Whether you’re a client-side B2B marketer or sit on the agency side of the fence, we’ve spoken to those at the top table of their respective industries and asked them to reveal the secrets of their success
Client-side
Carolines Taylor
CMO
IBM Europe
What qualities/skills do B2B leaders need to have?
You have to be able to cope with complexity. You also need to be able to deal with pretty rapid change in the market in which you operate. So; complexity and agility. I think the B2B world is shifting faster than the B2C world. This is partly because there was a time when B2B marketing was a very structured set of things, and you just did them; ‘do it well and repeat’ kind of thing. B2B is now changing really, really rapidly. Just think of something like social for example. There was a time when people said it wasn’t particularly relevant in B2B, all of a sudden it’s become paramount.
The other really obvious thing for all of us in marketing is this convergence of the world of marketing and the world of IT. Where marketers now use technology every day, there was a time when databases were sophisticated if they were more than just a spreadsheet, and marketers didn’t need to have tech skills. But actually now we really need to know how to use technology and how to deploy it.
What’s the best way for aspiring leaders to advance their B2B marketing careers?
I tell my teams the way to be successful is to be fabulous and be visibly fabulous. It sounds trite but it’s actually really true. Whatever you’re tasked by your employers to do today, do it fabulously well, but make sure it’s visible.
I don’t necessarily want to turn all my colleagues into arrogant, ‘look at me, aren’t I fabulous’ types but they need to make sure their success is visible because that’s the way you grow your career.
The other thing is you need to be demonstrating leading edge capability, around technology and big data, because that’s where the world is going. People like me, marketing leaders, are looking at their teams, who do you think we’re hand picking to take these new jobs? It’s the people who clearly get it and are investing their own time in becoming more skilled in it.
Finally, at IBM, we have this very long tradition of ‘treasuring wild ducks’. The phrase goes back to a story written decades ago by a philosopher to illustrate a point; if you tame a wild duck you can never make it wild again.
In the business environment, if you tame your wild ducks by controlling them, preventing them and not valuing their behaviour and attitude, they become like everybody else. You then have employee clones and you never get new thinking or bright ideas.
You need to treasure those wild ducks, they may be awkward at times because they won’t get in the right box but if I think of some of the things that have been successful in my career, it’s because I’ve had wild ducks or diversity of thought in the team.
What warning would you give to aspiring B2B leaders?
Don’t miss the things I’ve already touched on. If you’re not good at complexity, you need to figure out how to build those skills.
You don’t need to understand the technology, I’m not a techy, even though I work for IBM. I don’t need to be. I work for IBM, there are hundreds of people who are deeply techy. But actually the point is, what’s the value of doing it? What does someone get out of it? You need to understand the art of the possible, but you don’t actually have to understand how to do it because that’s less the point.
Think about what’s going to get in your way of being successful.
You have to have an adaptive brain. How we’re doing social media marketing today is not how we’ll be doing it in three years. It’s certainly not what we were doing three years ago.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt so far?
There are a lot. The first one is to surround yourself with people who don’t agree with you. If everyone agrees with me, we do what Caroline thinks is a great idea and that’s not often the road to success, so it’s back to diversity of thought. Have people who will argue with you, debate it, then between you figure out the right path going forward.
The second thing is the ability to listen and analyse what you’re hearing.
My third one would be: nothing’s impossible. No problem is too great it can’t be solved, sometimes just sheer hard work and determination will actually get you through a really tough situation. Never be daunted by anything that comes your way, sometimes you’ll have to call in an awful lot of help to solve a problem or react to an opportunity, but there is always a way through and a good answer to any possible question that anyone can ever throw at you. It’s just not always obvious in the first 10 minutes.
Do you think qualifications trump experience?
I suspect the true answer is a balance. But speaking very personally, I would say experience trumps qualifications. I got appointed as IBM’s European CMO at the beginning of January and I don’t have a degree or any marketing qualifications.
So I’m figuring they did it on the basis of my experience and certainly not my lack of qualifications.
Agency-side
Clare Lawson
Managing partner, head of B2B
OgilvyOne UK
What does it take to succeed in agency life?
Agency life isn’t for the faint hearted but the rewards are plentiful. Every agency has a unique culture, but there are certain traits that successful people who work there share:
• Accountability; there is not a cast of thousands to help you work it out. If it’s your client or your project, own it and take people with you.
• Resilience; business objectives and client objectives change – you have to know how to roll with the punches.
• A smile; working with an agency should be one of the better jobs a marketer does. An agency is where creativity comes alive – and you should enjoy being the bright part of your client’s day with a view that your job is to make it brighter.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt so far?
If you are not happy that the idea or what you are proposing is the best solution to your client’s brief, have the courage to call it, rally the troops and start again. Short-term pain quickly repays itself when you get the right solution.
Is it possible for client-side marketers to easily cross over into an agency?
There is a trend towards agencies, particularly in the B2B sector, developing their strategic service offerings in areas such as business consulting, marketing planning, as well as execution. Agencies are keen to learn from client-side marketers, who have a wealth of experience in these areas, as they can really benefit the growing agency skillset. It’s not only possible to cross over, it’s positively welcomed.
Client-side
Ian Martin
Head of marketing
BT Fleet
What qualities/skills do B2B leaders need to have?
One is definitely tenacity, you need to have energy and a real desire to make things happen and get results. Commercial acumen is also important, there are too many marketers who aren’t financially astute enough. But a B2B leader’s real focus has to be on customers. It sounds obvious but too many marketers sit around in their ivory towers. You have to really understand what customers need, and not what you think they need.
Another key skill is being visionary, and having that leadership capability to articulate that vision and take people with you on that journey. You also need to have the ability to see the vision through and implement it.
Finally, it’s about getting really good people around you so that you are able to grow. This ultimately allows you to step up and tackle your next challenge. For me it’s about making yourself redundant, whereby you achieve results and you are no longer required. I want my people to grow into my role and I want them to learn about doing my job so I can work on my next step in my career, or find the next innovation that can help my company.
What’s the best way for aspiring leaders to advance their B2B marketing careers?
I’d say to see every experience as a learning opportunity. It’s fine to make mistakes, but learn from them. If you go through bad situations or work for bad companies, see them as a learning opportunity and see it as a motivator for future success.
As marketers, it’s helpful to understand what it’s like to run a business and to sell, I’m a big believer in marketers being well qualified and educated in what they do, but you must be careful not to become a textbook theoretical marketer. All of my marketing team have to do four sales visits a month, because how do you know what you’re developing if you don’t understand what your sales team is trying to deliver and what your customers want or need?
What warning would you give to aspiring B2B leaders?
My biggest warning is to believe in what you think is right, marketing is one of those disciplines everyone has an opinion on. While it’s good to take other people’s views on board, it’s very important that once you’ve decided on a direction, you believe in it, stick with it and deliver results. In your heart, if you know what you’re trying to achieve is right for the business then stick with it.
It’s very easy for other internal stakeholders to say ‘that’s never going to work’. Sometimes it’s those innovative ideas that a lot of people would be negative about that end up delivering the results. It’s like that saying: ‘success has many fathers, failure has none’.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt so far?
To change my situation in my career if it stops challenging me or fails to give me any longer term career opportunities. Too many people get into a comfort zone. Earlier on in my career I did the same thing and didn’t move on as quickly as I could have done.
Do you think qualifications trump experience?
It is about both, there are very capable people without qualifications so, for me they provide grounding but it’s all about experience and what you do with that experience.
Agency-side
Kate Cox
CEO
Bray Leino
What does it take to succeed in agency life?
An agency is a creative environment, and successful leaders are creative people, both commercially as well as conventionally. They need to be able to think laterally and logically, spot new opportunities and revenue streams, while also identifying and understanding trends and cultural shifts that effect how people behave and consume information.
It’s a cauldron of different people-types, so you need to be able to mix easily with people from different walks of life. The successful agency leader will have highly-tuned emotional intelligence and a chameleon-like ability to naturally ingratiate, motivate and manage; not to mention the ability to quickly tell the subtle differences between a genius and a confident smart-arse.
To succeed you have to be hungry for the next new thing and you must be ahead of the curve in your understanding. Clients look to their agencies to help them capitalise on opportunities, embrace change and adapt.
Agency life is a lifestyle choice, not a job. If you have boundless energy, think clearly, operate well under pressure and can occasionally pick yourself back up off the canvas, the excitement and career satisfaction is immense.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt so far?
The creativity we sell comes from one source: our people. An agency’s most valuable assets arrive in the morning and leave later that day, or night. It’s essential to be loyal, fair and honest and when there’s success, always acknowledge where the good work came from.
Make sure you have access to, and strong relationships with, real decision makers in client companies.
Is it possible for client-side marketers to easily cross over into an agency?
I think the main challenge would be adapting to being a supplier. In an agency, you’re further down the food chain and there’s no one to blame when things go wrong. The reality is, the ‘buck stops here’, and you need to be able to take it on the chin. It’s definitely possible for people to make the leap though. Some have done it very successfully; people with creative skills, people who can make judgment calls quickly and decisively under pressure alongside the many other character traits and skills noted above. But, like I say, it’s a lifestyle choice, and those who make the switch in search of an easier, calmer life are in for a rude shock.
Client-side
Sylvia Jensen
Director of EMEA marketing
Oracle Eloqua
What qualities/skills do B2B leaders need to have?
Vision: you need to always have clear sight of how things ‘should’ be in order to keep driving in the right direction.
Communication: you need to be able to ‘paint’ that vision to many departments internally, as well as being able to evangelise it externally.
Persistence: the day-to-day details of marketing can bog you down and derail you. Keep your goals and vision clear to keep going and be able to bring the rest of the company along with you.
Empathy: marketers need to understand the needs and mindset of sales and customer service in order to speak the same language and effectively work with the team. Only working together can your company succeed.
Balance of science and creativity: marketing has really become a science but marketers should always keep their creative hats on and have fun.
What’s the best way for aspiring leaders to advance their B2B marketing careers?
Lines of businesses tend to operate in silos. Marketers should try and keep a company’s strategic goals in mind and figure out how to help across departments as well as on marketing’s departmental objectives. Only by adding value across the company will a marketer be seen as a leader. It’s a balance.
What warning would you give to aspiring B2B leaders?
The only thing holding marketers back from being leaders is themselves. Marketers should see themselves as leaders (we might need some change management techniques here) and act as such, don’t ‘limit’ yourself just to marketing if you want to be a leader.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt so far?
At the end of the day we always work with people. Be a people person. Be a likeable person. It really will get you far.
Do you think qualifications trump experience or vice versa?
I think experience trumps qualifications. Qualifications may get you in the door in some cases and may get you a little further up the food chain in others, but experience really allows you to add value.
