The Graduate Marketers

As one of the most dynamic, constantly changing professions, right at the forefront of business, marketing has much to offer those looking for a lasting and rewarding career. Not only is marketing an exciting career choice, it is also an increasingly popular one for graduates. Last year 17,000 students graduated with marketing-related degrees, and a recent study by the Marketing and Sales Standard Setting Body (MSSSB) found 580,000 people in the UK employed in marketing roles. Aspiring marketers can work in a host of different industries, including the public sector and not-for-profit sectors. Most entry-level marketing roles are varied, touching on lots of different projects so you get to learn about the many aspects of marketing. You may well be involved in market research, competitor analysis, internal and external communications campaigns, basic PR activities, or helping to organise events. With such a wide range of roles, what key skills do employers look for? Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential for marketers. If you are unable to communicate information or messages clearly with colleagues, it’s doubtful whether you will be able to create effective communications for clients or customers. Creativity and analytical skills are also vital. If you are involved in advertising campaigns you will need to demonstrate a creative flair, whilst those working in market research must show strong analytical abilities. Common to all marketers, whatever field they are in, is the need for excellent organizational and planning skills. Developing integrated campaigns or producing a comprehensive marketing strategy requires good time management skills and the ability to prioritise your workload effectively. There are also some specific and technical skills that employers look for. As digital marketing becomes more and more important as a means of communicating with and building relationships with customers, those with IT and web skills will increasingly be sought after by employers. So where do you begin and what are the minimum requirements if you want to get into marketing? Almost anyone with good common sense, reasonable interpersonal skills, and a quick mind can start a career in marketing. But for those serious about developing their career there are certain steps you can take to positively boost your career progression. Firstly, it’s important to gain as wide a marketing experience as you can. Get involved in lots of different marketing activities, and become familiar with all the various channels marketers use to communicate effectively. Secondly, make sure you get a professional qualification in marketing. It’s true to say that those with a deeper understanding of marketing will progress further and faster than those who merely muddle through. The Chartered Institute of Marketing, the world’s leading professional marketing body, offers four core qualifications – from the Introductory Certificate in Marketing for those starting out in the profession, through to the Professional Certificate in Marketing.

Core Sales Competencies

My career development since June 2008 has been fantastic through Lloyds. What’s really good is that I am learning things that are over and above my usual day-to-day role, like management skills that will enable me to move into a management role in the future. Last week, I have had an opportunity to get involved in an internal research on sales and marketing, to develop opportunities for us to be even better. Our branch teams are already made up of customer service specialists and Personal Bankers who enjoy building great relationships with customers, doing what they ask – and more, and in doing so achieve challenging performance targets. Hence this study was about the ways to bring and implement new ideas to build the success of the team. Improving Core Sales Competencies How can sales organizations use the various survey knowledge and analysis to improve their sales performance? Clearly, a number of factors can affect sales effectiveness; however, sales executives that refine their efforts across incentive compensation management, sales execution and sales talent stand to benefit the most. Incentive compensation management: The 2011 Lloyds Banking Group survey findings reflected that sales leaders at LBG are making progress in incentive compensation management. The average compensation of sales managers and representatives in 2011 increased over last year as well. Commensurate with the salary increase, sales executives indicated that they expected more out of their sales representatives by increasing annual sales targets. These findings indicate that LBG are getting more aggressive in their sales outlook, and looking to extract the best possible effort from the highest performers in the sales workforce. Sales representatives showed they are up to the challenge. One gauge from the survey is the major increase in the percentage of sales representatives that met their annual sales goals. In 2010, 53.3 percent met or exceeded quota and 46.7 percent were under. In 2011, the percentage jumped to 61.5 meeting or exceeding the goal, while only 38.5 percent failed to reach the target. By raising targets and counseling out low performers, the overall performance levels of large enterprises have shown an eight percentage point growth. Sales execution excellence: As LBG look for new ways to drive excellence into the sales function, sales leaders are focusing on making improvements to the effectiveness of their sales cycle processes. In 2011, 63.4 percent of sales executives specified that the way in which their organizations prioritize accounts to focus selling efforts met or exceeded expectations. However, once those accounts were handed to sales representatives, the ability to execute dropped across a number of key indicators, suggesting that the sales process is generally still reactive and transactional. The 2011 results show the majority of sales leaders (53.8 percent) indicated that they needed to do a better job of researching prospects prior to sales calls, while 47.1 percent acknowledged the need to improve the development of sales strategies to penetrate accounts for key prospects. To identify and prioritize opportunities more successfully, organizations can use customer segmentation and map solutions to customers.