You want expertise in marketing and technology?

Years ago I did some consulting work for a company which needed some best-practices for marketing strategy and technology designed. The project went very well and the company's management, as well as marketing employees, were very excited about the success they'd already seen under the changes. 

Toward the end of the engagement, the company president took me to lunch to discuss the future of his company, and he expressed concern that my departure from the department would create a vacuum difficult to fill. His concern stemmed from the fact that he was struggling to find a new Marketing Manager who had a great marketing mind but also possessed strategic prowess in technology and operations.

Since then, I've seen this problem over and over and over again. As the line between marketing and technology becomes more and more blurry, and as more and more organizations are driven by marketing, the need for marketing employees with technology and operational savvy is staggering—and the solution low in supply.


The need for "T-shaped" employees has never been greater

So what is T-shaped? Well, most marketing people are "l" shaped. Their skillset is narrow but often deep. "T" shaped people have that deep knowledge of their specific discipline, but also possess some savvy in tech and ops, giving them arms like a letter T.

T-shaped people are easy to spot in a meeting. They understand complex problems faster than the rest of the group. They solve problems outside their purview. They come up with solutions when the tech/dev team say there's no possible way.

And while they may be easy to spot, they are hard to acquire. The problem is they are immediately recognized as valuable resources within their companies who promote and pay them rapidly and lucratively.

So while you're looking for a mid-level Marketing Manager who can lead development of a marketing datamart or implement automated communications, the qualified applicants are already on a fast-track for senior leadership within their current company—and naming their price to do so.

So you have to find lightening in a bottle, snagging that rare talent who can grow into the role. Or, you can try to lure one away from another company, but you'd better be willing to pay for it.

I've spent the first part of the week at the Microsoft Dynamics CRM User-group (CRMUG) conference in Orlando. First of all, the weather here has been unseasonably warm (90) and there's are two hour lunch breaks. So spending lunch poolside working on a winter tan can make any conference solid. 

But It's been very interesting to hear how a myriad of companies and industries are integrating their contact management systems with their social media strategy, front-end content management systems and ERP/accounting back-ends.

I'll do a full write-up later, but suffice it to say, it's a brave and fun new world out there for marketing technology.

Here's a pic of the laborious lunch hour at CRMUG...

Want to know what others say about Ryan Teeples Consulting?

“...very innovative, intelligent and well rounded. Understand complex situations easily and not only provides solutions for our immediate needs but makes other suggestions to make our operations run more efficient.”

--Kimball, Petro Fuego

"...a remarkable insight and talent for understanding and solving complex business and marketing problems. Extraordinarily efficient. I have worked with Ryan as a service provider or co-worker on projects ranging from marketing and sales to technology implementations. His ability to adapt quickly and learn fast make him invaluable."

--John, Learning Markets

"Ryan is helping my organization on a very important CRM project. He has been a joy to work with. He is truly an expert in CRM as well as social media technologies. He is also an excellent trainer and is helping our group see the whole picture.

I look forward to Ryan's visits. His preparation is superb, his presentations well thought out and easy to understand, and he is a super problem solver."

--Steve, BYU Idaho

"...one of the top most thought leaders in marketing and defining how marketing is and should evolve. Insights are always years ahead of the best marketers. Ryan also has a superior sense for developing and implementing marketing ideas and processes that drive sales to conversions.

I've always gone back to one word that sums up his abilities...Genius."

--Mark, Relevant, Inc.

"Mr. Teeples is one of the keenest minds I have encountered in business, and he has excellent instincts for marketing and communication."

--Fred, Investools

Spend enough time around me and you'll notice something odd: I usually wear my socks inside out.

So what in the world does this have to to with business? The whole "think different" and "out of the box" slogan-drivel is tired, so I'm not going to make a connection there.

But what I want to do is convince you to think in more than one dimension. People shake their head when they see my socks and hear my explanation, but they can't give me a good reason not to continue doing it. They're simply stuck in the one dimension they've been trained to operate in.

Likewise, many, many MANY businesses are stuck in single-dimension thought. They continue to operate in a certain way because that's how it's always been done, and in reality they are afraid to rock that boat.

But today's business climate is so multi-faceted that if you don't test new dimensions and constantly challenge convention you will become obsolete. So don't be afraid to try do things in a way you've never done them and try on a new dimensions or two.