Marketers also have strong internal competition. Operations, sales and finance compete well for the attention of the business - their careers are built on people skills, they are skilled in internal politics, and use measurements and IT facilities to demonstrate the effectiveness of what they do. A critical implication is that the organisation needs to identify the skills it requires from marketing people and ensure that staff have the opportunity to develop them. A recent CIM survey revealed that only 41% of marketers are satisfied with the recognition they receive.
THE MARKETERS FACING INTERNAL COMPETITION
HR directors feel that marketing teams could assert their role in a more effective manner and be clearer about what they are trying to achieve. According to Synesis, marketing managers are seen to be stronger at creative and analytical stuff than at people and influencing skills. Only 26% of directors felt that marketing teams engage the rest of the business in their plans, and many felt that they could do this better. Seventy-eight per cent of marketers rated themselves as good or excellent at working cross-functionally, whereas only 23% of their colleagues thought the same. Primary complaints were that marketing teams were not good enough at analysis or measurement (18%) and did not communicate with the rest of the business when developing or launching their plans (23%).