Question

Topic: Career/Training

One Woman Show

Posted by Anonymous on 7/23/2008 at 12:51 PM ET 250 Points
I work for a small company and am the sole person in marketing, as the Marketing Director. I take care of ALL aspects of marketing- website, direct email/mail, SEO, advertising design and scheduling, sales support, event coordinator, secretary (don’t ask)...the list goes on. My direct "boss" who was promoted from a coworker to EVP is cool with everything I do, has minimal questions and offers great feedback/support. The owner of our company is 50+ years my senior and will take a while to wean away from the company, which was the intent of the promotion. Before I complete one project I have 50 more given to me that have no direction or focus and are just ideas that came to him in the middle of the night. Sales aren’t what he wants them to be and he's concerned with the future of the company, as we all are and should be. I do all that I can as the single marketing person... the best that I can., but he's starting to bring in colleagues of his that he's known for over 30 years to ask them what we should do about marketing. We have a very niche product and our sales people agree that they've never had to sell something so unique. It doesn't make me feel very good knowing that he thinks we lack a marketing "plan." But I don't have the budget or time or help to really have a solid plan outside of the projects I have. What should I do?
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  • Posted by Levon on 7/23/2008 at 12:56 PM Member
    Create a condensed marketing plan (a 2-4 page marketing outline). Reccomend outsourcing some of the marketing work and get yourself an Assistant even if it means including the need for the Assistant in the Marketing Plan.
  • Posted by Mikee on 7/23/2008 at 1:01 PM Member
    As always, your best resource is your current clients/customers, especially if you have a top notch product and good customer support. Perhaps a survey to see why they purchased your product. This may help determine where you need to go from here.

    Why do people currently buy your product?
    Are there other reasons people should buy your product?
    Who buys your product and how are they best reached? These are questions you should ask yourself.

    Is your product such that you get repeat customers? If so you should strengthen these. If people are not ordering again and it is a product that should be ordered again, why are they not returning? Is there a problem with the product or service? Marketing can help with many things, but if the product is not good there is a limit to how marketing can help.

    I hope this helps.

    Mike
  • Posted by Frank Hurtte on 7/23/2008 at 1:02 PM Accepted
    The real question is how do you get management to help you prioritize.

    I believe this happens far too often, especially when you work in a support role where several people can "load your plate".

    Here is how I suggest you handle these:
    1) Create a list of all the current activities you are responsible for along with an estimate of the time required to complete them.

    My guess is you will have no problem showing you have more than you can do now.

    2) Take this list to your boss along with the priority you place on each one. Highest priority, High, Medium, Low.
    The message here is you should attack the highest first. And purhaps, disguard the lowest.

    3) Ask your boss to match his priorities with yours. This establishes a communications between you and management.

    4) Whenever a new task is presented to you, ask where it fits into the priority list. Keeping in mind - one thing added might push other tasks off the list.

    On another point - this list of priorities becomes your marketing plan.....
  • Posted by wnelson on 7/23/2008 at 2:17 PM Member
    Reading (and rereading) your posting, either you never gained the owner's trust or you lost it with regard to doing more in marketing than just reacting to his direction. While you have a Director title, you have duties more akin to a marketing assistant and the owner apparently has that expectation of you. And while it doesn't make you feel good knowing he thinks you lack a marketing plan, it would appear you, in fact, don't. Or if you do, since you are reacting to 50 wild ideas the owner dreams up and you have 50 jobs to do, not including janitorial duties (which may be next), then in reality you don't have a marketing plan but a piece of paper that sits on a shelf not getting implemented.

    You have a "boss" now - your former colleague/EVP, who talks to you and gives you feedback. Have a discussion with him/her, express your concerns, discuss what the expectations are for your position, how you are measured, etc. Discuss the process you should be using to prioritize your work. Discuss the ideas you have to improving sales through marketing efforts and prioritize those activities versus the other projects you currently have. Discuss your concern about the owner not recognizing what you are doing or could do if he didn't pull "priority interrupts" after having the spicy meatballs the night before and waking up in the middle of the night. Between the two of you, agree on a plan of action to improve the situation - which may be do nothing but keep doing what you're doing because that's what's expected. And if that's the case, and the situation frustrates you, dust off the old resume and look around for a more rewarding job for someone who appreciates your capabilities and contribution.

    I hope that helps.

    Wayde
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