Climbing the ladder of success and being at the top of the management hierarchy is the dream of every professional. If you are also a working professional, don’t you aspire to be one of the top managers one day? Don’t you want to be on the other side of the table, in charge, leading from the top and setting an example for many to follow? It is definitely not easy; getting there requires immaculate efforts and, of course, the necessary skills.
One of those most vital skills is marketing. Doesn’t sound very common when it comes to senior management roles, does it? But yes, it is a highly valued skill by today’s employers in all organizations. It is, in fact, one of the core competencies of a strong senior manager. We at Times TSW will help you explore why and how marketing skills form an inevitable trait for senior management roles, in this article below.
Marketing skills form the core of top management responsibilities
If you thought that marketing is a task restricted to the creative marketing department of your organization, it’s time to rethink. Competition in the corporate world has brought marketing skills right into the lap of every employee. And, once you start working to increase them, you’ll soon be on the road to success.
This is because managers need to know how to promote their specific product/idea in the market in the midst of fierce competition. To do this, they need to polish some of the basic marketing skills such as:
effective communication
Communication is the soul of a team leader/manager. That is common knowledge. But it should not be restricted only to interpersonal or internal communication. Marketing is a type of professional communication that occurs between organizations (B2B), as well as with potential and existing customers (B2C). If you know exactly how to market your service idea outside the four walls of your company, you’d be doing yourself and your company a world of good.
Out-of-the-box approaches
What is the most impressive quality of a senior manager? Your ability to think outside the box for the most trivial or critical problems that arise; to offer creative solutions when needed. Marketing skills require you to develop analytical thinking towards project goals and requirements and come up with innovative ways to achieve them, both for your team and clients.
Keep up with technology
Technological changes have been seen in all phases of today’s job functions. It can be part of any domain in your organization, whether it’s IT, marketing, finance, human resources or any other, you need to adapt to rapid change all the time to outperform the competition.
Also, you need to be aware of the signs all the time. For example, check if the traditional means of advertising the project idea do not achieve the desired results. See if digital marketing is the new trend in the market that can get your message across more effectively? Calculate and work on your marketing strategies according to changing technologies.
effective collaboration
Marketing competencies also involve effective coordination with other departments in the organization while working on your product. This may require sitting down with the design team to prepare your product design/logo for promotion, or spending time with the research team to analyze consumer survey data.
Since all of these activities are part of marketing, it’s a good idea to have a working knowledge of all of these essential skills to qualify for senior management positions.
How can executive education help?
Marketing is the backbone of any business today. Your product literally has no value until it is effectively promoted in the marketplace. And this is exactly why every department needs to possess marketing skills to stay ahead and beat the competition.
To help ambitious 21st century professionals hone their marketing skills and make their way to senior management positions, the prestigious IIM Kozhikode has launched its Executive Post Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management (EPGCMM) programme. The one-year interactive learning course aims to provide specialized marketing management training to executives, helping them grow into senior management positions in their respective organizations. The Executive Post Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management (EPGCMM) program can be attended at any of the Times TSW centers in India, and sessions are delivered live via a technology platform by none other than IIM Kozhikode senior faculty. So come join the EPGCMM program to increase your marketing skills and rise as the best in the field.
