Brent Pohlman
I am fortunate to work for a great company that has always had a passion for a strong client service team and sales team.
Does this model work today?
In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, technology was the driving force in a company. Today, I see great companies are those that are led by great Marketers. You don’t have to look too far…Apple is the best example. Starbucks is another example.
Marketing is the driving force today and it is starting to permeate its way into production and technology.
Today, the client is in control and information is king. A company may have the best technology or process, but if it cannot effectively partner with customers it will quickly fail.
It has never been a better time to get into marketing and business for that matter. Strong business leaders recognize the need for client service, information technology, and operations to come together to serve clients. These areas cannot operate in silos. When companies listen to their clients and work with their own client service, marketing and sales teams they create a beautiful synergy which facilitates a ticket for growth.
In addition, business is moving at much quicker pace than in years past. It is imperative to understand your company’s operations to faciilitate faster changes in your company and to ultimately keep up with company demands that are ever-changing. I see a trend where more CMOs are becoming CEOs today. I do not think that it is a fluke. I believe companies are quickly seeing the benefit of such a move.
My advice to you, spend some time learning more about your company each and every day. Don’t just spend your time with marketing initiatives. Be a well-rounded executive.
If you are a marketing executive and:
- You are not familiar with your company’s operations, you are missing the boat;
- You do not keep up on the latest technology advances in programming and website configuration you may be selling your company short;
- You are not looking at your company accounting figures to see where your dollars are coming in from, you are out of touch;
- You are not looking following your clients on social media sites or at shows or conferences, you have your head buried in the sand;
- You are not keeping up with the latest regulations affecting your company and your industry, you may behind your competition and not prepared for changes affecting your company;
- You are not looking at your employees and staying current with your human resource needs, you could be missing out on keeping some great talent .
Marketing is the driving force needed to connect the business pieces together to meet client needs. As marketing executives, it has never been more imperative to learn as much as you can about your companys’ operations in order that you can effectively serve the needs of your clients. Be that leader that your company is looking for.
[Photo Credit: Financial Times]
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