Everybody loves lists just ask David Letterman’s viewers and fans) so I found it necessary to write my own list of the “Two Deadly Habits of Tech Marketing Pros.” I know ... two makes a short list. Both of these maladies are largely observed most frequently at tech startups. I’ve decided to tailor this piece to startups mainly because it’s easier that way. Maybe calling these deadly habits is a bit weak since habits are sometimes never broken. Let’s call them bullsh*ts since habits can be ignored but bullsh*ts have to be confronted.
“Marketing is driven by market data and research.” Bullsh*t.
One of the biggest problems of marketing people in technology startups is that they stay within the walls of their offices – all the time. Sales people are constantly hitting the streets to meet prospective customers. Top executives are regularly attending conferences, participating in high-level sales calls, and meeting with press, partners, and other industry big wigs. But, the marketing people never make it out of the building unless it’s for lunch or to drive home for the evening. I bring this up because this lack of “field time” is very negatively impacting the ability to get over the first hump of any startup – getting early customers quickly. Inevitably, when someone complains that “(our company) knows too little about our customers or marketplace …” marketing staff all over the building retort in unison along these lines, “ that is absolute nonsense! We have all of this market research and survey results!” Wrong.
Marketing research is only useful if what you’re solely tasked with achieving is to understand the mainstream buyer for your products/services. At a startup, the (often secondary) market research serves a utility when it helps to refine your own primary customer research. The secondary research alone cannot serve as the customer research in and of itself but many companies continue to insist that it does. A startup needs to get a handful of early adopters to become customers – and, quickly. When you’re marketing to a micro population of a “handful” the techniques used must accommodate that reality. You need to talk extensively with these early customers and satisfy their demand. The customers you’re trying to understand deeply early on cannot be understood by reading about them in some research paper. You have to talk to them and listen. So, get out more often!
“Marketing is long term oriented and sales is short term focused.” Bullsh*t.
Both sales and marketing are short term endeavors at a startup. The long term never has a shot if you don’t succeed in the short term. It goes without saying that every company needs a long term vision and plan to execute against in the short term. Most of the emphasis, however, is naturally on the short term goals of getting immediate revenue. And, immediate revenue is defined as anywhere you can get it, not everywhere or even where you want to ideally get it. The latter comes into play once you get some early traction and have the choice.
Marketing is a heavily sales support-oriented function in the short term and a market demand generating effort in the long term. I’ve had countless product marketing people come into my office to complain that they were only working on data sheets and other collateral. Getting involved in strategic work is why they went into marketing in the first place. It’s disheartening at times to hear this line of thinking because one is not exclusive of the other. Early on, a lot of what is strategic in marketing is in the execution. As you gain some early wins, the strategy migrates to the planning more and execution becomes more or less a routine.
Marketing must be in the trenches with sales early on to get the first revenue in the door and, oftentimes, that means you need to play a narrower role than you envisioned. Later on, and in turn, sales must also partner with marketing to temper short-term activity/action with an eye toward sustained, longer-term growth … and, again, it means sales needs to jump into marketing’s trenches and play a role.
- John
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