For marketers who walk the walk

Beverly Barker F IDM was recently awarded the prestigious IDM Educator of the Year Award for her exceptional contribution to direct and digital marketing education. A seasoned marketer with 20+ years experience and one of the leading tutors across the IDM qualifications portfolio, we asked Beverly what ten things she had learned in her career that she would love to have known when she started out.

1. Friends and Acquaintances
I wish I had had the sense to realise sooner that there is a huge difference between work mates, business acquaintances and friends.  It’s amazing how popular you become when you run a £20m+ account and I had a few heartaches in the early days at how fast ‘mates’ moved on as I changed clients accounts or jobs.  However, taking a professional approach and developing a solid professional network can be a lot of fun and a great asset to your career. But see it for what it is and, if you are lucky enough to make some genuine friends along the way, as I have, then all the better.

2. Do more than your job description
I have noticed that those that get promoted the fastest are the ones who are actively ‘walking the talk’ as they say, but more than that, they demonstrate that they can do many of the jobs that their manager can do. they take the initiative to go a step further and are proactive in finding solutions.  Managers have to feel confident that you can accept the responsibilities that go with promotion, that you can up your game and think more strategically, act more corporately and deliver the results.   If a manager has to make a decision over who to promote, it’s a no brainer to choose the one who is already demonstrating those skills.

3. Never be afraid to ask for help
Of the mistakes that I have made, and there have been a few, the biggest lesson I learned was that the sooner you tell someone who might be able to help you resolve it, the better.  The fact is we all make mistakes, but more senior managers often have the experience, or the contacts, to sort the situation out.  I have witnessed people getting fired as a result of trying to resolve an issue themselves, leaving it too late to resolve and a complete disaster unfold before them.

4. You’re working to support your life, not the company
I believe in working hard and being professionally loyal, but if you are not enjoying what you do, you shouldn’t be doing it. If you are being asked to sacrifice too much, you shouldn’t be doing it. Life is short.

5. Never stop learning
I enjoy my career because I have always loved to learn about new things. As a media planner, I started working with TV and radio, then press, then posters, inserts and direct mail. After a short reprise along came the internet, banner ads, data planning, search marketing and affiliates. More recently still, social media and the rapidly developing mobile opportunities. On top of that working with the IDM and undertaking my MSc have enabled me broaden my knowledge further, adding layers of marketing theory that help put a lot of my work into context.  I believe I am a far better planner today than I was 20 years ago, but I still have lots to learn … which is why I am embarking on a PhD. 

6. Keep a ‘day book’ and take notes
I was very lucky to have a great mentor when I joined the industry who advised me on a number of pointers, among them: 1) don’t get drunk with reps whilst trying to negotiate;  2) take notes of everything you say and do as it is your lifeline to explaining your actions.  Prices negotiated, deals secured, options, bookings, confirmations from clients, instructions from managers, it is all in my day books along with a ‘to do’ list which is updated every Monday.  It is a great habit to get into and has saved my bacon on a number of occasions – I have also seen people come unstuck because of not having one (aka point 3):  It doesn’t matter how brilliant you are if you are not organised.

7. Sell the benefits
Whether it be in presenting my capabilities via a CV or the organisation via a pitch, it took me a while to understand that people buy benefits. How does my knowledge and skill, or what I am proposing, benefit them?  Therefore one of the key things to understand when ‘pitching’ to someone is to know what their goal is… and that can be very difficult to ascertain.  This rule also applies whether you are trying to propose change, recommend one of your staff for a promotion, or develop a new service which needs investment.   In short, never forget the phrase ‘What this means to you Mr/Ms Jones is…’

8. Don’t try to change things as soon as you arrive
It is a common trait amongst new recruits to think things could be done better.  Unless you are brought in at the top, although you may be right, you are probably not in the right place to explain it or to make it happen.  In a junior role such enthusiasm can be misinterpreted. Interviewing graduate employers recently, I found a high percentage said things along the lines of ‘I wish grads didn’t think they know it all’.  Keep your council, get promoted and then make the changes, or leave and set up something better yourself – why do you think there are new agencies and companies borne every month!

9. Don’t get involved in politics
Easier said than done, because the problem is often spotting politics.  But generally if you keep your counsel  and don’t talk about everyone, you will not be seen to take sides.  Get noticed for your work, not your gossip.

10. Don’t be afraid of change, personally and within organisations
When I started I thought I was going to be a medical secretary forever! That changed when I found out about advertising. Then I moved into education.  In today’s market you are likely to have at least three major career turns, therefore your portfolio skills are important and as mentioned above, constant learning is vital.  Changes within organisations can be disorientating and may make you feel vulnerable, but if you are supportive you will be more successful than if you sit and snipe about the good old days.  Likewise the regular, tried and tested solution to a problem or brief may not be the best response.  If you think change is needed, embrace it.

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