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The new buyer reality for IT services and solutions has dramatically
changed the rules for managing brands and reputation. Buyers are smarter,
busier, and more skeptical than ever; they pay little attention to typical
claims about offering solutions to business challenges. To make life
even tougher, the slightest news about a job gone bad flies around the
Internet in a nanosecond while success stories languish on the virtual
shelf.
Meanwhile, even as companies cut back on branding in favor of immediate
lead generation, brand and reputation have become increasingly important
in the struggle for customer consideration and preference. Industry consolidation
and buyer wariness of false promises means that brand leaders will almost
always make the short list, leaving that much less room for other challengers.
This ITSMA Briefing explores the latest thinking on strengthening brand
and reputation to ensure long-term competitive advantage. Along with
outlining a general model for building brands in IT services and solutions,
the briefing highlights five critical priorities:
- Building a 360 degree view of perceptions
- Mapping and managing
the client experience
- Building internal alignment
- Influencing traditional and new influencers
- Narrowcasting to create advantage one client at a time
The briefing includes a special section on internal brand building at Intercontinental
Hotels.
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