Only a step away
Just as communication is at the core of all human relationships, marketing is also about companies maintaining close ties with their customers through communication. Companies use marketing to convey the value of a product or service to consumers. Hence, it is the marketer's job to find the best way to deliver this message. Due to technological advancement, our lifestyle is ever evolving. In order to keep pace with this change, marketing is also constantly transforming. As a result, flexibility, insight and technological skills are keys to becoming a successful marketer. With extra effort and further improvement, I believe I will soon be able to call myself a marketer.
In the marketing field, flexibility means constantly keeping an eye on what is happening in the society and adapting to changes. In this way, marketers can figure out what the consumers are currently interested in and reflect this new trend on their strategies. I am the type of person who fits into new and different environments quickly. This means I am comfortable with change so making adjustments to my work or schedule does not affect me. For example, I was working on my final presentation last week and I decided to get feedback from my professor. Although I had already completed my outline, script and presentation slides, the professor suggested that I make a slight change to the angle of my presentation topic. To be honest, it was a tough call. However, I managed to edit everything from A to Z and give an excellent presentation. As seen in this experience, I believe I have the flexibility that is required to become a great marketer.
Insight is another skill that all successful marketers are equipped with. The fundamental role of a marketer is to pinpoint what the consumers want. Understanding the changes in their perception and behavior is also a must. Luckily, working as a sales assistant gave me a keen insight into the minds of customers. I used to work at an accessories shop that sold jewelries, shoes and bags. My job was to talk to customers and identify their needs and wants. Then, I was expected to offer products that suit their taste and convince them to make a purchase. Thanks to my strong communication skills, I could easily build rapport with any customers and find out the kinds of jewelries, shoes and bags they were looking for. It is true that four years of experience in sales provided me with profound insight. Still, I feel that there is plenty of room for improvement.
If there is one thing I need to work on, it is technological skills. Although I have flexibility and insight, I will never become a great marketer if I am not familiar with technology. Marketers are required to check and respond to hundreds of emails every day. Not to mention having a broad knowledge about social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, I am not someone who spends a lot of time on such matters. On Friday, my professor sent an email to his students saying that there will be no class on Monday. Even though I have an application to check emails on my phone, it did not occur to me that I would be receiving an important message. So I spent my weekend without checking emails. Obviously, I was the only one who turned up to class on Monday. This shows that I need to familiarize myself with technology and get in the habit of using it.
Flexibility, insight and technological skills are three essential skills that successful marketers possess. Luckily, flexibility is something I was born with. On the other hand, I am well aware that I need to gain more experience before I can further develop my insight. I also realized that I should put in a great deal of effort to be a technology savvy person. With these improvements, I have no doubt that becoming a marketer is only a step away.
Jae Hyun Park/final draft/tues11am
ReplyDeleteOnly a step away
Just as communication is at the core of all human relationships, marketing is also about companies maintaining close ties with their customers through communication. Companies use marketing to convey the value of a product or service to consumers. It is the marketer's job to find the best way to deliver this message. To do this, marketers are required to keep pace with constant changes to our lifestyle. Hence, flexibility, insight and technological skills are keys to becoming a successful marketer. With extra effort and further improvement, I believe I will soon be able to call myself a marketer.
In the world of marketing, flexibility means keeping an eye on social patterns to identify and adapt to changes that influence consumer choice. In this way, marketers can always come up with strategies that appeal to consumers. I am the type of person who easily blends into new environments and copes well with change. For example, I was working on my final presentation last week and I decided to get feedback from my professor. Although I had already completed my script and presentation slides, the professor suggested that I make a slight change to the angle of my speech. To be honest, it was a tough call to make. However, I managed to edit everything from A to Z and give an excellent presentation. As seen in this experience, I believe I have the flexibility that is required to become a great marketer.
Insight is another skill that all successful marketers are equipped with. The fundamental role of a marketer is to pinpoint the needs and wants of consumers. Luckily, my work experience as a sales assistant gave me a keen insight into the minds of consumers. I used to work at an accessories shop that sold jewelries, shoes and bags. My job was to talk to customers and find out their needs and wants. Then I was expected to offer products that suit their taste and convince them to make a purchase. Thanks to my strong communication skills, I could quickly build rapport with any customers and figure out the kinds of items they were looking for. It is true that four years of experience in sales provided me with a profound insight. Still, I feel that there is plenty of room for improvement.
If there is one thing I need to work on, it is technological skills. Marketers are required to respond to hundreds of emails every day. Not to mention having a broad knowledge about social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, I am not someone who spends a lot of time on such matters. On Friday, my professor sent an email to his students saying that there will be no class on Monday. Even though I have an application to check emails on my phone, it did not occur to me that I would be receiving an important message. So I spent my weekend without checking my emails. Obviously, I was the only one who turned up to class on Monday. This shows that I need to familiarize myself with technology and get in the habit of using it.
Flexibility, insight and technological skills are three essential skills that successful marketers possess. Luckily, flexibility is something I was born with. On the other hand, I am well aware that I need to gain more experience before I can further develop my insight. I also realized that I should put in a great deal of effort to be a technology savvy person. With these improvements, I have no doubt that becoming a great marketer is only a step away.