“No matter how good you are, dexterous and lucky, your business and his fate are in the hands of the people you hire.”

Akio Morita, founder of SONY. Annual turnover of $ 86 billion.

Since the relatively recent time in the world economy, a new time has come - the time of the consumer. In order to succeed in a highly competitive market, it is not enough to understand the needs of the end customer. It is necessary to act in advance. It becomes more profitable for race participants to produce a high-quality differentiated product, the cost of which will be relatively low, and it will be sold in huge quantities. And it is precisely due to the high commitment to the brand and the huge sales volumes that these companies continue to operate quite successfully. When developing a marketing plan for such products, it is worth considering the enormous competition and diversity in this market segment, as well as the incredible speed of change. Accordingly, much more effort is required to overcome competition and bring the product to higher positions in the desired market segment. The new economy requires making decisions in a new way - faster, bolder, more active.

There are many books on how to make a million. Did it help many? How to really form an incubator of marketing ideas - no, not to declare it at the meeting, but really go and do it? Those directors who are younger naively try to master the brainstorming tools. Go to the marketing department and look at the floor. The floors of Russian companies are strewn with dead ideas ...

It is not brainstorming that gives rise to ideas that blow up the market, but an attitude towards marketing. Everyone, every manager, and the general director is responsible for this attitude.

It will be difficult for Russian companies to abandon the traditional paramilitary governance structure. It is difficult for us to imagine a CEO who gives up his tight control, paralyzing everything and everyone at the firm, right up to approving office paper bills and mock up tiny advertisements. It’s hard for us to imagine a CEO who is thinking about owning a market, not about owning equipment and factories. And you have to. Because it is the new marketing-oriented, small, rapidly changing companies that gain an advantage over the old-mode, albeit large ones. Remember where the mega-brands of the nineties are now: Invite +, Love is, Flagship, Doshirak. Where is such a colossus on the clay feet of the food industry as the “Russian Product”? In the FMCG market, they are already a myth. All of them were struck by acute marketing failure. Charles Darwin said: "It is not the strongest or the smartest that survives, but the most susceptible to change."

Creation of marketing departments

How to create a marketing department in your company, who should be hired, why is there such a big turnover in marketing departments, what are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them, are “personnel really solving everything”?

The staff turnover in the marketing departments of Russian companies has become a byword - has become the subject of mandatory questions during a job interview. There are several constantly encountered mistakes when recruiting staff in marketing departments. Let's look at those that are sure to meet in your work.

There is no understanding of the real functionality of the employees of the marketing department. This is because there is a big gap between scientific theory, built mainly on Western models of management, and the realities of Russian business. So, in Russian companies, the strategic marketing almost always takes over the managing owner. The functions of tactical marketing are reduced starting from the organization of advertising, smoothly flowing into the mythical support of sales, and then they all fade away at the stage of preparing business cards.

Thus, the manager finds himself between the desired theoretical functionality, unfortunately not implemented in most companies at this stage of the enterprise’s development, and the actual one: “girl - give it, bring it, go out.” In order to make it easier for you to consider the possible functionality of the marketing department, I have prepared a diagram illustrating possible directions. First, you should always decide on the functionality, structure, and only then look at the candidates. In Russian companies, it is often recruitment and interviews that are conducted first. And then they carry out the calculation of the wage fund, decide on the effectiveness of the unit.

The above diagram shows the most complete version of the structure and functionality of the marketing department. It will be better if you create it in stages. Of course, correlating with the available capabilities. The most correct way to form a department is to have an approved strategic marketing plan based on specific marketing tasks, and not because it is fashionable. Therefore, it is wiser to always start from the position of leader, and not vice versa.

The selection is made on the basis of incorrect selection parameters. When I see the list of requirements for a marketing position, I understand that they plan to release these people into outer space without a spacesuit. Knowledge of French, Spanish and Ethiopian, crawl skills, at least 30 years of experience in business exclusively in a leadership position, at the age of no more than 25 years old - this is far from a complete list of nonsense that I see in published vacancies today. The head of the company approved this list and considers it really important? And by what parameters should be selected? The most dangerous of these parameters are marketing education and product knowledge.

It may seem to you that I am exaggerating excessively, but believe me, the reality is even worse. Look here, what description of the vacancy I found today on the hh website: “Requirements: If the fact that the Company’s Revenue directly depends on the Marketing Director is indisputable; Thanks to you, the companies in which you worked have become much larger and better selling (and we will verify this); you yourself have successfully sold (preferably services) and help our customer service managers in this; You are young, active, ambitious, purposeful, ambitious, ready to learn a lot; Are you lucky in life? ... Then you were lucky again - we already really need a person who will lead the promotion in our Company - Marketing Director. We expect that under your leadership the Marketing Department will provide the Company with Effective advertising campaigns giving maximum sales; Effective promotional materials, including leading to an understanding by customers of the value of each of the services and the Company as a whole, and, most importantly, you will be responsible for ensuring that the Company's revenue far exceeds expenses. Interesting?! ... Then respond to the Vacancy! In response, we will send you online tests. In parallel, we will give you the opportunity to do it yourself and prove yourself at each site in the Marketing Department and will pay 25,000 rubles a month until you are ready. ”

I had to shorten the text of this verbiage. I deliberately did not begin to correct spelling errors. It is impossible to correct semantic errors, since in this nonsense it (meaning) is not. It turns out that the main task of the marketing director is to provide advertising materials that are not simple, but that lead to an understanding of value, not simple value, but each. What time! Have you understood anything? Believe me - I copied and did not change a word. As they say, comments are superfluous.

As part of a brief article, there is no way to detail the shortcomings in the level of higher marketing education and the teaching staff of most universities. Now, perhaps, only the lazy one does not throw stones towards the gray-haired teachers of Marxist political economy, who in one night absorbed the basics of a market economy and proclaimed themselves the next morning a guru in the field of marketing. Can you imagine that a certified pilot could not fly, a certified agronomist could not grow wheat? With marketers it is very close.

In my opinion, graduates of home-grown business schools are much more distinguished by arrogance and tediousness than purposefulness and hard work.

And what, by the way, should he be able to and where do they teach this? I want to give specific recommendations. Pay attention to the quantity and quality of further education: courses, trainings. Use the recommendations of company executives and fellow marketers. Do not use the advice of hiring professionals. The latter are interested in you becoming their customers. Product knowledge is the most common mistake in recruiting staff. Consider a specific example. A company manufacturing electronic components enters the market of electrical products for the end consumer, and hires a specialist with an engineering background without experience working with consumer markets. The specialist knows well how to produce these products, but is more likely to not succeed in gaining market share. It is necessary to select specialists not by the likeness of the final product, but by knowledge of the methodologies for working with markets. I could still understand the logic of looking for people from my own industry if the industry was a leader in marketing innovation.

During the selection of personnel I am guided by the concepts of “seed”, “soil” and “climate”. The record harvest in Spain, in the Mediterranean climate, does not at all give you a guarantee even for shoot emergence in permafrost conditions. A resume with an excellent education is just a “seed." A certain genetic potential. This is the amount of education and training that the candidate has invested in his own development. But “soil” and “climate” are the work of personnel and the owner. Unfortunately, human resources departments have turned into a mechanistic department that issues a plan for the number of resumes of candidates matching formal criteria. Sometimes among these criteria - only the size of the salary and experience with the same product, and sometimes even worse - the size of the salary and education. About things like MBTI, the conversation usually doesn’t even go into it. A simplified understanding of the role of HR, a lack of understanding of processes such as induction and familiarization with the corporate culture, a lack of understanding of the resources necessary to carry out various marketing tasks, is guaranteed to lead to staff turnover in the marketing department, as well as to disappointment of management in marketing opportunities in the enterprise . Swam - we know!

Compare your “vision” on the shore. Try to clarify your position as much as possible and find out the candidate’s point of view on key tasks. Ask yourself the key question: How will you feel when this person starts working for your direct competitor? It will be much better if you talk about your expectations from the job candidate. It is possible that your plans for a twofold increase in sales in two weeks are completely unrealistic in your industry, and perhaps sales occur every time before the New Year, regardless of marketing activity. By discussing your expectations with the candidate, you will be able to know your and his grades by key indicators, such as budget, lead time, deadlines. If your estimates differ by more than 30%, you will have to either review your Wishlist or look for other candidates. Want to hire a strong candidate? Be sure to say everything in the key: task - necessary resources - lead time. Do not waste time wasting stories "About your achievements at the previous place of work". These achievements were possible in the conditions of other “soils” and “climate”.

To create a stream of new ideas, an atmosphere is needed so that everyone feels that he has the right to make his proposal. Its creation requires a working environment in which psychological barriers are removed.

Over the course of about twenty years of my work at FMCG, I have been interviewed, probably more than a hundred times (and now I continue to go through them). But in ninety-seven cases out of a hundred, I had to listen to the rants of the head of the enterprise about how he created the company, how wonderful and successful it is and what he thinks about taking over world domination in the near future.

The candidate for the position, apparently, is evaluated on the basis of how convincingly and expressively he showed with nods his approval.

When forming a marketing department, you need to consider many factors. The company’s ability to introduce new specialists to the position, technical support of specialists, the company's ability to provide a competitive level of remuneration, remoteness from production, availability of the necessary databases, ownership of employees, types of employee motivation, the need for relocation, what we outsource and what not, the effectiveness of our own design bureau and many, many others. Your first task when creating a marketing department is to say decisive NO to marketing theorists. Well, if, of course, you do not want your company mired in plans, reports, instructions, presentations, approvals, budgets. Of course, this will not create a single brand, sales will not begin in new regions, you will not learn anything about the consumers of your products and will not get a clear development strategy. Nothing. I recommend that you take a closer look at those marketers who made major mistakes. Why? The answer is obvious (at least to me). They see the target, they shoot. Got it or not, for me the question is secondary. But they charged! They understand where to beat and how! They act, damn it! They act, despite all the obstacles of bureaucracy, lack of budget, lack of support from the leadership, staff turnover, lack of analytical information, etc. They create marketing. They are - this is an action, not a bureaucratic addition to your bookkeeping. Those who did not make mistakes, as a rule, have a very attractive sleek resume, which recruiters like - girls at a tender age.

I am convinced that you, like me, think that mistakes are only an opportunity to start initiatives again, but more competently. Steve Ross (Time Warner) said: "If an employee makes too few mistakes, he must be fired."

Many marketing directors, trying at all costs to stay in office, make a serious mistake. Initially, they give managers hard-to-fulfill promises and thereby doom their very good result to a negative assessment.

Who would I beware of yet? Mathematicians. Those who believe in the existence of a demand formula. Those who think that everything can be calculated need only substitute the coefficients. Higher mathematics and physics are very good and high-precision sciences. The only problem is that marketing does not apply to them. In marketing, the old adage “measured - count done”, unfortunately, takes the form “measured - count invented”. “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted!” It's hard to argue with Albert Einstein. Marketing is a way of thinking and attitude to business. Consumer-oriented attitude. Marketing is an almost innate tendency to innovate and thirst for change. The desire to accept the challenge, the desire to learn. Ability to formulate an idea and thoughts. Passion and determination, backed up by my experience and confidence. According to the results of the study (Cooper, K Sawaf, F. Executive EQ. USA. 1997), 82 out of 93 people who received the Nobel Prize in 16 years agreed that intuition played an important role in their discoveries. Marketing is, in the end, a life position aimed at the fact that the main thing in the company is not the boss, but his majesty the consumer. In Russian companies, however, the entire focus of employee behavior is concentrated, as a rule, on what the boss wants, and from here the whole staff is recruited from people "what you please" in an inclined position. Such leaders formed a new class of pseudo-marketers, whose main task is to print business cards to their boss on time, not to ask for a lot of money, and quietly and quietly expect a salary. Employment agencies are very fond of these — they have no breaks in their experience.

What distinguishes a solid good marketer from a genius? Only one thing: the ability to see the future. And as you know, the best way to foresee the future is to design it.

Always remember: when you change the head of the marketing department, this means only one thing - EVERYONE will have to wait about six months or more until a new person enters the rhythm and understands the situation. As a smoker describes with pleasure that he enjoys inhaling harmful smoke, and then describes the reasons why he will not smoke anymore, the head describes how he solemnly expelled the parasites-marketers, and now he is looking for a real professional. I would not be sure that in the near future his company will have a breakthrough in the market. This reminds me of a constant desire to find a new diet, a simulator that will help you become fit, or a magic elixir of youth. The doctor in the hospital prescribes treatment and sees what needs to be adjusted if it does not give results. The doctor in the clinic, having written out the prescription, as a rule, does not meet the patient anymore. Hospital doctors are valued much higher. Do not know why?

In 99% of cases, the marketer, six months after the changes, is already outside the company and does not see what impact his initiatives actually had. Failure to effectively complete projects in marketing is one of the reasons for this low reputation of the industry.

According to Spencer Stuart, a Chicago-based recruiting firm, the average tenure of a marketing director is only 23.6 months. The firm also found that if you take one hundred leading US companies, then only 14% of them have marketing directors who have been in office for more than three years, and half of all marketing directors have been in their position for less than a year. The average "cycle" varies depending on the industry, from 10 months in clothing companies to 34.8 months in financial services companies. Greg Welch, senior director of Spencer Stuart and author of the study, warns the recently appointed CMOs, "understand that the wick is already on and the honeymoon does not last longer than a few months."

When they ask me, by what criteria do I select staff to my department. I always answer: "In addition to all of the above, hard work is needed." It is so simple that people are always disappointed to hear such an answer. Kemmons Wilson (the creator of the tourism business who never received a high school diploma) said this well when speaking to graduates of his school on the occasion of the end of the school year: “I have not received any academic degrees and have only worked for half a day my whole life. Perhaps I will advise you to do the same. Work half a day every day. And what exactly is half a day, it doesn’t matter ... the first twelve hours or the second twelve hours. ” We all want to believe in Cinderella, but true marketing success comes only with extensive practical experience. The best marketer is a combination of talent and experience. The fairy put him in the cradle of talent, but he must gain experience on his own. Therefore, marketing is not a field for lazy people.

There is a common phrase "Cadres decide everything." If this were at least partially true, then HR departments would be the most status in the enterprise.

Do you have to pay a lot? Not. You have to pay wisely and efficiently.

Finally, dozens of candidates have been reviewed. Finally, a spark “slipped” and you managed to find a needle in a haystack. (More often, on the contrary: “I blinded him from what was, and then what was, I fell in love.”) You still decided to take a person. It will be immensely sorry if your dreams of global marketing superiority in the market are not fulfilled just because they break into a banal way of life.

When selecting personnel, most Russian companies set themselves the task, as it were, by default: to “squeeze the candidate to the maximum” by salary. Never give these settings to your HR department. Not only have they already screened out candidates, choosing the worst on the resume, so you are also trying to select the worst of the worst at the finish line. The best candidates will definitely refuse when you offer them a lower salary than the one they expected. What savings does the marketing salary save you? Let's say 20, or even 40 thousand rubles. How much can a properly conducted advertising campaign increase sales? If you run a brand with a profitability level twice that of the current indicator? If studies show that it is economically feasible to abandon offices outside the Urals? How much can a company earn or, conversely, save? Perhaps millions of rubles, and possibly tens of millions, it depends on the turnover of your company. The numbers are not comparable.

If you still managed to “squeeze” the candidate (most likely, it was the worst), then now he is still further suppressed (demotivated). I represent the mood that reigns in your marketing department. With this approach to the formation of marketing, I would not put a cent on the future development of your marketing.

The question "How much?" Is discussed quite often. Oh, so sorry. I would rather not discuss “How much?”, But “How?”. In this, in my opinion, lies a huge saving, efficiency and long-term result. Not only how much to pay, but also how to pay?

The question is not in the eyebrow, but in the eye. In this question, I am not afraid to seem to depart from a direct answer. I have no definite answer. At first glance, the most logical recommendation would be: "Pay more." But no. Not so simple. It seems to you that you can qualify for the best personnel in the industry. This is not entirely true. Your status as an employer in the industry is always more important. The higher your reputation as a reliable employer, the more opportunities you have. On the one hand, you have the ability to lure. On the other hand, the question arises - who, where, and how this person will fit into the business system. (Sad experience shows that most likely it will not fit in, but you will lose time guaranteed.) The next question is - how much to pay? 3%? I suppose not. An essential person perceives an increase in income of 25% or more. By the way, how will your acting directors react to the fact that a smart guy has appeared who has not done anything for the company, but is getting twice as much? But I know how! No need to tell. Do you think that salary information can be hidden? Do not be mistaken: what is known to two girls from the accounting department, after some time is known to everyone.

Younger managers think that KPI (Key Performance Indicators), key performance indicators, will solve all problems. True, it seems to me that the words of the poet Galaktion Tabidze define this term much better: "We multiplied nonsense by numbers." Yes, I agree that this is a good help to improve efficiency and evaluate the work of production and sales. What is measurable is feasible blah blah blah (hereinafter - everywhere). But my life showed the fidelity of the converse statement: “Not everything that can be counted matters, and not everything that matters can be counted!” (Sorry, but I didn’t invent it, but A. Einstein.) To a lesser extent degrees, but still it is an effective tool for monitoring and evaluating the work of finance and logistics. Tell me, what kind of KPI will you set for a musician to write a brilliant work, and for an athlete to set a record? (Strongly inspired by hundreds of elite SUVs donated to athletes at the last Olympics? It seems that these were the worst results in the entire history of Russia?) I will not even talk about the artist, architect, doctor. Tell me better, which KPI do you install for firefighters? And if a firefighter has already completed a monthly plan to save lives? Apparently, the rest will have to burn alive. But the maximum efficiency KPI achieved in the work of the traffic police. It is there that such clear, measurable indicators (plan for the number of protocols) lead to such incredible work efficiency.

In my practice, KPIs were invariably used not to inspire an employee, but to enable the CEO to freely pay huge sums at the end of the year to his relatives or friends. EVERYTHING, for nothing more. Talk with a consultant who specializes in managing people in companies, ask him if you can actually buy the right behavior.

I see that you still insist that I answer the question: “How much to pay?” I will answer. You will have to pay "on the market." A little less - if the company's reputation is good. Significantly more - if the reputation is useless. Even more if the general is absurd. It is necessary to constantly monitor specialized recruiting sites - they often publish summary tables on salaries.

Here are my tips that will help you pay wisely, and most importantly - do not overpay in vain:

1. Set a fixed salary for the marketer in accordance with the data for your industry. Make an adjustment for the status of the company and the reliability of the employer (for Russian companies, immediately add 20%, do not amuse your vanity).

2. Set annual key goals for the employee. Moreover, the goals should be approved by you only jointly (inseparably) with the "Resources" section. An ideal option is to discuss such a concept as authority: how do you understand it, and how is the future employee. (I draw your attention to the fact that when setting goals, you must first work out the “Strategic Planning of the Company” block and communicate the goals of the company to the employees; otherwise, you will get the situation “swan, cancer and pike.”)

3. It will be much better if the employee himself prepares his goals after a 2-3-month immersion in your "harsh reality", and not on the second day in the company in a state of "traumatic shock". Feel free to say that you expect another from him, if so. It’s better to leave now than after nine months and start the selection from scratch. Goals should never be more than 6. Ideally, if less than 3. Among the goals can be weights. Measurability, reachability, etc. - by itself.

4. Having a very large annual bonus for fulfilling goals is not necessary at all. But the presence of goals and bonuses themselves is mandatory. (Pay attention to the difference.) Practice has shown that in Russian companies the annual bonus is most often a demotivating factor. But in large Western companies, where everything is spelled out and detailed to the maximum, KPIs work successfully. It is mandatory that the size of the annual bonus (if you entered it) when fulfilling the goals should be exciting. Employee, not you! Should a company, in fulfilling all its goals, get such a gap in the market that paying an annual premium will only become a tiny fraction of the profit (and not necessarily for this year)? That would be too easy and understandable. But this happens infrequently. In practice, everything will look much more complicated. Example: marketers introduced a round-the-clock quality hotline of 8,800 throughout the year. Calculate how many years and how much the investment will pay off? Difficult? Almost unrealistic. Unfortunately, in marketing it is “measured” - it always takes the form of “invented”.

5. For some reason, in Russian companies, employees are always dismissed a few months before receiving an annual bonus. Apparently a coincidence.

If the personnel department still persuaded you to go along this unsteady path, then ensure maximum transparency. By the way, I formed effective marketing departments in companies without using such a tool as annual bonuses at all. And I worked in companies where there was such a tool, but all employees of the department were looking for a new job and dreamed of quitting. Interesting fact.

Most companies do all of the above. If you fulfill all five points, then you just got the right to become one of the market players - nothing more. Want to get ahead of your competitors? Here's what you need to do to get around them:

6. Enter the bonus without prior notice. Give a bonus (preferably in the amount of salary) for a good performance of daily work. For example, for a well-prepared exhibition or a stunning result of an advertising campaign. If you cannot find reasons, this is a sign of your incompetence as a leader. There should be from two to three such bonuses during the year - no more! It is important. Give her (so beloved by you) black cash in an envelope - right in your office - right now. The only way!

7. Use motivation trainings. Send semi-annually to training in the specialty: brand manager - on brand architecture, advertising - on the effectiveness of advertising. There are a lot of such trainings now! But most importantly, ask for a list of what will be implemented. This will be a pass to the next training. Do not overdo it - no more than once every four months, otherwise you just will not have time to implement what they will teach there (unfortunately, more bad). For some reason, over the 17 years of my work, I have not met a single leader who would tell subordinates: "Go to training (the company will pay) and put into practice everything that you will be taught there."

8. Actively use non-verbal communication and intangible motivation. The status is manifested not by the size of the salary, but by the workplace under the stairs and parking in the wasteland with stray dogs. Plant marketers on your right. The first question for any sentence is: “How does the marketing department order?” Never use the marketing department either for congratulations on anniversaries, or for preparing a new year, or for moving. This is your intellectual elite, not laborers.

9. Introduce a democratic style of behavior and work in the marketing department. To create a stream of new ideas, an atmosphere is needed so that everyone feels that he has the right to make his proposal. Its creation requires a working environment in which psychological barriers are removed. You don’t have to pay for this at all, but people will want to work for you. This is not so easy to achieve, you need to carefully choose a leader. But if it succeeds, ideas will hit with a fountain.

10. Give your HR department a tough and ultimate form to make friends the marketing department and the sales department. Let them think around the clock how. What tool they choose - night rafting on mountain rivers in kayaks, hiking in a pub on Fridays, landing everyone in the same office - it does not matter. For you, only one result is important - “They are friends and are friends of families!”, Nothing else.

11. Insert one or two points from the sales area (preferably merchandising) into the key goals for the marketing manager, and put one or two points from the marketing area to the sales manager. In fact, prove to them that your requirement to interact, and not to collect incriminating evidence, is not empty words. All is serious.

12. Require the director of marketing (if not, then yourself) to organize a library in the marketing department. Give reading assignments - organize meetings once a month, demand a list of what will be introduced. This will be an endorsement for the purchase of new books. To help you, I made the section "My Marketing Library" - so you do not have to buy everything.

13. Since your marketers have advanced significantly in professionalism over the year, increase salaries the next year. In the first three years of operation, at least 10% per year plus industry average growth.

14. For the marketing director and the commercial director, consider participating in a profit. This is not necessary at all, but it "cements" almost tightly - you will not be afraid of any luring. The main thing - do not be late: it is always better to dig a well before you feel like drinking! By the way, how will your growth rates change if they work for your competitor?

15. Do not be shy to use trivial motivational tools: letters, handshakes (kisses are better not necessary). They do not cost anything - but they act, damn it! Especially for ordinary employees who are not spoiled by the attention of management. Suddenly rush into the marketing department to ask marketers whether they are doing well and giving enough money to develop the company. I am not kidding. Nothing forces marketers to work like a sense of need.

16. If suddenly a certain direction of marketing is closed, never fire a person, suggest that he try his hand at sales or somewhere else. Never declare (this is important), but try to comply with the tenet of lifelong hiring. Bear full moral responsibility for each employee you hire. This is the most powerful and long-acting among the motivators I know. If you treat people like garbage (you need - you took it, you didn’t need it - you threw it away), then no salaries will help you.

17. When hiring a manager, give preference to a man. According to my surveys, 90% of employees in the marketing department (of which 90% are women) would like to see a man as a leader. In my experience, 50% of candidates for an interview position cite a conflict with a new leader, a woman, as the reason for the transition. Even if you have to pay a man a higher salary, it will still pay off (all - now all women will hate me)!

18. In my experience, more than 50% of marketers want to see a manager as extremely competent and want to learn from him, despite the lower salary. If he is your star, then instruct him to read the training for the marketing and sales department once every six months. Let everyone see how smart he is (or vice versa). By the way, this also will not cost you a dime.

19. If your company in the same position pays twice as much, do not immediately set this level. First, increase your salary by 30%, after completing the probationary period add another 30%, after another six months. Believe me, this approach stimulates more. The salary level over the years greatly loses the ability to inspire people.

Once in my practice there was a case when they raised my salary after about two weeks of work :-). I have not worked in any company for as long as there, and now I remember her with love!

This was only once in my life :-(.

I don’t want to agitate you to pay more, but I noticed one interesting feature. Sam Welton in his book “Made in America” (I am convinced that you read this amazing book), already being a cancer patient, he wrote that he did not regret that out of his twelve planes there was only one supersonic one. Here is what he says: “Looking at all these satellite dishes on our buildings, or hearing about all these computers, or watching some video about our laser-controlled distribution centers, don't let yourself get confused. "Without our managers, each of whom perfectly matches his position, without our ordinary associate employees dedicated to their work, without our drivers, all of the above equipment and a penny are not worth a damn."

But he sincerely regrets one thing in his book. He says that if he had the opportunity to live life anew, he would have repeated everything except one. He would pay ordinary employees more ...

Tops Choice

If you intend to hire a marketing director, focusing on the size of the salary, then this is about how to look at the wrong end of the telescope. You should not care how much you invest in a month, but what will happen at the exit, which processes will be initiated and what the result will be. Remember: if you can effectively use at least some of my recommendations, the first and fifth paragraph will be of less and less importance to you, and then even a line of people who want to work in your marketing department will appear.

The marketing director must have extraordinary ability to strategic vision and at the same time have the skills of effective tactical management. He should have the ability to analyze, analyze many marketing indicators, such as market share, shelf price, “walk-off” from the shelf, brand recognition, percentage of repeat purchases, balanced and numerical distribution. It may seem that the marketing director only studies and evaluates many parameters, but this is not so. A marketing director’s job is to make decisions based on data analysis. To make decisions, one trend analysis is not enough. You need to spend a lot of time and energy studying consumer behavior and describing target segments. You need to know the motives of the consumer’s behavior, all of his choice parameters, as well as be able to rank these criteria by importance for different target segments.

Not every person, even with an economic education, will be able to offer product differentiation. Simple, understandable, easy to convey. It is more a flair and an experience than a science. Knowledge is a mandatory parameter, but, alas, insufficient. Ask the musician how he manages to achieve a unique sound, the athlete, how he overcomes the extra centimeters that separate him from the rest. Only those companies whose marketing directors have a future have the future: high status of the unit, systemic thinking, thirst for novelty, high decision-making speed, healthy adventurism and a spirit of experimentation. As Edison said, “genius is 99% sweat and 1% inspiration.” Therefore, you can’t just sit and wait for an idea. You need to be able to create incubators of marketing ideas. A good idea is just the result of the active management of the marketing department.

Times are changing rapidly, and now talent is becoming more important than capital. The marketing director often has extremely little material evidence of effective performance. The manufacturers gave out so many tons of products. Sellers sold for such and such an amount. Financiers spent money. (Lee Iacocca affectionately called them “little bastards.”) Everyone worked in their sweat, doing really “important things”: they cleared customs, ran around the banks, transported boxes from point A to point B. And what did the marketing director do? He recruited talented marketers into his department and inspired them with his own example. It may well be that at this moment he brings the company much more benefit than if he would do anything else. He thinks and seeks alternatives. This is the most difficult and at the same time the most important task that a leader can perform.

If you are able, encourage it. You pay your tops for seeing the whole picture, and not for fulfilling the plan. You pay workers to complete the plan. Do not confuse. Do not equate activity and effectiveness. Don't let Tops get bogged down in meetings and business trips.

The marketing director conducted consumer research. He analyzed how competitive the company's product is in relation to other market participants. He analyzed various positioning options. No tons and kilograms. Unfortunately, these days the marketing director has very few fast-moving labor results. It can be difficult to appreciate the creation of something truly special. What delights customers. However, he, the marketing director, and often, unfortunately, only he, is a champion of consumer interests in the company. And it depends on whether the company can survive in the long run. See for yourself, maximum production efficiency is achieved in the production of a single product. And the marketing director forces the company to produce more and more products tailored specifically for the needs of customers. In any case, marketing becomes the number one enemy of production. From a financial point of view, marketing is a very expensive department, while sales bring money every month. From the point of view of logistics, it is more efficient to serve few, but large customers, and marketing requires an individual approach to each. Well, how can one not suggest reducing the costs of the "empty".

Frequent staff changes, as everyone recognizes, is one of the main reasons for the deterioration of the quality of the product and services, the growth of customer dissatisfaction and the deterioration of the brand image. High staff turnover means that managers spend too much time hiring and training new employees, instead of taking on their core responsibilities. No one disputes that fluidity affects productivity and profits, at least when it comes to employees who communicate directly with customers. However, we do not know a single company that would admit that similar problems arise with the frequent change of marketing directors. We are willing to bet for money that if we were given access to Spencer Stuart information, we would find a direct relationship between industry results and the average “life expectancy” of marketing directors in it.

Most companies are struggling to improve the conditions in order to keep employees in contact with customers, but when it comes to the position of marketing director, the flow is as if implied by itself, it is almost institutionalized. For us, this trickle may be even more intimidating than the rest of Spencer Stuart's research. A revolving door in the office of a marketing director means a huge number of initiated and unfinished strategies and programs. This is bad for brands. This prevents the marketing from becoming more responsible - directors are fired before the strategy even has time to start being put into practice. This is bad for business. Moreover, this shows the continued focus on immediate results among senior executives who require radical improvements in one to two quarters. This is bad for everyone.

Some companies go so far as to pursue a policy of constant search for marketing directors, constantly looking for candidates, even if at the moment they do not feel such a need. There is no more powerful demotivating factor than expecting a stab in the back every day. In this case, the potential of any working person is zero - you just in vain monthly throw money away.

In today's world it is difficult to imagine even a medium-sized company without a marketing department or at least one or two specialists in this field. Market realities do not allow to do without an integrated approach to the process of creating a product or service and their further distribution. In the variety of brands and brands, it is very difficult to find a place for your product on a shelf in a store. Without knowledge and practical skills in this area it will be very difficult to continue their activities.

Market activity

Marketing is any activity of a company or firm with the goal of creating products and their further marketing. The main tasks can be considered the collection and analysis of the necessary information to draw a portrait of the target audience, search for UTP, the study of the commitment and expectations of potential buyers. In addition, marketing helps to understand what place the company occupies among other companies in this industry.

Market activity begins with the development of a product and ends only after a person has purchased a product or service, tried them and was able to form an opinion. If the final product in some way does not meet the expectations of customers, the task of specialists is to understand the reason and find ways to eliminate it.

To answer the question of what the marketing department does, you need to decide on its functions. The tasks that specialists solve can be both tactical and strategic, the correct formulation of which can affect the achievement or failure to achieve the goals. Any marketing activity should have a result that can be estimated in units of measure (firm profit, quantity of goods sold, percentage growth of customers, etc.).

Work principles

To organize a competent functioning process, several rules must be observed.

First, the structure of the marketing department should be simple. From it you need to remove all the extra links that affect the speed of the search for the necessary solutions.

Secondly, each employee must be responsible for a limited number of functions. It is categorically impossible for a large number of people to be responsible for the same area of \u200b\u200bwork. This will complicate and extend the process of solving tasks.

Third, all employees must be flexible and adaptable. Under the conditions of rapidly changing market conditions, the main success factor will be the ability to quickly find new ways to solve the tasks than a competitor can do.

The specifics of the organization of work of the marketing department also depends on the type of activity of the company, production volumes, number of employees, presence of subsidiaries and branches, industry focus, presence of competitors and their number, remoteness from end consumers and points of sale.

Structural device

The number of specialists working in one marketing department may be different. It depends on the size of the company and the goals set. As mentioned above, each marketer should be engaged in their own field of market activity. Someone will investigate competitors, someone will draw up a portrait of a buyer, someone will look for new ways and ways of marketing finished products.

Many modern firms sell their goods not only offline, that is, through physical stores, but also online. The ways of promoting services through these channels are significantly different, therefore it is advisable to assign these tasks to different specialists. In addition, it requires marketers who are responsible for ongoing projects and SEO-promotion of the company on the Internet.

The marketing department also includes logisticians, designers, content editors, copywriters, photographers, and videographers. Often, it is required to supplement the existing team with more promoters and employees for one-time projects. Each of these specialists has a number of their unique tasks, of which, as a result, a full-scale marketing activity is formed. In most cases, either a chief or a general manager is present in departments, who controls the work process and directs it in the right direction.

Marketing Department Functions

To achieve all of the company's goals, a clear tactic and strategy is required. Responsible for this type of work is the marketing manager, or marketer. It is from his professional efforts that the positive dynamics depend. This may be an increase in sales or recognition, the conquest of new target groups, access to a new market segment or the success of an advertising campaign to launch a new product or service.

The responsibilities of marketers, or marketing managers, include the following activities:

• Analysis of the market situation and future trends.
• Analysis of the behavior of potential buyers and consumers.
• Definition of the target market.
• Identification of competitive advantages.
• Drawing up programs to introduce benefits to the company.
• Development of strategies and tactics for product promotion.
• Tactical product line management.
• Increase customer loyalty.
• Analysis, control and calculation of the results of the work.

Studying market needs and trends

A marketing manager should start his activity with a complete analysis of the market: from its trends and competitors to the expectations of buyers and intermediaries (for a company like B2B). Often, for better research, specialized analytical and statistical agencies are involved. Small and medium-sized businesses with a limited budget usually do not need this.

Upon completion of marketing research, the specialist draws up relevant reports and draws conclusions regarding a particular development and promotion strategy for the product. If he receives third-party data, then he will still have to adapt the information received taking into account goals and objectives.

After a thorough and thorough study of market niches and segments, assessment of the attractiveness of each segment and the potential viability of the company in the selected category, the marketer can determine the prospects for business development and the direction in which to move.

Target Audience

The marketing manager must have the necessary knowledge to identify the desires and expectations of the end user. They will ultimately help create a product that is in demand on the market, correctly determine its price and distribution methods.

This complex process chain begins with a detailed analysis of a potential buyer. Marketers conduct surveys, work with representative groups, collect research conducted before them. Based on these data, it is already possible to determine the needs and prejudices of the audience. The marketing manager should not only know all the positive aspects that customers would like to find in the proposed product, but also all their concerns about it.

The main task of the product is to solve the specific problem of the buyer. Moreover, he must meet his expectations. Behind the act of purchase are also certain motivational incentives. The task of the marketer is to identify them, then the consumer will buy the product more often and more willingly. For example, a cellulite cream can be sold on the basis that attractiveness and harmony will help women maintain relationships in the family or simply attract the attention of the opposite sex.

The mood of the audience can change due to various external reasons (the emergence of cheaper competitive analogues, cooling interest and others), so the marketer should always monitor the behavior and attitude of customers to the product in order to determine when the product or service needs to be modified.

Target Market Selection

There are two ways to develop a product or service:

1. Conduct a study of the target audience and identify their expectations, on the basis of which the product is subsequently created.
2. To analyze the technical and resource capabilities of the company and create a product based on them, and then look for the audience that will be interested in the existing product.

A thorough study of the market allows marketers to identify the most promising group of buyers, which will bring maximum profit and will be distinguished by loyalty. It also helps determine the target market and the segment in which the company would be most profitable to be represented. Knowing your customer preferences helps to identify the weaknesses of competitors and the shortcomings of their products.

Creating a competitive advantage

Attractive appearance can be considered one of the keys to product success. The task of marketers in this case is to give the product the necessary external characteristics and distinguish it from a number of similar products. In addition to this, you can create a unique selling proposition (USP), which will make the product even more attractive in the eyes of potential buyers.

Product competitiveness is considered one of its key characteristics. With the same functional set of two products, such as pots, the client will choose the one that he liked more or approached for the price. For some categories of goods, price is no longer a determining factor (essential goods, luxury products). In this case, it all depends on the appearance and the availability of additional services that come with the goods. Knowing the weaknesses of competitor products allows you to take a more advantageous position in the market.

Development of a long-term strategy

Without the participation of the marketing department in the enterprise, planning in the future is impossible. Firstly, its employees are familiar with all market trends and customer expectations. Secondly, they will quickly find a profitable segment for placing goods. Thirdly, they can not only develop a strategy aimed at emphasizing the strengths of the advertised product, but also take into account potential dangers, reduce the risk of losses and develop a plan for marketing research and events that will help to achieve the goals faster.

Company product management

The marketing manager always knows the product in detail. He will be able to highlight the strengths and hide not the most attractive. In addition, the marketing manager will always be able to talk about the product and stimulate both the interest of the buyer and encourage him to the final action.

Skillful product management is just as important as developing a competent strategy and media plan for an advertising campaign. Without an understanding of consumer expectations regarding a particular product, it will be impossible to correctly determine the price, size, number of units of goods in a package.

Customer Relationship Formation

Since the marketing and advertising department is responsible for the growth of the client base and establishing feedback with consumers, their responsibilities also include the development and implementation of measures to attract more attention to a product, service or organization. Specialists should attract new ones, maintain relations with existing ones and try to return the departed customers.

In the realities of the modern market, it is the expansion of the customer base and the establishment of relations with them that becomes the key task of marketers. This is primarily due to the simplification of other processes thanks to the Internet. In addition, it has been proven that loyal customers can provide more stable income in the long run.

Control and analysis

As a rule, the chief marketing manager sets short-term and long-term goals for the whole team. In the future, he also has to control the process of their achievement. He will need to develop “corrective measures” if any of the tasks set cannot be successfully implemented. Resource management and control is also on his direct responsibilities.

From idea to sale

By itself, the marketer is both a manager and coordinator, and often an executor. The further fate of not only one product taken, but the whole organization as a whole depends on his knowledge and actions. When answering the question about what the marketing department is doing, it is important to remember its multifunctionality. He not only manages existing goods and services and conducts research, but also develops and implements new ones, helping the company move forward, increasing its customer base and annual turnover. Therefore, the presence of a competent marketer is important to maintain the life of the company in the long term.

In today's world it is difficult to imagine even a medium-sized company without a marketing department or at least one or two specialists in this field. Market realities do not allow to do without an integrated approach to the process of creating a product or service and their further distribution. In the variety of brands and brands, it is very difficult to find a place for your product on a shelf in a store. Without knowledge and practical skills in this area it will be very difficult to continue their activities.

Market activity

Marketing is any activity of a company or firm with the goal of creating products and their further marketing. The main tasks can be considered the collection and analysis of the necessary information to draw a portrait of the target audience, search for UTP, the study of the commitment and expectations of potential buyers. In addition, marketing helps to understand what place the company occupies among other companies in this industry.

Market activity begins with the development of a product and ends only after a person has purchased a product or service, tried them and was able to form an opinion. If the final product in some way does not meet the expectations of customers, the task of specialists is to understand the reason and find ways to eliminate it.

To answer the question of what the marketing department does, you need to decide on its functions. Tasks that specialists solve can be both tactical and strategic, the correct formulation of which can affect the achievement or failure to achieve goals. Any one should have a result that can be estimated in units of measure (company profit, quantity of goods sold, percentage growth of buyers, etc.).

Work principles

To organize a competent functioning process, several rules must be observed.

First, the structure of the marketing department should be simple. From it you need to remove all the extra links that affect the speed of the search for the necessary solutions.

Secondly, each employee must be responsible for a limited number of functions. It is categorically impossible for a large number of people to be responsible for the same area of \u200b\u200bwork. This will complicate and extend the process of solving tasks.

Third, all employees must be flexible and adaptable. Under the conditions of rapidly changing market conditions, the main success factor will be the ability to quickly find new ways to solve the tasks than a competitor can do.

The specifics of the organization of work of the marketing department also depends on the type of activity of the company, production volumes, number of employees, presence of subsidiaries and branches, industry focus, presence of competitors and their number, remoteness from end consumers and points of sale.

Structural device

The number of specialists working in one marketing department may be different. It depends on the size of the company and the goals set. As mentioned above, each marketer should be engaged in their own field of market activity. Someone will investigate competitors, someone will draw up a portrait of a buyer, someone will look for new ways and ways of marketing finished products.

Many modern firms sell their goods not only offline, that is, through physical stores, but also online. The ways of promoting services through these channels are significantly different, therefore it is advisable to assign these tasks to different specialists. In addition, it requires marketers who are responsible for ongoing projects and SEO-promotion of the company on the Internet.

The marketing department also includes logisticians, designers, content editors, copywriters, photographers, and videographers. Often, it is required to supplement the existing team with more promoters and employees for one-time projects. Each of these specialists has a number of their unique tasks, of which, as a result, a full-scale marketing activity is formed. In most cases, either a chief or a general manager is present in departments, who controls the work process and directs it in the right direction.

Marketing Department Functions

To achieve all of the company's goals, a clear tactic and strategy is required. Responsible for this type of work is the marketing manager, or marketer. It is from his professional efforts that the positive dynamics depend. This may be an increase in sales or recognition, the conquest of new target groups, access to a new market segment or the success of an advertising campaign to launch a new product or service.

The responsibilities of marketers, or marketing managers, include the following activities:

• Analysis of the market situation and future trends.
• Analysis of the behavior of potential buyers and consumers.
• Definition of the target market.
• Identification of competitive advantages.
• Drawing up programs to introduce benefits to the company.
• Development of strategies and tactics for product promotion.
• Tactical product line management.
• Increase customer loyalty.
• Analysis, control and calculation of the results of the work.

Studying market needs and trends

A marketing manager should start his activity with a complete analysis of the market: from its trends and competitors to the expectations of buyers and intermediaries (for a company like B2B). Often, for better research, specialized analytical and statistical agencies are involved. Small and medium-sized businesses with a limited budget usually do not need this.

Upon completion of marketing research, the specialist draws up relevant reports and draws conclusions regarding a particular development and promotion strategy for the product. If he receives third-party data, then he will still have to adapt the information received taking into account goals and objectives.

After a thorough and thorough study of market niches and segments, assessment of the attractiveness of each segment and the potential viability of the company in the selected category, the marketer can determine the prospects for business development and the direction in which to move.

Target Audience

The marketing manager must have the necessary knowledge to identify the desires and expectations of the end user. They will ultimately help create a product that is in demand on the market, correctly determine its price and distribution methods.

This complex process chain begins with a detailed analysis of a potential buyer. Marketers conduct surveys, work with representative groups, collect research conducted before them. Based on these data, it is already possible to determine the needs and prejudices of the audience. The marketing manager should not only know all the positive aspects that customers would like to find in the proposed product, but also all their concerns about it.

The main task of the product is to solve the specific problem of the buyer. Moreover, he must meet his expectations. Behind the act of purchase are also certain motivational incentives. The task of the marketer is to identify them, then the consumer will buy the product more often and more willingly. For example, a cellulite cream can be sold on the basis that attractiveness and harmony will help women maintain relationships in the family or simply attract the attention of the opposite sex.

The mood of the audience can change due to various external reasons (the emergence of cheaper competitive analogues, cooling interest and others), so the marketer should always monitor the behavior and attitude of customers to the product in order to determine when the product or service needs to be modified.

Target Market Selection

There are two ways to develop a product or service:

1. Conduct a study of the target audience and identify their expectations, on the basis of which the product is subsequently created.
2. To analyze the technical and resource capabilities of the company and create a product based on them, and then look for the audience that will be interested in the existing product.

A thorough study of the market allows marketers to identify the most promising group of buyers, which will bring maximum profit and will be distinguished by loyalty. It also helps determine the target market and the segment in which the company would be most profitable to be represented. Knowing your customer preferences helps to identify the weaknesses of competitors and the shortcomings of their products.

Creating a competitive advantage

Attractive appearance can be considered one of the keys to product success. The task of marketers in this case is to give the product the necessary external characteristics and distinguish it from a number of similar products. In addition to this, you can create a unique selling proposition (USP), which will make the product even more attractive in the eyes of potential buyers.

Product competitiveness is considered one of its key characteristics. With the same functional set of two products, such as pots, the client will choose the one that he liked more or approached for the price. For some categories of goods, price is no longer a determining factor (essential goods, luxury products). In this case, it all depends on the appearance and the availability of additional services that come with the goods. Knowing the weaknesses of competitor products allows you to take a more advantageous position in the market.

Development of a long-term strategy

Without the participation of the marketing department in the enterprise, planning in the future is impossible. Firstly, its employees are familiar with all market trends and customer expectations. Secondly, they will quickly find a profitable segment for placing goods. Thirdly, they can not only develop a strategy aimed at emphasizing the strengths of the advertised product, but also take into account potential dangers, reduce the risk of losses and develop a plan for marketing research and events that will help to achieve the goals faster.

Company product management

The marketing manager always knows the product in detail. He will be able to highlight the strengths and hide not the most attractive. In addition, the marketing manager will always be able to talk about the product and stimulate both the interest of the buyer and encourage him to the final action.

Skillful product management is just as important as developing a competent strategy and media plan for an advertising campaign. Without an understanding of consumer expectations regarding a particular product, it will be impossible to correctly determine the price, size, number of units of goods in a package.

Customer Relationship Formation

Since the marketing and advertising department is responsible for the growth of the client base and establishing feedback with consumers, their responsibilities also include the development and implementation of measures to attract more attention to a product, service or organization. Specialists should attract new ones, maintain relations with existing ones and try to return the departed customers.

In the realities of the modern market, it is the expansion of the customer base and the establishment of relations with them that becomes the key task of marketers. This is primarily due to the simplification of other processes thanks to the Internet. In addition, it has been proven that loyal customers can provide more stable income in the long run.

Control and analysis

As a rule, the chief marketing manager sets short-term and long-term goals for the whole team. In the future, he also has to control the process of their achievement. He will need to develop “corrective measures” if any of the tasks set cannot be successfully implemented. Resource management and control is also on his direct responsibilities.

From idea to sale

By itself, the marketer is both a manager and coordinator, and often an executor. The further fate of not only one product taken, but the whole organization as a whole depends on his knowledge and actions. When answering the question about what the marketing department is doing, it is important to remember its multifunctionality. He not only manages existing goods and services and conducts research, but also develops and implements new ones, helping the company move forward, increasing its customer base and annual turnover. Therefore, the presence of a competent marketer is important to maintain the life of the company in the long term.

The main task of the marketing service is to determine the company's place in the market and find opportunities to take the most advantageous position in relation to competitors. This division serves as a buffer between the external environment - the market and the internal environment - the company. The result of the work of marketers is an increase in sales, which is considered the main indicator in evaluating the work of the marketing department.

In order for the marketing department to successfully implement its tasks, it is necessary to determine its place and authority in the existing organizational structure. The most effective structure is where the marketing department coordinates the work of the sales and advertising departments. In this case, marketers set tasks for advertisers and determine the direction of their activities, and they help sales managers to sell goods (services) through their activities.

Let us consider in more detail the main functions that a marketing department in an enterprise should perform.

1. Planning marketing activities.

When drawing up a marketing plan, the company's development strategy is first of all formulated. As part of this strategy, the main task is set for the marketing department (for example, access to the regions). It determines the time period during which the company needs to implement it, as well as the amount of financing. After that, the marketing department breaks down the main task into smaller ones, develops measures for their implementation and draws up a general plan, which must be approved by the head of the company. The usual planning term is one year. Then quarterly plans are written in more detail, and marketers, within the framework of the approved plans and budgets, quickly prepare each marketing event.

In terms of marketing activities in general and in the description of each task of the department, the expected result of future events should be indicated. For example, if the goal is to increase sales, it should be determined how much sales in monetary terms are planned to be achieved by the results of a marketing campaign.

2. Market research

In order to see their capabilities on the market, you need to have an idea of \u200b\u200bits main components. The market can be studied in two ways: collecting and analyzing customer information and exploring competitors.

Collection and analysis of customer information. The most effective way to study the consumer is through the joint efforts of the marketing and sales departments. The burden of collecting information rests with the sales managers. For example, marketers develop questionnaires, and sales managers collect information through them throughout their work with clients. Based on the questionnaires, the marketing department then adjusts both the company's actions in the market and the work with clients within the company.

Collection and analysis of information about competitors. In addition to the marketing department, this task is carried out by the sales department, security service, and sometimes other departments are involved (depending on the specifics of the business). The task of the marketing department is not so much collecting data about competitors as organizing the flow of information. Relevant information can be found both on the market and within the company (for example, units that can provide the necessary information). The marketing department should be able (after agreement with the management) to set tasks for other departments of the company and motivate the employees involved.

With regard to external information, our marketing department regularly reviews print publications, websites of companies operating in our market segment make visits to competitors. If something noticeable happens to someone, then marketers are sure to take this into account and sometimes use it in their work. Competitive price monitoring is ongoing. Pricing information is provided by the sales department; marketers analyze it and issue a weekly report in the form of charts, graphs in a specially designed program.

3. Pricing.

The marketing department must be involved in the formation of pricing policy. The close interaction between the financial service and marketers is very important here. Economists bid based on cost, and marketers based on market prices, competitor pricing policies, and company concept. The task of the marketing department is to find a price at which competitors will not be able to oust the company from the market and at the same time will not change for the worse the customers' idea of \u200b\u200bthe quality of the goods.

4. Positioning.

The positioning of the company (product) is carried out based on a compiled portrait of the consumer and analysis of competitors. The task of the marketing department is to develop a set of measures, thanks to which the company (product) will take its own, distinct from competitors and advantageous place on the market. Marketers must find, see (or come up with) a unique feature of the company (product). The marketing department needs to clearly understand how his company differs from other market players, which will make the client choose her. So, at the same prices for the same product, the decisive role will be played by service or payment terms (for example, deferred payment).

5. Assortment policy.

The product range is formed depending on the needs of the market, the financial condition of the enterprise and its strategic goals. The task of the marketing department is to identify (as a result of customer differentiation) which products and in what period of time are most in demand.

6. Development of new ideas.

A marketing department that studies market trends and understands its needs should be a generator of ideas to help develop new products. The task of marketers is to convey to the company what qualities the created product should have. Together with the technology department, sales, development and other marketing departments, it is necessary to hold round tables on new products. Long before the appearance of a product, marketers need to develop its design (for example, packaging), a distribution system, and consider an advertising campaign.

7. Increasing sales.

To increase sales, the marketing department should:

• - organize and manage advertising activities;
• - carry out activities to promote the goods;
• - maintain customer loyalty.

Organization and management of promotional activities. Sometimes the marketing department and the advertising department are different divisions with different managers. Sometimes this is one department, and its employees are divided into advertisers and marketers; this division may not be - much depends on the specifics of the business and the scale of the company. In any case, advertising without marketing does not work. The task of the marketing department is to set a goal and set the direction of advertising.

After the advertising campaign, the marketing department needs to analyze it. The analysis can be provided by the advertising department, or marketers do it themselves, but in any case, the report on advertising activity should go through the marketing service.

Promotion activities. Promotion includes everything that is not included in the advertisement, but contributes to the promotion of the company (product) in the market and, ultimately, increases sales. This includes the so-called BTL technology. . There is a legend about the origin of the term BTL (from the English, below the line - below the line). Around the middle of the last century, one of the leaders of a large company made an estimate of upcoming marketing expenses. Including standard elements in it (advertising in the press, on television and radio, the development of new packaging, etc.), he calculated the costs, drew a line and suddenly remembered that he did not take into account the distribution of free samples of goods and the costs of organizing a city holiday, where people will try the products manufactured by his company. I had to add these numbers below, that is, under the line. Since then, traditional or direct advertising has been called ATL (from the English, above the line - above the line), and other methods of sales promotion - BTL.

Promotion methods also include the organization of seminars, conferences, round tables, marketing campaigns, the organization and holding of exhibitions, sales, etc.

The task of marketers is to choose the tool that is more suitable for this business, and determine how to use it to realize the task. The basis of the department’s work is the search for interesting (sometimes unconventional) moves that allow not only to increase sales, but also to establish itself as a company that is not like the others.

Customer loyalty support. The task of the marketing service is not only to attract the client, but also to keep him: no matter how effective the advertising and promotion are, they are meaningless without the organization of work with clients. To do this, the marketing department is developing loyalty programs. A loyal customer is a customer who recommends your company to his friends, acquaintances, and himself, if necessary, re-contacts you.

The organization of work in this area (customer retention) also requires the training of company personnel and the creation of an environment within the enterprise that is maximally customer-oriented. Marketers must work with all the services that contact customers. First of all, it is a sales department ;, a service (technical support) service, a delivery service.

In our company, the marketing department evaluates the work of all client departments on a five-point scale. Competence, promptness of service, courtesy, appearance, punctuality of employees are taken into account. If the assessment is lower than “five”, the marketing service contacts the appropriate department and finds out the reasons for the deterioration in the quality of work.

8. Analysis of marketing activities.

A marketing event can be considered completed when the marketing department presents a report on its implementation. This document should contain the results (how many new customers have attracted, how much sales have increased, how much revenue has grown), as well as the tools with which the results were achieved (advertising campaigns, promotion, other marketing activities). For long-term events, it is advisable for the Director-General to receive interim reports showing the dynamics of development. If the growth of orders falls or slows down, the marketing department must determine at what stage the company loses customers: for example, the number of initial calls has decreased or the number of repeated calls for ordering goods has decreased. If, for example, the number of orders decreases, the marketing department should analyze the work with clients within the company. The reason may be a lack of managers or insufficient qualifications of employees to handle more than usual number of calls.

Typically, the work of the marketing department is estimated by the number of customer requests, by the number of repeat requests for orders and, ultimately, by the amount of revenue brought as a result of sales growth. Other indicators may be key, depending on the specifics of the business. In each case, it is necessary to evaluate how well the marketing plan and the tasks set in it have been completed. To evaluate the activities of the marketing department, you need a marketing plan, which was described at the beginning of the chapter.

There are many definitions of marketing, but it’s not so important to know all the definitions, how important it is to understand that they all reflect the single essence of marketing: in order to make a profit, the campaign must effectively, competitively sell its products or services to the end customer.

The main goal of the marketing department at the enterprise

The primary responsibility of a marketing manager is to manage the perceived value of a company's product. Why is this necessary? The perceived value of the product directly affects the ability to receive a high rate of profit from the sale of the product, is the easiest working indicator to assess the effectiveness of the marketing department.

Improving the consumer value of the product is the main goal and priority of the marketing manager. It is with this task that the work of any specialist in this field should begin. The high value of the product increases the profitability of the exchange with the buyer, as a result of which the buyer satisfies his need, and the company receives the maximum income and profit.

Perceived value of the product (perceived value) - the apparent difference between the benefits and costs of the selection and use of the product.

It is important to understand that marketing directly affects the company's profit, which means it must occupy a key role in the structure of the company, be a part of top management and have enough resources (including management) to manage the value of the goods.

The main functions and tasks of the marketing service in the enterprise

So, we figured out the main importance of marketing for the company. Now we propose to consider the tasks that a marketing specialist must fulfill in order to follow his global goal of increasing the value of a product. In practice, there are 8 key tasks of a marketing manager, performing which a specialist of any level will be able to shift the company's sales in a positive direction and increase the success of the brand in the market.

Responsibilities of a marketing manager:

• Market research and market trends
• Consumer behavior research
• Target Market Selection
• Development of a competitive advantage
• Approval of product development strategies
• Tactical product management company
• Customer Relationship Management
• Monitoring and analysis of work results

Now we propose to consider each task of the marketer in more detail.

Studying market needs and key trends

Market analysis is performed by a marketing manager. He can do this on his own, or he can involve analytical research agencies in this process. It all depends on the budget and the significance of the analysis for decision making. In the first case, the marketer himself conducts research, draws up reports and draws conclusions. In the second case, he draws up a research plan, determines the depth of the market analysis and the basic data that must be obtained, and also helps to make the right strategic decisions based on the market research.

It is important to understand that it is the marketer who can form the overall picture of the market, break the market into niches / segments, assess the attractiveness and viability of each segment, and identify growing and promising areas of business.

Studying target audience behavior

It is believed that it is the marketer who has the sacred and ideal knowledge of the end user. And it is this knowledge that helps him make a good product, sell it in the right place, at the right price, with effective communication. How he does it?

The marketing manager is talking to the consumer. With the help of various studies and surveys, he forms the perfect knowledge about the needs, problems and prejudices of the target audience. And offers a product that helps solve existing problems and fits perfectly into the picture of the consumer’s world. The marketer determines the key motives for the purchase and encourages consumers to make purchases more often and to a greater extent, works with consumer prejudices that limit the purchase of campaign goods; reveals the unmet market needs for the possibility of intensive campaign growth.

Choosing a target market and target audience

Thanks to a good knowledge of the market and the target audience, the marketing manager understands which group of buyers will bring more money to the company in the long term, and also helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company. It helps to decide on the choice of the target market and target audience, taking into account the potential of the market segment, competition in the segment and the company's ability to invest in product development.

Creating a competitive advantage

It is the marketer who gives the product a character, a desired image, sets it apart from the mass variety of similar market offers. The marketing manager ensures the competitiveness of the product by analyzing competitors and creating a differentiating benefit from the purchase of the final product. He knows the weaknesses of competitors and understands what methods of competition will be effective in a particular market.

Development of a long-term strategy

It is recommended that a marketing manager be involved in the development of a long-term company development strategy. Firstly, he knows the trends of the market and the consumer of the market, which means he can find interesting free niches, point to promising segments and low-competitive markets. Secondly, he has strategic thinking and will help identify key sources of growth and existing threats to the business, and will help develop a plan of measures to reduce risks.

Company product management

The marketing manager knows what product, with what characteristics the consumer will like; understands what needs to be told about the product in order to stimulate the purchase; knows at what price the consumer is ready to buy the product and where it will be more efficient to sell the product.

Customer Relationship Formation

The marketing manager is responsible for the growth of the company's consumer base. He develops measures to attract new customers, retain existing and return the departed customers. The growth of a loyal customer base often becomes the key task of a marketer, as it has been proven: loyal consumers are able to provide high long-term income.

Control and analysis

A marketer is always a project manager and coordinates the activities of different departments to create the perfect product. He analyzes installs marketing workshops and analyzes the results achieved, develops corrective measures and manages limited resources to achieve maximum results.