Approaching the subject of a pay rise is something that can make many of us feel more than a little nervy. So we’ve spoken to those in the know to find out how junior marketers can win favour with their overlords (bosses), speed up the promotion process and secure that all-important raise…
1. Don’t ask, don’t get
Obviously there’s more to securing a pay rise than just asking for it, but the old adage is pretty apt in the workplace. For Maria Burpee, senior vice president at Archimedicx, the best approach involves being well prepared and knowing your own value (see Glassdoor and Mika Brzezinski’s musings for more insight). “The most successful people will ask when’s a good time to sit down and discuss it, then make a proposal and listen to feedback,” she says. “They understand my point of view, and have an understanding of what’s realistic in terms of timings, team allocation and budget.”
Thinking about the stats and facts is important – because you’ll need to be able to measure the value you’re bringing, as Maria goes on to explain. “Can you connect your accomplishments to the business or at least what this senior manager is measured on. Can you say you generated X in revenue for every €/£ spent? Do you have a list of accomplishments?”
Consultant Lucy Lomas points out the irony of a marketer struggling to negotiate a pay rise. “Negotiation is one of our core skills so why are we so bad at negotiating our own pay? In a nutshell, if you’ve looking for promotion, you need to be seen to be doing the job already. Look, walk and talk like a senior marketer and your promotion should be a question of aligning the paperwork with your role and responsibilities, rather than asking your manager to take a leap of faith.”
2. Ideas, ideas, ideas!
Offer as many as you’ve got, urges Greenwich Design’s MD Simon Wright. And we don’t just mean new headlines for emails or a better way of engaging on LinkedIn (although these are obviously good); consider how the wider business operates. Do you have any suggestions around how your team could be more productive? Have you noticed a flaw in a cross-departmental process that’s hampering creativity or quality of output? Consider how your team communicates: have a look into Slack or Asana and and see how they might be used.
3. Patience really is a virtue
As Simon points out, proving one’s professional and personal value won’t be achieved overnight. “All too often juniors are living their lives at a metabolic rate that’s faster than the norm and perhaps have wage expectations to match. Many young people expect to walk into big salaries, but although they’re proven degree-getters they still need to provide their value in the workplace. I’m talking an absolute minimum of six months.”
Justine Tommey, Guinness World Record’s head of marketing (EMEA and APAC), is in full agreement. “When I started out in marketing I was really keen to move up as quickly as possible but it’s so important to take your time. Listen to your peers and observe what’s going on around you; it’s a cliché, but don’t try and run before you can walk!”
4. Dedication to the cause
Getting in early and working late for the sake of it won’t impress anyone – but offering to help out with colleague’s tasks will never go unnoticed. It might be something menial, like showing the new intern how to use the CRM or taking the minutes in a management meeting – but it’s sure to drive home the fact that you’re here to help and can add value in a variety of different ways.
5. Be accountable
“Always behave as if the buck stops with you,” says Heather Barnett, associate director at The Marketing Practice. “You may only be working on elements of a project rather than leading it, but it pays to keep the bigger picture in mind.” Flagging an upcoming issue – in the right way, of course – will always be welcomed; don’t assume your observations will be pooh-poohed and that anything you spot is obvious to everyone else.
6. Flex your managerial muscle
Part of what senior managers wish they could do less of is manage – so consider how you could step up in this particular area. And we’re not necessarily talking about managing other members of the team, but taking ownership over projects. As Simon puts it: “A junior who gains clients’ trust is a gem you need to keep hold of”. People will feel more comfortable giving you responsibility if you’re for the success of the whole project in mind, rather than your own particular remit.
And don’t forget the overarching importance of managing upwards (ie maintaining a positive relationship with your boss). “A good piece of advice once give to me by a manager was to bring them solutions rather than problems,” says Justine. “If you’ve spotted something’s not working, think about how you could improve it – you’re more likely to be able to negotiate a better salary (and budget) if you take this approach.”
7. Professional to a tee
Respond to emails promptly, CC in the relevant people, prepare for meetings and file emails and documents in the right places, says Heather. “It might not sound important but people will be less prepared to listen to your amazing marketing ideas if they find your working practices unprofessional.”
8. Show them what you know
Don’t be embarrassed to let your passion for marketing show – that’s probably one of the reasons they hired you. “Stay up to date with new trends and research, share interesting articles with colleagues and ask to attend key meetings to learn new skills,” says Heather. “And even if you don’t want to actively post on social media, make sure you’re listening in to Twitter and LinkedIn conversations.”
Lucy Lomas concurs, and points out the need for marketers to be on top of trends, regulation and policy, competitor activity and clients. “There’s lots of talk about marketing measurement and a plethora of statistics that could be measured; this is all very interesting to a marketer but of little real relevance to a business. The board aren’t interested in how many Twitter followers you’ve gained or Facebook engagements; they want to know how many enquiries your work has generated, what the conversion rate is, how client satisfaction is improving and therefore what marketing’s contribution is to the business. How much of the business’ growth is down to good marketing, and what challenges are you going to help the business weather in the next 12 months?”
9. Be a wordsmith
In the world of B2B, many marketers are tasked with turning grey, lifeless information into copy that really sparkles. If you’re able to draw out an engaging narrative from a long and uninspiring report you’ll be making the right impression in no time. But beware the use of flowery language! “Using too many adjectives is a clear sign of a lack of experience or confidence in your writing, particularly for a B2B audience,” adds Lucy, “and a piece needs to stand on its own facts, so proof it without any adjectives and then add one or two back in.”
10. Don’t have a chip on your shoulder
It’s easy, when you’re starting out, to be impatient and to want to rise up the career ladder as quickly as possible – but try to approach any conversations around promotion or salary from a place of reason and not emotion. “Don’t make it personal,” says Maria. “Definitely don’t pressure or threaten or say ‘it’s not fair’. Instead, remain calm and collected and focus on facts, results and the big picture.”
Interested in finding out how your salary compares to that of your peers? Check out the findings of our first ever Salary Survey.
