Here in the sunshine of Miami, I am at The 27th Annual Marketing Partner Forum. 

Yesterday's session on Designing a Bespoke Martech Strategy was excellent. Brilliantly hosted by Chris Fritsch, Founder, CLIENTSFirst Consulting. The panel were:

• Alina Gorokhovsky, Chief Marketing Officer, Wiley Rein LLP (check out Alina's brand new website https://www.wiley.law :)
• Jessica Grayson, Chief Business Development Officer, Phillips Nizer LLP
• Adrian Lurssen, Co-Founder, JD Supra, LLC

My key takeaways. 

• In my mind the most important comment made by all members of the panel was that the people, the process and driving change management are far more important than the functionality of any technology.  Technology must be a means to an end.  It must help drive the change the CMO wants to achieve.  100% agree!
• Alina was clear is reminding us all that if you are selling technology you must solve a problem she has.  Focus on her challenges, her needs, her opportunities not your tech.  Research your prospect, Identify their problem, understand their world and the way they like to buy.  Listen!  
• Make sure in any outreach you are explaining clearly how you are saving your prospect money or making them money.  As  Adrian from JD Supra said everyone in the firm has one job - help to grow revenue.  Be a solution for that need!
• Finally, and importantly the panel was asked to finish this sentence - A good relationship requires regular BLANK.  Unsurprising the answer from the entire panel was communication.  Make it easy for them to sell your ideas internally.  Provide assets they can use to persuade the partners they need to get onside.  

Remember as CMO they have to market any project internally and make sure you have a way to drive adoption.  Like us here at Passle Alina is a great fan of gamification and of internal communications.  Coming back to point one - any 'solution' has to be all about the people and the process!