#socialstrategy series | jeromepineau.com

“TOP 12 TRAITS OF GREAT MARKETERS”

@JeromePineau

an enterprise perspective

caveat

the following are based on my 20+ years of

experience working with all sorts of

marketing people most of which have taught

me a lot of what I know.

it’s only my opinion. your mileage might

vary. and I could be wrong.

1. discerning

in a sea of numbers, KPIs, goals,

pronouncements, trends, opinions, and other

numerical noise, great marketers can

quickly identify an organization’s core

economic driver(s) then strategize and

execute against them.

there are usually only one or two

fundamental drivers at most no matter how

complex the organization.

2. listener

contrary to popular belief, successful

marketing people are first and foremost

keen listeners.

you cannot market exclusively from a desk.

marketing is being out in the field and

walking the plank with both staff, customers,

and prospects.

marketers are customer advocates. to

advocate, you have to know your tribe inside

out. and many times, they’re a fickle bunch.

3. analytical

you don’t need a PhD in analytics, but you

do have to love data.

far from being spreadsheet junkies,

successful marketers know how to respect

yet tame data.

they understand both its power and its

limitations.

they use it to strategize, persuade, protect,

and compete. but never to intimidate or

impress.

4. opportunistic

“we jump out of the trees and hijack passing

stagecoaches” is how one marketing genius

described to me what working with him

would be like.

having a knack for smelling then seizing

opportunity in real time without causing

damage is virtually essential in this

marketing day and age.

5. manager

great marketers are talented managers

because the profession is a team sport and

successful teams have each others’ backs.

they know how to give out clear, crisp

tactical direction all of their people can

quickly understand and follow.

they’re rabidly loyal to their staff and often

“out there” with their people whenever and

wherever needed.

they know how to nurture, coach, mentor

their teams, and ensure their visibility in the

organization. and they don’t suffer fools

easily.

6. communicator

a great marketer must be an inspiration to

his people, his customers, and sometimes

even his competitors.

this requires exceptional communication

skills as the essence of marketing is

communication.

great marketers are compelling, passionate

speakers and excellent writers.

7. high-velocity

great marketers understand they evolve in

space and time. the latter being critical.

analysis time, reaction time, execution time,

turn-around time, correction time – all these

require an appreciation of speed as a major

competitive weapon.

8. intuitive

by nature or nurture, great marketers are

intuitive beings. the best ones navigate

elegantly between hard cold data and what

their hearts and experience tell them.

that left-brain/right-brain juggling act often

defines the best in the business.

9. workaholic

great marketers are always “on”. partly

because great, out-of-box ideas always

come in the shower, or in the middle of the

night, or while eating, or during a flight – but

never during a regular business meeting.

10. deciders

there’s an art to decision making – as it is

usually emotion-driven notwithstanding

claims to the contrary – and great marketers

know how to make good decisions quickly

and consistently.

they cut through the noise and nonsense

with a knife.

indecision kills in this business. but then so

does rash behavior. great marketers know

how to walk that line.

11. design flair

for some reason, great marketers seem to

have a flair for great design that can pull

emotional chords at the right time and

place.

they’re painters. they have “good taste” and

associative qualities with an obsession for

detail and a “got to look just right”

acceptance criteria.

this is true no matter what industry you look

at.

12. passion

maybe a no brainer, but I’ve met marketers

who were just in it for the money. they just

didn’t care about product.

but I’ve never met a great marketer who

didn’t have passion for whatever he or she

was selling.

no matter how good you are, you cannot

market a crap product or service. these days

are long gone.

the best marketers never even get involved

with junk.