Marketing and selling in tough economic conditions :

Thinking like marketing champions

Marketing champions are those visionary leaders and effective managers who have built great brands and organizations.

Have you ever wondered what made them champions? All great business / marketing champions have certain qualities in common.

Think of Steve Jobs (Apple), Michael Dell (Dell Computers), Sir Martin Sorrell (WPP), Richard Branson (Virgin), Jack Welsh (General Electric) to name a few. In this brief article, I will endeavour to share some insights of what makes Marketing Champions.

1. Self confidence - Champions believe in their capabilities and know what they can do.

They maintain their self confidence even under pressure or when things are not going well. They remind themselves that they have succeeded in tougher times as well.

2. A strong work ethic - Champions know that success is 98 percent hard work and 2 percent luck. They are committed to their work and believe that practice makes perfect. They lead by example through action.

3. The ability to learn - Marketing Champions learn from every encounter, be it a new product launch, advertising campaign or entry to a new market. They seek feedback from others and consider all factors in their decision-making. They see what needs to be done to improve and win.

4. Composure and poise - They do not panic and are able to stay relaxed, in extreme adversity. Maintaining their balance, is an important characteristic that enable champions to stay positive and confidently handle stress. 5. Love field work - Marketing Champions have a great understanding of markets and consumers. They obtain these insights through regular market visits and interactions. Further, they keep themselves in touch with reality and hence, gain the respect of their followers.

6. Never give up (Endurance) - Champions fight to the end. They never give up. They continually seek ways to win and experiment with tactics to turn things around in their favour. Competition is the "fuel" that drives marketing champions to give their best.

7. Commitment - Champions dream big and are able to motivate others to help them reach those dreams. Dreams are relating to innovation, market leadership and market entry.

They continually remind themselves of their goals and are willing to compromise for their goals.

8. Out-of-the-box-thinking - Marketing Champions think differently. When others see problems in the marketplace, they see opportunities. They focus on the big picture, not on the details. This enables them to develop winning strategies.

9. Networking - Champions are never afraid of networking, through collaborative partnerships with business associates and other stakeholders. Even with their competitors, for mutual benefit.

In complex markets, no single organization would have the resources to compete by themselves. Hence, collaboration is what marketing champions are excellent at.

10. Belief in brands - Champions know the true "worth" of their brands. They invest relentlessly in brand development, in order to keep their brands "fresh" and "relevant" to their consumers. Three brands are focused upon, namely, corporate, product and employee. There is a synergistic effect of these three brands.

11. Blue Oceans - Whilst swimming in Red Oceans (highly competitive markets), Champions look for Blue Oceans. (Uncontested market place). When these blue oceans are identified, they are willing to take the risk to explore and exploit them. They see the great growth potential in blue oceans, for the business and brands.

12. Not too many control - Whilst marketing champions rely on controls, they do not excessively practise them, to the extent of creating a bureaucracy. They focus only on those things within their control or influence and let go of the risk. 13. Excellent leadership - Marketing Champions realise that people need challenges to excel. They provide the direction and the guidance and empower team members to implement strategies. They "walk the talk" and provide exemplary leadership.

Those aspiring to becoming marketing champions in the future, will do well to study these special traits of champions and add their own flavour to spice it up!!

"Champions do fall but when they fall they simply get up and move-on." (Author)