What Exactly Do You Do?

Posted by commadmin on Mar. 21, 2014  /  Subscribe 0

Summary

When marketers are asked what we do, most of us muddle through – our roles are just not as defined as designers, engineers, and contractors. The goal of this session was not only to have an “elevator speech” that succinctly describes our jobs, but daring ourselves to think of what our ideal role is. Sue Stock suggests that each of us imagine what we would want people to say about us when we’re gone – a business eulogy. We can then work backwards to create our careers, rather than having our careers created for us. To do so, we must bring each of our unique attributes to the table – in other words, leverage our own particular talents and interests, not what we think others want us to bring.

Presentation Tidbits

• A survey asked 160 Twin Cities business people (representing health care systems, architects, engineers, contractors, etc.), “On successful jobs, what has been present?” The top factor cited was trust/relationships, a soft skill that takes time to develop. It may take marketers multiple years to cultivate a relationship before it ever leads to a job, but once established it yields long-term benefits.
• The foundation of success is made up of four elements split into two halves:
  o    Industry Focus – results/outcome, structure/process
  o    Intangibles/“Soft” Focus – vision/leadership, culture/team
  Many in our male-dominated industries fixate on industry metrics, but the soft skills are what unite people and build relationships. For companies that effectively achieve the intangible elements, the industry metrics and ultimate success will fall into place.
• Effective communication is one of the most crucial parts of any relationship. Without it, no one gets what they thought they wanted, or beyond that, what they really needed but didn’t know it.
• Sue asked for perspectives of what people in attendance do. Some of the answers gave credence to the communication theme:
  o    Company storyteller
  o    Cultivator of relationships
  o    Promoter
  o    Communicator
  o    Information gatherer
  o    Psychologist

Group Activity

We split into small groups created a “mind map” of the many different people and roles involved in marketing and business development throughout each firm (see images below). We all agreed that diverse teams add many perspectives, energy and ideas. Some roles/tasks on our maps included:

• Research – market and forecasting
• Positioning – align message with what you’re providing
• Targeting
• Qualifying
• Strategic planning
• Tactical – proposals, interviews
• Relationship building
• Brand – positioning, events; useful tool in relationship building
• Content management
• Media – including internal and external public relations
• Communication
• Project management – maps into marketing and business development

Danielle Hilmo
Marketing Manager and Associate
BWBR

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