Today's New York Times features an interesting article about Hewlett-Packard and its business consulting unit's marketing strategy. Depending on your point of view, this piece is either laudatory or critical. It's a rare chance to hear about a company's entry into a competitive professional services marketplace; a look at how it's fared in the past few years; and some actual comments from insiders about its marketplace goals and segmentation strategies.
You have to read almost to the end of the story to find out that one of HP's key strategies is to go after small projects, "rather than chasing everything." I loved reading this article, for three reasons: 1) it's a great example that marketing strategy is NOT only about seminars, articles or web sites, but more about types of clients, types of work, types of services; 2) it's a great example of how corporate growth strategy and marketing strategy work together to achieve goals; and 3) it acknowledges that marketing strategies need time to work. "It's a work in progress," says Ann M. Livermore, the executive vice president for Technology Solutions Group, which includes HP Services.
Would your firm's marketing strategy fare as well as HP's has today, under similar scrutiny from the New York Times? Some of you are probably saying, "No way!" If you are, it's time to get serious about making some changes to your marketing plans for next year!
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