How I Made it in Marketing

 “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer,” Flint McGlaughlin taught in Landing Page Creation and Optimization: 6 key questions to prepare the marketer (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/landing-page-creation-and-optimization/). My latest guest made a hugely transformative change, rebranding her company from General Electric. Imagine having to rebrand from one of the most legendary brands of all time – Thomas Edison, Menlo Park, the light bulb, the Carousel of Progress at Tomorrowland, “We Bring Good Things to Life,” and on and on.So I had to ask her – what did you have to transform in yourself to make this major marketing transformation possible?Hear that story, and so much more, in my discussion with Meghan Gainer, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, DSD Renewables (https://dsdrenewables.com/).DSD was formerly known as GE Solar and is now owned by BlackRock Real Assets. Gainer has managed budgets from $1 million to $10 million and teams from three to 15 people.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingPut stock in your own brandWhen no one is raising their hand for something that can make an impact, raise your handCustomer experience and feedback are vital to successYour company is not your advocate, you need to advocate for yourselfAppreciate your employees – let them challenge themselves, provide feedback and grow…even if it means you’re going to lose them.When you find people you work well with, stick together and you’ll always enjoy what you do.Related content mentioned in this episode Customer-First Marketing: The customer is always right … but not always right for your company (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/b2c-marketing-2/customer-is-always-right-but-not-always/) The Indefensible Blog Post: Forget Charlie Sheen, here are 5 marketing lessons from marketers (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/marketing-lessons-peers/) Data Poetry in Marketing, PR & Corporate Communications (Podcast Episode #17) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/data-poetry)14 Strategies for Hiring and Retaining Marketing Professionals (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/marketing-hiring)About this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages free digital marketing course (https://meclabs.com/course/).Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newslettersApply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

“Beware of going wide with your marketing before going deep with your thinking,” Flint McGlauglin taught  in What is the most important question to ask before creating a high-converting landing page? (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/high-converting-landing-page/)This episode's guest told our host a story about launching an ecommerce store that was the perfect illustration of Flint’s teaching. He put it this way – “Get scalable fulfillment in place before you generate demand.” In other words, go deep before you go wide.That's just one of the lesson-filled stories you’ll hear in this episode from Chad Brown, CMO, JC Hospitality – owner/property manager of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (https://virginhotelslv.com/).The hotel is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton and has a Mohegan Sun Casino. JC Hospitality is a joint venture between Bosworth Hospitality Partners LLC & Juniper Capital Partners. Brown manages a marketing budget of about $7 million dollars with 10 direct reports & 5 agencies.Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketingSome lessons from Brown that emerged in our discussion:Understand the “why” behind any current program, process, or structure before you make significant changesGet scalable fulfillment in place before you generate demandAllow for customization while maintaining brand standards & servicesHave a Gumby attitude during launchMarketing decisions have a ripple effect on the entire organizationBe self-aware of how others perceive you, or more importantly, your delivery of information. A positive attitude can be viral in any settingRelated content mentioned in this episode Customer-First Marketing: A conversation with Wharton, MarketingSherpa, and MECLABS Institute (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/consumer-marketing/wharton-interview-customer-first-marketing/) Scaling to a $15 million company in 18 months by transparently serving an ideal customer (and saying “no” to other business) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/scaling-podcast) What is the most important question to ask before creating a high-converting landing page? (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/high-converting-landing-page/) World-Class Consumer & Retail Brands: What right do we have as a brand to be in that business? (https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/consumer-retail-brands)Not Enough Lobster In The Ocean: Trusting their gut leads to 90,000% revenue growth at Mint Mobile (Podcast Episode #11) (https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/revenue-growth-podcast) About this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages free digital marketing course (https://meclabs.com/course/).Get moApply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

“People don't buy from websites; people buy from people.”That quote is from Flint McGlaughlin in Website Wireframes: 8 psychological elements that impact marketing conversion rates (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/website-wireframes/).And it’s true of your advertising and marketing as well. Which is what stuck out to me in the podcast guest application from our latest guest. He said, “if you don’t like it, nobody else will.” I hear that as bringing humanity to your marketing, and not taking a “we’ll fool them” approach to your brand’s relationship with its customers. I hear it as, “If you don’t put some element of yourself in your work, nobody else will really engage with it on a human level.”It got me thinking – musicians, novelists, comedians, and other artists pour themselves into their work. Why shouldn’t marketing and advertising creatives?That is just one of the insights our guest latest guest sparked in me. Listen now and see what ideas he will spark in you. Carlo Cavallone is the Global Chief Creative Officer and Partner at 72andSunny (https://www.72andsunny.com/), an agency owned by Stagwell. As part of the agency’s leadership team, Cavallone helps manage the agency’s global team of 400 employees.Some lessons from Cavallone that emerged from our discussion:Never, ever, ever go on a shoot without a fully approved concept.“Better is temporary.”If your client is not as ambitious as you are, you’re not going to do anything great.Does it all make sense?If you don’t like it, nobody else will. Finish what you started. If it’s not great, it’s probably bad.Related content mentioned in this episode Not Enough Lobster In The Ocean: Trusting their gut leads to 90,000% revenue growth at Mint Mobile (https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/revenue-growth-podcast)99 Problem Ideas: “Harvey Gabor (art director on Coke’s iconic campaign) burned my ad concept with a lighter” (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/99-problem-ideas-harvey-gabor-art-director-on-coke-s-iconic-campaign-burned-my-ad-concept-with-a-lighter)Transparent Marketing: Do your campaigns sound like North Korean propaganda? (https://marketingexperiments.com/e-commerce-marketing/transparent-marketing-campaigns)About this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages free digital marketing course (https://meclabs.com/course/).Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersApply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

“Remember the prospect is a person. Do not talk AT them; talk TO them.” This quote comes from Flint McGlaughlin in Above-the-Fold Psychology: How to optimize the top 4 inches of your webpage (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/above-the-fold-psychology/). And it exemplified the conversation with our latest guest, who literally went into people’s homes and looked in their closets to better understand and communicate to her brand’s customers. Lindsey Lindemulder is the Brand Marketing Director for Merrell (https://www.merrell.com/US/en/home), where she manages a team of five. The hiking footwear and outdoor gear company is a wholly owned subsidiary of shoe industry giant Wolverine World Wide. Some lessons from Lindemulder that emerged from our discussion:“There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.”Strong customer insights are the foundation of great creative.Look in people’s closets.Mindfulness at work is essential.Woman can and should be in leadership positions. Work hard, do cool shit, and be humble. Related content mentioned in this episode Corporate Creativity: Managing your marketing team (and career) to balance innovation and execution (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/corporate-creativity-jeff-stibel-lisa-nirell/)Not Enough Lobster In The Ocean: Trusting their gut leads to 90,000% revenue growth at Mint Mobile (Podcast Episode #11) (https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/revenue-growth-podcast)The Hidden Side of Email Marketing: The once-and-done option, A/B testing and a supersmart kind of dumb (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/consumer-marketing/challenge-marketing-status-quo/)About this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages free digital marketing course (https://meclabs.com/course/).Join us for our next interactive session from the course on Wednesday, June 1st, 2022 – How to Craft Your Value Proposition: A live, working session with Flint McGlaughlin (https://meclabs.com/course/how-to-craft-your-value-proposition/).Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersApply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

“Trust yourself.” That is a key lesson shared by our latest guest, an academic leader. And really, that is the goal of education, right? To build your capacity, so you can trust yourself to effectively execute. We also believe in the importance of capacity building for entrepreneurs and marketing professionals. For example, we provide free marketing thought tools (https://meclabs.com/course/tools/) – simplified frameworks to help spark your next great marketing campaign. We call them “thought tools” because they help spark your ideas and insights, so you can trust yourself instead of trusting some tools’ secret AI to magically provide the answer. “Trust yourself” is just one of the lessons shared by Michael Diamond (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldiamond/), Academic Director and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Integrated Marketing and Communications Department (https://www.sps.nyu.edu/homepage/academics/divisions-and-departments/division-of-programs-in-business/integrated-marketing.html), New York University School of Professional Studies, in our latest podcast episode. Diamond supports over 1,000 graduate students and more than 200 faculty members at NYU.Some lessons from Diamond that emerged from our discussion:Build capabilities that endure, and not just quick fixes to near-term problems.Tackle problems with integrity, self-reflection, and some humor.Trust yourself and your instincts, especially when you feel passionate about something.Speak truth to power. Trust yourself.“We hired you because you are smart, you have our support, and we expect you can figure it out.” “It’s not just the how and what of marketing and PR, but often ‘who’ is in the room.”Related content mentioned in this episodeThe MarketingExperiments Quarterly Research Journal (https://marketingexperiments.com/journals/1st%20Quarter%20(2011)%20-%20MEx%20Research%20Journal.pdf)Executive Master's in Marketing and Strategic Communications (https://www.sps.nyu.edu/homepage/academics/masters-degrees/executive-masters-in-marketing-and-strategic-communications.html)Value Proposition Workshop (https://meclabs.com/services/value-proposition)Franchising and Marketing: In a world of chicken dinners, be a lobster dinner (Podcast Episode #14) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/franchising-and-marketing)Not Enough Lobster In The Ocean: Trusting their gut leads to 90,000% revenue growth at Mint Mobile (Podcast Episode #11) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/revenue-growth-podcast) Marketing Wisdom: In the end, it’s all about… (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/social-networking-evangelism-community/marketing-wisdom-last-post/)Get more episodesApply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

When managing a marketing team, success is not necessarily a straight line. No instant inputs and outputs. After all, your team isn’t just filled with employees, it’s filled with human beings.Complex, fallible, emotional, confusing, questioning human beings. All of us, together, experiencing the human condition while trying to be productive, together, working in an organization.I say this because, if you’re not careful you might just fast forward to ramming your way through to the goal. The real challenge is to coax fellow humans along to that goal. Enabling them. Preparing them.In our free digital marketing course, we describe it this way – Website Strategies: 4 ways to prepare your marketing team to increase conversion rates (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/website-strategies/). Not just, how to get higher conversion rates. No. Ways to prepare your team. And our latest guest manages with the same philosophy. “Pre-sell key ideas internally,” she says. “Build strong CFO relationships,” she says. Don’t just charge ahead with gusto. Lay the groundwork for success.Those are just some of the lessons Jeanne Hopkins, Chief Revenue Officer, OneScreen.ai (https://www.onescreen.ai/), shared with Daniel Burstein in our latest podcast episode. Hopkins was the Chief Marketing Officer of MarketingSherpa (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/) and sister publication MarketingExperiments (https://marketingexperiments.com/) before this podcast's host even started here, and he's  been here 13 years. She’s had 11 C-level or VP-level marketing roles in her career. And today Hopkins leads a team of 19 (with three more hires slated for this quarter) and manages a $6.2 million budget. In other words, she has a wealth of experience that I thought you could learn a lot from. Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingSome lessons from Hopkins that emerged in this discussion:Build strong CFO relationships.Pre-sell key ideas internally.Allow your team to shine.Loyalty first. Hire in batches.Remember your interns.Related content mentioned in this episodeThe Long-Term-Growth Product Launch: Cuisinart has been selling the same food processor since the ‘70s (Podcast Episode #13) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/long-term-growth-business)Table Fries (Hopkins’ podcast) (https://tablefries.com/)How to Sell Your Marketing and Advertising Ideas to Your Boss and Clients (with free template) (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/how-to-sell-to-your-boss/)Customer Loyalty Chart: Just how big of an effect does customer satisfaction have on loyalty? (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/loyalty-effect-customer-satisfaction)Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersAbout this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is abouApply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

“Replace the claim with the reason” – that lesson comes courtesy of Website Wireframes: See real webpages optimized for marketing conversion (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/website-wireframes-application-session/). It’s far easier to make empty claims than provide true reasons for customers to buy. Especially if you’re a copywriter, designer, or junior-level brand marketer who doesn’t know a compelling reason the customer should buy.But customers are far more likely to act if you provide them compelling reasons instead of empty claims.So, our latest podcast discussion did my heart some good, as Derek Detenber, Chief Marketing & Merchandising Officer, Batteries Plus (https://www.batteriesplus.com/), discussed specific stories of how he helped shape brand positioning and define the purpose of a business – leadership that can help the marketing team and supporting agencies clearly communicate a reason for customers to buy.You can listen using the embedded player below or click through to your preferred audio streaming service.   First, a little background… Batteries Plus is a consumer electronic retailer with more than 700 locations.Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketingSome lessons from Detenber that emerged in our discussion:A quality product isn’t enough, you need to craft experiences.Understand the economics of the business.Don’t just focus on your direct competitors. Sweat the details. Be strategically consistent and tactically agileUnderstand the purpose of the business.Leadership requires talent and passion.Related content mentioned in this episodeMarketing Budget Charts: B2B customer experience investments (plus 4 budgeting tips) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/marketing-budget-charts-b2b-customer-experience-investments)Market Competition 101: The 3 types of competitors to keep an eye on (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/competition-types-to-watch/)My Five Greatest Mistakes as A Leader: 30 years of painful data (that might help you) (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/leadership/5-leadership-mistakes/)Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersAbout this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages free digital marketing course (https://meclabs.com/course/).Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

When our latest guest told me the story of how she learned, “exclamation points are for lazy people,” it reminded me of “foster conclusions with specific, quantifiable facts” ...a lesson from Above-the-Fold Energy: How to engage the prospect’s mind with a carefully crafted opening (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/above-the-fold-energy/). Take a look at your headlines, sub-headlines, opening paragraphs and other writing you use to communicate about your business. Are you trying to force potential customers to believe it with (literal or figurative) exclamation points? Or are you helping foster conclusions by presenting information?That is an opportunity for marketing optimization Nicole Salla sparked in me during our discussion. Listen now to discover what ideas the Chief Marketing Officer of Kiddie Academy (https://kiddieacademy.com/) will spark in you.But first, a little background… Kiddie Academy has 300 locations in 33 states and DC, with 30 new locations opening this year,  and Salla manages a marketing team of 20, plus agency partners.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingSome lessons from Salla that emerged in our discussion:Nothing is created alone. Make others part of the discussion.To be successful in marketing, it is critical to be a skilled salesperson.LISTEN (with your ears, your eyes, and your gut).Exclamation points are for lazy people. In a world of chicken dinners, be a lobster dinner.When there is a philosopher in the room, you need to diffuse “idea grenades.” Related content mentioned in this episodeMarketing Career: How to become an indispensable asset to your company (even in a bad economy) (https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/marketing-career)99 Problem Ideas: “Harvey Gabor (art director on Coke’s iconic campaign) burned my ad concept with a lighter” (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/99-problem-ideas-harvey-gabor-art-director-on-coke-s-iconic-campaign-burned-my-ad-concept-with-a-lighter)Headline Formulas: A step-by-step process for radically transforming your copywriting (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/headline-formulas/)Search the MarketingSherpa Library (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/library) – 8,788 articles, videos, and podcasts (including 1,726 case studies)Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersAbout this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages free digital marketing course (https://meclabs.com/course/)Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Before you optimize your marketing, you must optimize yourself. Which is why we have offered free digital marketing course sessions like The Marketer’s Self Image: Three distorted concepts that are robbing your conversion results (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/the-marketers-self-image/). This approach to self-optimization was top-of-mind as we heard lessons from our latest guest. Lessons like “you must remain wet clay” and “find intellectual inspiration.”Listen now to hear Mary Rodgers, Head of Marketing Communications, Cuisinart (https://www.cuisinart.com/), discuss the importance of a long-term approach to product and marketing strategy, along with the need to stay flexible and fresh in your approach to your brand and its customers (hence the need for self-optimization).Rodgers manages a $30 million annual budget with a staff of 20 marketing professionals. In her 26 years leading the brand’s marketing, she has helped position Cuisinart as the #1 high-end housewares brand in a highly competitive industry. The brand holds the first market share position in 13 of 15 product categories, according to NPD syndicated research.Some lessons from Rodgers that emerged in our discussion:A never-give-up attitude, resourcefulness, and tenacity are some of the personal characteristics that serve you well no matter what field you are practicing inAlways focus on the needs of consumersLook for long-term growthYou must remain wet clayFind intellectual inspirationGet education through mentorshipRelated content mentioned in this episodeCustomer-First Marketing: The customer is always right … but not always right for your company (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/b2c-marketing-2/customer-is-always-right-but-not-always/)Client Pitch Call from the Maternity Ward: “That sound? Oh, you know, the sounds of Brooklyn” – Podcast Episode #8 (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/client-pitch-call)Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersAbout this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages free digital marketing course (https://meclabs.com/course/).Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

You don’t just start with an amazing website. Or product. Or marketing campaign. As discussed in Session #9 of MECABS free digital marketing course – Website Strategies: 4 ways to prepare your marketing team to increase conversion rates (https://meclabs.com/course/lessons/website-strategies/)– you start by preparing your team.Listen now to hear Jonathan Murrell, Co-Founder & CMO, The Escape Game (https://theescapegame.com/), discuss how his company decided on a strategy of long-term quality, prepared the team to executive on this strategy by hiring smart people and empowering them, and many more lesson-filled stories.The Escape Game has 23 locations across the United States and has served 3.8 million guests so far.Some lessons from Murrell that emerged in his discussion with Daniel Burstein:Quality is critical to the long termHire smart people and empower themLearn how to pivot your value propositionThink big and fastDetails matterAll creative processes start as ugly babiesRelated content mentioned in this episodeLanding Page Optimization: Goodbye stock photos and Happy Man, hello social media (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/website-and-landing-page-design/lpo-photo-social-media/)Why You Should Consider Customer Service to be 1-to-1 Marketing (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/customer-service-one-to-one/)Email Marketing: Why don’t you want to hear from your customers? (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/email-marketing/no-reply-email-marketing-mistake/)99 Problem Ideas: “Harvey Gabor (art director on Coke’s iconic campaign) burned my ad concept with a lighter” – Podcast Episode #11 (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/99-problem-ideas-harvey-gabor-art-director-on-coke-s-iconic-campaign-burned-my-ad-concept-with-a-lighter)Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersAbout this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages free digital marketing course (https://meclabs.com/course/).Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application