Sherpa: What marketing skills are in the most demand right now?
Harry: Abstract, soft skills are out. Hard, analytical skills are in. This is a very turbulent time for marketing VP’s. With regards to the marketing function, there’s a growing mentality among CEO’s that “there’s nothing as devastating to an opinion as a number.” And marketing managers who don’t have an analytical bias and a multichannel orientation are at a distinct disadvantage (even in B2B).
Currently, direct marketers are in strong demand because they have been trained in catalog merchandising, list selection, copywriting, campaign analytics and so forth. These are many of the same elements that are emerging as most relevant in the online and new media realms in both B2C and B2B.
More Q&A tomorrow. For previously posted portions of my interview with MarketingSherpa, please click here.
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Q: Need the number of a recruiter who "gets it?"
A: Download Harry's contact info for future reference.
