The Marketing Career Path | Advice for the Marketing Professional #3

In this Marketer Musings segment, the following mashup presents marketing leaders sharing advice that they wish they had known as a younger marketer, as well as advice they would give to current marketing executives in executive, CMO, or VP roles similar to their own. 

Read Part 1 and Part 2.

#1 - Learn every day | Liz Brown, SVP of Marketing & Communications at Little League International

Almost every day at work you should be learning something new or learning from someone. It could be good or bad, but you're always learning. You have to have that mindset and surround yourself with people who are going to teach you in some way. 

#2 - Ask questions | Linda Bethea, Head of Marketing at Danone

Be curious - particularly when you're starting out at a new company, a new field, a new industry. Ask as many questions as possible. Keep learning throughout your career. You're never going to know it all, but the more questions you ask, the more you will know. 

#3 - Your uniqueness is valuable | Erin Levzow, VP of Marketing Technologyat Del Taco Restaurants Inc.

I wish someone sat me down and said that my passion was amazing and to cultivate it and to cultivate my way of thinking and that I'm unique. What you bring to the table makes you unique. 

Another great piece of advice that I got as a female in an executive role is: do not change anything that you are doing [even if people call you names]. You are a strong, determined woman and that scares them. Getting that advice really has helped me to this day. It reminds me that someone else's perception of me is not always reality, and it doesn't mean that I always have to change who I am. 

#4 - Revisit potentially outdated work models | Tim Minahan, EVP Strategy + Chief Marketing Officer at Citrix

Work can happen anywhere. [I think about] how many opportunities I passed up because I wasn’t going to move halfway across the country…or, as a leader, how many employees who have incredibly skilled talent that you need to move your business forward that you didn't hire because they weren't within commuting distance. If there's one iota of a silver lining to this crisis we've all been living through, it's certainly rapidly accelerated digital transformation and it's caused businesses and employees to kind of rethink outdated work models.

#5 - Mentorship is huge | Lindsay Listanski, National VP, Field Marketing at Coldwell Banker

I'm a huge believer in mentorship. I can attribute at least 50% of my success to my mentors. I feel like I got really lucky with aligning myself with people who were very generous in their advice, but they were also people who could give me tough love and be really open and honest with my strengths and shortcomings. I feel like I had those mentors who are really good at that on the spot feedback. People who are just breaking into a new company should really find great mentors within their company, but also outside of their company as well.

#6 - Like what you do | Brian Miesieski, CMO + Head of Marketing & Innovation at SweetWater Brewing Company

Make sure you're forcing yourself to get into an industry that you really want to go home at the end of the day and say “wow, I love what I do.” If this is still interesting to you as a person, you'll put more energy into it. You'll be more creative with it, you'll have more fun with it. At the end of the day, your work life and your personal life will blend together a bit more. 

#7 - Look for people who are the right fit | Natanel Bigger, Founder + CEO at MONPURE

The right people around you are what matters for the success of the business. 

The culture at work, the people that you have around yourself…you inspire them as much as they inspire you. Spend enough time on finding the right people, and also don't hesitate to make decisions if they don't fit the work culture. You need to maintain the work culture that you want for your business where people feel comfortable.

#8 - Hire passionate people | Kyra Hagan, VP of Marketing at RxBenefits

I look for people who have the right attitude and aptitude and heart, who really buy into the mission of the company and are working for more than driving revenue or driving clicks. [I liked a team] who really takes [the mission] to heart [and are in it for the greater good]. [That mindset] fuels a level of passion, creativity, and a work ethic that is sort of unparalleled.

#9 - Take chances | Abby Lee, SVP of Marketing + Communication at RE/MAX

If you don't swing the bat, you're never going to hit a home run. It's okay to strike out, but keep swinging that bat because you're going to get a home run at some point. As a young person, you're scared to take risks and to bring up ideas that your boss hasn't thought of, but you think are really good ideas. Bring that to the table. If you don't swing the bat and take that chance, you're gonna be turned down and you're gonna fail, but you're gonna hit those home runs that just make all the difference in the world for both yourself personally and professionally but also for the company long term. 

#10 - Ask “why” | Tal Cohen, Chief Marketing Officer at Stratasys

Life and people taught me how to always ask questions and never take anything for granted. Marketers should always ask “why” - if presented with facts or data, ask why does it look that way? What can I learn from it? [Use] the five W's, but especially start with [why]. 

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The marketing career path is full of endless possibilities, and Setup can guide you throughout it. Regardless of the path you choose to take, know that there is no set path, that marketing is a vast industry, and that the background of many marketers is all over the place. 

Hear about the varying journeys marketing executives have taken in our CMO Spotlight series. 

For more information on the marketing career path, check out these resources. 

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