After a few months in the world advertising as someone working in marketing, I began to see some of the subtleties which need to be utilized in today's market place. Even though I have far more experience than I had had previously, I still have yet to scratch the surface of what it truly means to be deeply involved in marketing for years. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to speak to someone who spent years in the marketing game. Frank Simrell Sr, a former marketing associate for the Kingston Armory's sales team, was kind enough to share some of his tips, tricks, and experiences with me in hopes that I could see career success as well.
After welcoming Mr. Simrell to our meeting and exchanging pleasantries, he was not shy about starting up our little interview. The first question I had pertained to the changes he faced over the years as a marketer.
Mr. Simrell: The marketing industry has seen uncountable changes over the course of the last thirty years. The biggest changes we have seen are in technology. We can track people, demographics, and buying patterns like never before, which allows us to assure that we are marketing to the correct target. When I first entered the industry, we could take educated guesses and do the best we could, but now we can nearly certain that a particular campaign is successfully hitting the target audience.
JD: What advice do you have for somebody who wants begin a career in marketing?
Mr. Simrell: Learn to write. Everybody knows that intuition, along with a knowledge of numbers, and now a familiarity with things like Google Analytics there are a lot of components to being successful in the world of marketing. One thing that people overlook constantly is an ability to write. A marketing plan is perhaps the biggest factor on the road to success. If you can write, you can construct a pitch with the potential to change the sales game for your company.
JD: Was there a certain skill or skill-set that you feel set you apart from others competing for the same job or even the same clients?
Mr. Simrell: Absolutely. Everybody loves to believe that experience makes all the difference in the world, and there is no doubt that many companies hire on this basis. I don't mean to say that experience is not important, because it is certainly something which cannot be replaced. I had minimal experience when I got into marketing, but I feel what set me apart was my ability to interact with people. I don't just mean being sociable, but rather to interact and connect with people on a personal level. People love to work with and for people who they can interact with and not have to think twice about what they were going to say. I can't tell you how far my ability to talk to people as a friend and not a business partner took me in my career.
JD: At any point in your career, did you ever question that what you were doing was, say, less than ethical?
Mr. Simrell: Sure I did. When I first decided to study marketing I saw it as a form of manipulation, but then I realized that ti is just American business. Our job as marketers is to provide the proper people with the products they seek. Essentially, my job was to make sure everyone had what they needed and not only can I live with that, I love what I spent my working life doing! Keep at it. It's only a moral question if you allow it to be.
After speaking with Mr. Simrell for an hour, I obtained countless other useful pieces of information, but I felt these were some of the most important for anybody with any questions about marketing. Even though I've learned quite a bit, the interview only left me with more questions. Fortunately for me, Mr. Simrell told me he would love to help anybody with interest and to stay in touch! As I learn more from him, I'll be sure to share anyone else who wants to know.
After welcoming Mr. Simrell to our meeting and exchanging pleasantries, he was not shy about starting up our little interview. The first question I had pertained to the changes he faced over the years as a marketer.
Mr. Simrell: The marketing industry has seen uncountable changes over the course of the last thirty years. The biggest changes we have seen are in technology. We can track people, demographics, and buying patterns like never before, which allows us to assure that we are marketing to the correct target. When I first entered the industry, we could take educated guesses and do the best we could, but now we can nearly certain that a particular campaign is successfully hitting the target audience.
JD: What advice do you have for somebody who wants begin a career in marketing?
Mr. Simrell: Learn to write. Everybody knows that intuition, along with a knowledge of numbers, and now a familiarity with things like Google Analytics there are a lot of components to being successful in the world of marketing. One thing that people overlook constantly is an ability to write. A marketing plan is perhaps the biggest factor on the road to success. If you can write, you can construct a pitch with the potential to change the sales game for your company.
JD: Was there a certain skill or skill-set that you feel set you apart from others competing for the same job or even the same clients?
Mr. Simrell: Absolutely. Everybody loves to believe that experience makes all the difference in the world, and there is no doubt that many companies hire on this basis. I don't mean to say that experience is not important, because it is certainly something which cannot be replaced. I had minimal experience when I got into marketing, but I feel what set me apart was my ability to interact with people. I don't just mean being sociable, but rather to interact and connect with people on a personal level. People love to work with and for people who they can interact with and not have to think twice about what they were going to say. I can't tell you how far my ability to talk to people as a friend and not a business partner took me in my career.
JD: At any point in your career, did you ever question that what you were doing was, say, less than ethical?
Mr. Simrell: Sure I did. When I first decided to study marketing I saw it as a form of manipulation, but then I realized that ti is just American business. Our job as marketers is to provide the proper people with the products they seek. Essentially, my job was to make sure everyone had what they needed and not only can I live with that, I love what I spent my working life doing! Keep at it. It's only a moral question if you allow it to be.
After speaking with Mr. Simrell for an hour, I obtained countless other useful pieces of information, but I felt these were some of the most important for anybody with any questions about marketing. Even though I've learned quite a bit, the interview only left me with more questions. Fortunately for me, Mr. Simrell told me he would love to help anybody with interest and to stay in touch! As I learn more from him, I'll be sure to share anyone else who wants to know.
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