The Modern Day Marketer is the protagonist in the story that we are writing to the B2B marketing and sales community. This individual is the catalyst for change in B2B.
I used to have Sunday Scaries. I’d cringe thinking about preparing for another week full of the pressure that I would put on myself to hit my KPIs. This would create bad habits and division across functions.
I used say stuff like:
Sales asked for more leads...well here’s more leads!
The webinar content doesn’t matter as much as the promotion behind it.
We have to put a form in front of it. Do you realize how much we’ve spent putting this together?
I used to think it was normal, too. I didn’t care that I was causing potential brand damage with each campaign that I ran. It wasn’t about serving the audience. It was about how I could best serve my metrics.
I was obsessed with my numbers over everything else.
I wanted to hit my KPIs so I could hit my bonus.
It wasn’t just about the money. It was about being able to show my plan worked.
I wish I knew back then that I was the one getting worked.
I felt empty preparing for the work week ahead because I knew it would lead to conflict internally, but I just chalked it up as the job of the marketer.
I’ve been on record saying that taking on this role at The Juice feels like my best chance at a redemption tour. I’ve packed up my old luggage, thrown it in the backseat, hit the road, and now airing out all of my dirty laundry.
Am I crazy?
I think being a little crazy is part of any recovery.
I’m just fortunate to have the opportunity to compartmentalize my thoughts and make myself vulnerable in the hopes that it helps someone who has been in similar shoes as me.
This is the road to becoming a Modern Day Marketer.
You’re here to serve and place other people’s priorities above your own.
The past couple content pieces that I have dropped have been around defining The Modern Day Marketer and how these individuals are elevating the brands that they support:
I create for the Modern Day Marketer and understand that not everyone is quite there yet.
Ancient infrastructure of existing teams is a common roadblock.
It takes time for larger organizations to adjust to changes and realize that many people in our audience might be in that position.
If you have a desire to be on the right side of change then you are light years ahead of our enemy.
Yes, of course we have enemies in our story. This is positioning 101.
There are examples of inspiration abound, but if you need a little inspiration go ahead and get your boss to approve your expense report and grab a copy of Behind the Cloud. Reading that book will make you better at positioning and will make you a better marketer.
In the story that we are telling, our villain is that marketer that I used to be before I made a change.
It’s the “me” centered marketer.
I wrote a post about our villain and how we can help individuals overcome selfish marketing.
It’s the old way to do B2B marketing.
This article is my opportunity to give you a peek underneath the hood of the Modern Day Marketer tour bus.
It’s good vs. evil.
It’s old vs. new.
It’s these comparisons that stand the test of time because everyone needs a damn hero.
This is more than just a positioning exercise though.
The Modern Day Marketer is our gateway for feedback on product and company direction.
It’s about learning from this group and understanding how they are able to come from such a strong place of abundance.
It’s about serving above all else.
Most importantly, it’s about helping others who feel stuck get unstuck and fulfilled by the work that you do.
Monday mornings used to suck in the “me” centered era.
Giving back to the community and helping others enter into the Modern Day Marketer era is more satisfying than I ever thought.
Struggling on how to get started?
Find a Modern Day Marketer to learn from. We’ll be curating the best from our network and sharing what we learn right here. 🧃
If you enjoy what we are doing we’d love for you to do a couple things: