This book will be a unique resource to improve marketing effectiveness in the technical services sector. It will combine state-of-the-art service marketing techniques with good academic theory and, as such, will be unique in its field. The book will be divided into four sections. The proposed content of the book is as follows: An introduction to the technical services sector including an exposé of the unique dynamics founded on technical networks, and why traditional marketing is not immediately relevant to technical service. Section I: The key elements of market-based strategy; how to gain market perspective; customer segmentation; brand strategy; competitive strategies; channel strategy and market access; international strategies. Section II: The role and organization of marketing in technical service businesses; sales; marketing and selling to major customers; innovation; communicating with markets; the significance of service quality to marketing effectiveness. Section III: The Marketers TOOLKIT: A detailed one page summary of each of the different marketing tools featured within the first two sections of the book examining techniques and strengths and weaknesses of each one and when it should be used. Section IV: A how to section referencing the processes and approaches involved in marketing including how to: segment; choose agencies; create a marketing plan; create a major account plan; and manage new product development
Book Details:
- Author: Laurie Young
- ISBN: 9780470662410
- Year Published: 2010
- Pages: 344
- BISAC: BUS058000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Sales & Selling / General
About the Book and Topic:
This book will be a unique resource to improve marketing effectiveness in the technical services sector. It will combine state-of-the-art service marketing techniques with good academic theory and, as such, will be unique in its field. The book will be divided into four sections. The proposed content of the book is as follows: An introduction to the technical services sector including an exposé of the unique dynamics founded on technical networks, and why traditional marketing is not immediately relevant to technical service. Section I: The key elements of market-based strategy; how to gain market perspective; customer segmentation; brand strategy; competitive strategies; channel strategy and market access; international strategies. Section II: The role and organization of marketing in technical service businesses; sales; marketing and selling to major customers; innovation; communicating with markets; the significance of service quality to marketing effectiveness. Section III: The Marketers TOOLKIT: A detailed one page summary of each of the different marketing tools featured within the first two sections of the book examining techniques and strengths and weaknesses of each one and when it should be used. Section IV: A how to section referencing the processes and approaches involved in marketing including how to: segment; choose agencies; create a marketing plan; create a major account plan; and manage new product development
Many businesses in the technical services area are relatively inexperienced and ineffective at marketing. In massive, competitive, international technology companies much of the marketing is tactical and short term. In a vast number of these businesses there are thousands of service managers who are expected to market or sell and, although they are responsible for large contracts and sales, there is very little training available to them. Marketing in this sector is not as highly developed or as effective as in the consumer goods businesses. In addition, traditional marketing works do not relate easily to their businesses or their situation.
PLATFORM FOR THE BOOK: Laurie Young is a proven marketing author for Wiley. His previous publications are amongst the best selling backlist titles in the marketing portfolio. He is a consistent public speaker at national and regional marketing conferences, some linked to the CIM. Bev Burgess has an enviable reputation in the technical services arena with strong links to the IT Service Marketing Association (ITSMA) and to many well known industry players. A NICHE but VAST and TARGETABLE AUDIENCE: The audience for the book are to be found amongst a wide range of businesses including telecoms companies, telecoms manufacturers, gas, water, electricity, heavy engineering, computing, medical devices, oil distribution and aerospace A KEY REFERENCE WORK: Using the same model applied by the author in his previous book, Marketing the Professional Services Firm this new book provides practicing marketers, service manager, and sales people in technology service businesses with the detail, practicalities and detailed references to techniques that they will be seeking in a book about marketing in the technical services arena. PRACTICAL: Includes the Marketers TOOLKIT: A detailed one page summary of each of the different marketing tools featured available, examining techniques and strengths and weaknesses of each one and when it should be used. CASE STUDIES: Detailed case studies from leading companies such as IBM, Ericsson, Fujitsu and BT (at least two case studies per chapter)
About the Author
Laurie Young is a specialist in the marketing of services who speaks regularly at conferences and industry associations. He is the author of Marketing the Professional Service Firm and, From Products to Services (both Wiley) and is commissioned to write the Marketing Techniques Handbook (within the CIM cluster). His career includes senior positions with PricewaterhouseCoopers, BT and Unisys. Before joining PwC, where he oversaw a total marketing team of some 300 people and a budget spend of around $80 million, he founded, built and sold his professional services company specialising in services marketing. He is recognised as a leading figure in marketing and presents regularly at conferences, helping book sales. Lauries writing career is developing. He has published over 100 articles, writes a regular column for a professional magazine and has won a writers award from an American based international organisation. He has authored three books on his own and two with others. Three of these have been with Wiley. Bev Burgess has had a successful career in technical service businesses. She has held marketing positions with British Gas, Epsom and Fujitsu (eg: Director of Commercial Marketing at Fujitsu responsible for all marketing programmes to their non public sector customers). Her role as European Managing Director of the IT Service Marketing Association (ITSMA – a privately owned organization where large IT service companies pay a subscription fee for access to research, training and a range of thought leadership publications, with branches in the USA, India and Japan) has established her international reputation in this field. Bev created the programme of research, publications and events that ITSMA delivers in Europe each year, authoring many of ITSMAs publications and heading the companys learning and advisory activities. She personally ran programmes for companies like BT, EDS, HP, PwC and Xerox. She now runs her own practice, helping technical service companies create effective marketing strategies and programmes. She is well known to the management of many of the worlds leading technical companies and is routinely invited around the world to advise them.