Before you get too excited, fear not, I am still the president of Seed World Group, my vaccine appointment is booked, and I hope to see your smiling face at an industry event soon. But if this title got your attention you might be wondering what I mean.
I am most successful — and most fulfilled — when I am focused on the parts of my job that I do best. For me that means big picture thinking and strategy, helping my team to succeed and engaging with new clients. I will be the first to tell you that I am not at my best when I need to get into the nitty gritty details of execution. That is why I have hired team members who excel at project management to make sure that nothing gets missed.
For many companies in the seed industry the person responsible for marketing also has management and/or sales responsibilities. When hours in the day are finite, this often means that marketing tasks get put to the side in favour of executing sales. The caution I offer about doing this is that marketing and sales work hand-in-hand. With a marketing funnel supporting your sales efforts the cycle can be shortened and you will be staying top-of-mind with your existing customers.
Resources sometimes dictate that you just aren’t quite ready for that next hire — which is often the case during periods of growth. This is where it can pay to work smarter, not harder. The first step is to set your company’s marketing communications goals. With those goals as your roadmap, you can build a clear strategy that allows you to prioritize your most important activities — and where you are most needed and effective — and you can make a list of tasks to delegate.
When you review this list, ask the following questions:
- Do I and/or my team have the expertise and time to deliver on these goals?
- Do I have an external resource that can help me strategize and/or deliver on these goals?
I LOVE the idea of having a “guy” that can support me as I continue to grow and learn — what support would allow you to reach your goals and exceed the expectations you have your business?
