the new solutions marketing skills set — how to develop tomorrow's experts today

The New Solutions Marketing Skill Set

How to Develop Tomorrow's Experts Today

The ISA Sales and Marketing SummitSeptember 2013

Presented By:Matt Leary, Principal

Solutions Insights, Inc.

© 2013 Solutions Insights. All Rights Reserved. 2

Topics for Today

●Solutions Overview●What’s in a Name: Solutions Marketing●Study Results: Solutions Marketing

Competency●Ideas to Address the (In)Competency●Closing Thoughts


Our Clients

The Commercial: We are solutions strategy, development, marketing and sales experts

We help B2B companies develop, market, and sell integrated solutions that deliver increased business value. Our main areas of focus are:

● Strategic IntegrationAligning the organization around a solutions strategy

● Offering DistinctionDeveloping and launching new and distinct solutions offerings

● Customer ConnectionDeepening connections with customers and prospects

● Sales AccelerationAccelerating the selling process for solutions

Our Partners

http://www.solutionsinsights.com/strategic-alignment/

http://www.solutionsinsights.com/offering-distinction/

http://www.solutionsinsights.com/customer-connection/

http://www.solutionsinsights.com/sales-acceleration/

http://www.adobe.com/

http://www.dimensiondata.com/

http://www.emc.com/

http://www.siemens.com/

http://www.ness.com/

http://www.healthcare.philips.com/us_en/

http://www.rti.org/


Solutions Today


Some solutions definitions…

Solutions Marketing The process of understanding, creating, communicating, and delivering value through the development and support of offerings that dynamically combine core capabilities of the company and its partners to address customers’ key business problems.

Solutions Marketer A marketing professional who understands how to create and market solutions, and how to support the solution selling process.

Solutions A combination of products, services, and intellectual property focused on a specific business problem that drives measurable business value. The solutions components can be from either the vendor and one or more partners, and the solutions implementer can be the vendor, the partner, the customer itself, or a combination of the three.


How important is your solutions business to the future of your company? % of Respondents (N=121)

Solutions continues to grow in importance

Note: Mean rating based on a 5-point scale where 1=not at all important and 5=extremely important.Source: ITSMA/SI Online Survey: Anatomy of a Solutions Marketer, February 2012

Not at all important

Somewhat important

Important

Very important

Extremely Important

0

2

14

45

40Mean

Rating = 4.2


Marketing expertise on this topic is in demand

Technical MarketingAdvertising

Marketing ITPublic Relations

Analyst RelationsMarket IntelligencePartner MarketingSales Enablement

Event MarketingMarketing Operations

Marketing CommunicationsProduct MarketingIndustry Marketing

Direct MarketingField Marketing SupportCampaign Management

Web Site Content and DevelopmentSocial Media

Solution Marketing

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

% of Respondents Increasing Staff

Source: IDC’s 2012 Tech Marketing Barometer Study, n=61

Q: Please indicate if investment in the following staffing categories will increase, stay the same, or decrease in 2012 as compared to 2011.


Who is a Solutions Marketer


Mea

n =

200

4

Solutions marketing is relatively new to most companies

In which year did your company first introduce the role of solutions marketer? % of Respondents (N=111)

1900

1970

1980

1990

1992

1995

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

0.90.91.8

0.91.8

5.4

1.80.9

7.2

2.72.71.8

5.4

11.7

7.27.2

9.9

6.3

15.3

5.4

2.7

Source: ITSMA/SI Online Survey: Anatomy of a Solutions Marketer, February 2012


Product and services marketer be-fore solutions marketing

61%Services marketer before solutions marketing

23%

Product marketer before solutions marketing

11%

Neither product nor services marketer before solutions mar-

keting6%

Almost two-thirds of solutions marketers were both product and services marketers prior to their stints in solutions.

Were you a product and/or services marketer before a solutions marketer?% of Respondents (N=119)

Source: SI/ITSMA Online Survey: Anatomy of a Solutions Marketer, February 2012

“From VP Marketing to CMO, then President and General

Manager then CSO. The solutions focus was a natural

outcome of trying to find ways to bring more value to clients.”

“Moved from traditional product marketing into services marketing

and realized the importance of integrating the two...into solutions

marketing.”

“Started in a pure product management role. I moved to

software applications from automation systems where the

software applications often need to fit particular needs. So, product

management evolved into solutions management naturally.”


In addition, many solutions marketers are asked to do solutions marketing in addition to product and/or services marketing.

Marketing Responsibilities% of Respondents (N=119)

Source: ITSMA/SI Online Survey: Anatomy of a Solutions Marketer, February 2012

18%

35%

40%

7%

Solutions, products, and services

Primarily solutions

Solutions and products

Solutions and services


Discussion

At your tables…1. Discuss why solutions marketers are

in such high demand in industrial automation today

2. What is/will be different about the role of solutions marketing vs. product marketing in automation

– Impact of a marketer’s “heritage”– New challenges, needs, requirements– Etc., etc.


Assessing the Competency of Solutions

Marketers


Our partner’s assessment…

● Firm: Imprint Learning Solutions

● Assessment: Marketing Readiness Diagnostic

● Over 1000 marketers responded

● Verticals include:– IT Solutions– Industrial– Life Sciences

● Approximately 250 identified as solutions marketing – this is the data represented


Assessment focus – knowledge and skills

● Marketing Knowledge –Do we have the knowledge we need

● Marketing Practices – Do we know what to do?

Category

Rating

Below Average

Average Target Top Tier

Knowledge Measurement

Poor performers

The average score attained in this role

Expected level of knowledge for this role

The scores attained by the top performers in this role

Development Need

Extensive Need

Moderate Need

Low Need Little or No Need


Key finding: There is a knowledge gap

Market Sensing

CVM & Pricing

Life Cycle

Solution Profitability

Value Proposition

30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Average Target Top Tier

Score

Kn

ow

led

ge

& S

kill

To

pic

s Competency Rating

Source: Imprint Learning Solutions LLC.


Lets talk about these scores…

ScoringKnowledge/Skill

TopicWhat’s the Activity?

Why score Good/Bad?

Good Value Props

Good Solutions Profitability

Bad Life Cycle/Offer Dev. & Mgmt

Bad Customer Value Mgmt. and Pricing

Bad Market Sensing


Key Finding: Self professed development need is a different story!

Value Prop. & Posi-tioning

Market Sensing Life Cycle CVM & Pricing Solution Profitability 0

1

2

3

4

SelfManagerTopic Score

Ave. Score

Below Average54% or less

Extensive Need

Average55%-62%

Moderate Need

At Benchmark63%-70%

Low Need

Top Tier>71%

Little or No Need

Knowledge/Skill Topic

Self and Manager Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Needs vs. Competency



Key Finding: There is misalignment between managers/solutions marketers assessments—and they all feel needs in the wrong areas!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 340

50

100

150

200

250

300

Scores

% A

lig

nm

ent

Range of Scores

Solutions Marketers -- Range of Alignment Scores70% were out of alignment



Inadvertently – we have created the “unconsciously incompetent”

WHY?

Two driving forces:• Source: In general,

where do today’s solutions marketers come from?

• Support: And when get to a solutions marketing role…how are they managed, supported?


AddressingUnconscious

Incompetence


5 proposed antidotes to address this condition

Support the Role

Communicate and Align

Find the Right Talent

Address Managers

Build the Right Skills


1. Support Solutions Marketers…not just marketers of solutions and other things

● Plug them into your:– Market research organizations– Offer development teams– Customer value/success group– Etc.

● Provide them the resources they need:– May have value prop templates, but do they have

customer value calculators?– Might know how to price the piece parts, but do they have

the guidance on how to price the solution?– Should already be experts in launching an offer, but do

they have access to the metrics to measure long term impact?

Going Beyond


2. Manage Internal Communication/Alignment Better…don’t isolate solutions marketers

● Communicate the importance of your solutions marketers in the organization

● Articulate their role better to marketing and sales management

● Champion their outputs and successes to the sales organization

● Connect them with customers more often

Image: www.serve-others.com


3. Groom Solutions Marketing Leaders…don’t forget their importance

● Promote well rounded managers, not just “homeless” managers that have been around

● Identify leaders that understand the metrics of solutions marketing and sales success

● Invest in managers the same way you invest in new solutions marketers Image: Dilbert


4. Find Tomorrow’s Solutions Marketing Talent…don’t just give HR the same marketing job description with “solutions” added

● Write real job descriptions that outline the scope of solutions marketing

● Think differently about the source of new solutions marketing talent:– Offer development/lifecylce

management– SME’s– Sales– Where else?

Only general job description available, individual not clear relative to how best to meet job demands.62%

Individual has a detailed job description and/or clearly defined tasks.15%

Individual has a clear job description and is provided with an opportunity to advance based on performance. 16%

Individual has a detailed job description, opportunity to advance, and clear career path opportunities. 7%

Source: ©2011 MarketingSherpa Personnel Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded November 2011, N=1,646


5. Address the Knowledge and Skill Gap Today…by developing the profession!


● Customer and market assessment

● Solution development and pricing

● Thought leadership development and implementation

● Sales process and system evaluation and redesign

● Customer value measurement and referral/reference management

5. Address the Knowledge and Skill Gap TodayKey Solutions Marketing Competency Areas (continued)


We need your help to expand the assessment…

●We are working with our partner Imprint Learning Solutions to expanding the MRD tool to be more specific, probing, hopefully to produce even more interesting results

●We need top marketers to take the assessment

●You will have input, get detailed results and actionable recommendations

Please join us!


Closing thoughts…

● There’s no fighting it – solutions are becoming crucial to our success

● Solutions marketers are newer to their roles, and come from diverse, often non-solutions backgrounds

● Because of their history—and because the organization might not be ready—they are less prepared and poorly supported

● What might help:– Provide tools and support they actually need– Be proactive and help them communicate/collaborate– Don’t forget managers– When looking for new talent, broaden your horizon– Invest in the skills and knowledge that matter

● And lastly…help us explore the topic more!


Questions?


Thank You!

Matt Leary – [email protected]