My guess is that Jennifer Rice will start some good discussion with her post: New definition of marketing. I’m interested to see how it unfolds, and plan to keep checking in with her over the next few days.
When I look back on my own corporate history, this is one area I am simply amazed we were all so blind to: the fact that sales and marketing must be woven through-out an entire organization if a business is to have the best possible chance of succeeding.
I’m sure there are a few sales managers out there in my history who would laugh out loud that I just wrote that: I myself have been very guilty of proliferating the great divide between Sales & Marketing and “us” in Operations, proud of myself for standing up for my “own” people, and completely missing my opportunity. But hey S&M guys (and gals), you kept to your own side of the great divide as well, and usually thumbed your nose at the operators you were resigned to “living with.”
Well, now we know better.
However, my question is a bit different than Jennifer’s: What are we doing about it? How are we integrating a marketing focus within the operations of our own companies? Until that happens, we may not be ready for the “future” of marketing Jennifer inquires about.
The keyword that reflects what needs to be done is integrate. You asked, how are we integrating a marketing focus within the operations of our own company. I totally agree. What does it take, I ask? The will of the leadership to instill the culture in everyone drawing a paycheck. Not by force, but by awareness that to keep drawing that paycheck, the company must be in the position to effectively market their products, which everyone is responsible for.