You should NOT read industry publications if you want:
1) To be generic, unimaginitive, and non-recognizable when calling new clients
2) To not establish credibility when tying in your potential value to your prospect’s needs
3) To be clueless about how your solutions fall into the broader landscape of technology initiatives with your enterprise accounts
On the otherhand, you MUST read industry periodicals if you want to be credible or would like to discover leads before they become formalized leads (before an RFP is issued).
If a CIO Magazine article quoted a VP of Technology as saying their “acquisition of ABC company will require a focus on consolidation over the next 12 months”, do you think mentioning this quote would give you credibility when mentioning your company’s virtualization solutions? Or do you think you should instead call him and start with what you have done for other companies? I would suggest both, leading with your recalling his quote.
Xtra Effort receives monthly issues of Network World, ComputerWorld, CIO Magazine, etc. They pile up in our lobby for several days. I eventually bring them home, make some coffee, sit on the couch, and crank through them. Although I initially dread it (prefer a book, the Wall Street Journal, or Bicycling Magazine), I inevitably have lots of light bulbs go off about what Xtra Effort’s technology customers are truly offering to the market place.
While reading the articles, I see countless quotes from VP’s of Security, Call Center applications, human resources, Supply chain, customer intelligence, Marketing, etc. from both middle market and Fortune 1000 companies. Each quote gives the reader (you, the intelligent, customer facing executive) the company name, the person responsible for a capital budget, and her initiative. I say to myself, “if I were to return to an enterprise facing role, I would be all over these articles”. You should too.
For example, check out this article from Network World: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/010311-outlook-personal-computing.html
You will finish the article with a much greater understanding of desktop virtualization, the competitive landscape, and early adopters explaining their plans. Would you like to know Ford Motor Company’s lead person for employees managing their own devices? Do you think he may know about issues related to compliance, encryption, mobile computing, etc.?
I would suggest reading industry periodicals is as important as calling your inbound leads from marketing.
Let me know if this suggestion benefits you.