Marketing 101

Intertech Computer Products, in Phoenix, has figured out a straightforward way to get vendors to pay up. "If they aren't going to put money on the table to build our business, then they won't get face time with our engineers," said Mike Novotny, president and CEO.

The company charges vendors that are not one of its 15 strategic partners $1,500 per hour to make a presentation to its salespeople. Intertech collaborates with its strategic vendor partners on marketing, and Novotny said the company has had good results with e-mail blasts and marketing. "We are also doing more customer-focused events, identifying key customers that are buying a particular manufacturer's products and doing a more targeted approach with events and activities with those accounts," he said.

Often, vendors are willing to work with their channel partners to create a presence at small regional shows. "We try to work out three- and six-month marketing plans, and when we have things targeted for a region, we look for partners who have the time and desire to do it with us," said Raul Mujica, vice president of marketing at Untangle, a managed services vendor in San Mateo, Calif.

In addition to vendors and distributors, solution providers have another resource—their peers. "I belong to four peer groups and I leverage on that by borrowing and sharing ideas," Graphtech's Feldman said. "If you don't have a full-time person doing marketing, it's the best."

Measuring up

Once a marketing program is in place, it is important to measure the results of those efforts and make adjustments accordingly.

Solution providers can't assume that their marketing efforts are working—markets and customers change and evolve so testing the effectiveness of marketing programs needs to be an ongoing effort.

For example, Inacom Information Systems, in Madison, Wis., conducted a monthly seminar for its customers. However, over time, it realized that its customers and engineers were too busy to be enthusiastic about it, said Elizabeth Skolaski, vice president of sales support and operations.

Now the solution provider conducts bigger events less often and gets vendors involved in them. This year the company is doing three one-day events that feature vendor booths and breakout sessions on industry trends. To increase the draw, Inacom has well-known sports figures deliver keynotes. Each draws between 125 and 160 people, Skolaski said.

Many solution providers put the bulk of their marketing efforts on events, which can deliver sustained and measurable results. "Event-based marketing works well for us and is one of the predominant ways we market," said Bryan Kuntz, marketing director at Intellicom, a solution provider in Kearney, Neb.

The company hosts "lunch and learns" for potential customers, during which vendors get a chance to make a pitch. The solution provider recently invited Hewlett-Packard to talk about a new product launch, after which customers had the opportunity to learn more about the product's capabilities at breakout sessions. Intellicom followed up with each attendee to offer a free network assessment, which led to new business, Kuntz said.

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Last year, Inacom took a cue from the TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," offering potential customers an "Extreme Wireless Makeover." Each participating company had to outline how a wireless IT makeover could transform the business. "We received 60 applications, so, in essence, we got 60 sales leads," Skolaski, said. "It also created a lot of talk in this geographic area about us."

Dane Manufacturing, in Dane, Wis., was the winner, but Inacom also won. The solution provider offered the five runners-up an opportunity to purchase services at a discount for a year and has netted several new accounts in the process, in addition to forging a strong relationship with Dane, Skolaski said.

Hailey Lynne McKeefry is a freelance writer based in Belmont, Calif., and a partner with Professional Ink (www.professionalink.biz). She can be reached at hailey@cyberdeacon.com.