study material

1. Ten Qualities of Great Marketing Managers (Part 1)
Greg E. Stine
04/29/2004
Quite frequently, a company's success or failure is directly tied to the effectiveness of its marketing efforts. Whether a
company has a dedicated marketing manager, or the owner wears the marketing manager hat, this role is one of the
most critical functions in any company.
Over the years with Polaris, I have worked with many marketing managers and small business owners, and I believe
that I have a unique perspective on their performance. I have observed and worked with great, mediocre and (I'm
sorry to say) terrible marketers in this critical role. Here, without a doubt, are the first five of the ten most important
qualities of a great marketing manager.
1. A Vision Creator
Great marketing managers are vision creators. One of the most important steps in introducing a product or service
successfully to the marketplace is to create a clear, focused concept of their product or service. To accomplish this,
marketing managers must be able to wade through the products or services that their company sells, find its edge in
the marketplace, and simplify its features and benefits so that they are easily understood. They don't necessarily
need to create the exact words used in the pitch, but it is important for them to be able to communicate the vision
clearly to others.
This ability to communicate the vision clearly will give the creative resources, internal sales people, senior
management, the production team people, and all the other people who actually perform the work or sell the product
a clear understanding of what to do when working on anything related to the product. It will also ensure that they are
all communicating the same thing so the campaign does not become disjointed along the way. For example, a
marketing manager with a clear vision may say to their advertising agency, "Our company will be selling a new
product. This product will be more expensive than the competition, but it's a more durable product and it's easier to
use - saving time and money. This is our edge in the marketplace." When the agency receives this type of focused
direction, they will have a clear picture of how to create effective marketing materials.
Great marketing managers also understand the importance of presentation. Ensuring success, sometimes means
that the actual product or service needs to change in some way to make it more accessible or inviting to the
marketplace. Because of this. good marketing managers will often influence the way the product or service is
produced or delivered. They may even alter the core of the product to take advantage of a weakness in the
marketplace. Remember, marketing is about perception, not necessarily reality. Just because it's a great product,
doesn't mean anyone will want to buy it. (To stimulate your thinking on this subject, take a look at a great book: The
22 Immutable Laws of Branding.)
Steven Jobs and the Apple iPod are a brilliant example of packaging a focused vision and attacking the marketplace
with it. Even though the iPod is basically a typical PDA with the capacity to play music (it has a calendar, phone book,
and alarm clock like most PDAs), they’ve distinguished themselves by packaging the product to reflect a cool, hip
lifestyle and sold for two to three times what a Palm Pilot goes for.
To complement this effort, Apple is also selling downloadable music from their website (iTunes) and trying to create
the first profitable music downloading business. Part of the brilliance in their overall strategy is that they don’t need to
make big money from downloading. After all, to quote Steve Jobs, ―Hey, we don’t really have to make a lot of money
on the music. We’re selling iPods.‖

2. A clear, focused vision is essential for an effective marketing program.
2. A Strong Ego
In my years working with business and marketing managers, I have found that generally a "design by committee"
approach produces terrible marketing programs. When a committee creates a vision or strategy, the results are
usually full of compromise, which makes the vision unfocused, diffused, without edge, and flat. If implemented in the
marketplace, the result is similar to that of using a dull knife -- it doesn't cut into the marketplace and you lose your
potential share.
Instead, one person with courage, creating a vision, is almost always stronger than a group effort.
This is not to say that a marketing manager should be an island. Effective and successful marketing managers listen
to people inside and outside of the company. They listen to their customers, co-workers, senior management, and
salespeople. By having their ears open, marketing managers better understand the marketplace. But at the same
time, they must have strong enough self-confidence to wade through the varying opinions, make up their own mind
as to the direction to head, and be able to say, "This is where we're going, follow me!"
Sam Walton, the late founder of Wal-Mart, was a great example of this type of person. Those with him in the early
days describe him as impervious to failure. When a particular campaign was less than effective, he was the first
person on Monday morning to say, ―Well that didn’t work. What’re we doing this week?‖ He had a vision for the
company for the future and wouldn’t accept anything less.
Unfortunately, sometimes the best marketing managers are arrogant in their belief that they have the right answer.
Actually, they may NOT know the right answer. But, even if a clear vision is off-target, it is almost always more
effective than a diffused, less focused vision. And while these individuals may be somewhat headstrong or
excessively confident about their ideas, their self-confidence and ability to put up with the critics, the "beefs," and the
"yeah-buts," all the while pushing the vision forward, usually helps to sell their ideas effectively.
3. An Artistic Eye
All the great marketing managers that I have worked with have an artistic eye. Most of the communication that
happens between the marketplace, prospects, and the company is visual. However, the marketing manager's role is
NOT to create the visual elements. Good marketing managers let those who have been trained in design and
presentation do this. However, it's important that they have a good sense of visual style -- especially within their
market
Effective imagery in print, literature and on the web goes a long way in communicating the essence of a company.
Marketing managers should know whether the visual style created by their agency feels right to the marketplace,
describes the company well, and supports their brand. This does not mean an effective marketing manager needs to
be an artist. I have worked in this business for over a decade and I definitely am not an artist. However, I have
learned from the artists around me how to recognize good visual composition, what makes a great photograph, and
what makes effective brand-marks. An effective marketing manager has these same skills. At times, marketing
managers are like local head sheriffs among the people they work with, including the design agency, internal
administrative staff, and the sales staff—they must make sure that projects don't wander from the visual style. A good
agency won't need much policing, but in this day and age, everyone thinks they are a designer.
It's important that marketing managers look, study, and listen in order to keep up with the visual styles in their
marketplace. I encourage marketing managers to spend time studying trade publications of their industry, thinking

3. about the effectiveness, quality and look of the material. If you feel like this is a personal weakness, there are many
ways to improve your own artistic eye. Subscribe to an advertising or design publication likeCommunication
Arts or Print Magazine. Designers use these publications not only to observe cutting edge design trends, but also to
inundate themselves visually with what's happening in different marketplaces.
A client of ours, Judi Ettlinger, Marketing Director for Truitt and White is a brilliant marketing professional who knows
what she wants visually for her company. The result is that Truitt and White’s branding and visual consistency is
outstanding – and their dominance in their marketplace is not unrelated to her work. We know that when it comes to
the visual side of marketing projects, Judi will have a critical eye -- but it keeps us sharp and more importantly,
protects the Truitt and White brand.
4. Understands Their Market and Their Customers
Good marketing managers need to have a very strong understanding of what is happening in the marketplace and
what influences people's buying decisions.
Often, marketing managers are new to the industry they are now working in. These managers work hard to study the
industry, visit their customers, talk to the people in the field, and talk to their sales people. It takes work to obtain a
clear understanding of the people who are making buying decisions. Understanding your market and your customer
base is critical to creating the essential clear vision.
When a marketing manager misunderstands the customer or the reasons why they purchase a product or service,
the marketing strategy will be off-target. If they don't know why consumers buy their product, then the marketing
strategy they create will be ineffective. I've seen this happen a number of times.
A few years ago we developed a process (we call it a Brand Study) for helping our clients better understand their
marketplace and their customers. When we perform a Brand Study, we ask their core clients what is good and bad
about this company. We ask questions about their pricing, their customer service, and what the company can do to
improve. We target core customers who are the bread and butter of the company and we work to get into their minds
-- we want to understand why they buy from this company. When we understand why a few customers are so
dedicated, we can use that information to help a company focus on finding more customers with the same needs.
A Brand Study helps a company create a marketing strategy (that vision thing, again) that targets prospects that are
similar to their core customers. The only way the company can do this is by understanding its market, customers and
prospects. It is amazing how often companies truly do not understand why their customers actually purchase their
products or services.
5. Understands the Fundamentals of Branding, Marketing, and Advertising
Some say marketing is the art of persuasion, but in many ways it is not an art as much as a science.
The fundamentals of marketing and advertising are well known. The role of print ads within a marketing campaign,
the function of public relations within a marketing campaign, reasonable goals for a direct mail campaign—all have
well known answers derived from historically proven results. Good marketing managers should know these answers,
make their plans and goals align with them, and weigh the risks of diverting from them with full knowledge of the
possible consequences.
Should a marketing manager not understand the basics of advertising, creating consistently effective campaigns is
near impossible. One of the mistakes most often made in these cases is marketing to customers with campaigns built
around features or proofs of the product or service, instead of the benefits. Unfortunately for them, it’s

4. the benefits that sell, so they never truly reach the prospect. The prospect is simply left asking, "Why should I care
about this stuff?" (To learn more about advertising fundamentals, take a look at a great book: Ogilvy on Advertising.)
For example: Anti-lock brakes are not a benefit when buying a specific car, they are a feature. The specifications for
the brakes may be proof to the prospect that the brakes will actually work in the manner they were designed.
The proof of this may include technical literature, or supporting advertising that explains how anti-lock brakes work.
The benefit in this example (which is at the heart of any good marketing program) is that the brakes will not lock up,
allowing you to stop more quickly, under control, and NOT DIE. Living is the benefit!
There are a lot of good resources for understanding the principles of branding. Most of the books and articles I’ve
read teach fairly similar concepts. I myself wrote a series of articles outlining my ―Nine Branding Truths,‖ and I also do
not hesitate to recommend a great book by Al and Laura Ries titled: The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding.
This is the first article in a two-part series on marketing managers. For Qualities 6-10 of great marketing managers
see Ten Qualities of Great Marketing Managers (Part 2).
Ten Qualities of Great Marketing Managers (Part 2)
Greg E. Stine
05/18/2004
In the April 2004 issue of Polaris eNews, I outlined the first five of ten qualities of a great marketing manager (click
here to read that article). While many more attributes could be added to this list, below are the last five qualities that I
see as integral for being great at a job that is often undervalued but sorely needed.
6. A Big Picture Manager, Not a Micro-Manager
Great marketing managers paint a big picture, defining the box for their subordinates, vendors and team members.
All too often, I have seen marketing managers who love to tinker in MS Publisher® or Front Page®, creating flyers
and web pages. Or, the marketing manager chooses to micro-manage literature design that has been created by a
competent graphic artist. It's easy for marketing managers to become engrossed in the details -- self-maintaining a
website or creating internal product data sheets.
Great marketing managers instead keep their eyes on the big picture, delegating detail tasks to the appropriate
people. Creating, managing and selling a clear vision is extremely hard and it's easy to fall into the details because
they’re easy, and less risky than the rest of the process. (For more on this subject, see Cutting Your Own Hair, by

5. Ken Stine).
Pat Walker, the General Manager of Prime Factors is fairly new to the role of Marketing Manager, but he has done a
great job of allowing our graphic designers to ―do their thing‖ while giving specific and reasonable direction that, in the
end, have created an effective and cohesive collection of marketing materials.
Effective marketing managers are always looking at the big picture. They work at and refine the vision, and don't
allow themselves to become distracted by the details.
7. A Loose Planner
Great marketing managers cannot function without a plan. However, taking the time to outline every detail of that
plan, and then follow those details to the letter is counterproductive and extremely time consuming. It also distracts
them from the true task of leading the company towards the marketplace with a vision. The biggest problem with
creating an incredibly detailed plan is that it tends to lack the spontaneity that market forces create, and ignores the
reality of creative people and ideas.
On the other hand, a marketer who doesn't have a plan is completely adrift. Marketing materials, sales literature,
brochures, booths, and websites that are created without the framework of a vision, end up being fairly useless. They
create a lot of noise in the marketplace, but have no focus, influence, or legacy.
In my experience, a loose planner has the best of both worlds -- they have a plan, but it is loose and allows for
creativity and spontaneity. New ideas can be inserted, and old ones withdrawn without having to completely rewrite
the plan.
A good marketing strategy or plan also requires pubic relations, advertising, and sales tools components. It also may
include a tradeshow and Internet presence. Other components to a good marketing plan may include product
packaging and point-of-purchase concerns. A good marketing manager will include these components in an overall
marketing plan.
Whether a marketing plan is written (preferably) or stored in the head of the marketing manager, this planning must
be done for a marketing program to be effective. Good marketers tend to be flexible, quickly changing their plan when
circumstances or markets change.
8. A Master of Internal Company Politics
Internal issues and fear amongst colleagues, senior management, or the marketing manager's direct supervisor can
damage or destroy a marketing program. Over the years I have seen conflicts between marketing managers and their
superiors (or subordinates) cripple companies. Companies have failed because the marketing people couldn't
navigate the internal politics of their company. Quite often, the administrative or production wings of a company have
more influence than sales and marketing. In fact, in many companies, marketing is looked down upon. Engineers,
developers and managers with an operations background often dominate production or manufacturing oriented
companies. These companies frequently fall into the trap of thinking the better product will ultimately succeed in the
marketplace. A good marketing manager understands that it is not whether the product is better or superior, but
whether it is perceived as better or superior.
Because of this common clash, the production team may resent what the sales and marketing people are doing
because they don’t understand the value. The marketing manager's role is to constantly teach the production team
about The Vision. They need to demonstrate proof and show results. It's important that the marketing manager brag
internally (selflessly) when their programs are working. They also need to teach both the sales team and the

6. production side of the company about the successes occurring in the marketplace.
It's all about creating a climate for success. Successful marketing managers find ways to generate internal
enthusiasm for their marketing programs. Great marketers find ways to include the sales team in their vision.
Sometimes the marketing manager even needs to target their superior (CEO, President, Owner, etc.) and educate
(sell) them on important issues so they can get the financial backing they need to carry out a successful program.
For example: the marketing budget is quite often one of the very first items that senior management targets for cuts
when money is a little tight, even though industry research has consistently shown that companies who stop
marketing and advertising during a recession or economic slowdown suffer severe economic and brand damage -- if
they survive at all. Meanwhile, companies who manage to find the budget and continue marketing through the
downtime will often capture market share and are much better off in the long run. Marketing managers have to
preempt this kind of self-destructive action by consistently exemplifying their successes to everyone in the company
and teaching them of the marketing team’s value.
My good friend, client, and CEO of Harrell Remodeling, Iris Harrell, is the champion of positive! At Harrell
Remodeling, every design award, every signed contract, every marketing milestone is recognized and celebrated.
People who worked on a specific project are publicly recognized and patted on the back. Even at the bottom of the
recent recession amongst rolling layoffs, she was finding ways to brag about the great stuff happening in the
marketing department. The result was that they hung in there, kept marketing, reached their company goals, and are
now roaring into 2004!
These obstacles are very common and the marketing manager's job is to work the internal politics and eliminate
obstacles within a company that may prevent success.
9. In Control of the Budget
Here at Polaris, our type of business affects the marketing manager's budget (advertising and marketing expenses)
as much as anyone else they typically interact with. Obviously, cost is a part of every project. I've experienced three
methods that my clients use for managing and controlling costs, and there is one clear method that gets the most out
of us as a partner in their marketing efforts, yet is still cost effective.
The first of the three different scenarios I've seen is the "bottomless pocket". These marketing managers will direct us
to just "go for it" never asking us at the beginning of the project what it's going to cost. I'm not sure if they are afraid to
know, but we happily spend the time that we feel it takes to complete the project. Initially, this sounds like an ideal
client for us. However, I've learned quickly that this is a false paradise. Almost always, problems arise down the road,
both for our client and us. The marketing manager that allows us to work on projects until we feel they are complete,
without checking costs, is almost always surprised by the bill. Once that happens, they are forced to halt the project,
or renegotiate, or cut back its scope. We find that we never end up being as effective as we should be.
An analogy would be taking a dog for a walk without a leash. The marketing/design group represents the dog
(appropriate, I think). Without a leash, the dog will run everywhere and the owner may not reach their destination. For
this reason, we don’t typically work on projects under this scenario.
The second situation we often see is that the marketing manager wants us to quote every project to the penny before
the project begins. Experience has proven that it is nearly impossible to estimate the hours it will take for creative
projects. Sometimes great ideas come quickly and sometimes they don’t. When a client asks me to quote a cost

7. based on an exact number of hours, you can see what I'm forced to do -- guess to the high side. Otherwise, we would
be out of business very quickly.
This type of marketing manager functions under an illusion that they are saving money by controlling the vender and
their costs, to the penny. The reality is that they are actually costing themselves more since the vendor has to
estimate everything on the high side to eliminate risks.
The third and best method for managing creative vendors creates a win-win situation for both the marketing manager
and their company, and the design agency. It begins with the marketing manager having enough experience to
understand what a given project may typically cost, preparing a loose budget and having reasonable expectations. In
discussions prior to the project, we agree on a ballpark budget with round numbers ($2400, $800, $20,000, whatever)
understanding that the finished project cost may be over or under this figure.
A loose budget frees the agency up to do a good job. We have run across new creative ideas near the end of a
project. I've had a creative team member say, "This is a great idea, do you want me to explore it?" With a loose
budget I am able to tell the team member to spend a few more hours on the project to see where it leads. These
ideas have often turned out to be the best part of a marketing program. If we were in a situation where we are
committed down to the penny, I would have told the staff member not to work any further on the project because
we’re committed to the quoted amount and we don’t like to work for free.
I am much happier to have a target budget, knowing that if we go over by 10 to 20%, it will not be a catastrophe. Also,
if the project is 10 to 20% less than we proposed, I am very happy to pass this savings on to the client. When creating
an estimate with a loose budget, we don't have to pad the estimate since the risk is not there.
I am not suggesting that the marketing manager shouldn't have complete control of the budget. I understand that a
good marketing manager needs to be completely accountable to his budget and his company’s bottom line. But along
with creating flexible budgets, an effective marketing manager needs to have a good understanding of costs and
expenses for different kinds of marketing projects. This way, the marketing manager can budget effectively, be on
target, and control marketing costs without inhibiting the creative department.
10. A Love of the Process
Most of us know a great salesperson -- they love to sell. They love the hunt, the chase, and the close. They love the
process of not knowing if they have the sale until they make the close and then bask in the exhilaration of the whole
process.
In the same way, a great marketing manager loves the marketing process-- the uncertainty of it all. Is this the right
vision? What do my customers really need? Are we providing what they want? Good marketing managers love
making bold statements and leading a team into battle. They love diving into the marketplace, delegating tasks,
taking risks and seeing the outcome.
Unfortunately, the outcome is not always what is hoped for. Some marketing programs will fail—it’s almost inevitable.
However, great marketers shrug this off and simply try something different. They know that even the best laid
marketing plan has uncertain elements. They surround themselves with people they enjoy working with and have a
great relationship with their creative team or outside agency. These are people they can throw ideas at, or ask for
ideas. This marketing manager enjoys the inner play, or the fun, of trying to insert the company into the
consciousness of the marketplace.
There are not many marketing managers who really LOVE this process. I enjoy working with the ones who do. It is

8. fun to work with them because I know they get more out of everyone, including my company. And it is fun to be part
of a winning team!
There you have it -- The Ten Qualities of Great Marketing Managers. Becoming a great marketer is not easy. It takes
a lot of experience, strength of will, perseverance, skill, risk, and a bit of courage. Speaking for those of us who are
still trying to achieve greatness, let's keep at it and learn from the best. To marketers who are already great at what
you do, keep up the good work!
This is the second article in a two-part series on marketing managers. Qualities 1-5 can be found in the April 2004
article entitled Ten Qualities of Great Marketing Managers (Part 1).