Can you please some of the best ways to acquire new customers in the 
IT market, focusing on IT managers. Some examples and or case studies
of the recent campaigns would greatky be appreciated. The product set
in question is digital office equipment.

Hello itsmechang-ga,

This has been a very interesting search project. Although the
copier/printer market is mature there are a number of new technologies
and emerging trends in marketing and sales of these products. You
particularly asked about customer acquisition for multi-function
products. These devices are also called MFAs for short (for Multi
Function Product/Printer/Peripheral) All-in-Ones or a variety of other
names and acronyms. This is important to know for your search for
additional resources.

The first question is who are your target customers and what sales
channels will you use? The size of the customer’s organization makes
an enormous difference before your question can be answered. Are you
planning to sell to the Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) market? Are
you planning to market to Fortune 500 companies? What size company in
between are you trying to reach? Each of these categories of customers
are likely to buy from a different distribution channel.

The small office equipment market (which includes printers, copiers
and MFAs) is sold through many channels, including: independent
dealers, value-added resellers, systems integrators, and manufacturers
and distributors. The customer acquisition strategy will depend on the
sales channel. I’ve grouped the resource I’ve found into major
categories for easier review.

I hope this research will help you with your understanding of how to
market and sell multifunctional digital products. Please don’t
hesitate to ask for clarification on any if this.

Wishing you success in your enterprise.
czh


=============================
ASSOCIATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS
=============================

http://www.bta.org/
Business Technology Association
Newsletter, articles, surveys, research reports, discussion forums.

http://www.mfpa.org/
Multifunction Products Association
This organization is a coalition of over 30 major office equipment,
computer hardware and computer software developers and manufacturers
all dedicated to getting office machines to talk to each other for
greater efficiency and ease of use.

http://www.vnunet.com/
VNU Business Publications Ltd. 
This is a European portal site aimed at the Small to Medium Enterprise
(SME) market that offers lots of resources, including a Research
Library, Newsletters, and business and product advice.

http://www.asaypub.com/
Asay Publishing Network
This is a portal site for buyers of office machines and business
equipment.
Be sure to check out Industry Resources and Education and Training 

http://www.global-imaging.com/PageDisplay.asp?p1=6621
Global Imaging Systems
Overview of the changing industry
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=98561
Subject: Top Tradeshows/Conventions for IT Mangers


==================================
ARTICLES AND ANECDOTAL INFORMATION
==================================

http://www.mfpa.org/lutzstop15trends.htm
Top 15 Trends for 2000
These trends are good pointers for helping you identify the current
issues your target customers are thinking about.

http://www.vnunet.com/Features/1134345
[13-08-2002] Xerox touts super-charged office productivity
This article presents a good discussion of the movement of office
equipment purchases from the office manager to the IT department. The
discussion of features and benefits should be helpful in developing
your sales presentation.

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2106094,00.html
7th March 2002 -- HP admits it's the ink that counts
This article discusses the need to change sales strategies when moving
from traditional copiers, printers and fax machines to multi-function
peripherals.

http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/seta/2002/09/19/stories/2002091900010200.htm
Sep 19, 2002 , Your next printer: a `Jack-of-all-trades'?
This article cites some some Dataquest numbers on changing marketplace

http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/crm/story/0,10801,48712,00.html
Customer Acquisition Costs

http://catalogagemag.com/ar/marketing_setting_price_customer/
Catalog Analysis: Setting Your Price for Customer Acquisition Costs

http://www.siliconphilly.com/newsletters/ar2_22_6.htm
VerticalNet to Acquire SierraCities and Create New VerticalNet Credit
Division

http://www.informationweek.com/786/crm.htm
CRM: Customer Care Goes End-To-End

http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2877897-2,00.html
Retention Strategy

http://www.entrepreneur.com/Your_Business/YB_SegArticle/0,4621,299864,00.html
May 20, 2002 Combine Your Office Equipment
Let a multifunction device do all the work for you. Read on for
shopping tips.


==========================================
CONSULTANTS, MARKET RESEARCH, WHITE PAPERS
==========================================

http://www.capv.com/home/AboutCAPV/AboutCAPV.html
CAP Ventures is a strategic consulting firm for providers and users of
digital business communication technologies and services. They provide
research, analysis, forecasting, benchmarking, and strategy
recommendations for the small business equipment market.

http://www.capv.com/eprise/main/Home/Multiclient/Brochures/EquipTracking.pdf
CAP Ventures Office Output Equipment Tracking Program

http://www.capv.com/home/Multiclient/EcommEquip.html
Building an E-Commerce Strategy for the Office Equipment and Printer
Marketplace
CAP Ventures presents an in-depth study of the impact, opportunities
and strategies for e-commerce in the office equipment industry.

http://www.capv.com/home/Multiclient/EquipTracking.html
Office Output Equipment Tracking Program

==================================
CUSTOMER ACQUISITION AND MARKETING
==================================

http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~majchrza/ISDesign/CharlieChanReport.PDF
Case Study – Customer Acquisition System (50 page report with charts
and graphs)

http://www.nfusion.com/customeracq.htm
Customer acquisition

http://www.topica.com/services/leads.html
Let Topica's brand recognition, reach, and loyal subscriber base bring
you highly qualified subscribers and customer leads! Your business or
newsletter will be featured in Topica's registration path, where over
50% of registrants select at least one offer.

http://www.experian.com/yourmarket/third_party_resellers.html
3rd party resellers

http://www.captaris.com/news/press_release/578.html
eCopy technology is sold primarily through major office equipment
reseller channels such as Canon, IKON, Danka and Oce, value-added
resellers (VARs), solution integrators and independent office
equipment dealers worldwide.

http://www.prtm.com/channelstrategies/encyclopedia.html
Channel Encyclopedia

http://www.buyerzone.com/office_equipment/index.html
http://www.buyerzone.com/office_equipment/all_in_ones/index.html
All-in-Ones
All-in-ones are the cheapest way to get multifunctionality -- fax,
copier, scanner, and printer in a single machine. Let BuyerZone.com
help you find a machine that's right for your office.

http://www.bplans.com/sp/sic/index.cfm?a=d1&SIC=5044#
Sample Marketing Plan -- Click on AMT Computer



SEARCH STRATEGY
multi function copier market
customer acquisition
"customer acquisition" "business equipment"
marketing program "office equipment"

---

Request for Answer Clarification by itsmechang-ga on 26 Nov 2002 03:39 PST

Hello Czh, I think you have answered another one of my questions. In
answer to your response, the target market / customer is the IT
Manager of large corporates eg top 5000 companies. The information
provided does to really answer the question. Let me try and rephrase.

We are looking at the best examples of : lead generation, marketing
campaigns (direct or otherwise) that have produced the best sales
response. Case studies and or examples of these programs is what I am
looking for.

The examples provided in "customer acquisition" do not really address
this. Can you please clarify. Thanks in advance.

---

Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 26 Nov 2002 11:12 PST

Hello again,
I'm sorry the information I provided didn't meet your needs. It would
help me get you what you want if I had a better idea of how you're
approaching the market -- reseller, system integrator, independent
distributor, etc.? Can you tell me a little more about what
differentiates you so I can find the kind of marketing campaign that
works in your situation. Thanks for your input. Again, as I said in my
clarification on your other question, I may not be able to get back to
you until tomorrow. Thanks.
czh

---

Request for Answer Clarification by itsmechang-ga on 27 Nov 2002 03:33 PST

We are approaching the market currently with a direct sales force.
This team targets IT managers and purchasing offices of large
corporates (as per my previous responses). Our nationwide service
operation is a one of our key points of difference along with our
brand.

Here is a sample of what I am looking for. From here you can see the
different ideas: http://www.ballistix.com.au/Our_services/communications_samples.htm
Cheers.

---

Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 27 Nov 2002 11:59 PST

Thanks for the clarification. I'll be back with you soon.
czh

---

Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 27 Nov 2002 12:55 PST

Hello again,

Your clarification helped a lot in getting a clearer focus on your
research goals. I’ve grouped the material I’ve found for easier
review. I hope this is what you were looking for.
czh

============================
CONSULTANTS AND CASE STUDIES
============================

http://www.ypsgroup.com/SPE.htm
The YPS Group, Inc
http://www.ypsgroup.com/it_telecom_industry.htm
We focus on the IT Services Industry...
http://www.ypsgroup.com/selling_services.htm
Selling Value Add Services

http://www.bernalcom.com/services/spe/index.html
Bernal.com Sales Process Engineering

http://www.rea-tma.com/
Rea-TMA Marketing Group
http://www.rea-tma.com/casestu.html
Case Studies

http://systematicselling.com/cstudies.html
Systematic Selling – Sales Process Consulting
Case Studies

http://www.tradespeak.com/default.asp
TradeSpeak.com
White Papers, Case Studies, Technical Papers, Analyst Reports

http://www.crmguru.com/
CRM Guru
Membership organization offering a wide range of resources and
reports.

=======================================
ORGANIZATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, PUBLISHERS
=======================================

http://www.cim.co.uk/cim/index.cfm
The Chartered Institute of Marketing
Membership organization of accredited marketing professionals trained
in Sales Process Engineering.
http://www.cim.co.uk/ece/cfml/index.cfm
Connected in Marketing
Resource portal sponsored by the Chartered Institute of Marketing

http://www.iaspc.com/
International Association of Sales Process Consultants (IASPC)
http://www.iaspc.com/consultant.htm
Certified consultants list

http://www.wnim.com/issue8/pages/salesprocessengineering.htm
What’s New In Marketing - Sales Process Engineering

http://www.dci.com/
Digital Consulting Institute
This is a portal from an organization that provides  high-technology
education, trade shows, and management consulting with the aim of
bringing together the IT professional and the technology provider.



SEARCH STRATEGY
sales process engineering
"sales process engineering" "case studies"

---

Request for Answer Clarification by itsmechang-ga on 29 Nov 2002 22:13 PST

only two of the links are relevant. But neither address to original
question.
Your research has been split, providing information on the "industry"
and then on "sales acquistion".

The original questions was to explore examples or case studies of
recent campaigns for "the digital office equipment market" -
combination of the two. Sorry Czh, its not what I am looking for. I
appreciate your time on helping me, and if needed I am willing to pay
more for the exact research I am looking for.

You will notice in the link I posted previously the provide examples
of some direct mail activity that was successful in acquiring
customers. This is what I am trying to find for the above market.

---

Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 30 Nov 2002 05:10 PST

Dear itsmechang-ga,

I’m sorry that I still haven’t come up with exactly what you’re
looking for because we’re still working on getting a precise
clarification of your question. You indicate that some of the links
have been relevant but you don’t say which ones. The reason that I’ve
included lots of industry links is to help you connect with others in
your arena so that you can use them to help you track down what you
need. Part of the reason I was not able to give you a laser-focused
answer is because the multi-function office equipment market is in a
state of flux. Some of the earlier links I gave you cover this. The
consultant links I provided offer case studies, although not
necessarily for the copier/printer industry. You may be able to get
that from them by talking with them about your needs.

It would be helpful if you could give greater detail about where you
are geographically, what you already know about your preferred
customer acquisition process and what you hope to achieve with your
campaign. I would be delighted to go further if you choose to post
another question. Remember, the more specific you can be about your
constraints and requirements, the more I (or any other researcher) can
help. At this point, I suggest that you review the Google Answers Help
and Tips ( https://answers.google.com/answers/help.html ) and Pricing
Tips (https://answers.google.com/answers/pricing.html ) and post a new
question based on the information you’ve gotten from my answers. I
wish you well on your explorations.
czh

I'd posted an earlier Request for Clarification in the Answer box by
mistake. In the meantime the customer replied with the clarification.
When the editors pulled the incorrectly posted Answer they also erased
the prior exchange with the customer. I'd like to post both to help
get a better answer. Sorry about the posting confusion.
czh

----------------------------------
Request for Clarification by czh-ga
Hello itsmechang-ga,  
Can you be a little more specific? Digital 
office equipment covers alot of territory. 
We'll be able to give you a better answer 
if we have a clearer idea of your needs. 
Thanks.
czh
--------------------------------- 
Response to RFC by itsmechang-ga
Specifically we are looking at the best way 
to "acquire new customers" for hardware 
solutions such as Multi-function copiers 
(eg Canon, Xerox, Ricoh, Toshiba) & printers 
(eg, Lexmark & HP).