Marketing Manager Hot or not?
Within many companies a marketing function is seen as one of the functions people would love to have. Marketing and marketing functions are hot. It already starts at universities were many students dream about a marketing function. At the same time, within most companies there are complete tracks to get from a starters’ position to a top level marketing function.
However, what is often forgotten is that the marketing department isn’t the department where the money is made. The money is made on the work floor, the operational departments of the company. It is therefore important to pay much attention to these departments and managing these departments. If this is so important, then why is there no more attention for the operational part of the organisation?
Within organisations, operational issues are often seen as less important, less interesting: they are not ‘sexy’. Only a few Dutch top managers have hands-on operational experience. Top managers often arrived at their position via functions in areas such as marketing, finance, and product development. They often lack experience and affinity with the operational processes of an organisation (be it production or the transactional processing of, for example, mortgage applications). As a consequence, the work floor and the organization’s operational processes do not get the level of management attention required.
This lack of ‘popularity’ regarding the operational processes is visible in many organisations. Often you see that all attention goes out to the marketing campaign, whereas the consequences of this campaign for the back-office are totally forgotten or underestimated. The following example I experienced while doing a project at a large financial institution:
The marketing department had not communicated it had started a large campaign to bring in new customers. As a result, the call centre was completely surprised, with the number of phone calls. The callers did not get connected because all the call centre employees were occupied. The result was that the financial institution did not get new customers; instead people were very dissatisfied and certainly did not want to become a customer. A good marketing campaign, failed entirely by lack of focus on the operational processes.
It is important that companies realise that you also need good operational managers to execute your strategy. An operational manager who shows a structural and sincere interest in how employees execute their tasks and how the operation is running. The trick for an operational manager is to make sure that the client gets what the sales department has offered them on time and of good quality.
I would therefore conclude that not only the marketing manager is hot. And that behind every great marketing manger you need tot have an even better operational manager.
However, what is often forgotten is that the marketing department isn’t the department where the money is made. The money is made on the work floor, the operational departments of the company. It is therefore important to pay much attention to these departments and managing these departments. If this is so important, then why is there no more attention for the operational part of the organisation?
Within organisations, operational issues are often seen as less important, less interesting: they are not ‘sexy’. Only a few Dutch top managers have hands-on operational experience. Top managers often arrived at their position via functions in areas such as marketing, finance, and product development. They often lack experience and affinity with the operational processes of an organisation (be it production or the transactional processing of, for example, mortgage applications). As a consequence, the work floor and the organization’s operational processes do not get the level of management attention required.
This lack of ‘popularity’ regarding the operational processes is visible in many organisations. Often you see that all attention goes out to the marketing campaign, whereas the consequences of this campaign for the back-office are totally forgotten or underestimated. The following example I experienced while doing a project at a large financial institution:
The marketing department had not communicated it had started a large campaign to bring in new customers. As a result, the call centre was completely surprised, with the number of phone calls. The callers did not get connected because all the call centre employees were occupied. The result was that the financial institution did not get new customers; instead people were very dissatisfied and certainly did not want to become a customer. A good marketing campaign, failed entirely by lack of focus on the operational processes.
It is important that companies realise that you also need good operational managers to execute your strategy. An operational manager who shows a structural and sincere interest in how employees execute their tasks and how the operation is running. The trick for an operational manager is to make sure that the client gets what the sales department has offered them on time and of good quality.
I would therefore conclude that not only the marketing manager is hot. And that behind every great marketing manger you need tot have an even better operational manager.
posted by Freek Hermkens at 6:27 PM
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