Management
Your
Ambitions

About Curiosity and Much More: Marketing Today

Article interview of Julia Gab


Marketing in business starts with the discussion of the product concept and is responsible for the entire process of product promotion on the market, including after-sales service. About what the qualities of a professional in such a vast area, tells Julia Gab - the instructor of the Business School KROK (BSK).

1. What are the qualities and knowledge modern marketer must possess in order to succeed in your work?

- Marketing, in the first place, should be interesting. It should constantly ask herself: "Why is it so and not otherwise?" In our profession, if we ossifying at the same methodology (even when some of the most advanced), a book (even very good), a single authority (even a very respected) - that, sooner or later, we degrade professionally.
Also, the marketer must be able not only to competently analyze the collected information, and then synthesize it so that removing the practical benefits for business.
Much of the work in marketing - is the ability to defend own point of view and lead a discussion competently. If you can convince the arguments of your CEO, your shareholders, your colleagues in quality of your recommendations - that's a huge plus.
Finally, all the truly successful marketing professionals with whom I happened to meet, enjoy the respect of their colleagues from the Sales Department, and were able to build a relationship with them, which can effectively and consistently work as a team towards a common goal.

2. What are the major trends in marketing in the coming years?

- Marketing is developing so fast that trying to predict the years ahead - a thankless task. Anything that helps to get to know the client and, therefore, to surprise him, to foresee his desire to sell his goods more efficient, it is better to serve, to make him happy - as someone more like it - will be in demand.

3. Can you name the main common mistakes home marketers? Can we avoid them?

- Basic errors of marketers, in my opinion, are typical regardless of the market, and they are fundamentally linked to the fact that we are often too "self -centric". We like to focus on what we have a great product. The client, unlike us, does not receive a salary for what promotes our brand or our service. On the contrary, for the right to use them, he must open the purse. This is more likely to remind myself.

4. You are the author of quite extraordinary Program “The Cutting Edge of Marketing: Myths and Realities” that you presented marketers in the KROK Business School. How did the idea of its creation? What are the objectives the program?

- The program has been ordered by KROK Business School and the first pilot course we conducted in cooperation with the European Business Association. The basic idea sounded Olga Karpova, CEO BSK - was given the task to make a Program for marketing directors and business owners, which would, on the one hand, be useful from a practical point of view, and, on the other hand, have different innovation in the selection of the invited speakers and the techniques used. I found it interesting to try to understand - what are the key things in marketing the test of time, some entrenched as myths. And at the same time address some topical issues. In particular, the topic of innovation in marketing and business. The entire Program was built so that as a result of the students themselves can create a marketing plan, using the achievements that we have discussed throughout our meetings. Judging by the audience estimates, our pilot was very successful, and the threads were in demand.

5. Based on the name of the Program, give examples of common myths among marketers?

- For example, the fact that "the marketing plan for 10 pages may not be more effective than a marketing plan for the 100-page" - the myth of clean water. Every year for several weeks Marketing Departments of many companies (and their advertising agencies) are laid out to a certain date to make a Perfect Marketing Plan. Typically, such a plan - dozens, if not hundreds, of pages analysts estimates the value of all promotions to the last coupon for the coming year, advertising layouts and designs. As a rule, Perfect Marketing Plan, with varying degrees of solemnity is presented to Top-Management in the largest meeting room, which is only there at the disposal of the Company. It may take a day or even a few. Such a plan could be a masterpiece of planning, analysis, statistical calculations, and even design, but he has no chance to become truly effective. With this concept it is usually easy to agree with respect to the owners of small businesses, who know the value of time and resources. Unfortunately, in a corporate environment often still popular plans that are in print size compete with the novel "War and Peace". However, I see that the situation is slowly changing, and evaluate it positively.

6. StartUp topic in the business now is on hearing. What is the role of marketer in the successful realization of a startup?

- Startups - trendy, but extremely risky topic. According to statistics, 9 out of 10 startups fail. And no one, even the most eminent, the marketer will not guarantee unconditional success. To answer your question, you need to decide how we see the role of marketing in the overall picture of any business, and what we call the marketer.
In September 2014, the US Fortune Magazine site survey data were presented, conducted in the US among the founders of start-ups that have failed. They were asked to name the causes of failure, each of the respondents could name more than one. Only 14% said that the reason for the failure was the poor marketing. There were seven other causes, ahead of this by the number of voters. For example: errors in pricing policies, bad product, competitor activity. At the same time in the first place (with the index 42%) left the cause "product turned out to be unnecessary to the market." In fact, marketing a product begins at the moment of the discussion of the concept (including for compliance with the market), so that the "market necessity" just outside the scope of responsibility of the marketer.
Marketing is responsible for the whole process of the product promotion to market from idea or concept to after sales service. Accordingly, the product development and pricing, and competitor analysis are included in the scope of its competence. Therefore, if a marketing specialist function in the eyes of the entrepreneur comes down to a couple to coordinate advertising campaigns and promotions, then such a person is called, for example, the coordinator of marketing activities. But it will not be a marketer in the full sense of the word.
In some cases, a startup founder can serve as a marketer himself, especially in the early stages, and sometimes it might even work. But if the question is that the team was professional, responsible for marketing, it makes sense to search for such a person as soon as possible, and its role can’t be overestimated. We must look for a professional who is willing to take responsibility for their own recommendations at each step, and move towards success with him.