SETH GODIN: GREAT MARKETERS ARE ARCHITECTS? I DON'T THINK SO...

No Seth, you're wrong. Great marketers are not architects. Great marketers are great salesmen who also "get" things like strategy, communications, ROI, etc. For some reason Seth Godin has turned really pissy. His recent posts attacking door-to-door salesmen, commissioned salesmen, direct marketers and telemarketers have a decidedly elitist, ivory tower vibe about them that seems to have exposed Seth's bias towards the unwashed masses.

Further evidence of his bias is this post attempting to make a comparison between great marketers and architects. Seth's comparison was made in response to a friend  looking to hire a new CMO who could maximize revenue. Seth almost goes postal on the guy because he wanted his new CMO to increase sales. Seth tells the guy that rather than maximizing revenue (which according to Seth is the job of a direct marketer) his CMO needs to be an architect:

What does an architect do? She reinvents the very nature of what's delivered and how it is delivered. She reimagines the inputs and outputs of the organization, as well as its story, to create an engine of revenue that grows while benefitting all sides.

So instead of hiring a CMO to maximize revenue you need to hire a CMO to reinvent everything? What if everything doesn't need reinventing? What if you're running a nice enterprise, short on cash, short on time and long on opportunity? You're telling me to go through the china shop and break all the china? Gimme a break. What you need is a killer marketer. Somebody to kick ass and exploit the opportunity.  To Seth's friend - send me an email - I know of a terrific headhunter who can help you find the right person.

UPDATE: Just as I posted the above, BtoB came across with the latest study on marketing execs and their lack of boardroom clout from the CMO Council: Study: Marketing execs still lack boardroom clout Nov 30, 2005

Palo Alto, Calif.—Top marketing executives admit that their group’s performance is not up to snuff, leading to a lack of influence within the corporate hierarchy, according to a study released Wednesday by the CMO Council. Only 10% of respondents to the CMO Council survey said their marketing groups are “highly influential and strategic” within the company. What’s more, less than half said their teams are “well regarded and respected,” even though two-thirds of CEOs polled in a separate survey by Chief Executive magazine said their marketing groups are “mission critical” for creating top-line growth.

KEYWORD IS TOP-LINE GROWTH. NOT RE-INVENTING. NOT RE-IMAGINING. THE KEYWORD FOR MARKETERS IS SALES. 

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Comments

[Dave J.]

Seth is abusing his guru status a bit, but if you understand his point of view, his commentary makes more sense.

Seth believes that businesses (and their products) need to be remarkable to be successful, so that the marketer should managing the business and products, not the actual process of sales.

Part II:
He is asking whether the person looking for a marketing manager needs:

a. An architect of business strategy
b. An architect of marketing strategy
c. An implementer of strategy

But the dope just says he wants to maximize revenue. Duh! All three choices above can do that, in their given realm.

Seth thinks it should be A, while the CMO council shows that even B is a lofty goal in most organizations.

[Mike Smock]

Hi Dave,

My issue with Seth and most of the marketing intelligentsia is their unwillingness to do the heavylifting necessary to get to remarkable (and their lack of respect for the folks who do).

[Mike Sigers]

And I thought I was the only person who thought Seth was full of gas.

Keep Attackin' !

[Jack Yoest]

Mike, My first job out of high school, a hundred years ago, was selling vaccuum cleaners door-to-door.

Brutal experience.

I don't quite trust any sales/marketing/guru who hasn't had doors slammed in-your-face.

You got it right. Good work.

Best,
Jack

[Michael Smock]

Hi Jack,

I did a stint as a tinman during college. I sold siding door-to-door in East Lansing Michigan for Reliable Construction Company. Made enough dough in my first month to buy a new 1977 Cutlas Salon with T-Roofs! Ahhhhh... listening to Zig Ziegler tapes, canvassing for leads during the day, making pitches in the evening. I loved it and I hated it.