Marketing Joint

16 Dysfunctional Personalities at Startups

If your startup employs people who exhibit more than half of the 16 dysfunctional personalities listed below, you are probably in trouble. Some would say the toxicity level is through the roof.

The Overreactor – this is someone who takes a single data point and, based on it, tries to change the corporate strategy and direction …

The Passive Aggressive – this is someone who does the politically correct thing and agrees to do something that the majority agrees to in a meeting only to go off and do exactly the opposite thing …

The Rice Paper – this is someone who repeatedly takes disagreement over an idea or issue as a personal attack and indictment …

The Head Faker – this is someone who purposely “tests” another by taking a position on a matter that is contrary to what they really believe in order to gauge another person’s stance …

Part 5: Is Technology Marketing For You?

Q: Do sales and marketing really clash or butt heads?

A: Yes, most of the time. Even when sales and marketing is one organization, there is plenty friction. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not telling you the truth. Is it ever avoidable? Yes, absolutely. Having a shared goal helps but it won’t ever completely eliminate the friction. Knowing that friction exists is not enough. It’s pretty important to understand why the friction exists. Then, you will understand that the problem can be avoided by making sure that two people are not in the same seat at the same place at the wrong time.

Think about a senior in high school who wants to become a doctor. He needs to figure out what kind of specialty he’s interested in. He needs to think about medical school, SAT/ACTs, MCATs, grade point average, extra curricular activities, how to pay for tuition, undergraduate major, student loans, and so on. He also needs to worry about getting an ‘A’ on the history final exam this Thursday. Marketing is the former and sales the latter. Sales looks at marketing and wonders, “none of what you’re doing matters if I don’t do well on Thursday’s exam.” Marketing looks at sales and says, “no matter how well you do on that single exam, if we do not plan properly and know exactly what must be done overall … we can kiss medical school and being a doctor goodbye.”

Part 4: Is Technology Marketing For You?

Q: What kind of technology company is ideal for an entry-level person?

A: This one is pretty easy to answer. There is no such thing as an ideal entry-level job. Get whatever job you can get and stay in it until you feel that nothing more can be wringed out of it. Don’t move on because some other “great” opportunity comes along. Move on when you no longer feel that the job returns as much value as you put into it but the company cannot offer any other opportunities for growth. So, my best advice is to try to join a big company at the outset since they will afford more growth opportunities.

However, getting a job at a larger company is pretty hard overall. It’s actually easier to put in 6-8 years somewhere else then “downgrade” to a larger company. I don’t mean downgrade in a negative way. It’s not uncommon to see many senior marketers run their own function or department at startups or small companies then take on a role at a large corporation which is a level (or even two levels) below their prior positions.

Part 3: Is Technology Marketing For You?

Q: Should I specialize in any one marketing function over another?

A: Warren Buffet says that Wall Street votes in the short-term but it weighs you in the long-term. If you’re short-term focused, go ahead and specialize as long as you can in one thing. Someone will always want you. If you’re long-term focused, specialize in a bunch of things and get “heavy.” It really depends on your career goal.

Part 2: Is Technology Marketing For You?

Q: What type of educational background is needed?

A: Well, education (i.e., degree) definitely helps to get a job. A degree is not needed to do the job. But, since you need to get a job in order to do the job, everyone should aim to get a degree – not because your parents demand it or society expects it but because (quite frankly) what else would you rather do than meet new friends, learn cool stuff, engage in fascinating discussions (about quantum physics or American Idol), eat cheap ramen noodles, and be on par with your competition for a job when your parents stop giving you money?

Part 1: Is Technology Marketing For You?

This is part 1 in many. I don’t know how many but it’s definitely more than one. I wrote it a while ago but never finished writing it. Each part will be published every few days. I get some emails from total strangers who like reading our entries. Many of them have questions about getting into marketing, what it’s like, etc. Most often, they ask about tech marketing or Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is a unique beast that deserves its own 100-part series but the tech marketing questions are fairly easy to tackle.

Whenever I’ve been asked this question (“What is tech marketing like?” or “Is tech marketing something I should get into?”), I start asking the individual a bunch of my own questions. It usually starts with a line of questioning that has nothing to do with marketing. My questions are always about their personalities, strengths, interests, and curiosities. Then, I’d give the person a snapshot, or glimpse, into what marketing is like at various stages of a “marketing” career. I don’t sugarcoat anything. I tell them the pains of the job and field just as much as I share the joyous aspects. Writing the same things over and over gets to be tough especially if you’re a new father to a beautiful little girl. So, here we are.

Right Brain vs. Left Brain

Go to THIS LINK FOR THE TEST to see if you're right brain or left brain ...

Be Content, Be Happy

Want to know how to be happier? Watch this video by CBS on why the Danes are so happy.

Microsoft Then and Now

Microsoft reunited its original startup team for a photo shoot. Check it out at Newsweek.  The recent photo contains one more woman than the original photo from the '70s. Nobody got a sex change operation! The recent photo includes a woman who could not make it into the original photo. Also, one of the original crew members passed away a few years ago so he's not in the new pic.

How Not to Behave

Behaviors are powerful in business. Nothing is easier to notice than behavior. Here are some common mistakes we all make from time to time. I've made all of these mistakes at some point in my own career. Maybe even a couple times!

Keeping our mouth shut.

I've always regretted it when I said something - anything - when upset. It's a never-win situation when you talk while upset or angry. Whether it's an in-person conversation or e-mail, sit on it and do not react when you're upset. If you're truly upset or angry, there is no chance that you'll say anything that'll improve the situation unless, of course, you act like a phony or mislead people. It's never good to be a phony and always bad to mislead. Tomorrow comes soon enough. Just sleep on it.

The Burden of Managing People at Startups

Executives at startups tend to be average at best in managing people. At worst, startup executives are very, very bad. Personally, I’ve learned through trial and error that managing people effectively is one of the most important responsibilities of a startup executive. It is not a burden. It is an opportunity.

8 Questions with Rowland Hanson (Father of Microsoft Marketing)

To even a technology neophyte (is there such a thing now?), Windows is synonymous with Microsoft and vice versa. To a tech marketer, Rowland Hanson is a name that is the stuff of legend. The story of how Windows got its name has been mentioned in numerous books, articles, and countless departmental discussions around branding, naming, and marketing strategies. You can Google “Rowland Hanson Microsoft Windows” and read about how Bill Gates personally recruited Rowland from Neutrogena (where he had already made a name for himself as VP of global marketing) to serve as Microsoft’s first marketing executive (VP of corporate communications). And, upon joining, how Rowland convinced Gates to name its GUI based MS-DOS extension or add-on as “Windows” instead of “interface manager.”

Hiring: Skill sets and Mindsets

Hiring talent at a startup is critical to success. The most precious capital at a startup is human capital. However, it’s too convenient – and, misleading – to think that hiring people based on the simple criteria of whether they are startup types or big company types is enough. Even startups go through stages that are quite distinct. Generally speaking, a startup really goes through three stages. Understanding the stages will help you make the right hiring decisions. Conversely, it’ll also help job seekers find the right company.