Magnus Marketing Blog

Oh my. Yet another posting on the AMA board raises my concern about the professionalism of marketers. Once again, a marketing consultant who is likely charging in excess of $150 - $200/hr asks of the group I am representing some company, person, or widget - please advise me on how I can take this fillintheblank to market.

The problem is two-fold, one on the part of the client who assumes the marketing professional actually understands his capabilities, market, and business issues. The other is on the marketing professional who assumes the same. Unless you are proven to quickly learn and adapt to different businesses, products, or situations, do not represent people or things that you need to ask the AMA advice on how to market.

In order for marketing to be linked appropriately to sales, since marketing activities are the warm-up for the salesguy to go in and close, marketing needs to smartly position and pave the way for the salesguy to move forward. In fact, I believe good marketing starts with understanding the closing process. Track back from a customer at the time of close and follow backward the interest points and activities that kept him intrigued. How this process occurs can drive many of the tactics that push forward the sale.

To think that "marketing is marketing" is wrong in today's environment. You know, my company tries very hard to link pay to performance with payment linked to closed business. I'd like to see more marketers put their capability on the line and do the same, maybe then we would see more intelligent questions on the AMA Marketing Boards and less pleas from people to play second chair.