“Sales oriented executives (including CEO’s) live in a constant state of paranoia and anxiety that marketing is wasting the company’s time and money. Marketers, at all levels, live in a constant state of paranoia and anxiety that their shit does not work and/or the people, product, services they are supporting has unrealistic expectations”
Today Kana LiVolsi and I discuss the ramifications of that statement and offer some thoughts on how to break the cycle of failure that has become all-to-common for clients large and small. It is our position that marketers have to be more selective when accepting clients, only choosing those clients with whom they can be successful.
Marketers must avoid overpromising just to get the deal. Tell the truth often and always. Marketers must (ironically) communicate better how they impact the business, particularly operations and finance throughout the organization.
Clients can better vet marketers by rejecting those with less than 10 years of experience and/or those with no background in marketing. They don’t have to have experience in your exact business vertical (although it doesn’t hurt) but you shouldn’t be their first rodeo.
Marketers need to take responsibility for the very evident commercial disconnect with senior executives. It’s not good enough to think that the ultimate decision makers do not understand marketing in their organization, that this is their issue. It may well be, and yet it’s crucial that this is bridged and that perspectives are shared.
Stop chasing the shiny and new and focus on what matters to the customer. Marketing is about solid process, vivid imagination and never-ending innovation. Too often, marketers are simply order-takers who need to be told exactly what to do when it is THEM that should be guiding the business to marketing success.