ITSMA Honors Top Tech Performers with 2003 Services Marketing Excellence Awards

Alfa Wassermann, BearingPoint, Cisco, DecisionOne, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Unisys,
Vanguard Managed Solutions, and Wipro cited for standout performance in marketing and selling technology services and solutions.

LEXINGTON, Massachusetts—October 22, 2003— ITSMA, the leading organization for services marketing professionals in the technology and professional services industries, today announced the winners of the sixth annual Services Marketing Excellence (SME) Awards.

Reflecting the most urgent challenges facing technology and consulting firms today, the awards highlight innovation, execution, and results in six categories of marketing: developing new solutions, managing brand and reputation, marketing with partners, strengthening customer loyalty, increasing sales effectiveness, and measuring marketing results.

“As more technology firms bet on services and solutions, they increasingly understand that investing in services marketing is the best way to generate profitable growth,” according to Dave Munn, president and CEO of ITSMA. “This year’s SME Award winners demonstrate the dramatic results that are possible with great marketing even in today’s extremely challenging environment.”
The SME Awards honor excellence at two levels. Diamond award winners are best in class for the industry, as measured by innovation, execution, and business results. Gold winners demonstrate standout performance in those same three areas.

2003 Winners

Developing New Solutions
Diamond Award: Unisys Corporation—Business Blueprinting
Gold Award: EMC Corporation—Information Solutions Consulting Launch

Managing Brand and Reputation
Diamond Award: BearingPoint—A New Beginning. Rebranding—90 Days and Counting
Gold Award: IBM Business Consulting Services—IBM Launches Business Consulting Services

Marketing with Partners
Diamond Award: Vanguard Managed Solutions—Managed Multiservice Networking Solution with AT&T
Gold Award: Hewlett-Packard—Collaborating with Channel Partners to Deliver More Opportunities, More Revenue, More Choice

Strengthening Customer Loyalty
Diamond Award: Alfa Wassermann—Customer Delight Through High Quality Products and Services
Gold Award: Cisco Systems—Timely Resolution Improvement Project

Increasing Sales Effectiveness
Diamond Award: Cisco Systems—Customer Advocacy Value Selling Program
Gold Award: DecisionOne—Go-to-Market Strategy

Measuring Marketing Results
Diamond Award: Unisys Corporation—Unisys Marketing Dashboard
Gold Award: Wipro Technologies—Integrated Lead Generation: Delivering Marketing Results Through an Integrated Approach

For more information about the 2003 SME Award winners, visit http://www.itsma.com/news/mea.

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.