So, You Want to be a Marketing Innovator?

I recently attended a Microsoft Marketing Excellence symposium that featured Mohanbir Sawhney, from Kellog School of Management, who spoke on the how to innovate the marketing process. I captured his perspectives below on the habits successful marketers should follow, and those habits that should be abandoned:

7 Habits of Innovative Marketers:

• Just say no: Less is more, period.
• Tell an engaging story: Story and narrative is everything. No story, no engagement.
• Play a different game: If your competitor is winning in one arena, change the sport.
• De-position the competition: Understand what differentiation means, and apply it every day.
• Admit your mistake: And move on. Not moving on, and trying to defend, only leads to more failure.
• Get management to reward creativity: New thinking requires support, rewards, and backing.
• Ask how you can help: Build that direct relationship with your customer.

7 Deadly Sins of Marketers:

• Saying too much: Really, less is more. More just gets lost in the morass of market noise.
• Talking to yourself: Marketing is about the customer, not your internal organization.
• Selling the steak: Remember that steak clogs arteries if you focus on it too much; same in marketing.
• Focusing on competitors: Think about your own innovation; don't waste time obsessing on others.
• Putting lipstick on the pig: Some things just can't be "pretty'd up." Move on.
• Aiming for all: Get practical, and win your battles one by one. You might win the war that way.
• Chasing the mythical mass market: This is the gold rush dream, but it's not a winner's strategy.