Solutions Marketing: Is it Really Different?

Is "solutions" just a useless buzzword, or is marketing solutions really something different, requiring a different approach from marketing products or services? Many ITSMA members are grappling with just this question and struggling to figure out how best to market and sell complex packages of products and services that address specific business needs. Among other things, the firms are improving capabilities to support cross-selling, team selling, and collaborative marketing and selling with partners. Join Julie Schwartz, ITSMA's vice president of research, and Steve Hurley, ITSMA's vice president of learning and performance excellence, for a discussion of the best practices, skills, culture, and behaviors required to succeed in marketing complex, technology-based business solutions.

Julie A. Schwartz is Vice President of Research for ITSMA. She has responsibility for the research and publishing of best practice case studies, benchmarking studies, customer research and other studies that are designed to be of particular help to ITSMA members. Prior to joining ITSMA, Julie served as a senior analyst with State Street Research and Management Company. Having earlier been director of professional services research for Dataquest and also having worked for The Ledgeway Group as manager of research, Julie comes with considerable experience in the information technology services industry. She has authored numerous articles and spoken at a number of industry conferences. Julie has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania where she graduated summa cum laude and was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She also has a Master of Science in Management from the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management and was named a Seley Scholar. She is married and has three children. Julie Schwartz can be reached at jschwartz@itsma.com

Steve Hurley
Senior Advisor
shurley@itsma.com

As the former head of ITSMA’s member engagement activities in North America, Steve continues to work with ITSMA on select projects and event programs.

For eight years, Steve served in senior roles at ITSMA, where he oversaw development and delivery of the company’s core educational programs on services and solutions marketing. He also helped create or refine many of ITSMA’s consulting methodologies and frameworks on such topics as: growing a solutions business; rationalizing services portfolios; improving demand through Account-Based Marketing; and enhancing customer relationship programs.

Prior to joining ITSMA, Steve worked for Arthur D. Little, Inc. (ADL), a global management consulting company that had offices in over 45 countries. Among other accomplishments at ADL, Steve was responsible for creating its first corporate university, leading to standardized learning and development programs across all parts of the firm worldwide.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Math from the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, and a Master of Science in Management from the Arthur D. Little School of Management.

General Information
ITSMA's Online Briefings offer recent research findings or survey results from thought leaders on a variety of services marketing topics. The Online Briefings can be viewed individually, or in groups composed of people within the same company. The briefings are available anywhere in the world that has telephone service and access to the Internet. A typical program runs 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes of questions and answers. They are presented every three to four months depending on the association calendar, holidays and the like. The person making the online presentation speaks into a telephone and advances the visual portion of the presentation via their computer connected to the Internet. This can be done at the speakers office or home as long as two telephone lines are available, one for the audio and one for the Internet connection. At the end of the presentation and at the presenter's discretion, the listeners are invited to ask questions. Each listener with a question identifies him or herself and is listed in a queue and taken one at a time by the presentation monitor. They also manage the question and answer session by giving each questioner access to the phone line to communicate with the presenter.

Technical Requirements
This briefing will be administered by Connex International. All participants are required to test their browsers on Connex International's Website 24-48 hours prior to ensure they are 'Java-enabled'. This test can be done at www.connexpresents.com, by clicking on the "Equipment Check" icon.

You will be provided with a pass code and dial in number 24-48 hours prior to the briefing.

Fees and Registration
Aside from the telephone call, the fee for the presentation is complimentary for active ITSMA members, and $195 for all others.

Note: Registration is on a first-come/first-served basis. You must register by 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday, August 13, 2001.