Your Mindset is your key to success.

Know your strengths and weaknesses

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis is a standard practice in Market Research. But have you ever applied this on yourself? Try it now. This could be a powerful test for you to explore the areas that you are good, or not so good at. Nobody is perfect, but the importance lies in your ability to turn your weaknesses into strengths, and your threats into opportunities. This is what makes you stand out. 

Take care of mental health.

It is definitely not easy for marketers (and people) to always be their “best self”. The biggest challenge is your mindset. “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!” said Henry Ford.  This saying rings true for everyone, but it is your mindset that sets you apart. 

To feel insecure, is natural. But you should know that it is your mindset is what limits you. If you change the way you think, anything is possible.

Therapy might ease the over-thinking. It is critical not to let our emotions influence our decision-making.

Who hasn’t told a boss to “put their jobs up their behinds!” only to watch the junior in the office become the future CEO? If only we evaluate both sides of the equations, and realise that, our bosses are humans too. Perhaps, we could have been in that position.

Be goal-orientated

With a goal and a carefully designed plan, the chances of achieving it is very high. The most successful people in the world had a goal and worked towards that goal. Don’t be afraid to dream big and remind yourself every day what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there.

Be hard-working

“There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them.” Seth Godin.

A goal and a plan yet are not enough. Your execution plan is the key to your success. A billionaire did not become a billionaire overnight. They worked like everyone else, and their success didn’t happen by ‘accident’ or ‘luck’.

Learning and development

“Constant, relentless improvement is always necessary!” Mellissah Smith

Will Rogers said, “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.” The same can apply to your career. Constantly learning and experimenting will help you to know how to do things more efficiently. It would also set you way ahead of your competitors. In marketing, the learning curve never stops. There should never be a period in your marketing career where you stand still.

Fast track your career to marketing manager 

If you already have a few years of marketing experience, it’s time to think about whether you want to make this your long-life career. If you love marketing, like I do, you need to start processing what you need to reach the next level.

Consider:

Competency in marketing strategy

One of the primary jobs for any marketing manager is strategic planning. Many marketers have learned the basics back in university but failed to apply this knowledge in the real world.

Fortunately, there are technology companies like Robotic Marketer that write marketing strategies for you, but it still requires you to input data of your company and set goals. Make this your advantage.

How to incorporate Robotic Marketer into your company as a must-have tool.

Part of being a marketing manager is the ability to manifest changes and lead the future of your organization. In order to achieve this, you will need the right tools to assist you do the best job possible. Just like CRM, email marketing or marketing automation software, marketing strategy technologies are now the foundation to execute marketing campaigns. When “selling” Robotic Marketer into your organization, make sure you communicate:

• How much time it would take to build a marketing strategy and its cost (weeks/months)
• How long it would take to create media, event, awards, LinkedIn groups etc lists (days/weeks)
• Ongoing reporting requirements.
• Access to influencers.
• Content recommendations to drive content marketing performance.

Ability to uncover the best ways to do marketing

As a marketing manager, your job is to add value to the marketing function to the business and drive performance. Part of this equation is to find ways of being more efficiently, saving money on marketing strategies and leveraging technology to freeing up the time and costs of your team. 

Within one month of a new position in any organization, you should be going to senior management with a list of things that under your stewardship, you are able to improve.

Learn how to present

Whether you are presenting in a meeting or on behalf of the company at an event, your role as a marketing manager will require you to speak in front of people. Try taking a public speaking course, watch videos on YouTube of influential speakers. The key is to find the voice that differentiates you from the rest. This will give your audience trust in your abilities and ensure that they actively interact with your message.

Have a good relationship with your sales team

Without sales, there is no company. This is a key principle that all marketers should know by heart. You must understand your sales team, and make sure that they have all the assets available to drive new business to the organization. Assist your sales team have “no excuse to not sell” by offering them anything they need.

Get ready to change continually

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change” Albert Einstein once said. This is true for marketers or anyone in management positions. Change is necessary to adapt to new working environments, in marketing practices, new innovations and becoming the best version of yourself.

If you invest in change, you will reach your goals – and don’t be surprised if you exceed them!

On a final note: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” Walt Disney. Now get to it!