Sponsored by: Dupont
SWE National Conference October 2002 – Cobo Center Detroit, MI
Background:
Representatives from Dupont talked about their previous technical engineering roles and their present marketing roles. They later took questions pertaining to marketing positions with engineering backgrounds. Dupont had 5 representatives present. One was a technical service representative (CHE), two were sales representative or “account reps” (1 ME and 1 CHE), one developer (ME), and lastly, one marketing manager (CHE).
Job Descriptions:
1. Developer – Takes new ideas and innovations from individuals or companies and brings these products from concept to market. The developer needs to identify markets and support the distribution network. Developers work indirectly with account reps. There isn’t much traveling involved and it is almost all planned.
2. Account Rep – These employees support the customer directly. They need to get and keep multiple relationships throughout an organization. They do a lot of entertaining. They also recommend processes or materials to use in the customer’s desired application. There is a lot of negotiating that comes with this position because they have to negotiate prices of products between their managers and the customers. 30 – 50 % of job is traveling and most of that is on the road and not with a customer. This is mostly planned as well.
3. Marketing Manager – Deals with account reps that work directly with a customer. They have to plan and visualize the future of the company’s marketing strategy. Travels internationally 4-6 wks/yr., usually planned.
4. Technical Service Rep – Usually a 24 hr./day on call job. When something breaks these people have to go to the site to evaluate the problem. Usually in charge of 3 or 4 account representatives’ customers. Travels 30 – 50 %, mostly spontaneous.
Skills Needed:
1. Patience – Necessary to see projects from start to finish. Some developer projects can take years to complete.
2. Organization is critical.
3. Communication Skills – Listening to customers and managers and know what they exactly want and need. Also, it is necessary to know how to converse with people by paying attention to their body language.
4. Personal Skills – Marketing is less direct than engineering. What you say and how you say it is very important. One needs to be able to develop a relationship with customers and business partners. Customers need to like you or they won’t do business with you.
5. Make all messages positive. Even when there is negative information to be given, put a positive spin on it. Foremost, never lie.
6. Make timely decisions with very limited data.
7. The preference to work through and with other people.
Where to Gain Training for
Marketing:
1. Life
2. On the Job Training
3. Formal Training within an Organization
4. Seminars
5. Mentors
Mentoring:
1. Getting a mentor naturally, through business relationships, is the BEST way.
2. Assigned mentors are beneficial as well.
3. Mentors help to identify invisible land mines.
4. Pick someone who has similar interests to you and knows how to get things done successfully.
Questions to Ask when
Interviewing for Marketing Positions:
1. Is salary a flat rate or is it commission based?
2. Are MBA’s common for this position?
3. How much travel does this job entail and is most of the traveling planned or spontaneous?
4. Is there a defined customer list/base or is there a need to telemarket and recruit new customers?
School Tips:
1. Manage by Influence – get experience by doing extra curricular activities and influencing other students in that respect.
2. Take a marketing, sales or finance class if time in school schedule permits.
Other Tips:
1. There is a lot of restructuring within corporate America.
2. Lunches, Dinners, etc. are connection tools. It is good to get the customer out of their normal work setting to differentiate between the personal and work life of the customer.
3. Remember the culture you are in. Picking up the tab for women may be common if you are the sales force, but if you are in a different country, such as Germany, a woman should never pick up the tab.
3. Everything is an emergency to your customer. You need to learn how to differentiate between their perceived emergencies and real emergencies.
4. Typically it is good to be in a technical role for a period of time before going into marketing. Once you get into the workforce you will have a much better idea of what you want to do and where you want to go.
5. If you like to have control of people, projects, or schedules, marketing is NOT for you.
a. Need to be able to make significant changes on minimal amounts of time.
6. Need to know the competitor’s products and how your product exceeds theirs.
7. Balancing family and work is never easy.
8. Everyone needs to have a support structure for him or herself.
9. If you ever work at home, need to make sure to separate work and social life.
10. Always keep the job in perspective with the rest of life.
11. Lg. Vs. Sm. Companies
a. Sm –
i. Opportunity to hold multiple or all-marketing roles.
ii. Sell the product that you also designed.
iii. Risks are high - Big rewards and big loses.
b. Lg –
i. Risks are lower.
ii. Specialization within one aspect of marketing or sales.