Description:

An archived version of this Briefing is available for playback. ITSMA members with online access may access the archived Briefing by clicking on the "Playback" button above. Nonmembers who purchase the Briefing will receive an email with a link to the archived replay.

Small and medium businesses (SMBs) continue to increase their spending on IT services and solutions, providing suppliers with a critical stream of revenue and profit. For providers used to dealing with larger enterprise buyers, however, the fragmented and dispersed SMB market requires a rethinking of traditional strategies such as:

• Segmentation schemes
• Go-to-market plans
• Communication channels
• Operational support

During this Briefing, Avaya’s Jeff Koehler and IBM’s Meg Merrill join ITSMA's Matt Leary for a discussion of best practices in marketing and selling to SMBs. Jeff Koehler, director of Midmarket Channel Development at Avaya, shines light on how Avaya created segmentation for the midmarket and generated demand through targeted programs. Meg Merrill, senior marketing manager at IBM Global Business Services (GBS), talks about GBS' marketing strategy to enhance its reputation within the midmarket and create opportunities that drive business results.

Key Takeaways:

• The SMB market is strong and growing, and technology is a key to that growth
• Small, midsized, and enterprise accounts are surprisingly similar—with a few exceptions
• Worthwhile segmentation is actually possible in this market
• A mix of marketing works—from traditional market conditioning to integrated channel enablement
• Marketers can communicate powerful/complex solutions into this market with targeted efforts