Instructor: Steve Hurley
Solutions Insights, Inc.

Introduction

B2B marketers face a fundamental dilemma with many of their top customers. On the one hand, buyers are pushing hard for the lowest possible prices, and forcing suppliers to deal with commodity-oriented procurement operations. On the other, they are looking to consolidate purchasing relationships with a small number of more strategic suppliers that can truly provide high value solutions to critical business challenges.

Not surprisingly, most B2B marketers prefer to move up the value chain with "solutions." Indeed, marketing and selling higher value solutions can be the key to becoming a more strategic partner with priority customers, differentiating more effectively from competitors, and uncovering new opportunities for growth and profit.

Generating substantial revenue with solutions, however, requires a great deal more than simply new messaging and collateral. Adding complex, often customized solutions to the marketing mix typically requires:

• Much deeper insight into customer challenges
• New, cross-organizational approaches to developing offers
• Greater emphasis on targeted, issue-oriented, and account-based marketing programs
• New approaches to sales and sales support

Objectives

Building on the experience of some of the world's most influential B2B companies, the workshop will provide a hands-on immersion in the models and best practice examples of developing, marketing, and selling high-value B2B solutions.

Through a highly interactive mix of short presentations, case study discussions, and group exercises, the workshop will provide participants with the information, frameworks, and tools they need to:

• Strengthen organizational alignment around solutions strategies and opportunities
• Develop and launch compelling new solutions
• Deepen connections with key customers and prospects
• Shorten the sales cycle for high value solutions

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed for business, product, marketing, and sales leaders and contributors involved or interested in developing, marketing, and selling high value B2B solutions.

Participants that have found this workshop beneficial have included representatives from corporate and field marketing, market research, product and solutions development and management, business management, corporate strategy, sales operations and support, key account management, and sales.

Content

• Strategic Alignment
• Defining solutions opportunities and priorities
• Building consensus around solutions definitions and taxonomy
• Establishing solutions governance and organizational alignment
• Developing solutions metrics

Offering Distinction

• Understanding customer challenges and imperatives
• Building cross-organizational collaboration for offer development
• Creating differentiated value propositions
• Accelerating and scaling solutions development to address a broad range of customer needs

Customer Connection

• Targeting priority segments and customers
• Developing issue-based campaigns
• Connecting with senior and executive-level buyers
• Working with social media

Sales Enablement

• Moving the sales force from transactional to consultative selling
• Creating the right systems, tools, and training
• Aligning metrics and compensation

Account-Based Marketing and Selling

• Integrating marketing and sales for key account planning
• Customizing solutions for individual accounts
• Crafting and implementing account-level campaigns

About the Instructor

A veteran consultant and business strategist, Steve Hurley specializes in helping medium-sized and large B2B organizations integrate dispersed assets and capabilities to meet unique customer needs. As a leading expert on solutions, Steve has worked for the last ten years with a wide range of B2B companies developing and implementing innovative methodologies and tools to better understand customer problems and opportunities, align internally to build and market true solutions, and re-skill sales forces to articulate the business value of their solutions for customers and prospects.

Along with his consulting work at Solutions Insights, Steve has taught an MBA course on Solutions Marketing for the last three years at the Hult International Business School.

Prior to establishing Solutions Insights, Steve was Vice President at ITSMA, the premier association for technology-based companies focused on marketing and selling services and solutions. Steve was a major contributor to ITSMA’s solutions publications and tools, including its Solutions Roadmap, competency assessment guide, and sales training curriculum. He also launched and led ITSMA’s Solutions Council, bringing together business and marketing executives from two dozen top technology firms to share best practices and explore new thinking in solutions.

Steve received his MBA from the Hult International Business School, formerly the Arthur D. Little School of Management, where he graduated summa cum laude. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts from the University of Windsor in Canada.

Dates and Location

This course is not currently scheduled.

Cost and Registration

ISBM Members:  $1,500
Non-Members:     $2,500

Cancellation Policy

Up to 30 days prior —no fee
Between 29 – 15 days prior —$100 fee
Within 14 days prior —full conference fee due
All substitutions within 14 days prior to the seminar will be subject to a $50.00 administrative fee.

For More Information

Contact Paula Dorminy or Gary Holler
isbm@psu.edu
814-863-2782