Know-How Exchange : Strategy

No. There is no one so blind as the person who doesn't want to see.

I've been involved with clients who are in the same situation you're in. It's frustrating, no doubt. But there are businesspeople who have decided in their own minds that marketing is a waste of money, and there just isn't any way to really get them to change their opinion. Even if they soften for a few weeks/months, they eventually go back to their comfort zone and reject the value of marketing.

The initial success we had with one large client (where there was one "believer" in management) led to a total change in the corporate culture and a genuine turn-around for the entire company (a global company in the Fortune top 25). Other than that, I can't think of a single case where an "anti-marketing" executive changed his/her position. And I can think of dozens that remain convinced to this day that marketing is flim-flam stuff that doesn't really build the bottom line.

I hate to be so discouraging, but trying to change the mind of an individual who feels like he's been successful without much value for marketing is all but impossible. You'd be better served either giving him what he wants or finding another employer who understands the value of what you do.

There aren't enough quantitiative analyses in the world to change the mind of someone who already knows what works and what doesn't. Save your energy for something more meaningful.

Peter,

The owner sees no value in marketing, yet he keeps you on the payroll. I have some questions for you:

• What does he expect from you? What are measurements he holds you accountable for?


• What are your measurements?


• What are the owners expectations for growth? Does he have any?


• Who Does he hold accountable and responsible for growth?


• Do you have "internal customers" (sales? reps? Distributors?) who rely on you for your efforts? What do they expect from you?


• Are there other reasons why he doesn't seem to trust you and your judgments? Like you don't have the same last name as he does or you are a "college boy" and he pulled the company together solely on sweat and his common sense?

I would recommend you take a look at these questions. Concentrate on meeting his expectations and build the trust. Toot your own horn a little. This may help. It may come down to the "ultimately" that Mr. Goodman alluded to: Could be that this guy will never be won over on marketing and you are always going to be under-appreciated. If you can live with that, great. If not, at some time maybe it's time to seek employment where you can be appreciated.

I hope this helps.

Wayde

Peter

Been there, done that, won the argument, got the sack!

Realistically, it depends on what the guy’s value is to you, what your value is to him and how much the entire thing is doing your head in.

Mgoodman’s hit the real show stopper of a nail right on the head. Owner managers and even big-chiefs of public companies don’t often experience conversions on the road to Damascus. Not that most of them would know where Damascus is or what the relevance of the comparison was.

I once had a client whom I commiserated with, that his American boss didn’t really appreciate the purpose of consistency in his marketing plans, as he forced him to change them every 5 months. He told me that as far as he was concerned that as long as the boss continued to pay him £500,000 a year to run the UK operation, he could change his views on marketing every 5 days if he wanted to.

So what does this guy and his company mean to you? If it’s just a job and a well paid one, is the mental anguish worth the reward. If it’s not, is it a suitable staging post for your next position?

And what are you worth to him – there are some very good ideas about benchmarking your value in the above postings and it’s tempting to try to test your value. Consider the hypothetical exercise of relieving him of the sole ownership of his database and letting you utilise it in return for some personal fee income for a few other companies. I think that I could predict his reaction or predict the resultant law suit if you did it clandestinely and got caught. Tends to clarify the idea of value though!

Another approach is to offer to stop what you are doing and to do something else and see if he is happy with the idea. It’s best to have a plan B here in the form of another Job.

If you have a clear idea of the value you bring to the table and he doesn’t, armed with an alternative role as a backstop, it’s probably best to get round the table for some face to face negotiations. You sound like a highly numerate marketing manager, so have a read about John F Nash and his Equilibrium Theory which has characterised so much high-level, complex and numerate negotiations over the last few years.

You have an advantage in that you know where you want to go and you know the value of what you bring and the loss your withdrawal would precipitate. He only knows what he doesn’t want to acknowledge and has only a vague view (Because he does not agree with you) on the losses he might incur if you go away.

You could be in a very strong position as plan B is another job. There could also be a surprise outcome. Strong leaders are sometimes, just sometimes, looking for someone who is strong, brave and persuasive enough to force them to change their minds. When such a situation occurs, the rewards can be high – but don’t count on it. So can the risks!

Steve Alker
Unimax Solutions