The company failed to clearly define and communicate the value of its solution, focusing instead on promoting new product features, which led to disappointing subscriber growth and declining revenue as customers did not understand how the solution addressed their needs or problems. This lack of a customer-centric solution marketing approach highlights the importance of defining and communicating the value a solution delivers in solving customer challenges.

1. Introduction to Solution Marketing
Steve Robins
June 21, 2012

2. Introductions
<2>

3. A Few Questions…
• What is a solution?
• What is solution marketing?
• Why do you think solution marketing matters?
<3>

4. CBOND
competition
company
products
yourself
services
limits

5. Beyond Solution
Products: Marketing

6. What is “it”?
What’s Happening What’s Needed
• Customers want it • Solutions make life easier
• But most customers can’t • Technology is increasingly complex and • Help customers
do it on their own customers lack in-house resources, time,
expertise
• Apple, IBM and Chuck e • Each offers complete solutions to customers…
Cheese sell it Apple iPad ecosystem, IBM industry solutions,
Chuck e Cheese birthday package
• Provide discipline, rigor,
• Most tech companies claim
to have it “It” = Solutions
• Seems like everyone sells solutions today consistency – best
practices
• But none of them know • But there’s not a common definition
what it is
• Sales thinks they’re selling • Many sales teams use the Solution Selling • Help Marketing to work
it… methodology with Sales
• Provide a solution
• …but they’re doing it • But Solution Selling does not provide strategic methodology for
without Marketing. guidance for Marketing Marketing
• It can be confusing • Solution Marketing Blog,
• There’s little discipline around solutions
Group, Consulting
<6>

7. What is “it”? Solutions is It.
What’s Happening What’s Needed
• Customers want it • Solutions make life easier
• But most customers can’t • Technology is increasingly complex and • Help customers
do it on their own customers lack in-house resources, time,
expertise
• Apple, IBM and Chuck e • Each offers complete solutions to customers…
Cheese sell it Apple iPad ecosystem, IBM industry solutions,
Chuck e Cheese birthday package
• Provide discipline, rigor,
• Most tech companies claim • Seems like everyone sells solutions today consistency – best
to have it practices
• But none of them know • But there’s not a common definition
what it is
• Sales thinks they’re selling • Many sales teams use the Solution Selling • Help Marketing to work
it… methodology with Sales
• Provide a solution
• …but they’re doing it • But Solution Selling does not provide strategic methodology for
without Marketing. guidance for Marketing Marketing
• It can be confusing • Solution Marketing Blog,
• There’s little discipline around solutions
Group, Consulting
<7>

8. Steve Robins
• Senior Director of Marketing, FirstBest
Systems
• Founder, The Solution Marketing Blog,
Top-rated solution marketing blog
• 10+ years in solution marketing •
 Expertise in solution, industry and product marketing Provide a solution
methodology for Marketing
 Experience: FirstBest Systems, Solution Marketing
Strategies, EMC Documentum, KANA, • Discipline, rigor,
The Yankee Group consistency – best
practices
• Inbound Marketing Certified
Professional • Help Marketing to work with
Sales
• How:
• Solution Marketing
LinkedIn.com/in/SteveRobins1
Blog
@SteveRobins
• LinkedIn Group
SolutionMarketingBlog.com
<8>

9. What if…
I wish…
!

10. Solutions Everywhere
<10>

11. Agenda
• Introductions
• Beyond products
 Exercise #1: is it a solution?
• Solution marketing
 Solution
 Education & engagement
 Value
 Access
• Building your solution marketing strategy
 Customer visibility
 Discovery
 Strategies for solutions, education & engagement, value, access
 Exercise #2: solution marketing fail
• Conclusion, Q&A
• Hands-On
 Exercise #3: sell me your solution
 Exercise #4: field – test your solution<11>

12. Beyond Products
The Solution Imperative

13. Typical Company Wants…
Customer
Tech-
nology
Company
<13>

14. What is a Solution Anyways?
so·lu·tion
noun sə-ˈlü-shən
General definition:
a: an action or process of solving a
problem
b: an answer to a problem
so·lu·tion
noun sə-ˈlü-shən
Business definition:
A complete and integrated
offering that includes everything
required to solve a customer
problem
<14>

15. Typical Customer Wants…
Services
User
Tech-
nology Process
Customer
---
Pain
Points
Content/ Data
Complete Solution
Everything to solve the customer’s problem
<15>

16. Complete Solution
User • User interfaces • Best practices
• Training • Domain expertise
• Support
Process • Process optimization • Integrated experiences
• Reengineering • ROI studies
• Workflow • Security
Content/ • Content • Data
Data  Documents • External data sources
 Images • Data security, data policies
 Video
 Music
 Books
Technology • Hardware/ infrastructure • Complementary technologies
• Software platforms • Integrations
• Applications • Custom coding
Services • Strategy • Integration services
• Project management • Communications services, hosting
• Risk management • Support
• Custom coding
<16>

17. Why Solutions?
• Increasing complexity of technology
• Limited in-house IT to support systems
• Avoid in-house/SI build or integration
• Business users drive tech decisions but
don’t understand the technology
• Mature markets
<17>

18. Why It Matters
The Chasm Main Street
Relative % of Customers
The Solution Opportunity
The Tornado
End of Life
Early Life Bowling
Alley
Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority/ Late Majority Laggards Time
Technology Visionaries Pragmatists Conservatives Skeptics
Enthusiasts
Customers want technology Customers want solutions and convenience
and performance Sources: E.M. Rogers, G. Moore
<18>

19. Exercise #1

20. Solution Scorecard
Dimension Rating Comments
Completeness
• People/users, fit to needs
• Process
• Content/Information
• Technology: Hardware and software
• Services & support
Strategy
• Differentiated offering – unique in market
• Partners: includes tech, apps, and content
• Partner-friendly business model (win-win)
Total
<20>

21. HP TouchPad Apple iPad
Microsoft
Surface Kindle
Fire
•

22. •

23. Solution Marketing
Customer-Centric
Marketing for Today

24. What is Solution Marketing?
so·lu·tion mar·ket·ing
noun sə-ˈlü-shənˈmär-kə-tiŋ
The process of defining,
educating, and providing access
to complete and integrated
solutions
that deliver value
by helping customers to solve
their problems.
<24>

25. Solution Marketing Adds Value To
Marketing, Sales and Product Management
Field
Enablement
Social Media Frictionless
Sales
Marketing Product
Support Management
<25>

26. The 4 P’s – All About the Company
“Build it and
they will come”
Product
Best channels
for us to sell Place Pro-
the product motion
Company
Outbound,
interruption
marketing
Price
Cost-plus;
margin is king
<26>

27. Solution Marketing –
All About the Customer
“How can I solve
Strategy, Metrics
my problem?”
Solution
Product
“How can I
“Where can Education
Access
Place Pro- learn more
I find it?” Engagement
Customer motion about it?”
---
Company
Pain
Points
Price
Value
“How will it help me and
what is my total sacrifice
to get this solution?”
End-to-End Marketing for Today
Customer-Focused Marketing
<27>

28. Solution Strategy
• General strategy:
• Target markets/functions, solutions
• Solution maturity
• Partner
• Buy vs build
• Completeness: Platform > Framework > Templates > Application
• Portfolio management
• Revenue goals
• Cross-functional team
• Metrics for success
• Cross-functional alignment, organizational support
• Development/engineering/product management
• Channel/SI partners
• Marketing
• Sales
• Support
• Services
<28>

29. PowerAdvocate
Offers Complete Solutions
BIZ CHALLENGE SOLUTION
• Business challenge:
Optimize procurement in the energy
sector (power plants)
Company challenge:
Differentiate the company from larger
players like Ariba
<29>

30. PowerAdvocate Offers Complete
Solutions
BIZ CHALLENGE SOLUTION
• Products: SaaS solutions for
procurement
spend, cost, market, sourcing Solution Assessment
• Services: Industry experts User 
provide services to lower Process 
costs Content/Data 
Technology 
• Data: Market-specific Services 
procurement data and
analysis
Differentiator: industry-specific data
<30>

31. Education & Engagement:
Message
$
Insured
Agent
Carrier
Loss ratio
Consistent/ Value-
Targeted True Driven Relevant Jargon
<31>

32. Education & Engagement:
Strategy
Challenge Buy
& How to Now!
Market Market Demand Frictionless Field
Education Engagement Gen Sales Enablement/
Sales
<32>

33. Value = Benefit - Cost
Value Benefits (Improvement)
• Profit, expense, revenue drivers
• New business
• Time savings
• Productivity improvement
• Headcount reduction
$Dollars
• Soft benefits
Total Cost of Ownership
• External…
– Software
– Hardware
– Services
• Internal…
© 2011 www.SolutionMarketingBlog.com
– Training
– Change management
– Desktop upgrades
<34> – IT management

34. Value-Based Pricing
Value = Benefit - TCO
Assume that vendor charges fair price
for features provided
Business Benefit ($)
Lost revenue
Customer
Benefit Unneeded features
Customer
Benefit Price
Customer Customer
Benefit Benefit
A B C D
High Value Fair Value Poor Value Fair Value
Lost software Price matches Unneeded Price matches
revenue benefit features benefit
Solution use-case drives benefit and value
<35>

35. Microsoft SharePoint Delivers Value
with 50% of the features
BIZ CHALLENGE SOLUTION RESULT
Share information with other people
in the enterprise
<36>

36. Microsoft SharePoint Delivers Value
with 50% of the features
BIZ CHALLENGE SOLUTION RESULT
“
We don’t claim we do everything.
If we do 50 percent of the
functions that these other
companies do, but they’re the ones
customers really want, that’s fine.
”
The magic is that end users
actually like to use the software.
Chris Capossela
Senior Vice President
Information Worker Product Management Group , Microsoft
NY Times 8/2/2009
<37>

37. Microsoft SharePoint Delivers Value
with 50% of the features
BIZ CHALLENGE SOLUTION RESULT
Significant growth at expense
of mainstream ECM vendors
Lesson: Customers gain value by
buying only the features they need
E
<38>

38. Access
• Be flexible
• Provide seamless experience
• Enable frictionless sales
• Complete/close the sale quickly
• Ensure success thru “the last mile”
<39>

39. Building Your Solution
Marketing Strategy
Discovery
Strategies for:
Solutions
Education & Engagement
Value
Access

40. Listening
Customer
Visibility Totality
Customer
Perspective
360 Degree 360
Discovery
Solution
Marketing
Price
<41>

41. o
360 Discovery
Portfolio User & Buyer Customer Solution Solution
Strategy Personas Value Access Development
What markets and How will we educate and How will we incorporate How would the user/buyer What will each solution
solutions should we engage with potential and communicate value? like to buy and use the do and include?
target? users and buyers? solution?
Internal Persona Value Access Solution
• Revenue • Titles • Before/after process • Best channels Requirements
• Current offerings • Business challenges • Before/after • Optimal role of • Revenue
• Core competencies • Career goals challenge/gain VARs, SIs, direct opportunity
• Solution maturity • Thought process • Customer’s value sales, buying on • Use cases
drivers - contract • Business challenges
• Sales-readiness
dollar impact • Preferred delivery • Industry/function
How to connect models… Software?
External • ROI trends
• “Hang-outs” – SaaS (Software as a
• Under-solved communication • Purchasing habits, • Key components
budget Service)? Business
challenges channels, pubs, Process • Buy vs build
• Top market, solution trade shows, social Outsourcing? • Testing
opportunities media • Requirements for
• Segment size • Industry jargon customer success
• Market drivers • Influence levers (ex
• Competition case studies?)
<42>

42. Solution Needs Hierarchy
Intelligence: Mature
templates, 5
rules etc
Components &
4 integrations
Business
3 value
Solution description –
2 what it does
Target audience and
1 business problem Less
Mature
<43>

43. Key Participants in the Buying Decision
Strategist IT Innovation Manager/
Business owner Developer
Identifies problem/need Business analyst User
“How will this improve Specs and evaluates Manages projects
efficiency and “What’s the best system “How will this help to do
effectiveness” we should use?” my job better?
Functional VP
Approves budget
Delegates details Consultant
“Will this improve my Advises company and
bottom line?” recommends new strategies
“How does compare to
other options?”
<44>

44. Personas
General Persona #1: The VP/Director of Marketing
Typical title  VP/Director of Marketing
About me
Department  Marketing
Background/  Matured through the ranks of marketing
experience
 Leader
Personality
 Aggressive
 Lead large team
What I’m thinking
Day-to-day job  Manage budget
 Build and execute marketing strategy
 Create and maintain a strong brand that generates interest
Top business goals
 Generate leads
Challenges  Doing it all within a limited budget
 Clear ROI
Solution needs  Easy to use
 Competitively priced
<45>

45. Exercise #2

46. Solution Marketing Failure
BIZ CHALLENGE SOLUTION RESULT
$1,094
39
$994
34
Subscribers (Millions)
Revenue ($ Millions)
$894
$238
29 $263
$176 $794
$155
24
$107 $115 $694
$113
$75
$69
19
$594
14 $494
Mar '10 Jun '10 Sep '10 Dec '10 Mar '11 Jun '11 Sep '11 Dec '11 Mar '12
Subscriber trend Revenue trend Unique subcribers Revenue Stock price
Sources: NetFlix, Google

47. •
•
•
•
•
•

48. Next Steps

49. Ensure Alignment
Throughout the Extended Enterprise
Suppliers/ Back Front
Customers
Partners Office Office
Tech, SI Manufacturing Marketing
Partners Engineering Sales
Service
• Goal: Customers get what they were promised
• How Do You Achieve This?
– Consistent messages across entire company and ecosystem
– Sales – longer sales cycles; solution training; specialized sales teams
– Support from engineering/product management, services, tech support, consulting teams
– Executive support
<50>

50. Getting Started
1. Begin internal discovery
2. Know the customer
3. Define the business problem
4. Move from feature/benefit  business
value
5. Think about solution completeness
6. Bonus: how are market/tech forces
changing solution requirements?
<51>

51. Q&A
Services Strategy, Metrics
User Solution
Product
Tech- Education
Access
Place Pro-
nology Process Engagement
Customer Customer motion
--- ---
Company
Pain Pain
Points Points
Content/ Data Price
Value
Complete Solution Solution Marketing
<52>

52. Thank You
LinkedIn.com/in/SteveRobins1
St ev e r o b i ns Twitter.com/SteveRobins
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING SolutionMarketingBlog.com
FirstBest Systems www.firstbest.com
www.SolutionMarketingBlog.com
<53>

53. Take the Next Step
Solution Marketing Pros www.SolutionMarketingBlog.com
LinkedIn Group
THE
linkedin.com/groups? Solution Marketing
gid=1826720 Blog
<54>

54. Beyond Solution
Products: Marketing