I came across this post from David Edelman, CMO at Aetna, about why he’s proud to be a marketer. It inspired me to share my personal version of the same message.
If you look at my LinkedIn profile, you’ll see that the bulk of my career has actually been in sales. I’ve been an individual contributor and sales leader for a number of companies and love the art and science of the profession. But, isn’t this about marketing? Sure is…. Hang with me!
Several years ago I had the incredible opportunity to take on a dual role, leading inside sales and marketing. That’s the same day I fell in love. In love with leading a marketing organization, that is. Now, I am 100% marketer (with sales still running through my veins).
Why the move from sales to marketing? It’s because I believe, with all my being, that marketing is the force multiplier of any organization. From being a catalyst of culture to enabling the sales organization with the right strategic narrative to win business, to being totally immersed in data that drives our decisions, being a marketer affords me one of the widest lenses of what moves the business forward.
Marketing is the force multiplier of any organization.
Just as with sales, marketing is both an art and a science. Great marketers lean into data to inform decisions, but also recognize that we’re dealing with humans on the other side of that data. The way people think and act is not always reflected exactly in the data. It’s a balance. I get to be a student of psychology, understanding how emotions factor into buying decisions, even in B2B. In fact, a wise man I know calls it B2H. Business to Human. Props to Tim Kopp for that one.
It’s B2H: Business-to-Human ~Tim Kopp
What makes me especially proud to be a marketer is that I get to tell our customer’s stories. How what we do for them enables them to deliver on their mission. Their purpose. That’s the magic for me. I see marketing, and sales for that matter, as the vehicles for enabling customers to be better versions of themselves with the help of our services. They are the heroes of the story. I’m not in the game of marketing and selling widgets. This is bigger than that. Much bigger.
I see marketing, and sales, as the vehicles for enabling customers to be better versions of themselves.
This is why I am proud to be a marketer.
I’d love to hear your thoughts: Why are you proud to be a marketer?
