With 2011 upon us and sales plans being finalized, it’s time to consider creative ways to generate leads and fill the sales pipeline early in the New Year. In this webinar, ClearEdge Marketing President Leslie Vickrey explores smart, effective ways IT services and staffing firms can tap into their existing resources for greater lead generation results. For questions or details email lvickrey@clearedgemarketing.com or call 312.731.3149.

1. December 9, 2010
Charm Your Channels, Know Your Networks
Tips for Increasing Lead Generation in 2011
Presented by:
Leslie Vickrey, President & Founder
ClearEdge Marketing
© 2010 ClearEdge Marketing

2. Our Agenda
2011 – What’s Ahead?
Name Your Network Assets
Putting Your Assets into Action
Four Case Studies
Lessons to Learn
Q&A
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3. TechServe Alliance Conference &
Tradeshow
Thank you to Women’s Luncheon moderators:
Threase Baker, Vice President of Operations
and Owner, ABBTECH
Barbie Barta, Vice President, PSCI
Jamie Delsing, Managing Partner, Consultis
Stephanie Schroeder, Vice President,
NetEffects
Susan Thaden, President/CEO, Client
Resources, Inc.
Amy Vasquez, Executive Vice President,
Strategic Staffing Solutions (S3)
Karen Wilson, President, MAKE Corporation
Blog recapping event and key highlights:
Magic was in the Air: Lessons Learned from the
2010 TechServe Alliance Conference
www.clearedgemarketing.com/blog
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4. Poll Question 1
Optimistic: I think the economy and employment will improve.
Cautiously Optimistic: While I think things are getting better, there are still some
significant challenges ahead.
Slightly Pessimistic: I am somewhat concerned that there are more rough times ahead.
Pessimistic: I am very concerned about the economic and employment outlook.
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5. The Fed’s Perspective
Fed lowers outlook for
economy through 2011
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal
Reserve officials have become more
pessimistic in their economic
outlook. The economy will grow only
2.4 percent to 2.5 percent this year,
Fed officials said Tuesday in an
updated forecast. That's down
sharply from a previous projection of
3 percent to 3.5 percent.”
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6. The Fed’s Perspective
Gloomy Fed employment
forecast overshadows
upbeat GDP data
Los Angeles Times — “The American
economy grew faster in the third
quarter this year than previously
estimated, but that bit of encouraging
news was overshadowed by a grim
new forecast from the Federal
Reserve that predicted
unemployment would remain at about
9% next year and stay high for years
to come.”
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7. TechServe Alliance’s Perspective
According to TechServe
Alliance, on a year-over-
year basis, IT
employment is up 2.2
percent compared to a
0.6 percent increase in
total non-farm U.S.
employment. “There can
be no doubt that the
number of IT jobs
continues to grow
vigorously despite an
economic recovery that
many are characterizing
as anemic," observed
Mark Roberts, CEO of
TechServe Alliance.
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8. What to Expect in 2011?
Caution and uncertainty among clients and prospects
Continued prudence on the part of clients in terms of hiring
Focus on contract and SOW positions
Increased VMS opportunities
Continued pressure on budgets resulting in ongoing focus on
cost savings and efficiency
Reaching and winning clients will continue to be a challenge
Creative marketing required to capture prospects’ attention
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9. What You Need 2011?
With limited marketing budgets and tougher-to-win
prospects, today’s IT staffing and services firms need a
strong channel of …
Friends & Fans
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10. Word of Mouth: Critical
Person-to-person information sharing is the
biggest factor in B2B purchase decisions. Top
influences on business purchases are:
1. Recommendations from a colleague or
friend
2. Interaction with a salesperson
3. Participation at in-person marketing events,
conferences and tradeshows
- Keller Fay Group Study
SMBs are increasingly turning to trusted
third-parties to find information, select from
amongst brands and make their purchasing
decisions
- SMB Technology Purchasing Survey
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11. Poll Question 2
Less than 5%
10-25%
25-50%
More than 50%
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12. Your Three Best Network Assets
How to Improve Word of Mouth & Lead Generation in 2011
Charm Your Client Channels
The clients you have are a direct channel to many of the prospects you
want to know, tap into their peer-to-peer networks
Support Your Partner Networks
The technology and business partners you have (software/tools
manufacturers and providers, industry associations, etc.) are a direct
gateway to opportunities
Leverage Staff and Consultants
Your staff (not just the sales team) can be a powerful marketing
channel in the business and IT communities
Your consultants/candidates
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13. Why Your Networks Matter
Proprietary – Competitors can copy your
marketing, but they can’t steal your
network
Cost – It’s rarely as expensive
to market with partners
(events, blogs, papers, etc.),
staff and client resources as
it is without
Attentive Audience –
Marketing to a select network
increases the likelihood that
the audience is paying
attention
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14. Size Doesn’t Matter
Marketing through partners,
channels, associations and staff is
not “just for the big guys”
Some of the most effective
channel marketers are in fact,
smaller-sized businesses that are
nimble and able to take
advantage of opportunities
quickly
Examples to come…
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15. Tactics that Work
• Thought Leadership – Sharing knowledge
your network contacts and their contacts
need and want
• Worthwhile Events – Creating
opportunities for clients, partners and
candidates/staff learn and network
• Cross Promotion – Using collaborative
and complimentary marketing approaches
(think blogs, articles, case studies, social
media, etc.) to highlight a partner, client
or consultant/team member
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16. Keys to Success
Good Content
Businesses today are very self absorbed
Make your content about their needs
Focus
The best network marketing is the opposite of SPAM: It’s
targeted, strategic and focuses on the specific challenges of
the recipient
Persistence
The more reliable and resourceful you are for the clients,
partners and talent in your network, the more reliable they will
be in sending leads your way
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17. Member in Action: SCS
The Marketing Tactic
Thought leadership on Business Intelligence (BI)
o Pulse Survey
o Survey Report
o Event – Panel discussion on survey results
The Goal
To connect with the senior-most IT leaders and/or the most senior
BI representative at client and prospect companies
Networks Leveraged
Clients: A narrow swath of 250 existing, former and prospective
clients for survey participation
Staff: BI practice and thought leader
Clients: A small panel of clients to participate in survey event
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18. How It Worked
Clients asked to participate in
select survey and would receive
thought leadership insights and
opportunities (event invites)
Survey report is developed and
delivered in person and by mail to
survey participants and prospects
Panel Event created to share and
discuss survey findings with SCS
thought leaders, SCS clients and a
network of clients/prospects
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19. Results to Date
Client event scheduled for
January 11, 2011. Estimated
attendance is 40-50 senior IT
leaders
Four current clients have agreed
to participate in BI panel
Survey achieved a 14% response
rate, which is well above the
widely accepted 10% mark of “a
very good response”
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20. Key Takeaway
What You Can Do:
• Identify internal team members
who can fill your channels with
great content—thought
leadership, industry insights, etc.
• Find ways to connect thought
leaders with your greater
networks: blogs, events, social
networking, etc.
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21. Member in Action: Galmont
The Marketing Tactic
CIO Event - The CIO Derby
o A tour of Galmont’s nearshore QA and testing center and
program in Lexington, KY, and introduction to the key
partners supporting the program
o 12 Chicago-based IT executives attended
The Goal
To introduce senior IT decision makers (CIOs) to Galmont’s
pioneering nearshore solution through an informative, fun
two-day event
Networks Leveraged
Partners: University of Kentucky, local and state government
institutions and officials
Client: Key client offered case study on first Galmont
offshore engagement
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22. The Partners
University of Kentucky
• Talent and training resources
o Galmont offers a direct
placement program for grads
and alumni
• Knowledge center
o Hub of innovation/Course
Development
Cultivating U.S. talent
today for IT innovation
far beyond tomorrow.
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23. The Partners
State of Kentucky
• Government investment in IT
• Rapidly growing IT sector
• KY Governor Beshear ran on “job creation”
platform
• State focus: “Horses, Hi-Tech and
Healthcare”
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24. The Partners
The Client
• In Lexington for duration of event
• Met with CIOs at open house to
answer questions
• On hand for Galmont presentation
to audience to answer questions
and concerns
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25. The Event & Role of Partners
Day One
Flight to Lexington
Dinner with Kentucky community and civic leaders
Day Two
Tour of development center at University of KY and open house with
students
Meetings with Deans of Engineering and Computer Science
Tour of campus
Lunch with Governor of Kentucky and key University and Galmont leaders
Fun at renowned Lexington race track, Keeneland 25

26. All Guests Received
Personalized bottle of Maker’s Mark
Galmont Point-of-View Article “Why Near Beats Far in
Testing & SQA”
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27. Key Takeaway
What You Can Do:
• Make events, shared events.
Work with associations, tech
partners, etc. to host events.
• Incorporate clients
(testimonials, case studies, etc.)
into your marketing. No one is
more convincing than a happy
client.
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28. Member in Action: STAR BASE
The Marketing Tactic
Thought leadership on IT-
business alignment and the role
of the BA
o Pulse Survey
o Survey Report
The Goal
To engage clients and prospects
in need of better business
analyst processes and support
Networks Leveraged
Clients: Survey directed to
clients and prospects
Staff: BA guru and blogger on
staff
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29. Results to Date
Tremendous nationwide response
rate: Participation was 400% higher
than any previous company survey
Winning tactics
Internal team guru blogged about the
topic/survey and survey responses
immediately skyrocketed.
Several staff members and consultants
blogged/promoted it to colleagues, friends,
associations and on social networking sites
like LinkedIn and Facebook.
Leveraged local IT association, The Circuit,
which added a survey blurb to Web site blog
and a weekly e-blast.
Leveraged two local CEO groups to
distribute the survey to their membership.
Immediate results:
5 appointments to date
1 new client
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30. Key Takeaway
What You Can Do:
• Pick a strong SME (expert, good
communicator, enthusiastic about
social media) to blog.
• Promote and support good
company blogging efforts.
• Encourage teams to share good
thought leadership and leverage
professional networks for
strategic marketing.
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31. Members in Action: GTS, Harvey Nash &
ClearEdge Marketing
The Marketing Tactic
Chicago Women’s IT Executive
Networking Group
o Started in 2007
o Meet quarterly over dinner
o Attendees range from 20-30 people,
mix of IT services firms and senior IT
executives (50/50)
The Goal
To offer a fun, more relaxed social
environment than typical networking
outlets (and guests pay for themselves!)
Networks Leveraged
Clients, partners, associations/non-
profits
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32. Results to Date
Grew from initial three members to more
than 30!
Chicago Innovation Awards Judge as Special
Guest—Great Exposure for Companies
On-the-Record / Off-the-Record Dinner Event
attracted Sun-Times Reporter and Leading CIO
(Jennifer Scanlon, USG)
Harvey Nash published article interviewing T-
Mobile CIO with a featured Peer-to-Peer Q&A
with a member from Group (great PR!)
Chef’s Table at Girl & The Goat
New sponsors and volunteers for local IT non-
profit i.c.stars
Opened door to invite prospects with unique
event; great way to thank a client, by inviting
them to a nice dinner out with their own
peers (women in IT)
Other markets now inquiring about starting
Many closed deals…
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33. Key Takeaway
What You Can Do:
• Decide if having a non-traditional
networking event makes sense for
you/your business, then determine
partners, format, etc.
• Don’t be afraid to partner with
competing companies.
• Leverage networks and channel
resources (associations, clients,
prospects) to participate in your
marketing efforts.
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34. Final Thoughts
Your network is bigger and stronger
than you think
Brainstorm with partners on ways to
expand your voice and promote
expertise in the marketplace
Cultivate thought leaders
Own a topic that is important to
clients and prospects
Don’t count social media out
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35. Register for Next Webinar
Your Brand Matters! What
Does it Say About You?
Tuesday, May 10
12:30-1:30 p.m. ET
Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/842058547
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36. Let’s Talk
Your Questions, Experiences & Thoughts.
Let’s Share & Learn.
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37. Thank You!
For More Insights, Contact Me Anytime
Leslie Vickrey, President of ClearEdge Marketing
Tel: 312.731.3149
E-mail: lvickrey@clearedgemarketing.com
www.clearedgemarketing.com
www.facebook.com/clearedgemarketing
www.twitter.com/clearedgemktg
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