A few weeks back Seth Godin received a note from Nathan, a job seeker looking for advice on how to become a marketer. This was Seth’s advice:
In my experience
the single best way to become a marketer is to market. And since
marketing isn’t expensive any longer (it takes more guts than money),
there’s no need to work for Procter & Gamble. None. In the old
days, you could argue that you needed to apprentice with an expert and
that you needed access to millions (or billions) to spend. No longer.So, start your own gig. Even if you’re 12 years old, start a store
on eBay. You’ll learn just about everything you need to learn about
digital marketing by building an electronic storefront, doing
permission-based email campaigns, writing a blog, etc. Who knows more
about marketing–Scoble or some mid-level marketing guy in Redmond?
Nathan, here is a different approach to becoming a marketer.
1. First learn how to sell. Spend at least 5 years working for a small to medium sized enterprise learning the fundamentals of selling. Learn about cold calling, prospecting, leads, closing, quota’s, profit, market share by actually doing it. And by the way, screw P&G, find a $25 million injection molding business to work for – the issues are real, the budgets are thin, and the experience is invaluable.
2. Next, learn how to market. Start out as a marketing staffer managing lead generation, or web site assets, or events, or research, or direct mail, or any piece of the marketing mix puzzle – but not the whole puzzle. Gradually add to your portfolio of responsibilities and knowledge, until you can manage a product line, a market segment or a brand. Spend at least 5 years learning how to market.
3. Now you’re a real marketer. As opposed to a self-promoter. You’re now qualified to be a marketing manager for a medium to large enterprise or the CMO of a smaller enterprise. You’ll understand how to sell and you will understand how to market. By the way your degree doesn’t matter.
And as to Seth’s point about who knows more about marketing – Scoble or the mid-level marketing guy at Microsoft. The correct answer is the mid-level marketing guy at Microsoft. Scoble (and Seth) get the self-promotion bit, but promotion is a very small slice of the marketing mix.
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