How to go-to-market as an IT firm in 2009

With the economy in it's current state, it is no question that many industries are being affected more so than others. For technology companies, the hit has not been as hard, yet companies are now being asked to scale back on new purchases and CIO's across this nation are beginning to re-organize their departments. So what does this mean for an IT company who is looking to sell their software/hardware? 

Earlier this year we asked "What impact will the current Economic Crisis have on IT Budgets" and more importantly, who you thought would benefit the most. Here are the results:

1. Software Providers 15%
2. SaaS 31%
3. ERP Services 8%
4. Outsourcing 38%
5. Offshoring 8%

Based on this pole, you believe that outsourcing will benefit most from the current economic crisis. Other research points towards similar numbers as well. The important thing to note here is that there still is a wide variety of different IT companies who can benefit during the economic crisis and while some may benefit more than others, all can benefit if they play their cards right. Because of this, there are some important factors that should be taken into account when going to market during this recession.   

• Know how you can save your customer time and money - There is a very strong renewed focus on measuring cost and how cost will affect the current IT budget within organizations. If your product does not have a strong argument for cost savings, you will most likely be pushed to the sidelines. When going into any marketing or sales pitch, be sure you know your customer and how you will help them save!

• Know your target audience - With the state of the economy, more organizations have restructured so that the CIO and CFO are more aligned. As IT is one of the largest expenses in an organization, the CFO is now looking to the CIO to find ways to cut costs and save more money. Furthermore, if the CIO is able to make a strong argument for certain solutions saving money, a purchase could potentially be made. Therefore, make sure your message speaks to both IT AND Finance. 
  

Follow these two rules and marketing for technology in 2009 can still present success!