Product Management and Professional Services at Technology companies - Do traditional methods apply?

I've spent the past decade marketing professional services as part of various on-line and desk-top software companies. As I plan out 2010 I am looking at my Marketing budget and wondering how to improve on my team's marketing efforts.

As those of us in Professional Services at technology companies know, we typically exist to "augment" the core offering of the business. We paint it "blue" or add a widget here or there. What I'm seeing, however, is that the "Pro Services" teams are now being leveraged to introduce new technology to the market through our connection to key customers.

This situation would say that the Pro Services team is becoming the "technology incubator" rather than just a sales enabler. If this is true, the Product Management function inside Pro Services teams could be one of the most strategic positions in the business. Therefore, the need for my blog post.

Questions are:
1. Is it best to approach Pro Services as something that simply "enables" the deal?
2. Is your company making the leap to treat Pro Services as its own "Product Line" rather than just a sales tool?
3. How are you approaching the "service requirements" research for your Pro Services offerings?
4. Is anyone using social media to do this research?

Thanks,

Jeff