Assess the opportunity.

Launch, execute, measure, and adjust. STEP

Build campaigns and enable sales. STEP

Develop clear messaging. STEP

Segment and target. STEP

Assess the opportunity. STEP

STEP

Marketers should: Look at the offering from a customer’s perspective. What does the offering

mean to customers? What value will it bring to their business?

Look beyond current customers to prospects. Is there demand for this offering?

Look internally. Is this offer going to meet goals for new revenue, new customers,

or new market share?

This may seem obvious, but data is key. It’s too easy to make assumptions and delude yourself about how an offering might perform.

Key stakeholders need to be involved in answering these questions.

Even more important, the project team needs to do thorough research to ensure it has evidence-based answers. Doing this assessment upfront is

critical to ensuring success throughout the rest of the steps.

Segment and target.

Identifying the suspects keeps the

Develop clear messaging.

• Identify the roles to be addressed, the approvers, and the influencers.

• Develop a value proposition.

• Use the value proposition to develop a hierarchy of messages that

will resonate with customers and prospects.

• Test the value proposition and message platform.

The business needs to reach customers

with clear and relevant messages.

Build campaigns and enable sales. Campaign planning

Business leaders need to provide some honest answers:

intrinsically linked.

sales enablement

Launch, execute, measure, and adjust.

After launch, marketers have to:

• Track progress against milestones, campaign metrics, and sales

feedback

• Use the data to adjust the campaign as necessary

• Measure contract signings against targets

• Measure customer satisfaction

• Collaborate with business leaders to refine the offering in response

to all available data and feedback

Launching the offering is not the end of marketing’s involvement; it continues with measurement and refinement.

Learn more.

on the focus customer.

Marketers, working with sales,

need to assess the customer’s need

for the offering, the customer’s budget,

and the strategic value to the business

and then prioritize those

customers who are most ready

for the offering.

Use a matrix to plot customers

based on their attractiveness (How attractive is this customer for the business

we want to do and the return it will bring?)

and their engagement (How well are we positioned with this customer

to engage effectively with our offering?).

two different things that are

• Concrete start and end points

• Objectives

• Follow-up

• Success criteria

Use an internal group, a customer advisory

but make sure your messages resonate! group, or your agency,

• How many leads are required?

• What types of leads are they looking for?

• How many opportunities can they resource?

• How many wins could they deliver?

At the same time, marketers need to brief salespeople on the campaigns and their role.

Marketers can then plan the campaign and develop content that will meet those goals, including:

Give them detailed information on the target market.

Tell them how you’re going to enable them:

• What tools are you giving them?

• When and how will lead handovers happen?

• What is expected of salespeople?

• What follow-up activity is planned?

Following this 5-step approach in collaboration with the

business enables marketers to deliver more effective programs

and campaigns that bring value to all stakeholders.

ITSMA Marketing Tools provide guidelines, checklists, tips, and other applications to help improve marketing programs

and organizations. They are available to ITSMA members as a benefit of membership.

Suggestions for new tools are welcome; please send them to info@itsma.com.

Other Marketing Tools are available online (password required) at www.itsma.com/category/research/tool/.

TB046 | © 2012 ITSMA—Reproduction Prohibited

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