Developing a career in Sales & Marketing

Developing Your Career in Sales and Marketing
Developing your Career in Sales and MarketingMarketing is all the processes involved in the pricing, promotion and distribution of products and services to customers. Principal marketing functions precede the manufacturing of a product in a modern corporation. Usually, market research, product development, design, evaluation and testing and other important activities are involved. There are lots of career opportunities in marketing, as discussed in this article.Career Opportunities in MarketingMarket researchThe focus of market researchers is to study and know who buys what, when they buy it and the reason for such purchases. Anybody doing a career in market research focuses in understanding customers, both the existing and potential ones. The tools used in this category are surveys, questionnaires, buying trends, focus groups, sales data and census information. They ask questions about customers with an aim of providing a better product; identify potential marketable needs so as to increase sales and production. There is a focus on numbers, logic, statistics and projections in Market research.Marketing CommunicationsMarketing Communications professionals develop marketing messages and create sufficient communications to spread the messages. They do this with the use of brochures, annual reports, catalogues, newsletters, web site content, and others to affect marketing. A MarCom career person works closely with public relations department and may sometimes partly have public relational responsibilities. Other things involved in this career are writing press releases, developing and managing community relations programs, and other media works. Event Marketing An event marketer is focused on creating marketing opportunities during specific events to draw customers during such events. Events and festivals like trade shows, holidays or sporting events, fairs and concerts finds these career individuals setting up strategies for promotions. This is intended to draw large crowds and offer unique marketing opportunities. Event marketing professionals could also create their own special events to create sales opportunities. Marketing Sales/Business Development Those in the Marketing sales careers establish sales contacts, monitor the procurement activity of potential customers and clients and prepare business proposals for specific opportunities. Careers in marketing sales usually focus on a specific client or market sector. Some potential clients would like their proposals to be extensively and specifically tailored, as part of their process for selecting their vendors and suppliers. This is probably the case for governments and large organizations. As a marketing sales professional, one should be skilled in developing proposals that meet the specific requirements of clients while also positioning their company in the favorable light. It is also part of the marketing sales professional’s duty to identify potential clients, establish business relationships between the client and the company. Street Marketing All the street marketing professional does is to reach consumers in new and innovative ways. This may mean creating a buzz through billboards and street shows. Street marketing can be used to influence consumers in their very environment in favor of the advertised product. Street marketing professionals are always seen managing complex campaigns in multiple locations to reach large groups of people with their product or service. Brand Marketing A career in brand marketing focuses on creating and maintaining the kind of brand that will be an asset, great brands. Furthermore, brand marketing is all about creating standards for almost every aspect of the company’s image. All the Uniforms, packaging, letterhead, office space and every other physical representation of a company are what the brand marketer’s devices to give the company a known name. They design the standards and insist the integrity of their brand is maintained. Good brand marketing career also focuses on issues like service delivery, customer expectations, crisis management as they affect the company’s brand. Strategic Marketing A strategic marketer is concerned with almost every aspect of the company’s business. They take good studies that will help them in strategizing on the product pricing, the standards for service delivery, company-client relationship, and firm’s market competition stratagems. The strategic marketing professionals make use of both science and art to position their company with their customers. Building a career in strategic marketing involves knowledge of all other marketing specialties so as to develop long term marketing plans and oversee their execution and success.How to develop your skills and move up the career ladderTo develop your skills and move up the marketing career ladder involves being proactive in what you do. Build an impressive picture of yourself by developing those good qualities of a marketer. Basically, a good marketer should be persistent, goal setting, inquisitive, attentive, passionate, enthusiastic, responsible, hardworking, proxy (in touch) and show value.Building and developing a skill set, which you can use to sell yourself into your next level, should be your target as a marketer. However, here are other things you can do in order to assist the development of your skills to receive a promotion and move up the career ladder.Develop the Transferable SkillsExamples of these skills are communication, problem-solving, teamwork, negotiating and organizational skills. Developing and practicing these skills will propel you up the ladder of career success. Join an AssociationJoining an association or club is part of your networking that will boost your career. Joining a marketing association in addition, helps you get involved in activities from which you develop and learn new skills. You may even join non-work-related associations to help you build a network and get involved in things outside your daily routine.Get a Mentor or SupervisorThey should be people who have made it in that field. You need people to monitor your progress and help you develop the skills you want to build. Tell them about what you want to improve on, so that they can coach and manage your learning. Newer Tasks and More ResponsibilitiesGet involved in new tasks, explore other marketing branches. This will increase your chances of learning new skills. You can even volunteer for jobs outside your marketing specialty. This will impress your boss and add new skills to you. Do a Professional Qualification, get certifiedThere are very many professional certification programs in marketing and other related fields. For example, get the CIMA professional qualification for marketing or the human relations CIPD yes, it involves some hard work, but you will gain the professional knowledge that will push you up the career ladder.Attend Conferences, Workshops and SeminarsYou need to know the events going on in the marketing industry. When you attend Exhibitions and seminars, you will be free to talk to people, asking them questions, listening to others on issues faced in the marketing industry. You will also meet Industry leaders with a lot of knowledge and years experience who usually take the seminars. They could bring you some inspiration. Attending marketing Conferences and workshops may cost some money to attend, but you will leave there with great ideas, networks and an increased zeal for your marketing career.