Everyone should know I’m a fanboy of Seth, to the point of referring to him by only his first name, and not bothering with a link, assuming you MUST also be reading him.
But Seth is far from perfect.
So Murray points out at his sage blog, View From The Corner Office, titled: The Marketer Perfected:
“In a recent post, The Marketer’s Attitude, Godin describes the perfect marketer. It would be a high energy, relentlessly positive person. It would be someone self-motivated and self-sufficient, able not only to visualize complex projects but also to carry them through to fruition. He or she could engage strangers and embrace ambiguity. He sees the down streams and the downsides of any plan and adjusts accordingly. And so on.”
Yes, I read that post by Seth at least twice, seeing if I could mentally measure myself up to his ideal. I can’t say that I felt I was. But in B2B, you have to be more pragmatic. Murray, from the vantage of retired marketer/sales VP saw the hole in the perfection:
“There was something missing from his description, however. The perfect marketer must also be the perfect politician. The astute marketer knows that, in a perfect world, all things are possible. But in a highly volatile world, where people see their investments and imagine their lives going down the rabbit hole, where Boards are insecure and CEOs intractable and budget cuts inescapable, not all things are possible. Indeed, most things – even the small things and especially the right things – require a great deal of personal conviction and much cleverness to gain the collaboration of those in high places if projects are to ever see the light of day.”
Now, Murray is not the first to pick on Seth. But in this case, he adds value. Because without conquering the politics, your ideas remain just that–yours.
(Hmmm. Looks like I’ve given Murray the same one-name treatment. Completely unplanned, honest.)
Howdy:I am glad to see someone in a manufacturing B2B marketing role playing in the blogosphere. I have just moved to a marketing position from a sales management position (with WAT too many years of sales background) and am looking for innovative ways to leverage web 2.0 and marketing communications in general in the B2B world. Seems like much more information is out there for B2C engagement.Just finished Word of Mouth Marketing (http://www.wordofmouthbook.com/) for my marketing class…not too earth-shattering, but makes me think about the ways to engage customers in ongoing conversations.I blog in two places (more personal/long term career related) at http://www.renewacycle.com and http://subversivecubicledwellers.blogspot.com. Hoping to add another for professional marketing work soon.
Howdy:I am glad to see someone in a manufacturing B2B marketing role playing in the blogosphere. I have just moved to a marketing position from a sales management position (with WAT too many years of sales background) and am looking for innovative ways to leverage web 2.0 and marketing communications in general in the B2B world. Seems like much more information is out there for B2C engagement.Just finished Word of Mouth Marketing (http://www.wordofmouthbook.com/) for my marketing class…not too earth-shattering, but makes me think about the ways to engage customers in ongoing conversations.I blog in two places (more personal/long term career related) at http://www.renewacycle.com and http://subversivecubicledwellers.blogspot.com. Hoping to add another for professional marketing work soon.
Nice blog dear i have really learn a lot from this blog thanks. This blog is very informative for me. I became very pleasure to read it.
Nice blog dear i have really learn a lot from this blog thanks. This blog is very informative for me. I became very pleasure to read it.
Thank you, Dave, for your kind words on and link to The Marketer Perfected post. Marketing is, when distilled down to its basics, about selling. The sale must first be made internally and much energy will be expended before the opportunity to sell externally can begin. This is particularly true in a B2B environment and especially true today. As for Mr. Godin, he has the wherewithal to defend himself and the wisdom to know when it is not necessary. He is, I can assure you, as gracious as he is incisive. Best regards, Murray
Thank you, Dave, for your kind words on and link to The Marketer Perfected post. Marketing is, when distilled down to its basics, about selling. The sale must first be made internally and much energy will be expended before the opportunity to sell externally can begin. This is particularly true in a B2B environment and especially true today. As for Mr. Godin, he has the wherewithal to defend himself and the wisdom to know when it is not necessary. He is, I can assure you, as gracious as he is incisive. Best regards, Murray