Marketers are passionate about their work. They change jobs to work on particular brands, are obsessive about details and work long hours to get things right. What they are less keen to do is dedicate time to their own development which is a pity.
For early success, marketers need to be ambitious for themselves as well as their product. Their efforts are central to the growth of the business and so their place is at the centre of the organisation. Until marketers market themselves with the same energy they devote to their job they could be stranded in the slow lane. Below are some suggestions for how to pick up the pace.
Academic qualifications formally recognise professional knowledge and expertise and cannot be underestimated. They not only provide theoretical knowledge but are also portable, internationally recognised and often the stepping stone to further achievements.
But marketers need to choose their programmes wisely. Professor Jikyeong Kang, director of the full-time MBA at Manchester Business School (MBS), says: some potential applicants come to me wanting to do an MBA when it’s not really appropriate for them. A marketer, for example, might be better taking a one-year MSc or MA in marketing. Someone who wants to specialise in B2B marketing should choose the corporate marketing modules. In this way students can tailor the formal programme to their own areas of interest.
And of course you never finish learning. You might now have a specialist B2B interest but have the overall strategic aspiration to be in top management running your own business. In that case you can return in a few years time to take a further programme to equip you for a senior management role, she adds.
If taking a year’s sabbatical is impractical, many programmes are available part time or by distance learning and there are plenty of short courses to fill in any knowledge gaps.
Just as academic qualifications provide marketers with a thorough knowledge of the theory of marketing, professional qualifications are based on practice and experience.
Tim Bradley, managing director of HR solutions provider, Pecaso UK says: The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) runs many courses and accreditations for marketing professionals. Propose that your company sponsors you to achieve a CIM qualification.
John Greenhough, head of business development at CIM adds: the image and credibility of the marketing arena has been raised by the granting of chartered status for individuals who meet stringent criteria.
The Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM) Diploma in Direct & Interactive Marketing dedicates two sessions specifically to B2B marketing and is an internationally-recognised award. Jill Hancock, director of the IDM, says, the diploma has been running since 1985 and is very well established. Most agencies and clients send people on it who have potential.
At the very least marketers can attend one of the many shorter workshops, seminars or masterclasses. Bradley of Pecaso again: continual professional development should be a mantra for professionals in any sector. Your company will almost definitely have an external training policy and budget available make the most of it. Research day courses and seminars that you could attend and submit a proposal to your manager.
People underestimate the value of their network, says Kang of MBS. One of the most beneficial aspects of learning is not so much the formal training as the informal contacts you make with other alumni, plus industry experts who visit to address the students. Hancock of the IDM says: we organise various events where members can meet, learn from and debate with speakers who are experts in their field. At the same time members have the opportunity to mix with fellow professionals and build stronger business relationships.
Membership of a professional body is a public statement of a marketer’s dedication to their profession. Marketers would not neglect useful business contacts and should not overlook those who might be useful in forwarding their careers. Spotting the future success stories is as valuable as knowing those already at the top.
Speak up at meetings, make yourself heard, without appearing arrogant or intrusive, and ensure that the boss knows your name says Bradley of Pecaso. This way, when you apply for promotion they won’t ask ‘who’s that?’ If you have particular abilities, make them known. If more tasks come up in these areas, step in and offer to take them on. This way, if a permanent role becomes available you’re more likely to get the job.
Taking part in schemes such as the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships where academics and industry experts share knowledge benefits both. Offering to speak at events and conferences ensures that you get known beyond your own firm providing of course that you have something important to say. Marketers rarely have trouble speaking in public (!) but if you’re unsure how to make your information interesting, then your local college will almost certainly have a course on good presentation. You need to be memorable so aim at entertaining as well as informing.
Many marketing courses and experts focus on B2C. The consumer market is often considered the glamorous side of marketing and therefore the most desirable place to be. While not exactly leaving a power vacuum in the B2B arena, there is nevertheless more scope at the moment for specialist B2B marketers.
To gain a thorough in-depth knowledge you may need formal tuition not available through the standard academic programmes on offer. Kang of MBS says: business schools often produce company-specific training programmes customised to a particular need perceived by that firm. Individuals should not be afraid to search through the specialist areas of the academic staff they’ll almost certainly be listed on the business school’s webpages and then approach members of staff. Even if staff can’t help directly they should be able to advise.
Marketers can be valued for the breadth of their experience as much as its depth. When marketers move up the career ladder the generic skills they need change. Junior marketers need good administrative skills but to move into more senior grades marketers need to concentrate on improving the way they handle people. Greenhough of CIM says: a fast-tracked marketing career is firmly linked to the development of key transferable skills. Many B2B marketers wishing to move up in their companies broaden their experience by moving between in-house departments. Marketers can gain a range of experience from working in a team towards a corporate goal, to working for an agency with several different clients.
Marketing is a global profession and, with the growth of the internet, even small companies regularly export their products and services. Work out where your overseas clients/customers are, which countries offer possible marketing opportunities for your firm’s expansion and learn the language. There are several good language tapes available which provide an excellent start, for specialist vocabulary you could take a part-time course in language for business. Local colleges should be able to help with many of the European languages or you could advertise for a native speaker locally who would be willing to provide tuition. For real cachet learn one of the less commonly-taught languages such as Japanese. When applying for promotion or moving jobs it’s a real addition to the CV.
When people ask me about forwarding their career I always say: take risks, Kang of MBS emphasises and adds: do something you’ve never done before! Challenge yourself! Not only will you surprise yourself and gain confidence, but you’ll impress your colleagues too. Bradley of Pecaso agrees: make the most of your company appraisals. Highlight your strengths and find a way to work on your weaknesses. Prepare yourself well in advance to maximise the opportunity.
As Dr Roger Palmer, senior lecturer in marketing at Cranfield School of Management says: manage your career as though it were a product. Think about it in terms of a product life cycle, engineer success, celebrate that success outrageously, work out strategic development, etc. As marketers our biggest and most difficult customer is our employer; the very least we should be able to do is market our own careers.
Heidi Stewart, marketing team leader, National B2B Centre Heidi Stewart is currently doing a Chartered Institute of Management qualification, the Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing. It’s a one-year, fast-track course and involves four intensive weekends of study together with study time at home. Qualifications like this keep me up to date with current practice as well as proving what I can do, says Stewart. The diploma is a portable qualification recognised around the world. It strengthens my ability to make strategic marketing decisions and concentrates on the importance of decisions focussed on the customer. It also means I’m on track for working for Chartered Marketer status. An advocate of continuing professional development, Stewart has recently completed the CIM emarketing award and has also studied partnership marketing and campaign management. She comments, I’m not young enough to think I know it all! I think career development is crucial no matter what level you are within an organisation. My key message would be ‘never to assume you should stop learning’.
