Self promotion

We've all heard it said that the cobbler's children have no shoes. This age-old aphorism, which implies people generally use their skills in the service of others and neglect themselves, can be applied to marketers too. We will work overtime to analyse the market and craft strategies for our brands, but our personal development is disregarded and our CVs end up a series of tactical expediencies instead of the most important plans of our working lives.

Start with the fundamentals: what market are you in? If you said, "the marketing manager market" or anything similar, think again. Marketing managers (or whatever variant of the term you choose) are products; things companies would rather not pay for, but do so to meet a need. Just like the salesman's adage that people don't buy drills, they buy holes, companies see marketers as a means to an end. By thinking "the marketing manager market", you're being product-orientated when you should be market-orientated. The market you're probably in is that for marketing expertise or knowledge. Or, to be more precise, "the market for marketing knowledge relating to healthcare systems".

For the sake of clarity, let's say that you're in the medical marketing knowledge market. That little change of perspective is the foundation stone for your personal strategic marketing plan.

If you're in the market for medical marketing knowledge, then you will know it is a crowded place. Globally there are millions of people who claim to be pharmaceutical marketing experts and, because it is a broad, intangible and ill-defined market, it is extremely hard to stand out from the crowd. This is made all the more difficult by the simple truth that not every potential employer wants the same thing; the market is segmented. Once again, it helps to apply the basics of marketing theory and use the three-step route to market differentiation: segment, target, position.

 Table 1

Segmenting
Your first step is to understand this market segmentation. At the outset, it seems a simple task. Employers need marketing VPs, marketing assistants and all jobs in between, but this is an overly simplistic view. First, it's reverting to a product orientation. Second, it's purely vertical segmentation, because each job is a progression on the one below. Third, it doesn't allow for horizontal or contextual segmentation; two jobs at the same level can demand different types of marketing knowledge. The best way to segment the market is to remember that the segments have to be homogenous (everyone in that segment wants to buy the same thing) and distinct (different segments can't easily interchange products). For example, you might allow for both level of job and the nature of the knowledge needed, in terms of expertise type, geography and sub-market type. That would give a complex, but extremely useful, segmentation map that includes segments such as "mid-level product-launchers in Europe" or "high-level, operationally focused, end-of-life-cycle managers in developing markets". This may sound too detailed, but in a crowded market, where CVs are strictly filtered long before your future boss even hears of you, this segmentation gives you the edge.

A good, insightful, segmentation map could reveal dozens of market segments. Many, perhaps most, of them will not be worth considering because you don't find them attractive or because they are unattainable within the next decade. Leaving aside the issue of very long-term planning, let's focus on the short and medium term, say 5-10 years.

Once you've ruled out the obvious non-starters, you are likely to have three-to-six target segments worth considering and in each, a handful of jobs. Many people, especially if they are out of work or unhappy in their present job, throw themselves into chasing every one, but this is a mistake. At best, it means you spread your application and interview preparation efforts too thin. At worst, recruitment agencies and employers don't take you seriously when you claim to be perfect for two jobs each requiring radically different capabilities. A better approach is to portfolio manage your targeting, like the best strategic marketers do with market opportunities.
 

Fig 1: Targeting grid

Targeting
Portfolio targeting means judging each of the possible target segments against two criteria: how good a fit am I for this sort of job and how much do I want this sort of job? Each question involves considering multiple factors. The "fit" question is mostly about your experience and qualifications, but also about your temperament. For example, some jobs need independent self-starters, but such people can fail badly in other jobs. The "want" question isn't just about money and status either. It may also be about work-life balance, location and learning opportunities. When you've considered all these things, you should be able to make an objective judgement of each target segment in terms of fit and want (table 1), which in turn allows you to construct a targeting grid (figure 1).

Figure 1 is a simplified version of the strategic management tool called the directional policy matrix. As the name suggests, it gives the general direction of your career strategy, telling you how much, and what kind of, effort to put into getting a job in each segment. In the figure, segment B is both attractive and a good fit. This is where the bulk of the effort should go. Segment C is more attractive, but chasing this would be unlikely to get a result. It should be your target for the next job but one. Segment A, which you can do easily but doesn't really appeal, may well be your current job. This is the one into which you put just enough effort to keep it or take as a short-term measure. Segment D, which includes jobs you stand little chance of getting and you don't really want, should be avoided. You can help position yourself to recruiters by using such jobs as examples of what you don't want. Practice is more difficult than theory, of course, but the general idea of focusing effort according to both fit and attractiveness is as important for career planning as it is for product portfolios.

Now you have a clear idea of what sort of role you're looking for both in the next job and the one after that. You also have a good picture of the sort of job on which you shouldn't waste your time.

Positioning
The final stage of the strategic marketing plan for "You Inc" is positioning yourself to win the jobs you want. This has two stages, the short, and the long term.

In the short term, you need to match yourself to the immediate target segment (B). With this segment firmly in mind, you prepare your CV, your pitch to interviewers and you plan where to look for unadvertised jobs. This is made all the easier because your target segment is one that you fit. If you find yourself having to bend your CV, revisit your targeting, which may be wrong.

In the long term, it's a different story. By definition, you're not ready for this job (C) yet. But now is the time to get experience or more qualifications so that, when the time is right, that next job is both highly attractive and a good fit with your capabilities. In effect, segment C moves to where segment B was. As you repeat the segmentation, targeting and positioning with each career move, you build that clear progression of responsibility and achievement that, one day, results in the call to the top job, either within or outside your present company.

Reality is, of course, messier and more prone to luck than your plans can cover. However, the principle remains true. The steps to the top are the same, whether for a brand or a brand manager. Define the market, segment, target, position then reiterate. That's what you do for your boss and shareholders; why not do it for yourself?

The Author
Dr Brian D Smith is a visiting research fellow at the Open University Business School and runs Pragmedic.com, a specialised strategy consultancy.

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