For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

What B2B Tech Customers Expect From Your Channel Partners

Bolster Channel Partners' Productivity By Mapping Them To Customer Demand

by Tim Harmon, November 24, 2009

Tech vendors tend to develop channel ecosystems that reflect their product and domain competencies, i.e., from the vendor's perspective, not the customer's. But customers are maturing in terms of their planned use of third-party resources, including vendors' . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Addressing Diverse Stakeholders In The IT And Business Services Buying Process

Planning For 2010 Requires A Clear Understanding Of Roles

by Chris Andrews, November 20, 2009

For years, Forrester has written about the evolution of information technology (IT) into business technology (BT) — an idea that is rooted in Forrester's view that technology is becoming more relevant and strategic to business processes. This trend, which . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Momentum: IT Management Software Market, H1 2009

Vendors Are Missing The Cloud And Virtualization Waves

by Peter O'Neill, November 5, 2009

Forrester's market momentum overview assists vendor strategy professionals in tracking the evolution of the IT management software (ITMS) market and in gathering intelligence about the major activities. In the first half of 2009, we tracked 165 different . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

2009 Forrester Groundswell Awards Winners Offer B2B Tech Marketers Valuable Social Media Lessons

by Laura Ramos, November 4, 2009

Business-to-business (B2B) marketers approach social strategy with a mix of enthusiasm and skepticism. Most want to know which firms execute social pursuits well and what tangible outcomes occur. The B2B Division winners of the 2009 Forrester Groundswell . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

How B2B Technology Buyers Use Social Media

Support Forums Rank Highest Among Emerging Tactics

by Laura Ramos, October 26, 2009

Technology buying is a highly considered, collaborative process, one ideally suited for social interactions. To see how emerging digital media affect the process, Forrester surveyed 1,217 technology decision-makers to find out which online sources will . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The IT Management Software Challengers

SWOT Analysis For ASG, Compuware, EMC, Quest Software, And Microsoft, Q3 2009

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, October 26, 2009

The 2009 IT management software (ITMS) market seems to favor smaller vendors to the detriment of larger ones. Preliminary results for the first three quarters of 2009 show that the megavendors' share of the ITMS market has again declined from 2008. This . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Aligning With Business Customers Requires Strategy, Stakeholder Focus, And Metrics

by Chris Andrews, October 20, 2009

Creating greater alignment with business customers is an incredibly hot objective for technology strategists and one that is supported by powerful long-term market trends. Our recent survey of strategy professionals found that 91% of respondents say that . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

A Systematic Approach To Strategic Account Programs Improves Tech Sales Performance

Account Value Mapping Expands Wallet Share In Key Accounts

by Scott Santucci, October 19, 2009

In response to the continued tough economic climate and feedback from customers, vendors with large portfolios are placing bigger bets on their strategic account programs and shifting their focus from gaining market share of key products to expanding . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Targeting Small Business Tech Buyers: The Power Of Owner Personalities

Factoring For Small Business Market Heterogeneity

by Tim Harmon, October 15, 2009

The siren call of the small business (SB) market's sheer size, along with its propensity to lead technology investment in an economic recovery and its increasingly advanced technology adoption patterns, is a compelling target. But the small business market . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Rewrite The Netbook Story For Business Technology Buyers

Position Netbooks For Business Use — Especially In Emerging Markets

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., October 9, 2009

For a device that originated in the concept of the $100-laptop, the netbook certainly hasn't been fully marketed to emerging markets. Nor have firms really marketed netbooks for serious business use. Netbooks have become known as companion devices for . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Reach Real Global B2B Tech Audiences With Virtual Events

New Tools And Best Practices For B2B Marketing Beyond Borders

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., October 6, 2009

The downturn is turning out to be a double whammy for tech marketers. Budget cuts and a significant drop in the effectiveness of tried-and-true tools, like trade shows, make calls to reach wider audiences through traditional marketing activities problematic. . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Make Your Marketing Sing To Business Mobility Decision-Makers

Vendors Must Use Employee Roles To Identify Preferred Marketing Channels

by Michele Pelino, October 5, 2009

IT professionals, business executives, and end users participate in purchasing decisions for enterprise mobility devices, middleware, services, and mobile applications. These decision-makers use online and offline channels to gather information. Top online . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Turning Your B2B Web Site Into A Community Hub

Social Media Marketing That Is Persistent, Consistent, And Scalable

by G. Oliver Young, Peter Burris, September 30, 2009

Social media is becoming a major focus in business-to-business (B2B) marketing. However, many marketers are allowing their community marketing approaches to emerge out of piecemeal technology purchases and community participation. To embrace a customer . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

B2B Lead Management Automation Market Overview

Multiple Vendor Choices And Confusing Claims Slow Adoption

by Laura Ramos, September 22, 2009

Lead management automation (LMA) requires a degree of process maturity many business-to-business (B2B) firms don't possess, resulting in underachievement by vendors and users alike. Yet, the benefits of adopting LMA are clear: B2B marketers that successfully . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Case Study: How AT&T Is Helping The Williams F1 Racing Team Become More Competitive

by Mike Cansfield, September 22, 2009

AT&T is the title sponsor and exclusive telecommunications services provider of the Williams Formula One (F1) motor racing team. Like any other business, F1 is a relentlessly competitive environment. AT&T is more than just a sponsor of the team; . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

In Hard Economic Times, Technology Companies Must Make Implementation The Priority

by Tom Grant, Ph.D., September 15, 2009

As the current recession continues, and technology buyers keep a keen eye on total costs, missing or poorly defined implementation capabilities can stop new purchases short. Technology vendors must put implementation program design and execution high . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Get B2B Messages Right: Balance Global Consistency And Local Relevancy

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., September 15, 2009

With marketing budgets under close scrutiny, global tech marketers need to ensure that marketing messages are spot on. Yet, "spot on" is not the same for all audiences across markets. While corporate marketing wants to maintain consistent brand messages . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Making The SaaS And Collaboration Marriage Work

A Framework For Collaboration SaaS Vendors To Capitalize On The Channel

by TJ Keitt, August 31, 2009

Finding collaboration and Web 2.0 technologies to facilitate collaboration between employees and partners is a top business priority. How technology enters businesses is changing as business leaders and individual workers are demanding more say in choosing . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The IT Management Software Megavendors

SWOT Analysis For BMC Software, CA, HP Software, And IBM Tivoli, Q3 2009

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, Peter O'Neill, August 12, 2009

The current recession and credit crunch deeply affected IT spending in the last quarter of 2008 and into 2009. Despite this bleak overall picture, Forrester forecasts 4% growth in nonapplication software products (e.g., storage management, middleware), . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Analysis Of IT Management Software Sales Deals

The Megavendors Are Missing Out On Smaller Deals

by Peter O'Neill, Thomas Mendel, Ph.D., August 3, 2009

IT management software (ITMS) is one of the most dynamic and complex IT markets, with more than 300 vendors competing for market share. Vendor strategists are increasingly looking for greater insights into the dynamics behind pure revenue by category, . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Demand Insights: Enterprise Mobility 2009

Prepare For The Rise Of The Mobile Wannabes And The Services To Support Them

by Michele Pelino, July 28, 2009

Forrester's latest Enterprise And SMB Networks And Telecommunications Survey, North America And Europe, Q1 2009, shows continued enterprise mobility momentum — even during these challenging economic times. Buyers are investing in mobile applications for . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

How To Message "Cloud" Offerings And Not Get Lost In The Fog

Speak Clearly To The Right Prospects Without Boosting Competitors

by Frank E. Gillett, July 24, 2009

The cloud computing phenomenon is extraordinarily hot, leading tech marketers to make messy messaging mistakes in their rush to respond. Positioning IT products and services vis-à-vis cloud concepts is challenging because marketers are using the term . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

The Seven Deadly Sins Of B2B Channel Enablement

Channel Partners Sound Off

by Tim Harmon, July 17, 2009

Current economic conditions are laying bare what's not working for channel partners, exposing issues ranging from channel conflict, to the "channel usability" of technologies, to community disenfranchisement. As companies try to move more volume through . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Optimize Performance By Driving Enterprise Sales Outcomes

Moving From Deliverables To An End-To-End Sales Support Orientation

by Scott Santucci, July 17, 2009

Driving down the cost of sales, while simultaneously boosting productivity, continues to be a top business priority and an objective that requires a new way to support and evaluate the sales system. Executive management lacks the visibility into the cause-and-effect . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Pick The Right Sales Strategy To Sell To Insurers

ACORD/LOMA Tech Exhibitors Exemplify Three Go-To-Market Approaches

by Ellen Carney, Scott Santucci, July 15, 2009

When sales teams can tie their offerings to customers' business outcomes, deals move forward. Go-to-market planners target vertical industries like financial services to articulate that value connection within a group of like-minded buyers and boost sales. . . .