COMMENTS
Marketing is the landing place for underachieving salespeople and socially-adept engineers.
Are there any other misunderstood marketers out there?
YES, MOST OF US WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS WHICH IS WHY WE ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS. WE THINK MAYBE YOU'RE ONTO SOMETHING.
What other misconceptions are there? IF WE ASK FOR MONEY, THEY CAN FIND IT CHEAPER.THE MOST ANNOYING THING ABOUT THIS BUSINESS TODAY IS ESTABLISHING FAIR PRICES IN AREAS THAT ARE NEW TO THE CLIENT (AND TO MANY OF US). STRATEGY IS NOT NEW TO US THOUGH AND DIGITAL IS ANOTHER WAY OF DELIVERING IT, A GREAT WAY. I MUST HAVE BEEN AHEAD OF THE CURVE BECAUSE I WANTED TO DELIVER A DIGITAL SOLUTION TO A FORMER CLIENT FOR A GREAT RATE AND IT JUST BOUGHT AN ENTIRE COMPANY TO ACCOMPLISH A FEAT THAT IS SIMPLE FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS: OBSCENE. ERGO THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION IS ASSUMING YOUR CURRENT VENDORS CANNOT DO ANYTHING EXCEPT WHAT THEY'RE DOING. IN FACT BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE MATERIAL --AND ARE PROBABLY DIGITAL -- THEY CAN DO IT BETTER THAN A SINGULARLY BRANDED COMPANY. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN TRUE THAT GOOD MARKETERS HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING OR KNOW HOW TO ANYWAY. THAT IS A GROSS MISCONCEPTION BY CLIENTS WHO NOT ONLY SILO JOBS INEFFICIENTLY BUT THEY ASSUME A LOT THAT THEY SHOULDN'T ASSUME. THE SELL IS TOUGHER BECAUSE OF THE MARKET AND ALSO BECAUSE OF NEW MEDIA THAT HAS NOT BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH FOR THE SMB TO SHOW ENOUGH SUCCESS STORIES.
Dare any others try to defend some of these misconceptions?
YOU GUYS HAVE PUT TOGETHER A OT OF TEMPLATES TO DO THAT. AND ARE EVEN IN BUSINESS WITH YOUR PARTNERING AGENCIES WHICH WILL HELP THEM WHEN THEY CAN'T GET BLOOD FROM A STONE AND THERE ARE A LOT OF STONES OUT THERE RIGHT NOW. --YOU NEED THE METHODOLOGY, YOU NEED THE SAMPLES AND YOU NEED THE FUNDING BEFORE YOU CAN HAVE MILLER TIME.
Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/8728/5-Misconceptions-About-Marketers.aspx#ixzz1BczEpuIe
I like the drinking on the job bit, need more Mad Men styles round here to get the juices flowing :D
Mad Men were gross because of their endless cigarette smoking and drinking (Best show on TV but pisses off any late 20th century women) but no doubt a little beer is good for loosening up. Riding your secretary no doubt (Mad Men style) doesn't happen at Hubspot. However, we know that the Founding Father of Hubspot has great affinity for the Grateful Dead, and anyone who is a friend of the Dead "is a friend of the devil is a friend of mine." (Please don't take this literally -- it's a lyric. This is called being careful in blogging).
Re: Mad Men pissing off women... I don't agree with that at all, every woman I know is adicted to it as well.
Let me rephrase. Hell no -- I'm addicted! But it's really about "how things were"-- Peggy's emergence is all about where things started going and it's only a tribute to Don that he mentored her and cared.The brilliance of that show is that it allows Baby Boomers in particular (I'm coming from that point) to see their lives as children from an adult lens and see why their parents were the way they were. Trust me, I'm in total agreement!
Great marketing is great customer relations. Hubspot does that well. It is challenging to know how to add value. It takes a lot of intelligent questioning, sometimes simply asking... what do you need, how can I help? I did this so effectively at one job my company lost the contract after I left. I listened and performed. Marketing is a real job as today's focus on metrics proves.
These articles are greatly appreciated, very useful and informative blog and every body must visit this blog.
I started my career as a software engineer so I can definitely handle the science and math stuff, but I switched to marketing when I discovered it is my real passion. In many ways marketing is so much more complex and challenging! In addition to touching all aspects and functions of the business, marketing challenges can not be solved by following a formula or an algorithm - every industry and every business has unique complexities that mean that marketers have to constantly learn and adapt. Any science geek who thinks that anyone can do marketing would likely be sadly mistaken if they tried it!
Spot-on article. I feel that even people with the best of intentions have a tendency to misunderstand the intricacy of a marketing job.
Honestly, any job that considers a 5-10% success rate high
is a demanding job
hehe...witty indeed. Most people do not understand that marketing is a very creative job and you need to chill out just to do your job! I would say, I work only 2 hrs everyday, at which point, I am most creative! The rest of the time just goes in beating around the bush...
Good list of misconceptions, good answer to correct them. Well done!
Yes, marketing is at the crossroads of so many disciplines and that's what makes it so exciting. With a caveat however ...
In most organizations Marketing as a whole is more losing than gaining prestige and power. In addition marketing is becoming more and more tactical only (repeating the word strategy hundreds time a day doesn't make it). Marketers should ask themselves why it is so and look at what thet are doing wrong. May be they are a little bit too self-centric and not so authentic?
When I was running marketing for a small healthcare manufacturing company, I was frequently asked to help out customer service on the phones; this insight influenced some of the advertising campaigns for the industry and helped me train customer service reps, so their conversations would reflect the type of language I wanted in the industry. That department can have your back and be your best allies.
I often get the "What do you do all day in your office? PLAY!?". But when they see the results of what marketers get, the analytics we have to understand, and the learning we constantly have to do to stay technologically savvy and relevant, then they would want a couple of toys in their office too!
Well, was crying out research writing help at
www.customwritingbay.com about Industry Service Marketing about Eaten’s Restaurant; an ethnic restaurant which offers Asian cuisine. Even though the physical evidence element of its extended marketing mix is good, the restaurant has a few problems with the people element of its marketing mix. Its service is slow especially during peak hours, its packaging for take-away meals is poor, and waitresses take too long to clean tables after customers have finished eating. Additionally, consistency in service quality is absent. This would appear a little criticizing not because it is a custom paper from custom writing site, but factually highlights areas of service improvement to market services to any other business function
Great article. You might find my blog post on what's wrong with management insightful on why no one 'gets' marketing's real value. http://christinecrandell.com/2010/03/the-smoking-gun-of-alignment/
The biggest weapon for any marketer to have lead generation is communications. We do believe that marketers do lack technical expertise; however, good and strong communication can definitely overshadow this inability. For me, communications is the key in any kind of marketing...and if you do have it in you...then it's never going to be difficult for YOU...
My mis-conception No.6 would be: Marketing has to appreciate that all customers have the same requirements.
Marketing has to understand customer better than anyone in the company to able to correctly predict what they'll do, how much they'll pay, when they'll renew etc.
Thanks for sharing Ellie - it was fun.
Tim
I find it interesting that you separate science majors with marketers. I happen to be both (currently getting my BS in Behavioral Neuroscience) and working as a marketing intern at a company within the science industry. I actually use many of the research and analytical skills I learn in the lab and apply it to marketing- and I especially use my psychology experience to try and be in the customer's mindset. I enjoy blending the two, especially because it's really hard to market laboratory equipment without knowing what it does.
Enjoyed the post!
Laura
Really dropped a bomb with this one. Great topic though and in all seriousness, there are still too few businesses with credible marketing representation in the boardroom, despite the fact it can increasingly be monitored more effectively and drives a business forward in a more sustainable way than simply making the next sale.
Thanks, everyone, for all the great comments. It's comforting (though unfortunate?) to hear that we are facing the same challenges!
I agree! I get teased about the important decisions I need to make such as what giveaways we will order for our trade show booth or what venue to choose for a customer event. But in reality, these things do matter and good marketers make good choices. It is not just something anybody could walk in off the street and do.