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Client Profile: IBM Solution Provider
Launch International delivers strategic and tactical support to growing SP
Marketing Challenge
Like many resellers, this client had grown quickly from word-of-mouth
referrals resulting from great customer experiences. Technically superior
and focused on providing core services in their market space, the client
realized it was time to invest in a formal marketing program to help take
their company to the next level. The ultimate goal was to build a program
that would present them as proactive, more visionary, and
solutions-focused. A total marketing and messaging reset was required.
In this client setting, the head of marketing is also a key salesperson,
so outsourcing to an IBM-experienced marketing organization that can act
independently and partner for the long haul was both a strategic move and
a smart investment. The company didn’t need tactical support; it needed a
level of creative intelligence that could deliver meaningful solutions in
a very competitive marketplace.
Solution
The
Launch International service portfolio is equally balanced between the
strategic and the tactical, and this particular client is a great example
of taking advantage of both sides of that scale. Our proposed solution
included building a sound strategic foundation from which the tactical
deliverables could be created.
To build the foundation, a one-day workshop was held at the client
location. With the support of supplemental research, the Launch team
produced a messaging/marketing document that was reviewed and approved by
key executives, and ultimately served as an approved reference for
subsequent activities. The document included:
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Market analysis, with market drivers and “pain areas”
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Target audiences, with industries, customers, and titles within customers
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Solution characterization and differentiators, with proposed solution portfolio, horizontal and vertical solutions, point solutions, and market driver to solution mapping
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Company definition and differentiators, with elevator pitch, “uniques,” and selling points
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Recommended marketing and sales strategies, with demand generation and sales tools
This messaging document doesn’t just offer suggestions. It provides everything necessary to ensure:
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The upgraded message and solutions portfolio is appropriate for the market, easy to understand, and makes sound business sense
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Employees will easily be able to understand, embrace, and repeat the new message and solutions portfolio
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Customers/prospects will easily be able to understand and see value in the message and solutions portfolio, which turns into revenue
One
of the greatest value-adds in this particular engagement was the creation
of a solution continuum that helps prospects understand what services
would be appropriate for them based on the required level of productivity
and availability in their own environment. Two years later, this continuum
still serves as the visual foundation for discussion when meeting with
both customers and prospects.
The next step was to turn the upgraded information into a full suite of
collateral to support selling activities. That included a new corporate
capabilities brochure, corresponding datasheets, and a Web site that more
appropriately referenced their new “brand.”
To fill the pipeline with leads over time, three independent demand
generation campaigns were activated over an 18-month period. All three
campaigns targeted CxO levels on business topics that reinforced the
client’s key value-added services, such as HelpDesk and outsourced IT
support.
To support demand generation and general selling efforts, two thought
pieces were created: a cost justification matrix to help demonstrate
potential ROI, and an IT lifecycle management white paper to share best
practices for increasing efficiencies, improving end-user productivity,
and decreasing costs.
Client Stats
Revenues:
Not reported
Incorporated:
1995
Partnerships:
IBM
(premier)
Cisco (premier)
Key
business areas:
Network services
Security
24x7 HelpDesk
Systems management
Backup and recovery
Storage
Hardware and software sales
Integration
