Ziff Davis Enterprise and Alinean Partner to Increase Sales and Marketing Effectiveness in a Down Economy

Unique Combination of Business Value Tools, Research, Editorial Content, and Multi-Media Channels Offers Enterprise IT Marketers Most Comprehensive Collection of Strategic Marketing Resources

NEW YORK, NY and ORLANDO, FL (February 19, 2009) – Ziff Davis Enterprise, B2B technology's trusted information and marketing resource, and Alinean, the leading provider of value-based sales tools for B2B vendors, today announced the availability of a new suite of interactive, web-based, self-service calculators and sales tools. Offered as an addition to Ziff Davis Enterprise’s broad portfolio of marketing resources, the new Alinean-powered tools will help technology solution providers’ sales and marketing groups strategically integrate their campaigns, effectively identify opportunities, and prove the business value and return on investment (ROI) of their solutions amid an increasingly competitive and frugal marketplace.

The custom-designed Ziff Davis Enterprise tools empower vendors to demonstrate the business value of their solutions while enabling prospective buyers to qualify the need and quantify the business impact of specific technology solutions.  Designed to help technology marketers and sellers connect more effectively with their customers’ buying lifecycle, the suite of tools helps prospects identify and qualify solution needs, develop  customized, detailed business case justification proposals, and analyze the budget investment needed – all critical tools in a down economy.

Using the Ziff Davis Enterprise sales tools powered by Alinean’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, sales and marketing teams can drive effective value-based, buying cycle aligned, sales programs that:

• Compare and benchmark IT goals and spending via IT Benchmarking tools

• Identify opportunities and recommend solutions which can best deliver value via IT Capability Assessment tools

• Quantify the value and prepare CFO-ready business cases for proposed improvements via ROI Analysis tools

• Provide competitive differentiation using total cost of ownership (TCO) comparisons and online configurations via TCO Analysis and Configurator tools.

By integrating these tools into a Ziff Davis Enterprise marketing campaign, technology vendors are empowered with expansive customer reach, the credibility to more effectively influence and support purchasing decisions, and the ability to potentially:

• Increase lead generation by 50% and overall campaign revenue by 10%

• Accelerate sales cycles by 30-40%

• Reduce discounts and increase deal size by 20%

• Increase competitive win rates by 60%

• Realize an 800% return on sales tool investment in less than 12 months

“We are convinced that Alinean’s EnterpriseROI SaaS platform is one of the best kept secrets in the industry,” said Steve Weitzner, Chief Executive Officer of Ziff Davis Enterprise. Our partnership with Alinean will enable our B2B technology customers to focus their sales and marketing programs, and better connect, target and reach economic decision makers - increasing sales effectiveness and driving revenue.”

“We are thrilled to enable Ziff Davis Enterprise programs with Alinean’s Business Value Sales Tool Platform,” said Jefre Futch, President and COO of Alinean. “In today’s down economy and ultra-competitive sales environment, it is a necessity to empower marketers and sellers with content and tools to expand their reach, sharpen their message and provide the motivating proof points to gain executive level buy-in to fund proposed solutions. These are times where if leaders can help their clients prioritize the need and make the business case, they’ll put significantly more distance between themselves and the competition.”

Business Value Sales tools powered by Alinean are offered as part of the Ziff Davis Enterprise suite of innovative marketing solutions. Offering clients complete customization, the tools may be used on a stand-alone basis or integrated into other marketing campaigns in order to maximize their effectiveness in tough economic times. For more information about this new toolset please visit http://buildroi.com/calculators.php or contact Dave.Colford@ziffdavisenterprise.com.

About Ziff Davis Enterprise, Inc.

Ziff Davis Enterprise, Inc. is B2B technology’s trusted information resource. Millions of technology buyers rely on our relevant, objective content to identify the right solutions for their organizations. Over 300 technology companies, from industry giants to emerging start-ups, rely on our contextual content, marketing, and audience development expertise to compress sales cycles and lower their go-to-market costs. Leading brands include Baseline, CIO Insight, eWEEK, Baselinemag.com, CIOInsight.com, eWEEK.com, WebBuyersGuide.com, and the Developer Shed network. Ziff Davis Enterprise has proven marketing solutions for branding, engagement, and face-to-face events. Products include print and online advertising, eNewsletter sponsorships, content syndication, eSeminars, virtual tradeshows, events, and custom media services. Ziff Davis Enterprise has a global database of 4 million users representing an unparalleled community of business and technology professionals, developers, and the channel. For more information visit www.ziffdavisenterprise.com.

About Alinean

Alinean develops software and solutions to streamline the B2B selling process with business value selling solutions – using ROI/TCO and business case analysis to prove and improve the value of solutions to prospects and customers. The company’s founding team pioneered the concept of interactive ROI and TCO software in 1994, developing award-winning solutions for leading B2B vendors and consultants. Its research methodologies and software tools are used by analyst firms and consultancies such as IDC and B2B leaders such as Oracle, HP, Dell, SAP, Microsoft, Symantec and IBM, and have helped justify billions of dollars in IT spending and derived value. For more information, visit www.alinean.com or call 407.382.0005.
 

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