As followers of the Chinese Zodiac prepare to usher in the year of the tiger, marketers appear to be ushering in the year of the re-org. Having seen their markets soften, crumble, and begin to show signs of life—all in the last 18 months—marketing leaders are rethinking the organizations they’ve built. Even if the basic structures we’ve built appear to be viable, new segments need to be addressed and new teams need to be formed to address markets that look very different from the ones that we faced just two or three years ago.
Unfortunately, many of the marketing reorganizations that will kick off in 2010 will take a year or two to implement. Right around the time that key players settle into their new roles, teams start to gel, and new processes start to fire on all cylinders, market conditions will have changed, and it will be time to start all over again.
Having seen this scenario play out more than once, some CMOs are searching for a new model—an organization that adapts to changing markets, and doesn’t require a wrecking ball every three years. Sounds nice, but what does that actually look like? Here are a few of the tenets we see emerging:
- A common view of target customers that spans Sales, Marketing, and other customer-facing functions
- A common view of the company’s value proposition across all commercial functions
- Flexible teams, typically tied to segments and market opportunities, versus functional silos
- Efficient flow of information across Sales, Marketing, and their key stakeholders
Marketers who’ve experimented with this model find that while flexible, customer-aligned teams present their own management challenges—albeit microscopic compared to the challenges of sweeping, function-wide reorganizations. Similarly, when individuals are equipped with a single view of both customers and company, it’s much easier for them to bounce from team to team and take on new roles—even when teams and roles toggle between the traditional boundaries of Sales, Marketing, or Operations.
While few marketing organizations will take the plunge and adopt this approach wholesale, here are a few steps any marketing organization can take to start down the path:
- Establish a common set of priorities across all commercial functions, starting with Sales and Marketing
- Define distinct roles for Sales and Marketing for achieving those commercial priorities
- Codify a common base of customer understanding for all customer-facing functions
MLC Members: Before redrawing any lines, we’d suggest establishing some sort of baseline on what is and isn’t working. Take our Commercial Integration Diagnostic to help you pinpoint breakdowns and spot competing priorities across Sales and Marketing.
And to celebrate the coming year of the tiger, click here to see the best tiger-related ad of 2009.
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