“No matter how good, clever and lucky you are, your business and its fate are in the hands of the people you hire.”

Akio Morita, founder of SONY. Annual turnover $ 86 billion.

Since relatively recently, a new time has come in the world economy - the time of the consumer. In order to succeed in a highly competitive market, it is not enough to understand the needs of the end customer. We need to act proactively. It becomes more profitable for participants in the race for the consumer to produce a high-quality differentiated product, the cost of which will be relatively low, and it will be sold in large quantities. And it is precisely due to the high commitment to the brand and the huge sales volumes that these companies continue to function quite successfully. When developing a marketing plan for such products, it is worth considering the huge competition and diversity in this market segment, as well as the incredible speed of change. Accordingly, much more effort is required to overcome competition and bring the product to higher positions in the desired market segment. The new economy requires making decisions in a new way - faster, bolder, more active.

There are many books on how to make a million. Has it helped many people? How to really form an incubator of marketing ideas - no, not to declare it at a meeting, but to actually go and do it? Those directors who are younger naively try to master the tools of brainstorming. Go to the marketing department and look at the floor. The floors of Russian companies are littered with dead ideas...

It is not brainstorming that generates ideas that blow up the market, but attitudes towards marketing. Everyone, every manager, but the CEO is responsible for this attitude.

It will be difficult for Russian companies to abandon the traditional paramilitary management structure. It's hard for us to imagine a CEO who relinquishes his tight control that paralyzes everything and everyone in the firm, down to approving office paper invoices and tiny advertising layouts. It's hard for us to imagine a CEO who thinks about owning the market rather than owning equipment and factories. And it will have to. Because it is the new marketing-oriented, small, fast-changing companies that gain an advantage over the old-fashioned, albeit large ones. Remember where the mega-brands of the nineties are now: Invite+, Love is, Flagship, Doshirak. Where is such a colossus on clay feet of the food industry as "Russian product"? In the FMCG market, they are already a myth. All of them were struck by acute marketing failure. Charles Darwin said, "It is not the strongest or the most intelligent that survives, but the most receptive to change."

Creation of marketing departments

How to create a marketing department at your company, who to hire, why is there such a big turnover in marketing departments, what are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them, is it really “personnel decides everything”?

Staff turnover in the marketing departments of Russian companies has become a byword - it has become the subject of mandatory questions during a job interview. There are a few common mistakes people make when recruiting for marketing departments. Let's look at those that are sure to meet in your work.

There is no understanding of the real functionality of the marketing department employees. This happens because there is a big gap between scientific theory, built mainly on Western management models, and the realities of Russian business. So, in Russian companies, the functionality of strategic marketing is almost always transferred to the managing owner. The functions of tactical marketing are reduced starting from the organization of advertising, smoothly flow into the mythical sales support, and then completely fade away at the stage of preparing business cards for everyone and everything.

Thus, the manager finds himself between the desired theoretical functionality, which, unfortunately, is not implemented in most companies at this stage of the enterprise's development, and the actual one: "girl - give it, bring it, get out." In order to make it easier for you to consider the possible functionality of the marketing department, I have prepared a diagram illustrating the possible directions. First, you should always decide on the functionality, structure, and only then look at the candidates. In Russian companies, recruitment and interviews are often carried out at the beginning. And then they calculate the payroll, decide on the effectiveness of the unit.

The diagram below shows the most complete version of the structure and functionality of the marketing department. It will be better if you create it in stages. Of course, correlating with the available opportunities. It is most correct to form a department with an already approved strategic marketing plan, based on specific marketing tasks, and not because it is fashionable. Therefore, it is wiser to always start from the position of the leader, and not vice versa.

The selection is made on the basis of incorrect selection parameters. When I see a list of requirements for the position of a marketer, I understand that they plan to release these people into outer space without a spacesuit. Knowledge of French, Spanish and Ethiopian, crawl swimming skills, at least 30 years of experience in business exclusively in a leadership position, with an age of no more than 25 years - this is not a complete list of the nonsense that I see in the posted vacancies today. Has the head of the enterprise approved such a list and considers it really important? What parameters should be selected? The most dangerous of these parameters are marketing education and product knowledge.

It may seem to you that I exaggerate excessively, but believe me, the reality is even worse. Look at the job description I found today on the hh website: “Requirements: If the fact that the Company's Income directly depends on the Marketing Director is undeniable for you; Thanks to you, the companies in which you worked have become much larger and better at selling (and we will check this); You yourself have successfully sold (preferably services) and will help our account managers in this; You are young, active, ambitious, purposeful, ambitious, ready to learn a lot; Are you lucky in life?... Then you are once again lucky - we already really need a person who will lead the promotion in our Company - Marketing Director. We expect that under your leadership the Marketing Department will provide the Company with effective advertising campaigns that give maximum sales; Effective promotional materials, incl. leading to understanding by clients of the value of each of the services and the Company as a whole, and, most importantly, you will be responsible for ensuring that the Company's income far exceeds the costs. Interesting?!... Then apply for the Vacancy! In response, we will send you online tests. In parallel, we will give you the opportunity to work with your own hands and prove yourself in every area in the Marketing Department and will pay 25,000 rubles a month until you are ready.”

I had to shorten the text of this verbiage. I deliberately did not correct spelling errors. It is impossible to correct semantic errors, since in this nonsense it (meaning) does not exist. It turns out that the main task of the marketing director is to provide advertising materials, and not simple ones, but leading to an understanding of value, and not simple value, but each. How! Did you understand anything? Trust me - I copied and didn't change a word. As they say, comments are superfluous.

Within the framework of a brief article, it is not possible to talk in detail about the shortcomings in the level of higher marketing education and the teaching staff of most universities. Now, perhaps, only the lazy does not throw stones at the gray-haired teachers of Marxist political economy, who overnight absorbed the basics of a market economy and proclaimed themselves marketing gurus the next morning. Can you imagine that a certified pilot could not fly, a certified agronomist could not grow wheat? With marketers, this is all the time.

In my opinion, graduates of homegrown business schools are much more distinguished by arrogance and nerdiness than by purposefulness and hard work.

And what, by the way, should he be able to do and where is it taught? I want to give specific recommendations. Pay attention to the quantity and quality of additional education: courses, trainings. Use the recommendations of company executives and fellow marketers. Do not use the advice of recruiters. The latter are interested in you becoming their clients. Product knowledge is the most common recruiting mistake. Let's look at a specific example. A company producing electronic components enters the market of electrical products for the end consumer, and hires a specialist with an engineering education without experience in consumer markets. The specialist knows well how to produce these products, but will most likely not succeed in gaining market share. It is necessary to select specialists not according to the likeness of the final product, but according to the knowledge of the methodologies of working with the markets. I could still understand the logic of looking for people from my own industry if the industry was a leader in marketing innovation.

During the selection of personnel, I am guided by the concepts of "seed", "soil" and "climate". A record harvest in Spain, in a Mediterranean climate, does not at all give you a guarantee even for shoots to emerge in permafrost conditions. A resume with an excellent education is just a "seed". Some genetic potential. This is the amount of education and training that the candidate has invested in their own development. But the “soil” and “climate” are the work of personnel and the owner. Unfortunately, human resources departments have become a mechanistic department that issues a plan for the number of resumes of candidates that meet formal criteria. Sometimes these criteria are just salary and experience with the same product, and sometimes even worse - salary and education. About such things as MBTI, the conversation, as a rule, does not even come up. A simplified understanding of the role of HR, a lack of understanding of processes such as induction and familiarization with corporate culture, a lack of understanding of the resources required to perform certain marketing tasks, is guaranteed to lead to staff turnover in the marketing department, as well as to disappointment of management in the marketing opportunities in the enterprise. . We swam - we know!

Compare your "vision" on the beach. Try to clarify your position as much as possible and find out the candidate's point of view on key tasks. Ask yourself a key question: How will you feel when this person starts working for your direct competitor? It will be much better if you tell about your expectations from the candidate's work. It is possible that your plans to double sales in two weeks are completely unrealistic in your industry, or perhaps sales occur every time before the New Year, regardless of marketing activity. By discussing your expectations with the candidate, you will be able to find out your and his estimates on key indicators, such as budget, execution time, deadlines. If your estimates differ by more than 30%, you will either have to revise your Wishlist or look for other candidates. Do you want to hire a strong candidate? Be sure to pronounce everything in the key: task - necessary resources - execution time. Don't waste time talking about "About your accomplishments at your previous job." These achievements were possible in other "soils" and "climates".

In order to create a flow of new ideas, an atmosphere is needed so that everyone feels that he has the right to make a proposal. To create it, you need a working environment in which psychological barriers are eliminated.

In my 20 or so years in FMCG, I've probably interviewed more than a hundred times (and still do). But ninety-seven times out of a hundred I have had to listen to the head of the enterprise rant about how he created the company, how wonderful and successful it is, and what he thinks about seizing world domination in the near future.

The candidate for the position, apparently, is judged on the basis of how convincingly and expressively he showed his approval with nods.

When building a marketing department, there are many factors to consider. The company's ability to introduce new specialists to the position, technical support of specialists, the company's ability to provide a competitive level of payment, remoteness from production, the availability of the necessary databases, the involvement of owners, types of employee motivation, the need for relocation, what we outsource and what not, the effectiveness of our own design bureau and many, many others. Your first task in creating a marketing department is to say a resounding NO to marketing theorists. Well, unless, of course, you want your company to get bogged down in plans, reports, instructions, presentations, approvals, budgets. Of course, in this case, not a single brand will be created, sales will not begin in new regions, you will not learn anything about the consumers of your products and will not receive a clear development strategy. Nothing. I recommend that you take a closer look at those marketers who made big mistakes. Why? The answer is obvious (at least for me). They see the target, they shoot. Hit or not, for me the question is secondary. But they charged! They understand where to hit and how! They work, damn it! They operate despite all the bureaucracy, lack of budget, lack of support from management, staff turnover, lack of analytical information, etc. They create marketing. They are the action, not the bureaucratic addition to your accounting. Those who didn't make mistakes tend to have a very attractive, sleek resume, which recruiters love so much - girls at a tender age.

I am convinced that you, like me, believe that mistakes are only an opportunity to start initiatives again, but more competently. Steve Ross (Time Warner) said: "If an employee makes too few mistakes, he should be fired."

Many marketing directors, trying to stay in office at all costs, make a serious mistake. Initially, they make difficult promises to managers and thereby doom their quite good result to a negative assessment.

Who else would I beware of? Mathematicians. Those who believe in the existence of a demand formula. Those who think that everything can be calculated, you just need to substitute the coefficients. Higher mathematics and physics are very good and high-precision sciences. The only problem is that marketing is not one of them. In marketing, the old adage “measured, count done” has unfortunately become “measured, count invented.” "Not everything that can be counted matters, and not everything that matters can be counted!" It's hard to argue with Albert Einstein. Marketing is a mindset and attitude towards business. Consumer oriented attitude. Marketing is almost an innate propensity to innovate and a thirst for change. Desire to take on a challenge, desire to learn. Ability to formulate ideas and thoughts. Passion and determination backed by experience and confidence. According to the results of the study (Cooper, K Sawaf, F. Executive EQ. USA.1997), 82 out of 93 people who received the Nobel Prize in 16 years agreed that intuition played an important role in their discoveries. Marketing is, after all, a vital position aimed at the fact that the main thing in the company is not the boss, but His Majesty the consumer. In Russian companies, the entire focus of employee behavior is concentrated, as a rule, on what the boss wishes, and hence the entire staff is recruited from people “whatever you want” in an inclined position. Such leaders have formed a new class of pseudo-marketers, whose main task is to print business cards to the boss on time, not to ask for a lot of money and quietly expect a salary. Such recruitment agencies are very fond of - they have no breaks in their experience.

What separates a good good marketer from a brilliant one? Only one thing: the ability to see the future. And as you know, the best way to foresee the future is to design it.

Always remember: when you change the head of marketing, it means only one thing - EVERYONE will have to wait about six months or more until the new person gets into the rhythm and understands the situation. Just as a smoker delights in describing how much he enjoys inhaling harmful smoke and then giving you reasons why he won't smoke again, so an executive describes how he solemnly banished marketing parasites and is now looking for a real professional. I would not vouch for the fact that in the near future his company is waiting for a breakthrough in the market. It reminds me of the constant quest to find a new diet, a gym machine that will help you get fit, or a magic elixir of youth. The doctor in the hospital prescribes the treatment and sees what needs to be adjusted if it does not work. The doctor in the clinic, having written out a prescription, as a rule, does not meet the patient again. Doctors from hospitals are valued much higher. Don't know why?

In 99% of cases, the marketer is already outside the company six months after the change and does not see what impact his initiatives actually had. The inability to effectively complete projects in marketing is one of the reasons the industry has such a low reputation.

According to Chicago-based recruiting firm Spencer Stuart, the average tenure of a marketing director is just 23.6 months. The firm also found that among the top 100 US companies, only 14% of them have CMOs in office for more than three years, and half of all CMOs have been in office for less than a year. Average turnover varies by industry, from 10 months in clothing companies to 34.8 months in financial services companies. Greg Welch, senior director of Spencer Stuart and author of the study, cautions newly appointed CMOs, "Realize that the fuse is already burning and the honeymoon doesn't last more than a few months."

When they ask me what criteria I use to select staff for my department. I invariably answer: "In addition to all of the above, diligence is needed." It's so simple that people are always disappointed when they hear such an answer. Kemmons Wilson (the founder of the travel business who never completed his high school diploma) put it well when speaking to the graduates of his school on the occasion of the end of the school year: “I didn’t get any degrees and worked only half a day all my life. Perhaps I would advise you to do the same. Work half a day every day. And it doesn’t matter which half a day it is ... the first twelve hours or the second twelve hours. We all want to believe in Cinderella, but real marketing success comes only with a lot of hands-on experience. The best marketer is a combination of talent and experience. A fairy placed his talent in the cradle, but he must gain experience on his own. Therefore, marketing is not a field for lazy people.

There is a common phrase "Cadres decide everything." If this were at least partially true, then HR departments would have the highest status in the enterprise.

Do you have to pay a lot? No. Pay smart and efficient

Finally, dozens of candidates have been screened. Finally, a “spark slipped through” and you managed to find a needle in a haystack. (More often the opposite: “I blinded him from what was, and then I fell in love with what was.”) You still decided to take a person. It will be an immense pity if your dreams of global marketing superiority in the market do not come true just because they break into a banal life.

Most Russian companies, when selecting personnel, by default set themselves the task of “squeezing the candidate to the maximum” in terms of salary. Never give such instructions to your HR department. Not only have they already screened candidates by selecting the worst resumes, but you are also trying to select the worst of the worst at the finish line. The best candidates will definitely refuse when you offer them a lower salary than what they were counting on. What kind of savings does the reduction in the salary of a marketer give you? Let's say 20 or even 40 thousand rubles. How much can a properly executed advertising campaign increase sales? What if you launch a brand with twice the current rate of return? If studies show that it is economically feasible to abandon offices beyond the Urals? How much can the company earn or, conversely, save? Perhaps millions of rubles, and perhaps tens of millions, it depends on the turnover of your company. The numbers are incomparable.

If you still managed to “squeeze out” the candidate (most likely, it was the worst), then now he is even more depressed (demotivated). I can imagine the mood that prevails in your marketing department. With this approach to the formation of marketing, I would not bet a cent on the future development of your marketing.

The question "How much?" discussed quite often. And very sorry. I would prefer to discuss not "How much?", but "How?". It is in this, in my opinion, lies the huge savings, efficiency and long-term results. Not only how much to pay, but also how to pay?

The question is not in the eyebrow, but in the eye. In this question, I will not be afraid to appear deviating from a direct answer. I don't have a clear answer. At first glance, the most logical recommendation would be: "Pay more." An no. Not so simple. It seems to you that you will be able to claim the best personnel in the industry. This is not entirely true. Your status as an employer in the industry always matters more. The higher your reputation as a reliable employer, the more opportunities you have. On the one hand, you have the opportunity to entice. On the other hand, the question arises - who, where and how this person will fit into the business system. (Unfortunate experience shows that it will most likely not fit in any way, but you are guaranteed to lose time.) The next question is how much more to pay? At 3%? I guess not. An essential person perceives an increase in income of 25% or more. By the way, how will your current directors react to the fact that a smart guy has appeared who has not done anything for the company yet, but receives twice as much? And I know how! No need to tell. Don't you think that salary information can be hidden? Make no mistake: what the two accounting girls know is known to everyone after a while.

It seems to younger managers that all problems will be solved by KPI (Key Performance Indicators) - key performance indicators. True, it seems to me that the words of the poet Galaktion Tabidze define this term much better: “We multiplied nonsense by numbers.” Yes, I agree that this is a good help to improve the efficiency and evaluate the work of production and sales. What is measurable is doable blah blah blah (hereinafter - everywhere). But my life has shown the opposite to be true: "Not everything that can be counted matters, and not everything that matters can be counted!" (Sorry, but it was not I who invented it, but A. Einstein.) To a lesser extent, but still it is an effective tool for monitoring and evaluating the work of finance and logistics. Tell me, what KPIs would you set for a musician to write a brilliant work, and for an athlete to set a record? (Were you strongly inspired by the hundreds of elite off-road vehicles donated to athletes at the last Olympics? It seems that these were the worst results in the entire history of Russia?) I won’t even talk about the artist, architect, doctor. Tell me better, what KPIs do you set for firefighters? And if the firefighter has already completed the monthly plan to save lives? Apparently, the rest will have to burn alive. But the maximum efficiency of KPI was achieved in the work of the traffic police. It is there that such clear, measurable indicators (plan for the number of protocols) lead to such incredible work efficiency.

In my practice, KPIs have consistently been used not to inspire an employee, but to ensure that the CEO can seamlessly pay out huge sums at the end of the year to his relatives or friends. EVERYTHING, for nothing more. Talk about this with a consultant who specializes in managing people in companies, ask him if you can actually buy the right behavior?

I see that you still insist that I answer the question: "How much to pay?" I will answer. You will have to pay according to the market. A little less - if the company's reputation is good. Much more - if the reputation is useless. Even more so if the general is absurd. It is necessary to constantly monitor specialized recruiting sites - they often publish summary tables on salaries.

Here are my tips that will help you pay wisely, and most importantly - do not overpay in vain:

1. Set a fixed salary for a marketer according to your industry data. Make an adjustment for the status of the company and the reliability of the employer (for Russian companies, immediately add 20%, do not flatter your pride).

2. Set yearly key goals for the employee. Moreover, the goals should be approved by you only together (inseparably) with the "Resources" section. An ideal option is to discuss such a concept as authority: how do you understand it, and how is it a future employee. (I draw your attention to the fact that when setting goals, you must first work out the “Strategic planning of the company” block and bring the company’s goals to the employees; otherwise, you will get a “swan, cancer and pike” situation.)

3. It will be much better if the employee himself prepares his goals after a 2-3-month immersion in your "harsh reality", and not on the second day of being in the company in a state of "traumatic shock". Feel free to say that you expect something different from him, if so. It is better to leave now than in nine months and start the selection from scratch. Goals should never be more than 6. Ideally, if less than 3. Among the goals may be weighting factors. Measurable, reachable, etc. - by itself.

4. Having a very large annual bonus for meeting goals is not at all necessary. But the presence of the goals themselves and bonuses is mandatory. (Pay attention to the difference.) Practice has shown that in Russian companies the annual bonus is most often a demotivating factor. But in large Western companies, where everything is spelled out and detailed to the maximum, KPIs work successfully. It is obligatory that the amount of the annual bonus (if you have entered it) when fulfilling the goals must be exciting. The employee, not you! Should the company, in achieving all the goals, get such a lead in the market that the payment of the annual bonus will become only a tiny part of the profits received (and not necessarily for this year)? It would be too easy and clear. But that doesn't happen often. In practice, everything will look much more complicated. Example: marketers implemented a round-the-clock “quality hotline 8,800” throughout the year. Calculate how many years and in what volume the investments will pay off? Difficult? Almost unrealistic. Unfortunately, in marketing, “measured” always takes the form of “invented”.

5. In Russian companies, for some reason, employees are always fired a few months before receiving the annual bonus. Apparently a coincidence.

If the personnel department nevertheless persuaded you to go along this unsteady path, then ensure maximum transparency. By the way, I formed effective marketing departments in companies without using such a tool as annual bonuses at all. And I worked in companies where there was such a tool, but all the employees of the department were looking for a new job and dreamed of quitting. Interesting fact.

Most companies do all of the above. If you fulfill all five points, then you just got the right to become one of the market players - nothing more. Do you want to overtake your competitors? Here's what you need to do to bypass them:

6. Enter a bonus without prior notice. Give a bonus (preferably in the amount of salary) for the good performance of daily work. For example, for a well-prepared exhibition or a stunning result of an advertising campaign. If you can’t find reasons, this is a sign of your incompetence as a leader. There should be from two to three such bonuses during the year - no more! It is important. Give her (so beloved by you) black cash in an envelope - right in the office - right now. The only way!

7. Use training motivation. Send every six months for training in the specialty: a brand manager - in brand architecture, an advertiser - in advertising effectiveness. There are a lot of such trainings now! But the main thing is to demand a list of what will be implemented. This will be your pass to the next training. Do not overdo it - no more than once every four months, otherwise you simply will not have time to implement what they teach there (unfortunately, more bad). For some reason, in my 17 years of work, I have not met a single manager who would tell his subordinates: “Go to training (the company will pay) and put into practice everything that you will be taught there.”

8. Actively use non-verbal communication and non-material motivation. Status is manifested not by the size of the salary, but by the workplace under the stairs and parking in a vacant lot with stray dogs. Plant marketers on your right hand. The first question with any offer: “What does the marketing department say?” Never use the marketing department either for congratulations on anniversaries, or for preparing the new year, or for moving. This is your intellectual elite, not laborers.

9. Introduce a democratic style of behavior and work in the marketing department. In order to create a flow of new ideas, an atmosphere is needed so that everyone feels that he has the right to make a proposal. To create it, you need a working environment in which psychological barriers are eliminated. You won't have to pay for this at all, but people will want to work for you. To achieve this is not so easy, it is necessary to select a leader very thoughtfully. But if it succeeds, ideas will spurt forth.

10. Give your HR department the task of making friends between the marketing department and the sales department in a tough and ultimatum form. Let them think around the clock. What tool they choose - night rafting on mountain rivers in kayaks, trips to a pub on Fridays, landing all in one office - it does not matter. Only one result is important for you - “They are friends and family friends!”, Nothing else.

11. Insert one or two points from the sales area (better than merchandising) into the key goals for the marketing manager, and put one or two points from the marketing area for the sales manager. Prove to them in practice that your demand to cooperate, and not to collect compromising evidence, is not empty words. Everything is serious.

12. Require the marketing director (if not, then yourself) to organize a library in the marketing department. Give reading assignments - organize meetings, once a month, at them demand a list of what will be implemented. This will be an endorsement for the purchase of new books. To help you, I made a section "My marketing library" - so that you do not buy everything in a row.

13. Since your marketers have advanced significantly in terms of professionalism over the year, increase salaries next year. In the first three years of operation, at least 10% per year plus the industry average growth.

14. For the marketing director and for the commercial director, consider profit sharing. This is not at all necessary, but it “cements” almost tightly - you will not be afraid of any poaching. The main thing - do not be late: it is always better to dig a well before you want to drink! By the way, how will your growth rates change if they work for your competitor?

15. Feel free to use banal motivational tools: letters, handshakes (kisses are better not needed). They don't cost anything - but they work, damn it! Especially for ordinary employees who are not spoiled by the attention of management. Break into the marketing department unexpectedly to ask marketers if they are doing well and if they are giving enough money to grow the company. I am not kidding. Nothing makes marketers work like a sense of need.

16. If suddenly some direction of marketing is closed, never fire a person, invite him to try his hand in sales or somewhere else. Never declare (this is important), but try to fulfill the postulate of lifetime employment. Take full moral responsibility for each employee you hire. This is the most powerful and long-acting motivator I know. If you treat people like garbage (you need it - you took it, you didn't need it - you threw it away), then no salaries will help you.

17. When hiring a leader, give preference to a man. According to my polls, 90% of the marketing department employees (of which 90% are women) would like to see a man as a leader. In my experience, 50% of candidates for a position at an interview cite a conflict with a newly arrived manager - a woman, as the reason for the transition. Even if you have to pay a man a higher salary, it will still pay off (everything - now all women will hate me)!

18. In my experience, more than 50% of marketers want to see an extremely competent manager and are willing to learn from him, despite the lower salary. If he is your star, then instruct him to read trainings for the marketing and sales department every six months. Let everyone see how smart you are (or vice versa). By the way, it won't cost you a dime either.

19. If your company pays twice as much for the same position, do not immediately set this level. Increase your salary at the beginning by 30%, after passing the probationary period, add another 30%, after another six months. Believe me, this approach stimulates more. The level of salary over the years greatly loses its ability to inspire people.

Once in my practice there was a case when I received a salary increase after about two weeks of work :-). I have not worked in any company for as long as there, and now I remember it with love!

This only happened once in my life :-(.

I do not want to agitate you to pay more, but I noticed one interesting feature. Sam Welton, in his book "Made in America" ​​(I'm sure you've read this amazing book), already a cancer patient, wrote that he did not regret at all that out of his twelve aircraft, only one was supersonic. Here's what he says: “Looking at all those satellite dishes on our buildings, or hearing about all those computers, or watching some video of our laser-controlled distribution centers, don't be fooled. Without our managers, each of whom is the best fit for his position, without our ordinary associate employees devoted to their work, without our drivers, all the equipment listed above is not worth a penny.”

But he sincerely regrets one thing in his book. He says that if he had the opportunity to live his life again, he would repeat everything except one. He would pay ordinary employees more ...

Choice of tops

If you intend to hire a CMO based on salary, it's like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. You should not be concerned about how much you invest per month, but what will happen at the end, what processes will be initiated and what will be the result. Remember: if you can effectively use at least some of my recommendations, then the first and fifth points will be of less and less importance to you, and then there will even be a line of people who want to work in your marketing department.

The marketing director must have extraordinary ability for strategic vision and at the same time have the skills of effective tactical management. He must have the ability for analytical activities, analysis of many marketing indicators, such as market share, price on the shelf, "leaving" the shelf, brand awareness, percentage of repeat purchases, weighted and numerical distribution. It may seem that the CMO only studies and evaluates many parameters, but this is not the case. The basis of the work of the marketing director is to make decisions based on the results of data analysis. To make decisions, one trend analysis is not enough. It takes a lot of time and effort to study consumer behavior and describe target segments. It is necessary to know the motives of the consumer's behavior, all his choice parameters, and also be able to rank these criteria in order of importance for different target segments.

Not every person, even with an economic education, will be able to offer product differentiation. Simple, understandable, easily communicated. It's more of a feeling and experience than a science. Knowledge is a mandatory parameter, but, alas, insufficient. Ask the musician how he manages to achieve a unique sound, the athlete, how he overcomes the extra centimeters that separate him from the rest. The future is only for those companies whose marketing directors have: a high status of the unit, systems thinking, a thirst for novelty, high decision-making speed, healthy adventurism and a spirit of experimentation. As Edison said, "Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration." So you can't just sit and wait for an idea. You need to be able to create incubators of marketing ideas. A good idea is just the result of actively managing the marketing department.

Times are rapidly changing, and now talent is becoming more important than capital. The CMO often has extremely little physical evidence of effective performance. The production workers gave out so many tons of products. Sellers sold for a certain amount. The financiers spent money. (Lee Iacocca affectionately referred to them as “scumbags.”) Everyone worked hard, doing really “important things”: clearing customs, running around banks, transporting boxes from point A to point B. And what did the marketing director do? He recruited talented marketers into his department and inspired them with his example. It may very well be that at this moment he brings the company much more benefit than if he were doing anything else. He thinks and looks for alternatives. This is the most difficult and at the same time the most important task that a leader can perform.

If you are able, encourage it. You pay your top executives to see the big picture, not to complete the plan. You pay workers to complete the plan. Do not confuse. Do not put an equal sign between activity and efficiency. Don't let Tops get bogged down in meetings and business trips.

The Marketing Director conducted consumer research. He analyzed how the company's product is competitive in relation to other market participants. He analyzed various positioning options. There are no tons and kilograms. Unfortunately, CMOs have very few tangible results these days. It can be difficult to appreciate the creation of something truly special. Something that delights customers. However, it is he, the marketing director, and often, unfortunately, only he, who is the champion of the interests of the consumer in the company. And it depends on whether the company can survive in the long run. See for yourself, maximum production efficiency is achieved by producing a single product. And the marketing director forces the company to produce more and more products that are narrowly tailored to the needs of customers. In any case, marketing becomes the number one enemy of production. From a financial point of view, marketing is a very expensive department, while sales bring money every month. From the point of view of logistics, it is more efficient to serve small, but large customers, and marketing requires an individual approach to each. Well, why not offer to reduce the cost of "empty".

Frequent personnel changes are widely recognized as one of the main reasons for the deterioration of the quality of the product and services, the growth of customer dissatisfaction and the deterioration of the brand image. High employee turnover means that managers spend too much time hiring and training new employees instead of doing their core responsibilities. No one argues that turnover affects productivity and profits, at least when it comes to employees who communicate directly with customers. However, we do not know of a single company that would admit that similar problems arise with frequent changes in marketing directors. We're willing to bet money that if we were given access to Spencer Stuart's information, we'd find a direct correlation between industry performance and the average life expectancy of CMOs in that industry.

Most companies go out of their way to improve conditions in order to keep employees in contact with customers, but when it comes to the position of marketing director, turnover seems to be taken for granted, it is almost institutionalized. For us, this turnover is perhaps even more frightening than the rest of the Spencer Stuart study. The revolving door in the CMO's office means a huge number of strategies and programs started and not completed. This is bad for brands. This prevents marketing from becoming more accountable—CEOs are fired before the strategy has even begun to be put into practice. This is bad for business. Moreover, it shows the continued focus on immediate results among senior leaders who demand radical improvements in one to two quarters. This is bad for everyone.

Some companies go so far as to have a policy of constantly looking for CMOs, constantly screening candidates, even if they don't feel the need at the moment. There is no more powerful demotivating factor than expecting a stab in the back every day. In this case, the potential of any working person is zero - you are just wasting money every month.

In today's world, it is difficult to imagine even a medium-sized company without a marketing department or at least one or two specialists in this field. The realities of the market do not allow to do without an integrated approach to the process of creating a product or service and their further distribution. In the variety of brands and brands, it is very difficult to find a place for your product on the shelf in the store. Without knowledge and practical skills in this area, it will be very difficult to continue your activities.

Market activity

Marketing is any activity of a company or firm with the aim of creating products and its further marketing. The main tasks can be considered the collection and analysis of the necessary information to draw up a portrait of the target audience, the search for USP, the study of commitment and expectations of potential buyers. In addition, marketing helps to understand what place the company occupies among other companies in the industry.

Market activity begins with the development of a product and ends only after a person has purchased a product or service, tried it and was able to form an opinion. If the final product does not meet the expectations of buyers in some way, the task of specialists is to understand the cause and find ways to eliminate it.

To answer the question of what the marketing department does, you need to decide on its functions. The tasks that specialists solve can be both tactical and strategic, the correct formulation of which can affect the achievement or non-achievement of the goals. Any marketing activity must have a result that can be estimated in units of measurement (company profit, quantity of goods sold, percentage growth in buyers, etc.).

Work principles

To organize a competent functioning process, several rules must be observed.

First, the structure of the marketing department should be simple. It is necessary to remove all unnecessary links from it that affect the speed of finding the necessary solutions.

Secondly, each employee should be responsible for a limited number of functions. It is categorically impossible for a large number of people to be responsible for the same area of ​​work. This will complicate and prolong the process of solving the tasks.

Thirdly, all employees must be flexible and adaptable. In a rapidly changing market environment, the key to success will be the ability to find new ways to solve problems faster than a competitor can.

The specifics of the organization of the work of the marketing department also depends on the type of activity of the company, production volumes, the number of employees, the presence of subsidiaries and branches, industry focus, the presence of competitors and their number, remoteness from end users and sales points.

Structural device

The number of specialists working in one marketing department can be different. It depends on the size of the company and the goals set. As mentioned above, each marketer should focus on their area of ​​market activity. Someone will explore competitors, someone will draw up a portrait of the buyer, someone will look for new ways and ways of marketing finished products.

Many modern firms sell their products not only offline, that is, through physical stores, but also online. The ways in which services are promoted through these channels differ significantly, so it is advisable to entrust these tasks to different specialists. In addition, marketers are required who are responsible for ongoing projects and SEO promotion of the company itself on the Internet.

The marketing department also includes logistics, designers, content editors, copywriters, photographers, videographers. It is often required to supplement the existing team with more promoters and employees for one-time projects. Each of these specialists has a number of their own unique tasks, from which, as a result, a full-scale marketing activity is formed. In most cases, departments have either a boss or a general manager who controls the work process and directs it in the right direction.

Functions of the marketing department

To achieve all the goals set, the company needs a clear tactic and strategy. Responsible for this type of work is a marketing manager, or marketer. Positive dynamics depends on his professional efforts. This may be an increase in sales or awareness, conquering new target groups, entering a new market segment, or the success of an advertising campaign to launch a new product or service.

The responsibilities of marketers, or marketing managers, include the following activities:

• Analysis of the market situation and future trends.
• Analysis of the behavior of potential buyers and consumers.
• Definition of the target market.
• Identification of competitive advantages.
• Drawing up programs for the implementation of benefits in the company's activities.
• Development of strategy and tactics for product promotion.
• Tactical management of the company's product range.
• Increasing customer loyalty.
• Analysis, control and calculation of the results of ongoing work.

Studying market needs and trends

The marketing manager should begin his activity with a complete analysis of the market: from its trend and competitors to the expectations of buyers and intermediaries (for a B2B company). Often specialized analytical and statistical agencies are involved for higher quality research. Small and medium-sized businesses with a limited budget usually do not need this.

Upon completion of marketing research, the specialist draws up relevant reports and draws conclusions regarding a particular strategy for the development and promotion of the product. If he receives third-party data, then he will still have to adapt the information received, taking into account the goals and objectives.

After a complete and thorough study of market niches and segments, assessing the attractiveness of each segment and the potential viability of the company in the chosen category, the marketer can determine the prospects for business development and the direction in which to move.

Studying the target audience

The marketing manager must have the necessary knowledge to identify the desires and expectations of the end user. It is they who will ultimately help create a product that is in demand on the market, correctly determine its price and distribution methods.

This complex chain of processes begins with a detailed analysis of the potential buyer. Marketers conduct surveys, work with representative groups, collect research conducted before them. Based on this data, it is already possible to determine the needs and biases of the audience. The marketing manager must not only know all the positive aspects that customers would like to find in the proposed product, but also all their concerns about it.

The main task of the product is to solve a specific problem of the buyer. At the same time, he must meet his expectations. There are also certain motivational stimuli behind the act of buying. The task of the marketer is to identify them, then the consumer will buy the product more often and more willingly. For example, a cellulite cream can be sold, in terms of the fact that attractiveness and harmony will help women maintain family relationships or simply attract the attention of the opposite sex.

The mood of the audience can change due to various external reasons (appearance of cheaper competitive analogues, cooling of interest, and others), so the marketer must always monitor the behavior and attitude of customers towards the product in order to determine the moment when the product or service needs to be modified.

Target market selection

There are two ways to develop a product or service:

1. Conduct a study of the target audience and identify their expectations, on the basis of which the product is created in the future.
2. Conduct an analysis of the technical and resource capabilities of the company and create a product based on them, and then look for the audience that will be interested in the existing product.

Thorough market research allows marketers to identify the most promising group of buyers that will bring maximum profit and will be distinguished by loyalty. It also helps to determine the target market and the segment in which the company would be most profitable to be represented. Knowledge of consumer preferences helps to identify the weaknesses of competitors and the shortcomings of their products.

Creating a competitive advantage

An attractive appearance can be considered one of the keys to the success of the product. The task of marketers in this case is to give the product the necessary external characteristics and distinguish it from a number of similar products. In addition, you can create a unique selling proposition (USP) that will make the product even more attractive in the eyes of potential buyers.

The competitiveness of a product is considered one of its key characteristics. With the same functional set of two products, for example pots, the client will choose the one that he likes best or suits the price. For some categories of goods, the price is no longer a determining factor (essential goods, luxury products). In this case, everything depends only on the appearance and the availability of additional services that come with the product. Knowing the weaknesses of a competitor's products allows you to take a better position in the market.

Development of a long-term strategy

Without the participation of the marketing department at the enterprise, planning in the future is impossible. Firstly, its employees are familiar with all market trends and customer expectations. Secondly, they will quickly find a profitable segment for product placement. Thirdly, they will be able not only to develop a strategy aimed at emphasizing the strengths of the advertised product, but also take into account potential dangers, reduce the risk of losses and develop a plan for marketing research and activities that will help achieve their goals faster.

Company product management

The marketing manager always knows the product in detail. He will be able to highlight the strengths and hide not the most attractive ones. In addition, a marketing manager will always be able to talk about the product and stimulate both the interest of the buyer and induce him to the final action.

Skillful product management is just as important as developing a competent strategy and media plan for an advertising campaign. Without understanding the expectations of consumers in relation to a particular product, it will be impossible to correctly determine the price, size, number of units of a product in a package.

Building relationships with clients

Since the marketing and advertising department is responsible for growing the client base and establishing feedback with consumers, their responsibilities also include the development and implementation of activities to attract more attention to the product, service or organization. Specialists must attract new ones, maintain relationships with existing ones and try to win back lost customers.

In the realities of the modern market, it is the expansion of the client base and the establishment of relationships with them that becomes the key task of marketers. This is primarily due to the simplification of other processes thanks to the Internet. In addition, it has been proven that loyal customers can provide a more stable income in the long run.

Control and analysis

As a rule, the chief marketing officer sets short-term and long-term goals for the entire team. In the future, he also has to control the process of achieving them. He will need to develop "corrective actions" if any of the tasks set cannot be successfully implemented. The management and control of resources is also included in the list of his direct responsibilities.

From idea to sale

By itself, the marketer is both a manager and a coordinator, and often an executor. The further fate of not only one taken product, but the entire organization as a whole depends on his knowledge and actions. When answering the question of what the marketing department does, it is important to remember its multifunctionality. He not only manages existing products and services and conducts research, but also develops and implements new ones, helping the company move forward, increasing its customer base and annual turnover. Therefore, the presence of a competent marketer is important for maintaining the life of the company in the long term.

In today's world, it is difficult to imagine even a medium-sized company without a marketing department or at least one or two specialists in this field. The realities of the market do not allow to do without an integrated approach to the process of creating a product or service and their further distribution. In the variety of brands and brands, it is very difficult to find a place for your product on the shelf in the store. Without knowledge and practical skills in this area, it will be very difficult to continue your activities.

Market activity

Marketing is any activity of a company or firm with the aim of creating products and its further marketing. The main tasks can be considered the collection and analysis of the necessary information to draw up a portrait of the target audience, the search for USP, the study of commitment and expectations of potential buyers. In addition, marketing helps to understand what place the company occupies among other companies in the industry.

Market activity begins with the development of a product and ends only after a person has purchased a product or service, tried it and was able to form an opinion. If the final product does not meet the expectations of buyers in some way, the task of specialists is to understand the cause and find ways to eliminate it.

To answer the question of what the marketing department does, you need to decide on its functions. The tasks that specialists solve can be both tactical and strategic, the correct formulation of which can affect the achievement or non-achievement of the goals. Any should have a result that can be estimated in units of measurement (company profit, quantity of goods sold, percentage growth in buyers, etc.).

Work principles

To organize a competent functioning process, several rules must be observed.

First, the structure of the marketing department should be simple. It is necessary to remove all unnecessary links from it that affect the speed of finding the necessary solutions.

Secondly, each employee should be responsible for a limited number of functions. It is categorically impossible for a large number of people to be responsible for the same area of ​​work. This will complicate and prolong the process of solving the tasks.

Thirdly, all employees must be flexible and adaptable. In a rapidly changing market environment, the key to success will be the ability to find new ways to solve problems faster than a competitor can.

The specifics of the organization of the work of the marketing department also depends on the type of activity of the company, production volumes, the number of employees, the presence of subsidiaries and branches, industry focus, the presence of competitors and their number, remoteness from end users and sales points.

Structural device

The number of specialists working in one marketing department can be different. It depends on the size of the company and the goals set. As mentioned above, each marketer should focus on their area of ​​market activity. Someone will explore competitors, someone will draw up a portrait of the buyer, someone will look for new ways and ways of marketing finished products.

Many modern firms sell their products not only offline, that is, through physical stores, but also online. The ways in which services are promoted through these channels differ significantly, so it is advisable to entrust these tasks to different specialists. In addition, marketers are required who are responsible for ongoing projects and SEO promotion of the company itself on the Internet.

The marketing department also includes logistics, designers, content editors, copywriters, photographers, videographers. It is often required to supplement the existing team with more promoters and employees for one-time projects. Each of these specialists has a number of their own unique tasks, from which, as a result, a full-scale marketing activity is formed. In most cases, departments have either a boss or a general manager who controls the work process and directs it in the right direction.

Functions of the marketing department

To achieve all the goals set, the company needs a clear tactic and strategy. Responsible for this type of work is a marketing manager, or marketer. Positive dynamics depends on his professional efforts. This may be an increase in sales or awareness, conquering new target groups, entering a new market segment, or the success of an advertising campaign to launch a new product or service.

The responsibilities of marketers, or marketing managers, include the following activities:

• Analysis of the market situation and future trends.
• Analysis of the behavior of potential buyers and consumers.
• Definition of the target market.
• Identification of competitive advantages.
• Drawing up programs for the implementation of benefits in the company's activities.
• Development of strategy and tactics for product promotion.
• Tactical management of the company's product range.
• Increasing customer loyalty.
• Analysis, control and calculation of the results of ongoing work.

Studying market needs and trends

The marketing manager should begin his activity with a complete analysis of the market: from its trend and competitors to the expectations of buyers and intermediaries (for a B2B company). Often specialized analytical and statistical agencies are involved for higher quality research. Small and medium-sized businesses with a limited budget usually do not need this.

Upon completion of marketing research, the specialist draws up relevant reports and draws conclusions regarding a particular strategy for the development and promotion of the product. If he receives third-party data, then he will still have to adapt the information received, taking into account the goals and objectives.

After a complete and thorough study of market niches and segments, assessing the attractiveness of each segment and the potential viability of the company in the chosen category, the marketer can determine the prospects for business development and the direction in which to move.

Studying the target audience

The marketing manager must have the necessary knowledge to identify the desires and expectations of the end user. It is they who will ultimately help create a product that is in demand on the market, correctly determine its price and distribution methods.

This complex chain of processes begins with a detailed analysis of the potential buyer. Marketers conduct surveys, work with representative groups, collect research conducted before them. Based on this data, it is already possible to determine the needs and biases of the audience. The marketing manager must not only know all the positive aspects that customers would like to find in the proposed product, but also all their concerns about it.

The main task of the product is to solve a specific problem of the buyer. At the same time, he must meet his expectations. There are also certain motivational stimuli behind the act of buying. The task of the marketer is to identify them, then the consumer will buy the product more often and more willingly. For example, a cellulite cream can be sold, in terms of the fact that attractiveness and harmony will help women maintain family relationships or simply attract the attention of the opposite sex.

The mood of the audience can change due to various external reasons (appearance of cheaper competitive analogues, cooling of interest, and others), so the marketer must always monitor the behavior and attitude of customers towards the product in order to determine the moment when the product or service needs to be modified.

Target market selection

There are two ways to develop a product or service:

1. Conduct a study of the target audience and identify their expectations, on the basis of which the product is created in the future.
2. Conduct an analysis of the technical and resource capabilities of the company and create a product based on them, and then look for the audience that will be interested in the existing product.

Thorough market research allows marketers to identify the most promising group of buyers that will bring maximum profit and will be distinguished by loyalty. It also helps to determine the target market and the segment in which the company would be most profitable to be represented. Knowledge of consumer preferences helps to identify the weaknesses of competitors and the shortcomings of their products.

Creating a competitive advantage

An attractive appearance can be considered one of the keys to the success of the product. The task of marketers in this case is to give the product the necessary external characteristics and distinguish it from a number of similar products. In addition, you can create a unique selling proposition (USP) that will make the product even more attractive in the eyes of potential buyers.

The competitiveness of a product is considered one of its key characteristics. With the same functional set of two products, for example pots, the client will choose the one that he likes best or suits the price. For some categories of goods, the price is no longer a determining factor (essential goods, luxury products). In this case, everything depends only on the appearance and the availability of additional services that come with the product. Knowing the weaknesses of a competitor's products allows you to take a better position in the market.

Development of a long-term strategy

Without the participation of the marketing department at the enterprise, planning in the future is impossible. Firstly, its employees are familiar with all market trends and customer expectations. Secondly, they will quickly find a profitable segment for product placement. Thirdly, they will be able not only to develop a strategy aimed at emphasizing the strengths of the advertised product, but also take into account potential dangers, reduce the risk of losses and develop a plan for marketing research and activities that will help achieve their goals faster.

Company product management

The marketing manager always knows the product in detail. He will be able to highlight the strengths and hide not the most attractive ones. In addition, a marketing manager will always be able to talk about the product and stimulate both the interest of the buyer and induce him to the final action.

Skillful product management is just as important as developing a competent strategy and media plan for an advertising campaign. Without understanding the expectations of consumers in relation to a particular product, it will be impossible to correctly determine the price, size, number of units of a product in a package.

Building relationships with clients

Since the marketing and advertising department is responsible for growing the client base and establishing feedback with consumers, their responsibilities also include the development and implementation of activities to attract more attention to the product, service or organization. Specialists must attract new ones, maintain relationships with existing ones and try to win back lost customers.

In the realities of the modern market, it is the expansion of the client base and the establishment of relationships with them that becomes the key task of marketers. This is primarily due to the simplification of other processes thanks to the Internet. In addition, it has been proven that loyal customers can provide a more stable income in the long run.

Control and analysis

As a rule, the chief marketing officer sets short-term and long-term goals for the entire team. In the future, he also has to control the process of achieving them. He will need to develop "corrective actions" if any of the tasks set cannot be successfully implemented. The management and control of resources is also included in the list of his direct responsibilities.

From idea to sale

By itself, the marketer is both a manager and a coordinator, and often an executor. The further fate of not only one taken product, but the entire organization as a whole depends on his knowledge and actions. When answering the question of what the marketing department does, it is important to remember its multifunctionality. He not only manages existing products and services and conducts research, but also develops and implements new ones, helping the company move forward, increasing its customer base and annual turnover. Therefore, the presence of a competent marketer is important for maintaining the life of the company in the long term.

There are many definitions of marketing, but it is not so much important to know all the definitions as it is important to understand that they all reflect the same essence of marketing: in order to make a profit, a campaign must effectively, at a competitive level, sell its products or services to the end customer.

The main goal of the marketing department in the enterprise

The primary responsibility of a marketing manager is to manage the perceived value of a company's product. What is it for? The perceived value of a product directly affects the ability to earn a high rate of return on the sale of a product, is the simplest working indicator for evaluating the effectiveness of the marketing department.

Increasing the consumer value of the product is the main goal and priority of the marketing manager. It is with this task that the work of any specialist in this field should begin. The high value of the goods increases the profitability of the exchange with the buyer, as a result of which the buyer satisfies his need, and the company receives maximum income and profit.

Perceived value is the apparent difference between the benefits and costs of choosing and using a product.

It is important to understand that marketing directly affects the company's profit, which means it must play a key role in the company's structure, be part of top management and have enough resources (including management) to manage the value of the product.

The main functions and tasks of the marketing service in the enterprise

So, we figured out the main meaning of marketing for a company. We now propose to consider the tasks that a marketer must perform in order to achieve his global goal of increasing the value of the product. In practice, there are 8 key tasks of a marketing manager, performing which a specialist of any level will be able to shift the company's sales in a positive direction and increase the brand's success in the market.

Marketing Manager Responsibilities:

• Studying the market and market trends
• Studying consumer behavior
• Target market selection
• Developing a Competitive Advantage
• Approval of the product development strategy
• Tactical product management of the company
• Customer relationship management
• Control and analysis of work results

Now we propose to consider each task of a marketer in more detail.

Studying market needs and main trends

Market analysis is carried out by a marketing manager. He can do this on his own, or he can involve analytical research agencies in this process. It all depends on the budget and the importance of the analysis for decision making. In the first case, the marketer himself conducts research, draws up reports and draws conclusions. In the second case, he draws up a research plan, determines the depth of market analysis and the main data that needs to be obtained, and also helps to make the right strategic decisions based on the market research.

It is important to understand that it is the marketer who can form the overall picture of the market, break the market into niches / segments, assess the attractiveness and viability of each segment, and identify growing and promising business areas.

Studying the behavior of the target audience

It is believed that it is the marketer who has the sacred and ideal knowledge of the end consumer. And it is this knowledge that helps him make a good product, sell it in the right place, at the right price, with effective communication. How he does it?

The marketing manager is talking to the consumer. With the help of various studies and surveys, he forms an ideal knowledge of the needs, problems and prejudices of the target audience. And it offers a product that helps solve existing problems and fits perfectly into the consumer's picture of the world. The marketer identifies the key purchase motives and encourages consumers to make purchases more often and in greater volume, works with consumer prejudices that limit the purchase of the campaign product; identifies unmet market needs for the possibility of intensive growth of the campaign.

Selecting the target market and target audience

With a good knowledge of the market and target audience, the marketing manager understands which group of buyers will bring more money to the company in the long run, and also helps to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the company. It helps to make a decision on the choice of the target market and target audience, taking into account the potential of the market segment, competition in the segment and the company's ability to invest in product development.

Creating a competitive advantage

It is the marketer who gives the product a character, the desired image, and distinguishes it from the mass variety of similar market offers. The marketing manager ensures the competitiveness of the product by analyzing competitors and creating a differentiating benefit from the purchase of the final product. He knows the weaknesses of competitors and understands what methods of competition will be effective in a particular market.

Development of a long-term strategy

It is recommended that a marketing manager be involved in the development of a long-term development strategy for the company. Firstly, he knows the trends of the market and the consumer of the market, which means he can find interesting free niches, point to promising segments and low-competitive markets. Secondly, he has a strategic mind and will help identify key sources of growth and existing business threats, and help develop an action plan to reduce risks.

Company product management

The marketing manager knows what product, with what characteristics, will appeal to the consumer; understands what needs to be said about the product in order to stimulate a purchase; knows at what price the consumer is ready to buy the product and where it will be more efficient to sell the product.

Building relationships with clients

The marketing manager is responsible for growing the company's customer base. He develops activities to attract new customers, retain existing customers and return lost customers. Growing a loyal customer base is often a key marketer's goal, as it has been proven that loyal consumers are able to provide high long-term income.

Control and analysis

The marketer is always the project manager and coordinates the actions of different departments to create the perfect product. He analyzes, establishes marketing goals and analyzes the results achieved, develops corrective actions and manages limited resources to achieve maximum results.

Igor Belov /wp-content/uploads/2018/05/logo.pngIgor Belov 2014-04-20 19:48:48 2014-04-20 20:55:46 What does the marketing department do?

In every large organization, there is a mandatory marketing department, which is assigned some specific, but at the same time important functions. Depending on the structure of the enterprise, the marketing department may differ. So, with large LLCs, OJSCs or CJSCs, this is a whole division in which more than a dozen people work. There is a director, middle-class bosses, as well as lower management and the well-known office plankton. As for small firms in the form of individual entrepreneurs, they may not have a marketing department, but still there are several people who are engaged in advertising. They are responsible for all the functions and tasks of the marketing department.

Thus, regardless of the size, structure and other features of the company, marketers are necessarily present in it. If there is no person who is engaged in advertising and promotion of products, then such an organization cannot be called a full-fledged business, because it does not shine for any expansion.

Marketing is the backbone of business!

I have repeatedly repeated this phrase in different variations in my previous articles, and I will gladly repeat it again. The fact is that without an effective advertising system, a modern business becomes completely uncompetitive and will soon go bankrupt, or it will work, but not grow or expand. The enterprise will freeze at one stage of its development and will not move further. There are, of course, areas of activity in which advertising is used quite rarely.

For example, these may be plants that have several large buyers and do not need new customers. But after all, marketing is aimed not only at attracting consumers, but also at finding new employees. If few people know about your business, then only a few will come to get a job. Perhaps this is enough for you for normal activities, but it is much better for several people to apply for one place at once, because in this case you have the opportunity to choose the most competent one. And if your company does not yet have a marketing department, then immediately create it, and you will see the result in a couple of weeks.

Financing!

As a rule, this department never has problems with financing, unlike, say, the department of labor protection, environmental safety, etc. And the point is not at all that marketers require little money, but that the profit of the company directly depends on their activities. Why improve the quality of the product and wait for the consumer to appreciate this when you can simply make a new attractive packaging design and multiply the clientele?
With the structure of joint-stock companies, the marketing department generally constantly gets what it asks for, because it is beneficial for shareholders that the company not only works to maintain, but also expands. That is why the lion's share of capitalization is divided between the production department, which increases the volume of production, and the marketing department, which increases the influx of consumers. The latter, in turn, will buy new products.

The main functions and tasks of the marketing department!

1. The main function of marketers is, of course, advertising. The marketing department promotes the company's products among the consumer, concludes contracts with advertising agencies, etc. Moreover, in the modern world there are many varieties of advertising, and the task of the department is to determine which type will be the most effective and cost-effective.
   As mentioned above, advertising can be directed not only to customers, but also to potential employees. The more people who want to work in the company, the more choice its management has and the more competent and competent people will work here. However, not everyone is engaged in such advertising, and even then many are limited to ordinary newspaper ads. But in fact, such marketing can bring results, and some businessmen understand this. They sponsor the activities of educational institutions, create private universities only so that new and advanced specialists go to work for them. To expand the organization, not only a surplus of goods and consumers is needed, but also workers who will produce and sell this very surplus.

1. This department is also involved in planning further marketing strategies and analyzing previous results. As a rule, this division has action plans for the next six months, which, moreover, are easy to change to new consumer needs. Marketing does not stand still, and if you do not follow the innovations, then your competitors will leave you ahead of you, and you will be left without a clientele.

1. Thanks to this department, the efficiency of sales of a certain product is increased, because everyone knows that advertised products diverge better than a brand that no one knows. The better marketers work, the more sales the company will have.

1. As I said, marketing does not stand still, and every day there are more and more new ways to promote products. Do not be afraid to use the latest advertising techniques and methods, because if they turn out to be ineffective, you will not lose much, but if the innovation really justifies itself, then the flow of customers will increase many times over in a short time.

The main task of marketing!

The main task that any marketing department strives to fulfill is to increase the company's profits and expand it. Of course, such a goal simply cannot but attract entrepreneurs and investors, which is why such divisions are created in any organization. In total, it turns out that the better marketers work, the more income the company and its direct owners will receive.

Marketers in the law!

It often happens that it is precisely because of the activities of the marketing department that a state fine is imposed on a legal entity. The fact is that the line between effective advertising and illegal advertising is very thin, and you can cross it without even noticing. That is why it is strongly recommended to keep several competent lawyers in this unit so that once again you do not run into lawsuits and administrative fines.

Afterword…

In the end, I want to add that the functions and tasks of the marketing department are sometimes underestimated. This is especially true for small firms that simply do not have enough money for new employees and an advertising campaign. But remember one thing: without marketing, your business will not be profitable and competitive, so before you open your organization, calculate whether you will also have enough funds for marketing. And if the answer is “no”, then it’s better to wait a bit, earn more money, and only then begin to realize yourself as a businessman.

Read also on the topic:

1. What does the Sales Marketing Department do?
2. How to open a pawnshop - step by step instructions
3. Analysis of associations with the company and name
4. Profitable carpentry business