Comments on: What Makes a Great Marketer?

By: Tumelo Chaka

Tumelo Chaka — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 20:45:52 +0000

A great marketer knows how to keep the promise made ALIVE!

By: Jenn

Jenn — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:08:21 +0000

a great marketer has a positive attitude towards life. when he fails to achieve, he learns from it and tries ever harder- never gives up. he understands that he isnt perfect and always starts a fresh if the strategy fails. a great marketer understands that attitude is everything!

By: matt

matt — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:15:30 +0000

Jim,
A great marketer is a great communicator.
- Matt

By: anom

anom — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:18:58 +0000

better late than never. I agree with Valerie Hoffman
Quote:
“A great marketer understands what drives people, and then shapes their product and message to motivate the consumer to buy into it”.
I’d also like to add that I know of a marketer who is self employed and doesn’t have to answer to anyone. He basically could care less about branding as he just get his riches from back end products until the product matures and moves on to the next product(s). He has become rich with this method of buying cheap products selling high perceived value.Basically using the formula that valerie mentioned. That would make him a great marketer in my book because his “stuff” sells and his profit margin is off the charts.

By: Steve Hoffacker

Steve Hoffacker — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:00:07 +0000

Jim,
Several of the posts define a great marketer in terms of “selling” when actually these are 2 separate disciplines. I always define and then keep my focus on the premise that marketing is everything that happens to get the customer to pick up the phone, send the email, or open your door. Sales takes over from there. Thus, a great marketer has the skill, the insight, and the innovation to draw in a circle of interested consumers and then to cause them to contact the salespeople to pursue that interest.
Steve

By: Carole Wilson

Carole Wilson — Tue, 22 May 2007 22:19:51 +0000

I agree either you posses the skills to call or persuade people to purchase your product, so if you are not a walking product of your product how can we be successful?

By: Alexander S. Prisant

Alexander S. Prisant — Mon, 21 May 2007 11:42:29 +0000

At Prism Ltd. we say give the CEO what they need. This week. Next week. If Jim insists on just one thing, it’s clear: That’s the job—consumer love affairs and brand loyalty are just some of our tools and strategies.
It’s a jungle out there. Fact: the average CMO is only in their job for 20 months–that means they get to orchestrate about one big push. Fact: The CEO’s job hangs on quarterly dividend results– each quarter. Investors have limited interested in the things we marketing people like to tinker with.
Our job–even more funadmentally than “sell more stuff”–is to do what the CEO needs done to “feed the beast”, otherwise known as the investor community.
Alexander S. Prisant, COO, Prism Ltd.

By: Mahmoud Selim

Mahmoud Selim — Sat, 19 May 2007 01:43:07 +0000

Wut makes a gr8 markter is loving wut s/he is doing plus thinking beyond about marketing main aspects and mainly as mentioned zillion times b4, customer satisfaction at a profit.
but the main thing is to be so close from ur customers and feel them.
?\ sell more is a part under maarketing. the thing is that u must make profit or you will leave the playround ?\
A gr8 marketer, who listens before he even speak a word, then have an action

By: Jim Kukral

Jim Kukral — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:49:05 +0000

I agree, this discussion was/is very constructive and helpful. Thanks to everyone who has participated.
I think we all have similar, yet different visions, and that’s fine, we’re all different types of marketers in different niches.
Thanks again everyone.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 17 May 2007 22:36:09 +0000

A great marketer is like a great chess player; able to see the entire game played out before it happens and able to make the strategic moves before their opponent, thus ultimately winning “more stuff”!

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Thu, 17 May 2007 19:33:14 +0000

These posts have been quite thought-proving and enjoyable. Let me toss this into the ring:
A great marketer can hear unspoken need.

By: Susan Mira

Susan Mira — Thu, 17 May 2007 18:09:08 +0000

To be a GREAT marketer you must be aware and know how to “manage the customer’s perception of value”- the benefit, need, or emotion that makes the customer buy the “stuff”.
Case in point. There is a prestige store in the US known for it’s expensive fine jewelry, silver and fine china. When the brand first entered Asian markets they were perceived as a “gift shop”. The luxury consumer went elsewhere for engagement rings, other fine jewelry, and luxurious tabletop items. The patterns and colors of their accessories were too bold and not pleasing to their taste.
A great marketer understands the “perception of value” within a target market.

By: Richard Press

Richard Press — Thu, 17 May 2007 18:03:48 +0000

A great marketer is a visionary, motivator, leader, willing to take risk, is an innovative thinker, has the instincts and understanding of human nature, emits trust and integrity, harnesses the right customers to trial a product and the ability to establish a life long relationship between the customer and the company.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:30:42 +0000

Jim – As if it isn’t apparent already… What a great job you did initiating and egging on a wonderful conversation!

By: Kate Murchison

Kate Murchison — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:26:42 +0000

My team and I look at what a great marketer is in a number ways. Two key things are: 1. understanding the customer(s), and helping prove that what your product provides is meeting a need they have. It’s easy to forget (particularly in the technology world) that just because we build it and it’s cool, does not mean a customer actually needs it.
2. With the deep knowledge of the customer(s) wants, desires, needs and problems, providing the sales team with the tools needed to get them in the door. Then helping nurture the relationship.

By: Valerie Huffman

Valerie Huffman — Thu, 17 May 2007 13:50:38 +0000

I think it all boils down to and understanding of human motivates.
A great marketer understands what drives people, and then shapes their product and message to motivate the consumer to buy into it.

By: Lori Littlefield

Lori Littlefield — Thu, 17 May 2007 13:33:44 +0000

A GREAT marketer is a GREAT problem solver. They solve problems for their customers and they continually solve marketing problems.
A great marketer would not sell ice to an Eskamo because that would not solve a problem. Colored ice, as stated earlier, would solve a problem for someone who wants to be different.

By: Kirsty Wertz

Kirsty Wertz — Thu, 17 May 2007 13:17:32 +0000

How about this:
A GREAT marketer knows how to exceed customer needs more profitably than anyone else.

By: BPS

BPS — Thu, 17 May 2007 12:52:58 +0000

I have to agree with the post: “empathy” makes great marketers. That’s it. If you don’t have it, you can’t be the customer advocate in the business, and you’ll never be a great marketer.
Great marketers don’t sell stuff, they understand their clients’ fulfilled/unfulfilled needs and deliver that understanding to the business. Now the problem is: you can have a great marketer, but a business that doesn’t listen to him/her, and, as a result, the business develops products they want to sell, but not necessarily that the customers want.

By: John Dodds

John Dodds — Wed, 16 May 2007 19:50:19 +0000

Marketers don’t sell stuff, they enable stuff to sell itself.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Wed, 16 May 2007 16:10:32 +0000

What an amazing dialog. I agree with CK (and Drucker). When a marketer’s strategy and tactics attract customers without the need for external sales, that’s business Nirvana. They just keep coming to you.
Does a marketer need to feel passion or love for the product? It helps, but what if you’re marketing pantihose, nuts and bolts, or everyday products that don’t always illicit excitement? There’s still a job to be done and a good marketer creates the value (or sense of it) for the customer.
Besides, in many cases, good marketers create the illusion of value, when there are competitors’ products or services that are far better.

By: Kevin Hillstrom

Kevin Hillstrom — Wed, 16 May 2007 03:22:39 +0000

A great marketer sells a ton of stuff, and does his/her job with integrity.
You can always sell more stuff by making people feel fear. A great marketer does his/her job in a moral way, a way that treats customers the way they would like to be treated.

By: Mack Collier

Mack Collier — Wed, 16 May 2007 00:48:13 +0000

A great marketer speaks with the voice of the customer.

By: CK

CK — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:33:20 +0000

Well, if you create and maintain value (like I said all the way up there) then you build and maintain trust. One begets the other since customers see a track-record of delivering on, or exceeding, their expectations.
Trust is critical, as is listening. But when you create value be it for new audiences or new offerings with the same audiences (which, sure, you need to communicate) is what makes for a great marketer.
It’s the companies who create enough value (say Harley Davidson, Apple, etc) that have the biggest evangelists. Why? Because those customers value the company just that much.

By: Jim Kukral

Jim Kukral — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:39:29 +0000

Is creating value and communicating value two different things?
Now we have building trust, or branding in the mix as well.
Which is more important? Creating value, or building trust?

By: Matt Dickman

Matt Dickman — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:16:40 +0000

On top of creating value, I think a truly great marketer enables their customers to be their top sales people. What I mean is that a great marketer gives people the ammunition and means to promote, evangelize and advertise easily.
For some companies this is creating an open community for others it’s creating commercials to back them up (think Apple v. PC). Either way the best/easiest sale is C-to-C.

By: Sunil S Chiplunkar

Sunil S Chiplunkar — Tue, 15 May 2007 14:29:13 +0000

Great marketers undoubtedly create, communicate and deliver value, sell more, build image…but will all this make a person a great marketer?
In India Lux soap is an example of great marketing. Is it only the because of above points? The edge that great marketing provides is unparalled customer delight. This makes the brand an aspirational brand. Great marketing establishes the covenant of trust (the brand). There are very few such brands out there. Another such great Indian brand in contemporary times is Kingfisher.

By: Claire Ratushny

Claire Ratushny — Tue, 15 May 2007 13:15:55 +0000

There are many components to products and services that add tremendously to core value:
–great design
–innovation
–solid engineering
–quality
–ethnographic research
–a strong brand image
Marketing should be used to leverage the distinct, differentiated core values of these products and services to build meaningful relationships with the targeted customer.
Great marketers know that maintaining a loyal customer base is extremely important, as they work to build on that base by attracting new customers to their brands.

By: leni varghese

leni varghese — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:25:45 +0000

Its true that selling more stuff applies to sales more than it does to marketing. Inorder to be a great marketer one needs to be proactive in understanding the need so that he is able to create value and communicate that value effectively to the potential customers. Marketer should be able to differentiate the offer and develop meaningful relationship with the customers. This will ultimately result in selling more stuff

By: CK

CK — Tue, 15 May 2007 07:32:02 +0000

Tim and Drew: your definitions are most excellent…and stem from value.
How can one have a love affair if they don’t value their customer…or give something of value to their customer?
Tim: You choose to buy or what you talk about…yes. But choices are based on what we value.
It’s not that I’m being bossy (yes, I am that), it’s that I’ve worked through this question for 15 years. And read many books. But that’s not what got me to it…what got me to it was/is (and will always) be listening.
And the one thing that all customers and colleagues say? Create and maintain value. It doesn’t come from my head. It comes from my market’s mouths. dig?