Marketing Philosophy

Knowing yourself through the eyes of your customer

This specific definition of marketing suggests a different approach from the typical self-serving mantras that marketing exists to:

• drive a positive perception of my company;
• increase my stature in the eyes of the marketplace; or
• drive leads and increase my revenue.

These mantras are by-products of good marketing rather than the goal. The goal of marketing based on the above definition is corporate humility. Corporate humility breeds success because it suggests openness to improvements based on customer feedback. It implies listening, growing, changing, and maturing as a corporation in response to your customers' changing needs. In other words, as your customers grow and change you will be in lock-step with them. Corporate humilty therefore must become a core competency for any corporation who wants to succeed.

The marketing function is key to maintaining these lines of communication. Typically the bigger a company gets, the harder it becomes to maintain this outlook—the entity tend to get stodgy and less nimble. This points to a breakdown in communication due to the growth of departamental "silos" and a lack of openness—which is why large companies look for “new blood” in managerial positions to bring in a “fresh perspective”. It is also why customers switch vendors even with long-standing relationships because..."they no longer listen to my needs."

Marketing in its true form is not just for generating leads but rather spans the gamut—from lead generation to customer retention. From a measurement perspective, marketing should not only be asking what is the revenue per marketing spend, but what is the lifetime value of this customer, and what is the profitability by customer.