How to Get Marketing Budget from Your Boss

In tough times, it is even tougher to secure your marketing budget because most companies see marketing as an expense rather than an investment.

It is easy for managers to slash marketing budgets when they do not understand how marketing affects the health of their organizations. Your job is to build an understanding of what value marketing brings to the organization and how marketing affects the health of the organization.

How do you do this? You need to understand what type of manager you have.

Types of Managers

1. The German Shepherd.
Intent on business, these managers are direct. They defend their territory and state opinion as fact. They are responsible for the pack but can be impatient, demanding and blunt.
Approach: Be brief, be brilliant, be gone. This type of manager likes to win. You have to present alternatives so that he or she can make the choice. That said, you can guide them by presenting the alternatives clearly and the potential value or gain for each. Visuals and graphs work well for presenting the numbers. Show vs. tell, then get out of the way.

2. The Jack Russell Terrier.
Ready for adventure, these managers are friendly, excitable and animated. Entertainment is the key. They do not focus on details. They are more interested in the friendly chatter than getting down to business.
Approach: Schedule time for chatting and let this manager speak. High energy and being upbeat, even when presenting challenges, is key. This type of manager also likes to be the center of attention so show how your marketing ideas will help achieve popularity and recognition.

3. The Basset Hound.
Mild mannered, these managers like safety and status quo. They appear calm and do not get easily excited. New ideas make these managers uncomfortable. They like to blend into the group rather than stand out.
Approach: Ask specific questions to establish this manager’s true needs, then provide support. For those who prefer to endure, stubbornly sticking to the path of least resistance is the natural choice. You must figure out how to change the path and gently coax along other followers. Make sure you listen carefully and ask specific questions.

4. Border Collie.
Sharp as tacks, these managers focus on the details. They ask questions, study the implications and analyze information to the point of perfection. They can be standoffish.
Approach: Provide the facts and plenty of background detail. Avoid personal issues and feeling intimidated. Be calm and measured in your response to questions. These types of managers need all the information before being able to make a decision.

Posted by Monique Trottier | Email to a Friend

Filed under: • Services • Underwire Newsletter • Online Marketing Tips
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CBC: Marketing During a Recession, The Upside of the Downsize

Monique Trottier and Jeremy Lim were guest for On the Coast yesterday with host Stephen Quinn.

Listen to Monique on CBC (MP3).

On the Coast was covering aspects of the recession this week and Jeremy and I were asked to speak about marketing practices during the recession. The introduction to the session mentioned that FedEx is offering free resume printing and Hyundai is willing to buy back cars that were purchase before a layoff, and a fellow in North Vancouver has opened up his aikido classes to the unemployed, who can attend for free.

A couple of examples I didn’t get to mention are below:

Kodak: Web and tv ads for their All in One Printer position this product as one that uses “fairly priced ink”. One of the tv taglines is “if you don’t have ink, you don’t really have a printer.”

Coca-Cola: Offering a 16 oz coke for 99 cents in the US. The food industry is using smaller packaging, volume and weight in order to drop prices but still make margin.

WebEx (online conference calling): Ran tv ads in the US with messaging on “spend less time travelling.” The ads were clearly aimed at cost cuts to travel budgets but the messaging focused on the positive, which is business travel can be a pain, it takes you away from your family, it can set you back in terms of the amount of work so why not relax, stay in the office and still get the face-to-face time.
Need tips for weathering the economic crisis? Check out the February Underwire newsletter.

And if you’re interested in further articles, here are a couple that the CBC producer Michelle Eliot and I were talking about in advance of the interview:

Forbes on the unemployed and marketing opportunities.
BrandWeek on marketing to the unemployed.
Web-Strategist on social media marketing being up during a recession.

Listen to Monique on CBC.

Posted by Monique Trottier | Email to a Friend

Filed under: • Services • Guest Speaking • Underwire Newsletter
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