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The Marketing Services Provider:A Marketer's Most Strategic Hire?
Written by Michael Fisher, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, North America, Alterian
When we, as marketers, look to expand our teams,we measure individuals on a number of differentattributes: chemistry, creativity, attention to detail,ability to grasp the "big picture," relevantexperience and flexibility to name a few. Whyshould it be any different when signing on with amarketing services provider (MSP)? The decisionto outsource or internally build and manage adatabase marketing solution involves evaluation ofcriteria across multiple technological and businesscapabilities. When looking to outsource adatabase marketing solution, marketers spend aconsiderable amount of timeevaluating service offerings as well as thecapabilities of various marketing servicesproviders. Successful outsourced marketingdatabase solutions include technical skills,strategic skills, analytic skills, creative capabilitiesand data hygiene capabilities, many or all of whichare the components of solution evaluations, butthe people that provide such services are oftenoverlooked.Marketers continue to seek assurances aroundtheir access to the "best and brightest" from thosethey are evaluating as they choose an MSP. When direct marketing organizations. This research model. However if those skills leave the MSP,determining what criteria defines the "best and focused solely on understanding marketers' views what is a marketer left with? Marketers need tobrightest," it isn't clear that marketers completely of MSP staff development and retention. be informed of MSP staff development andunderstand the significance of several fundamental retention models; if not provided by their MSP,questions: Some More Important Than Others marketers should seek insight into the model.To understand the importance of staff1. What is the ongoing staff education strategy of development in terms of the specific functions Knowledge is Dollarsthe MSP? delivered by MSPs, we asked our survey pool a If marketers understood more about MSP staff2. Are marketers aware of what programs their series of questions to capture an understanding of development and retention, would they allocateMSP partners run to encourage staff the marketer's point of view. The marketers more budget dollars to the providers thatdevelopment and retention? considered some of the MSPs' services to be demonstrate effective strategies? 50 percent ofextremely important while others not as much. those surveyed said they would consider3. Will marketers allocate more budget dollars to We asked marketers what skills were most allocating more budget to MSP's with effectivethose MSPs that demonstrate successful staff important to them, and the two top answers were staff development strategies. However, in terms ofdevelopment strategies? technology/software related, suggesting retention, 64 percent said they would considermarketers may have discomfort with the technical allocating more budget to MSP's with effectiveHowever, questions such as these enable components required of today's marketing. staff retention models, deliver consistentmarketers to ensure that they are not only hiring customer experiences, integrate marketingthe most strategic MSP resources, but that the Uniformed. You Bet processes, measure performance, alignMSP's continually develop their resources to Considering marketers' views on the themselves to the needs of their businesses, andprovide ongoing strategic impact and results aforementioned skills sets, we wanted to become more accountable to seniorthroughout the tenure of their relationship. determine the marketers' understanding of their management.Alterian, an enterprise marketing services MSPs' staff development and retention model andtechnology platform provider focused specifically their awareness of the model. With more than 53on delivering its technology through MSPs, percent of the responders stating that they weresurveyed a group of direct marketers from various unsure at best, if not completely unaware, of anyThe Marketing Services Provider:A Marketer's Most Strategic Hire?
Written by Michael Fisher, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, North America, Alterian
Moving ForwardWhile marketers view staff development andretention as important, their knowledge of theirMSPs' development and retention strategies islimited at best. Yet, they are willing to spendmore with MSP's that s... [download for more]
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