There is a shift that needs to happen. People need to learn to market what they do better, at an individual level, rather than a company one. Marketing is no longer a department, it’s a skill. A company’s marketing should be the collective efforts of a significant portion of their employees. Social shares. Articles written. Podcasts.
If a salesperson has a generous, valuable, creative idea to share with companies, why should he call them up one-by-one during the 9-5 hours to interrupt their work which is already stressful, when he can be more efficient by taking some time to work out his thoughts, record his ideas in an easy to follow along format, and allow the people he’s trying to serve to listen to it on their commute, or on a walk, or on a train ride home. He can sell the podcast recorded on his call, rather than a 20 minute conversation at a future date. Since it’s more flexible, it’s easier for the customer, and he can listen somewhere less stressful than the office with more time to pay attention. And as a bonus, they can revisit the conversation, share it with others and build consensus among their company. Your salesperson also gains 20 minutes back he wouldn’t have had before. More time to prospect and find more people to convince to listen.
If you have a significant number of employees making these contributions, you will win. You become a media company. Something to tune into to fill up the day. And eventually those who tune in will find something that resonates with them. It takes effort though. It also takes skill, and something valuable to say.
The marketing department for most companies, needs to become the media department. A centralized place where people can come for help when they need things like graphic design, sound editing, video editing, copy editing, etc. What was the marketing department is now a resource for everyone, and everyone is now the marketing department. You can make a difference for your company today, just get out there and do it.
None of this is Right 