A Marketing Counterpoint

In my last post (Sales and Marketing, We're Really Not that Different, So Why Can't We All Just Get Along), I wrote about how I’ve tried to help develop stronger relationships between sales and marketing. I made suggestions to marketers about how they could better understand and ultimately help their sales colleagues.

I had one comment that caused me to change course from my original blog plan for this week. I said I was going to talk about the customer journey vs. the sales cycle, but instead I want to address the comment.

One reader suggested that it also would benefit those not in the marketing profession to try to understand a bit more about it; and even walk in our shoes. The point was that some outside of the marketing profession can generalize us all into one ‘bucket’ such as marketing does ‘websites’ or ‘press releases’ or ‘events’. What isn’t always understood is that while yes, the marketing profession encompasses each of those things, each discipline is just that, an area of expertise within this uber organization called ‘marketing’. Webster’s defines marketing as, ‘an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer’. Marketing is a discipline that is studied but it is both a science and an art. For those who excel in their area of expertise (digital marketing, customer experience, PR, marketing communications, product marketing, marketing operations, campaign or program management, event management . . . I’m sure I missed a few!), they aren’t any different than a “President’s Club” seller or a distinguished engineer. These are accomplished marketers whose contributions are making a difference to the bottom line of the company.

I’ve often joked to other marketing friends that sometimes I feel being in marketing is like being those ‘Spirit Bunnies’ in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. ‘You know, it is hard standing up here doing what we do . . . ’.  It is hard to get in front of our constituents to stand firm on a strategy, or require that choices be made because of budget constraints. Sometimes I feel like marketing isn’t taken seriously as people who understand the business (though some marketers do need to work on their understanding of the business . . . but now I’m digressing back to my last post!). I’ve taken the arrows and I know my marketing colleagues have as well. 

I’m not here to go over the top and whine about not being respected. That’s not my point – I love being in marketing and to me, it’s not personal when someone challenges me on a decision, or my position on something. This is business and we all should be working towards the same goal, which is to make our business successful. We may just come at that challenge from different angles and have different opinions about priorities. I welcome healthy debate and it’s one of the things I love most about working with sales – they usually aren’t shy about engaging! I find the sellers who will engage in these debates and help us find the common ground between what they ‘want’ vs. what marketing can do, are the ones who ‘get it’. They understand and want to help – they’re the ‘agents of change’ from the sales side J. Marketers, find those sellers and build some success stories – they’ll help you when those who aren’t as collaborative come knocking!

I liked the point my colleague made and appreciate the pause it gave me. It is important for those expecting marketing to ‘deliver X’ to understand that marketing is complex and even if an idea sounds grand, most times there is a very valid reason why marketing said ‘no’ (if they did). We have budgets to consider, a complex organization with lots of hands out for resources and priorities from multiple stakeholders. Marketing does not just exist to be at the bidding of sales, or any other group in an organization. We have a charter and a mission and while driving revenue is part of that, we have to consider branding, messaging and other complexities that may not always be apparent. 

We’re no different than the product delivery organization, the renewals groups and others, so while we’ll take your arrows, we’ll also take your partnership! And marketers, I will always close with this – we have to meet them half way. Don’t sit in an ivory tower waiting for someone to come to you – reach out, be part of building that bridge!