Lessons learned from Momentum ITSMA's journey with AI

Staying ahead in B2B marketing requires a strategic alignment with client needs and capitalizing on the wave of technological advancements. We've been at the forefront of this transformation for the last 20 years, and are now leveraging AI to foster deeper client relationships and drive sustainable growth for our clients. 

Momentum ITSMA’s journey with AI began with the experimentation and exploration of generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Adobe Firefly. By 2023, we had built a custom, secure, and private prototype leveraging Microsoft Co-Pilot and Azure, marking the beginning of our AI platform development. In 2024, we launched Momentum AI, a private platform featuring Targeted Language Models (TLMs) tailored to our specific needs. This platform has been instrumental in enhancing our AI capabilities, allowing us to build specialized agents and automate tasks, thereby accelerating value creation for our clients.

Our experience with generative AI has taught us several critical lessons. Firstly, scaling personalization requires more than just technology; it demands a strategic approach to data curation and management, including iterative prompting to establish a content foundation that can be adapted to meet diverse client needs. As we know, public GPTs have their limitations due to security risks, and private GPTs are essential if you wish to enter sensitive data and unlock the true potential of AI without concern. 

Curating source material is not just a skill, but a requirement for achieving scale. Typically, this data includes industry and account insights, stakeholder insights, account growth plans, client call recordings, and sales enablement materials. By integrating these diverse data sources, we ensure that our AI models are informed by comprehensive and relevant information, enabling them to generate accurate and contextually appropriate outputs. This curated approach not only enhances the effectiveness of our AI solutions but also supports our commitment to delivering genuine client-centric value.

At Momentum ITSMA, we have pioneered the development of 'agentic AI,' a more sophisticated form of AI used to solve complex tasks. Agentic AI uses a digital ecosystem of large language models, machine learning, and natural language processing to perform autonomous functions on behalf of users or systems. Unlike traditional AI, which relies heavily on human prompts, agentic AI groups tasks that are repeated regularly and provides the flexibility to adapt to changing situations independently. This proactive approach allows us to scale and optimize business processes more effectively, ultimately driving superior outcomes.

Most readers will likely be familiar with our 7-step Account Development Methodology (see below). This is a repeatable best-practice approach that guides the development of accounts, or clusters of accounts, to drive scalable, consistent growth. These are our scale levers, and making them run faster, smarter, and better reaps significant rewards. 

We’ve prioritized three key areas where generative AI, task automation, and ultimately AI agents can make a significant impact on process efficiency, team productivity, and business impact:

1. Market & Account Insights
2. Messaging & Content Development
3. Account Journey Orchestration

When creating prompts for these areas, we use the CARE framework:

Context: Provide the AI with relevant background information to set the stage for the task. This helps the AI understand the environment or situation in which it is operating.

Ask: Clearly define what you want the AI to do. This involves specifying the task or question that needs to be addressed, ensuring that the AI knows exactly what is expected.

Rules: Outline any specific guidelines or constraints that the AI should follow when generating responses. This can include formatting requirements, tone, or any other parameters that need to be adhered to.

Examples: Provide examples to illustrate the desired outcome or to clarify complex requests. This helps the AI generate responses that are aligned with your expectations and can improve the quality of the output.

Momentum ITSMA's journey with AI builds on our heritage of client-centric marketing, while also demonstrating our commitment to innovation. By embracing cutting-edge technologies like agentic AI and implementing strategic frameworks like CARE, we are not only enhancing our capabilities but also redefining the future of client engagement. 

Drop me a line Andrew.rogerson@momentumitsma.com if you would like to explore new frontiers in AI and client-centric marketing, driving transformation and success for your clients and partners.