Tim delivers advanced marketing training, facilitates workshops, and provides expert consulting on strategic marketing issues such as market segmentation, portfolio analysis, solutions marketing and value propositions, sales enablement, and customer experience management. Tim joined ITSMA from IBM, where he was strategy & marketing director for IBM Global Services in Northern Europe, sat on the Board for IBM Global Services in Northern Europe from 2002-2005, and was a member of the Operating Team for IBM UK from 1995 to 2005.

Location and Event Information	[TOP OF PAGE]

Event Date:	9 November 2006
Event Time:	11:00–14:00 London time (lunch included)
Member price:	No Charge
Non-member price:	This event is open to ITSMA member companies only.
Event Location:	Unisys Ltd 51-55 Gresham Street London, EC2V 7EL
	Tel: +44 (0)20 7526 6100      Fax: +44 (0)20 7526 6400
	For additional information, details or assistance please contact Victoria Keen on +44 (0)1892 523 060 or at vkeen@itsma.com.

About ITSMA
ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions. As a membership organization, we work with the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services firms to generate new business, strengthen customer loyalty, and increase brand differentiation. Through research, consulting, training, and community we provide the insight companies need to improve marketing impact, sales performance, and business results. ITSMA is based in Lexington, Massachusetts, and has offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Learn more at www.itsma.com.