It just dawned on me...

Blessed are the geeks, for they shall inherit...

I'm often accused of being a geek - getting excited about finding a new function in excel or finding a new way to draw things in visio probably helps - but should "geek" still be seen as a derogatory term?

Could any of us truly function to the best of our ability in today's digital age without at least a basic understanding of the miriad of IT applications we use? And doesn't having mastery of those applications just make life easier, quicker and more rewarding? How often have you not done something because it's too hard or you just don't know how?

But knowing the applications themselves just isn't enough. It's the same as knowing all the marketing principles - it doesn't work or come to life without some insight, imagination and pure creative thinking. It's how you use the tools that counts - and it's often using a tool or technique in a completely new way that will get you results.

So, if you're the kind of person who only has a hammer in your toolbox, then your answer will probably be to hit everything. Add a few more tools and you open up your options. But don't be afraid to try hitting things with a spanner! And if learning new tools brands you as a geek, then take solace in the evolution of the species, and the fact that "blessed are the geeks, for the geeks shall inherit the earth!"

Knowledge is Power

It's been said before, many times, but knowledge IS power. However, the kind of knowledge that gives you stregnth and the kind of power you get is changing rapidly. It's no longer sordid secrets about your peers and superiors that will win you favour, but data on your business that provides the power of insight.

Understanding your business - customers, channels, processes, costings - will give you the power to change them for the better, and to make the right decisions quickly.

I remember the mantra taught to me when doing my MBA - "that's all very well, but what do the numbers say?". Without running the numbers, schemes are just schemes. Without running the numbers, you might be able to forecast a profit, but will you go bust due to cashflow first? You might see a market opportunity, but how do you know that it's worth the investment?

Marketers are often seen as creative types, imaginative, flamboyant extroverts - but it's time for us to prove that we can run the numbers too, we can back up what we say or what we predict with cold, hard facts (not just warm and fuzzy feelings). And if we can't? Then we better stay quite until we can work it out.

Who's the Daddy?

I attended a CIM event this week on the gap between Sales and Marketing, and what we can do, as marketers, to bridge the gap. It was an interesting and well attended event, with 3 main speakers.

One of the positions put forward about the gap (and rivalry) between Sales and Marketing is about "Who's the Daddy?". I think this is the first time I've heard this in these terms, but it really struck a note with me. In many companies, there does seem to be an ego battle going on between the two camps, each vying for supremecy, and to prove that they are the ones who are indispensible (especially if cuts are looming).

In truth though, neither one could survive on it's own. Sales need marketing and marketing need sales. Each have their own strengths, but equally they have their weaknesses. As a team, they are formidible - but too often they are so busy fighting each other (and blaming each other) that teamwork goes out of the window as acrimony sets in. The whole thing can, if not managed by a strong leader, degenerate into a messy divorce, but where neither party can move out of the house.

So what's the answer?

The first part seems to be for everyone involved to start appreciating the strengths of the other party, and turn this appreciation into liking and then harmonious working. But this won't happen unless you have a strong, dedicated leader who shares this view and who makes both sides work together - either by cajoling or by banging proverbial heads together.

The second part is to build on the first, remind everyone about how much better it is now it's all going smoother, and how much better it is now that everyone appreciates everyone else (and everyone's egos are stroked).

It may sound like a dream - for those of you in the midst of the battle, you may not even believe it can happen. But it can, and I've seen it, and it's magical when it starts to change.

Believe it, discuss it, then make it happen for you too.

Acknowlegement and thanks to all the speakers, and especially to the Daddy - Greg Anyon