Know-How Exchange : Student Questions

SEE MY RESPONSES BELOW IN CAPS (IF THERE IS A WAY TO QUOTE PLEASE LET ME KNOW)

Dear Pokeronomist,

Bubba, we must stop meeting like this.

LOL! GARY, I WAS HOPING YOU'D RESPOND. BY THE WAY, I LIKE THE NICKNAME YOU'VE GIVEN ME.

I'd say a background in economics is a damn sight more relevant to a career in marketing than a degree in, let's say, oh, I dunno: photonics or infomechatronics (which are both real subjects of study, I checked).

I AGREE. IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT ECONOMICS IS PRETTY USEFUL TO A CAREER IN MARKETING. HOWEVER, I WONDER WHETHER THIS IS WISHFUL THINKING, AND I WONDER IF EMPLOYERS WILL VIEW MY BACKGROUND IN A POSITIVE LIGHT.

Tim Ferriss (best selling author of "The Four hour Work Week" studied economics and as he's pulling in $40,000 per month (read that again), I don't know about you but I'd say he seems to be doing pretty well in the world of marketing.

DO YOU JUST MEAN THAT HE'S MARKETING HIS BOOK WELL? OR DOES/DID HE ACTUALLY WORK IN MARKETING?

Hmm?

But the bridge YOU must cross (and the bridge you must then drench in gasoline and watch BURN behind you and watch as its smoldering ashes drop into the canyon you've just crossed) is this:

How YOU view your background isn't what matters (alas, Bubba, what anyone selling any service, skill, product, or widget thinks isn't what matters).

AMEN!

What REALLY matters is what your customer thinks; what really matters is what your boss (when you wind up with one) will think.

I TOTALLY AGREE. IN FACT, THAT'S WHAT WORRIES ME. I HAVE TO CONVINCE SOMEONE ELSE THAT MY BACKGROUND IS RELEVANT. I FEEL DEEP DOWN, THAT GIVEN A SHOT, I COULD SUCCEED AND THIS INDUSTRY. WHAT SCARES ME IS THAT OTHERS MAY NOT GIVE ME THIS SHOT, OR THAT THE ONLY SHOT I GET IS AT A FIRM/COMPANY WITHOUT MUCH UPSIDE AND ROOM TO GROW/LEARN.

And sadder still Bubba, YOU cannot control what other people think. But—and this is the fun part—you can sure as hell INFLUENCE their thoughts, wants, desires, dreams, needs and pain points. Which means ultimately, you can influence their actions and decisions.

WELL PUT. CAN I ASK YOU FOR SOME MORE ADVICE? HOW DO I INFLUENCE MARKETERS WHO HIRE ENTRY-LEVEL EMPLOYEES, THAT I CAN DO THIS JOB?

And THAT, in its purest form, that is is what marketing is all about.

So Bubba, stop focusing on what you LACK and begin focusing on what you HAVE. Begin focusing on the skills you have or can bring to the table. Begin looking at the glass as potentially having room to overflow by looking at the skills you have and at the skills you can acquire in terms of real world, useful, practical skills that benefit first, other people, and then, be default YOU.

I DON'T MEAN TO BE SO PESSIMISTIC, BUT I JUST FEEL LOST LATELY. FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, I'VE BEEN CONVINCED THAT I WANTED TO EARN A PHD IN ECONOMICS. NOW I'M REALIZING THAT I REALLY WANT TO GET OUT THERE AND START WORKING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND APPLYING MY KNOWLEDGE IN PRACTICAL, CHALLENGING, EXCITING, USEFUL WAYS. I ALSO WANT TO LEARN (THROUGH EXPERIENCE) ABOUT REAL WORLD BUSINESS, WHICH IS WHAT EXCITED ME ABOUT ECONOMICS IN THE FIRST PLACE (EVEN THOUGH A LOT OF ADVANCED ECONOMICS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH REAL WORLD BUSINESS). THE ONLY PROBLEM IS, I DON'T KNOW HOW EXACTLY TO BREAK IN (WHICH IS LARGELY WHAT I'M DOING ON THIS FORUM, TRYING TO LEARN WHAT IT WILL TAKE FOR ME TO BREAK IN).

AS FOR MY STRENGTHS, HERE THEY ARE: I'M HARD WORKING, REASONABLY INTELLIGENT, ANALYTICAL, INQUISITIVE, GOOD WITH NUMBERS, AND LOVE LEARNING. ON THE FLIP SIDE, I LACK WORK EXPERIENCE, A DIRECTLY RELEVANT EDUCATION, AND A NETWORK. I FEAR THAT MY FAULTS MAY KEEP ME OUT OF A LOT OF GOOD JOBS. I FEAR THIS WILL MAKE IT HARD TO SUCCEED DOWN THE LINE (SINCE STARTING OUT AT A BAD JOBS MAKES IT HARDER TO MOVE TO BETTER FIRMS/COMPANIES/POSITIONS).

Bubba, there's a butt for every seat. There's a hat for every head. And there's a solution for every problem.

I AGREE. I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE SOLUTION TO MY PROBLEM IS, BUT I'M SOMEWHAT LOST AT THE MOMENT.

Again, that's what marketing is all about. It's NOT about selling stuff to people who don't want it and can't afford it. Marketing is about offering compelling ways to present your goods and services as vital tools that have one goal: to solve people's problems.

I AGREE. IN FACT, I HATE THAT SO MANY PEOPLE THINK MARKETING IS ABOUT MISLEADING OTHERS, MANIPULATING THEM INTO BUYING STUFF THEY DON'T WANT AND CAN'T AFFORD. MARKETING IS ABOUT HONESTLY COMPETING FOR THE COSTUMERS BUSINESS (AND WHEN BUSINESSES COMPETE, COSTUMERS BENEFIT THROUGH HIGHER QUALITY, BETTER PRICES, ETC).

PART 2

What ya'll have to do is become the expert at connecting one with t'other.

But what's that you say? You didn't take any marketing classes? Bubba, join the club. I don't have a marketing credential to hang my hat on. Not one. No certificates, diplomas, or letters after my John Hancock. Nor, I'll wager do several people that contribute to this forum

THAT IS COMFORTING. CAN I KNOW ASK THOSE OF YOU ON THIS FORUM WITHOUT ANY MARKETING CREDENTIALS, HOW EXACTLY DID YOU BREAK INTO THE INDUSTRY? WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WITH MY BACKGROUND ABOUT BREAKING INTO THE INDUSTRY?

But they and I know about people and we know about their
needs, wants, desires, and aspirations. And theories, abstracts, qualifications, and certificates aside—all the things that synergistically add this and value add that while assessing the core competencies of something else, few of those things mean anything to the customer.

THAT IS A FAIR POINT. WOULD YOU SAY THAT MOST MARKETERS FEEL THAT WAY? IF SO, WOULD THEY BE WILLING TO BACK UP THEIR BELIEFS BY HIRING SOMEONE WITHOUT A MARKETING BACKGROUND?

All the customer really wants to know is: what's in this for them?
How does this thing fix their problem? What have you as the supplier or seller got? What will it do for people? And what do people need to do to get it, use it, apply it, and make it work for them? And if it DOESN'T do what it's supposed to do, if it sucks, blows, or otherwise fails to delight, how does the buyer get their money back?

To make yourself useful, fill in the gaps: study books and seminars and podcasts on marketing. Find mentors. Find gurus. Ask questions.

HOW DO I FIND A JOB THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO START FILLING IN THE GAPS (SINCE EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER)? WHAT BOOKS, SEMINARS, AND PODCASTS? HOW DO I FIND MENTORS?

Take notes. Get involved. Educate yourself and make yourself even more valuable than you already are.

IN OTHER WORDS, ALWAYS BE IMPROVING? ISN'T THAT WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, FINDING A WAY TO CONTINUE IMPROVING. THAT IS TRULY SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN, YOU HAVE TO BE CONTINUALLY IMPROVING. AGAIN THOUGH, HOW DO I GET ME FOOT IN THE DOOR (SINCE A JOB SEEMS TO BE A NECESSARY COMPONENT OF THIS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS).

Invest in you and make everything you provide about the other person and what can be of benefit to THEM, not to you. And over time you'll find your value, and your experience, begin to grow.
Which means your reputation and your credibility will grow.

THANK YOU, THAT IS TRULY USEFUL ADVICE FOR EVERYTHING IN LIFE.

Then, the rewards begin to flow: but first, the effort goes in.

Then, you'll being to see results.

I hope this helps you. Good luck to you.

IT DOES, I TRULY APPRECIATE IT.

TO RECAP, I'M AT AN UNCERTAIN POINT IN MY LIFE. I'M IN GRAD SCHOOL IN ECON, AND REALIZE THAT IT'S NOT WHAT I WANT TO BE DOING LONG-TERM. I WANT TO BREAK INTO SOMETHING ELSE, AND MARKETING IS ONE OF MY TOP CHOICES. THE PROBLEM IS, I'VE SPENT THE LAST FEW YEARS BEING FOCUSED 100% ON GETTING INTO AN ECON PHD PROGRAM, MEANING THAT I'VE BEEN TAKING MATH AND ECON CLASSES, NOT GETTING ANY RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE, AND NOT BUILDING A NETWORK. NOW I'M STUCK TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW I MAKE MYSELF SUCCESSFUL IN A CAREER. FIRST, I HAVE TO GET ON BOARD BY GETTING A RELEVANT JOB. THE PROBLEM IS, I DON'T KNOW HOW HARD OR EASY IT WILL BE FOR ME. WORSE, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO GET FROM WHERE I AM NOW TO WHERE I WANT TO BE. THAT'S WHY I CAME TO THIS FORUM, BECAUSE I AM SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS THAT I DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE.