Comments on: Things I talked about on twitter (TITAT)- Selling cereal

By: Riaz Kanani

Riaz Kanani — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:07:02 +0000

actually I think having a diverse marketing/sales team is more of a benefit (assuming a base level of skills is achieved). Introducing someone who is new to a product can bring in new ideas and ways to approach things and improve a company's prospects.

By: farhanlalji

farhanlalji — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:12:33 +0000

okay, okay, the medical industry is definitely an exception. The gyno example is classic.

I don't think just using and being passionate will make you an effective marketer/seller – see Natasja's comment. Just think it helps and separates the average from the killer. If I was hiring someone in, oh I don't know, the internet industry I'd want to know that they use the internet, I'd ask what their favourite sites are, what they think of X,y and z websites, what they use the web for. If they didn't have a base line amount of use of the internet not sure if they would make an effective employee.

By: Funkstop

Funkstop — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:19:45 +0000

I see your point, but not sure I agree that being a consumer of a product will necessarily make you a better understand other consumers. Actually, I can see that perhaps it could give you 'tunnel' vision in assuming that other consumers want a product for the same reasons that you do. Your example above about the parenting purchases may make sense for those cases, however in the case of medical type purchases such as depression drugs, I think people are more likely to listen to their doctor than to other depression drug users. Maybe the thesis needs to vary for different categories of products? I agree with your point that passion is important, but that can be achieved in different ways.

btw – thought of another example… most gynecologists tend to be men. Who knows where they find their passion…

By: farhanlalji

farhanlalji — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:39:41 +0000

Totally, but it's about what comes first the passion or the business sense. You can learn and teach business sense, not sure you can do that for passion.

By: Natasja

Natasja — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:23:29 +0000

'But I think the most passionate, effective, and really genuine marketers are people who have needed, bought and used the product themselves.' –> totally agree. But I think you need more. You need passion + a dispassionate way of making decisions. For instance I see marketers excited about their product wanting to sell it to everyone, whereas focus is usually a better way, you can't sell cereal to everyone (well, not at any given time). Yes, passion = required, but business sense = required too. Though I think you were saying that too.