This article is aimed at your small business marketers who dont own your own companies. Yet. You probably wont be with the same company forever. Few people are. As a new year begins, lets discuss some ways to improve yourself as a professional. In the past weve discussed Crucial Customers and Achievers. Time and again we refer to these two vital People elements. But there is a third and often overlooked group you must build into your people mix if you are to grow as a successful marketer: Mentors. Mentors are those people who can help you achieve the critical difference between the marketer you hope to become and the marketer you now are. Building a solid network of three or four mentors you can use--when needed--is yet one more critical component of marketing success. Choosing your mentor isnt merely looking for those people that are successful you can leach from. It has to be a two-way street. Youll often have something to give back to your mentors, as well. Just make sure you dont siphon away too much of their time. Sometimes even five valuable minutes of insight from an experienced mentor can save--or earn--your company thousands of dollars. Not all your mentors need to come from the same industry, or even the same demographics in terms of age, gender, years in business, etc. Usually they are older, but not always. For example, finding one smart young lawyer who can mentor you in some common-sense areas of business ethics is very valuable. Remember when you changed your first diaper? Back then somebody took the time to help you with one of the most elemental yet useful tasks of all. Maybe it took just five minutes, but if it saved a baby from crying and you from poking yourself with a pin or getting wet then you are very much well off and both you and the mentor benefited. It is critical to understand that success in marketing depends upon using available resources, not just throwing money at a product launch or a promotional campaign. Effective use of your Mentors will be of extreme value to you as you move your marketing forward. Remember: Brand (who you are) + Package (your Face to the Customer) + People (customers and employees) = Marketing Success. 2006 Marketing Hawks |
