Structured Engagement Model for Positioning Maximo

March 13, 2026

Structured Engagement Model for Positioning Maximo

When positioning Maximo, the process should be structured around understanding the customer’s operations, identifying a meaningful use case, validating feasibility internally, and only then presenting a targeted proposal and demonstration. A demo should come later in the engagement, once a clear use case and solution structure are established.

Level 1 – Initial Discovery Conversation

Audience: Reseller + Customer

This is a casual discovery discussion focused on understanding the customer’s organization and operations.

Topics explored:

  • What business the organization is in
  • What types of physical assets they manage
  • Approximate number of assets
  • Locations or facilities where assets exist
  • How they currently track assets, maintenance, or inspections
  • Whether they currently use spreadsheets, legacy tools, or an asset management platform

The objective at this stage is simply to understand whether asset management is a relevant problem space for the organization and if Maximo could potentially help.

Level 2 – Internal Use Case Ideation

Audience: Reseller + IBM + VAD (Distributor)
Customer: Not involved

At this stage, the teams internally analyze the information gathered from the first conversation and brainstorm potential Maximo use cases.

Activities include:

  • Identifying possible asset management scenarios
  • Mapping the customer’s operations to potential Maximo capabilities
  • Considering possible industry patterns or previous implementations
  • Shaping a proposed use case narrative

The goal is to “dream up” a realistic Maximo use case that fits the customer’s environment before presenting anything back to the customer.

Level 3 – Use Case Discussion and Information Gathering

Audience: Reseller + Customer

In this stage, the reseller presents the proposed use case concept along with a high-level Maximo overview and IBM value proposition.

This is also a deep discovery session where the reseller gathers additional technical and operational information.

Topics to explore:

Operational Usage

  • How many users might interact with the system
  • Types of users:
    • Request submitters (service requests)
    • Technicians performing work
    • Managers or supervisors
    • System administrators
  • How each group would interact with the platform

Infrastructure Direction

  • Where they typically host enterprise applications
  • Whether they prefer cloud or on-premise deployments
  • If on-premise, what virtualization platforms they use (for example VMware)
  • Existing operating system administration skills (Linux or Windows)
  • Their overall comfort with adopting new technology

Technology Adoption Approach

  • Whether they prefer training internal staff or bringing in consultants
  • Whether they are comfortable working with specialized platforms
  • Their general approach to long-term platform support and operations

The goal of this stage is information gathering and alignment, ensuring the use case and technical environment make sense before any pricing discussion.

Level 4 – Internal Solution Design and Licensing

Audience: Reseller + IBM + VAD (Distributor)
Customer: Not involved

Using the information gathered in Level 3, the internal teams determine:

  • The appropriate Maximo licensing structure (based on user roles and counts)
  • The recommended infrastructure approach
  • High-level implementation considerations
  • Estimated deployment architecture

This stage focuses on building a realistic solution model and pricing structure that can be presented to the customer.

Level 5 – Customer Proposal and Demonstration

Audience: Reseller + Customer
(IBM and VAD may participate if needed)

The reseller returns to the customer with a structured proposal that includes:

  • The proposed Maximo use case
  • Recommended deployment approach
  • High-level architecture
  • Licensing structure
  • Implementation approach
  • Estimated pricing

If the proposal aligns with the customer’s expectations and budget, the next step is a targeted demonstration that shows how Maximo supports the specific use case discussed, rather than presenting a generic product demo.