The basic objective of any firm is to market its goods or services. Marketing responsibilities vary among organizations and industries. In a small firm, the owner or president may assume marketing responsibilities. A large firm needs a staff of experienced marketing, advertising and public relations managers to coordinate these activities. Some typical marketing management positions are described in the following sections. (Please remember, however, that specific titles of positions may vary among firms.)
Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations ManagersSales RepresentativesAdvertising SpecialistsPublic Relations SpecialistsPurchasing Agents and ManagersWholesale and Retail Buyers and Merchandise ManagersMarket Research AnalystsMarketing Associations and Job Postings OnlineMarketing management spans a range of positions, including the vice president of marketing, marketing manager, sales manager, advertising manager, promotion manager, and public relations manager. The vice president directs the firm's overall marketing policy, and all other marketers report through channels to this person. Marketing managers work with product development and market research managers to develop the firm's detailed marketing strategies. Sales managers direct the efforts of sales professionals by assigning territories, establishing goals, developing training programs, and supervising local sales managers and their personnel. Advertising managers oversee account services, creative services, and media services departments. Promotion managers direct promotional programs that combine advertising with purchase incentives in order to increase the sales of the firm's goods or services. Public relations managers conduct publicity programs and supervise the specialists who implement them.
Job Description
Top marketing management positions often involve long hours and extensive travel. Work under pressure is also commonplace. For sales managers, job transfers between headquarters and regional offices may disrupt family life. Approximately 460,000 marketing, advertising and public relations managers are currently employed in the United States in virtually every industry.
Career Path
For most marketing, sales, and promotion management positions, employers prefer degrees in business administration, preferably with concentrations in marketing. In highly technical industries, such as chemicals and electronics, employers prefer bachelor's degrees in science or engineering combined with master's degrees in business administration. Liberal arts students can also find many opportunities, especially if they have business minors. Most managers are promoted from positions such as sales representatives, product or brand specialists, and advertising specialists within their organizations. Skills or traits that are most desirable for these jobs include maturity, creativity, high motivation, resistance to stress, flexibility, and the ability to communicate persuasively.
Millions of items are bought and sold every day. The people a firm hires to carry out this activity work under a variety of titles, such as sales representative, account manager, manufacturers' representative, sales engineer, sales agent, retail salesperson, wholesale sales representative, and service sales representative. Most companies require that all marketing professionals spend some time in the field to experience the market firsthand and understand the challenges faced by front-line marketing personnel.
Job Description
All salespeople must fully understand and competently discuss the products offered by the company. Salespeople usually develop prospective client lists, meet with current and prospective clients to describe the firm's products, and then follow up. In most cases, the salesperson must learn about each customer's business needs in order to identify products that best satisfy them. These professionals answer questions about the characteristics and costs of their offerings and try to persuade potential customers to purchase them. After the sale, many representatives revisit their customers to see that the products met their needs and to explore further business opportunities or referrals with them. Some sales of technical goods and services involve lengthy interactions. In these cases, a salesperson may work with several clients simultaneously over a large geographical area. Those responsible for large territories may spend most of their time traveling to make sales presentations. Retail or telephone salespeople may spend most of their work days on the phone or on the sales floor.
Work as a sales representative can be rewarding for those who enjoy interacting with people, like competition, and feel energized by the challenge of expanding sales in their territories. Successful sales professionals should be goal-oriented, persuasive, self-motivated, and independent people. In addition, patience and perseverance are important qualities for sales representative.
Career Path
The background needed for a sales position varies according to the product line and market. A college degree is desirable, and many companies run their own formal training programs for sales representatives that can last up to two years. This training may take place in a classroom, in the field with a mentor, or -- most often -- a combination of both methods. Similarly, the career ladder in retail sales typically involves moving to positions of greater responsibility and higher earnings potential over a period of time.
Advertising is one of the ten hottest career fields in the United States today. In fact, for the second year in a row, the position of interactive advertising executive has made the list of high-demand career specialties.
Many firms maintain small groups of advertising specialists who serve as liaisons between those companies and outside advertising agencies. The leader of this liaison function is sometimes called a marketing communications manager. Positions in an advertising agency include the categories of account services, creative services, and media services. Account services' functions are performed by account executives, who work directly with clients. An agency's creative services department develops the themes and presentations of the advertisements. This department is supervised by the creative director, who oversees the copy chief, art director, and their staff members. The media services department is managed by the media director, who oversees the planning group that selects media outlets for ads.
Job Description
Advertising can be one of the most glamorous and creative fields in marketing. Because the field combines the best of both worlds, that is, the tangible and scientific aspects of marketing along with creative artistry, advertising attracts people with a broad array of abilities.
Career Path
Most new hires begin as assistants or associates for the positions they hope to acquire, such as copywriters, art directors, and media buyers. Often, a newly hired employee must receive two to four promotions before becoming manager of these functions. College degrees in liberal arts, graphic arts, journalism, psychology or sociology, in addition to marketing training, are preferred for entry-level positions in advertising.
Specialists in public relations serve as advocates for businesses and other organizations. They strive to build and maintain positive relationships with various publics. They may assist company executives in drafting speeches, arranging interviews, overseeing company archives, responding to information requests, and handling special events, such as sponsorships and trade shows, that provide promotional value to the firm.
Job Description
Public relations specialists normally work a standard 40-hour week, but sometimes they need to rearrange their normal schedules to meet deadlines or prepare for major events. Occasionally they are required to be on the job or on call around the clock to respond to an emergency or crisis. Over 109,000 public relations specialists are employed in the United States, two-thirds of them in service industries. Public relations positions tend to be concentrated in large cities near press services and communications facilities. However, that centralization is changing with the increased popularity of new communications technologies such as the Internet and World Wide Web, which allow more freedom of movement. Many public relations consulting firms are located in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington DC.
Essential characteristics include creativity, initiative, good judgment and the ability to express thoughts clearly and simply - both in writing and in spoken statements. An outgoing personality, self-confidence, and enthusiasm are also recommended traits of public relations specialists.
Career Path
A college degree combined with public relations experience, usually gained through an internship, is considered excellent preparation for public relations. Many entry-level public relations specialists hold degrees with a major in advertising, marketing, public relations, or communications. New employees in larger organizations are likely to participate in formal training program; those who begin their careers at smaller firms typically work under the guidance of experienced staff members. Entry-level positions carry such titles as research assistant or account assistant. Potential career paths include promotion to account executive, account supervisor, vice president and eventually senior vice president.
The two key marketing functions of buying and selling are performed by trained specialists. Just as every organization is involved in selling its output to meet the needs of customers, so too must all companies make purchases of goods and services required to operate their businesses and turn out items for sale.
Modern technology has transformed the role of the purchasing agent. The transfer of routine tasks to the computer now allows contract specialists, or procurement officers, to focus on products, suppliers, and contract negotiations. The main function of this position is to purchase the goods, materials, supplies and services required by the organization. These agents ensure that suppliers deliver quality and quantity level that suit the firm's needs; they also secure these inputs at reasonable prices and make them available when needed.
Purchasing agents must develop good working relationships both with colleagues in their own organizations and with suppliers. As the popularity of outsourcing has increased, the selection and management of suppliers have become critical functions of the purchasing department. In the government sector, this role is dominated by strict laws, statutes and regulations that constantly change.
Job Description
Purchasing agents can expect a standard work week with some travel to suppliers' sites, seminars and trade shows. Over 600,000 people work in purchasing jobs in the United States, most of them in manufacturing and government.
Career Path
Organizations prefer college-educated candidates for entry-level jobs in purchasing. Strong analytical and communication skills are required for any purchasing position. Often, new hires into the field enroll in extensive company training programs to learn procedures and operations; training may include a production planning assignment. In private and public industries, professional certification is becoming an essential criterion for advancement. A variety of associations serving the different categories of purchasing confer certifications on agents, including Certified Purchasing Manager, Professional Public Buyer, Certified Public Purchasing Officer, Certified Associate Contract Manager and Certified Professional Contract Manager.
Buyers working for wholesalers and retail businesses purchase products for resale. Their goal is to find the best possible merchandise at the lowest price. They also influence the distribution and marketing of this merchandise. Successful buyers must understand what appeals to customers and what their establishments can sell. Bar codes on products and point-of-purchase terminals have allowed organizations to accurately track products that are selling and those that are not; buyers frequently analyze this data to improve their understanding of customer demand. Buyers also check competitors' prices and sales activities and watch general economic conditions to anticipate customer buying patterns.
Job Description
Approximately 361,000 people are currently employed in the United States as wholesale and retail buyers and merchandise managers. These jobs often require substantial travel, as many orders are placed on buying trips to shows and exhibitions. Effective planning and decision-making skills are strong assets in this career. In addition, the job involves anticipating consumer preferences and ensuring that the firm keeps needed products in stock, so it requires resourcefulness, good judgment, and self-confidence.
Career Path
Most wholesale and retail buyers begin their careers as assistant buyers or trainees. Larger stores seek college-educated candidates, and extensive training includes job experience in a variety of positions. Advancement often comes when buyers move to departments with larger volumes or become merchandise managers to coordinate or oversee the work of several buyers.
Market research analysts provide information that helps marketers to identify and define opportunities; they generate, refine and evaluate marketing actions and monitor marketing performance. Market research analysts devise methods and procedures for obtaining needed data. Once they compile data, analysts evaluate it and then make recommendations to management.
Job Description
Firms that specialize in market research and management consulting employ the majority of the nation's market research analysts. Positions are often concentrated in larger cities, such as New York, Washington DC and Chicago. Those who pursue careers in market research need to work accurately with detail, display patience and persistence, work effectively both independently and with others, operate objectively and systematically, and be effective oral and written communicators in presenting their results. Creativity and intellectual curiosity are essential for success in this field.
Career Path
A bachelor's degree with emphasis in marketing provides sufficient qualifications for many beginning jobs in market research. Because of the importance of quantitative skills, this education should include courses in calculus, linear algebra, statistics, sampling theory and survey design and computer science. Students should try to develop experience in conducting interviews or surveys while still in college. A master's degree in business administration or a related discipline is advised to improve opportunities for advancement.
Wall Street Journal Careers:
http://careers.wsj.comInternational Marketing Job Site:
http://www.job-sites.com/intl/injobs.htmAmerican Marketing Association:
http://www.ama.orgFrom Marketing: Best Practices, Dryden Press, 2000.
