Partnering With the CIO: The Future of IT Sales Seen Through the Eyes of Key Decision Makers

Don’t Rely on “Push” Marketing Only

David Munn is president and CEO of the IT Services Marketing Association (ITSMA). Based in Lexington, Massachusetts, ITSMA is a membership community for executives who market and sell technology-related services and solutions. A recent ITSMA survey, “How Customers Choose Solution Providers,” shows clearly that when executives consider technology purchases, their first step is to seek advice from professional peers.

“CIOs talk to each other. The experiences they have with your organization become fodder for the stories they share with their peers,” says Munn. “If you’re a vendor, you need to ensure that you’re delivering more than just technology. Are you helping solve a particular business problem? Are you meeting budget and time commitments? Are you flexible and responsive? Are you transferring knowledge? These are the types of things marketers today need to think about in order to create real customer advocates for their brands. Marketing can no longer be just concerned with traditional marketing activities.”

The survey also confirms what the CIOs we interviewed told us: Unsolicited e-mails and cold calls are mostly ineffective. According to the survey data, customers read only 17 percent of unsolicited e-mails they receive and respond to only 13 percent of the cold calls they receive.

“So many inbound or ‘push’ marketing activities are too vague, untargeted, impersonal, and ultimately irrelevant,” says Munn. “CIOs just tune them out. They’re ...