Channel Marketing Manager
Career review from a person working in the job
How I Got The Job
My Education: BS Psychology, Plymouth State University
My Prior Experience: Started in Customer Service then promoted to Telemarketing Rep then Marketing Specialist all at a medical device company. I left there and entered into high tech marketing where I worked as a Channel Marketing Specialist then a Field Marketing Rep. I left there for a start up high tech firm where I developed their channel marketing programs to support resellers. Eventually I moved into a Product Marketing Manager position.
My Job Profile
My Company: Primary purpose of my last position was high tech hosting provider
Job/Career Overview: As a Channel Marketing Representative, I worked within an internal team of a Sales Rep and a Sales Engineer. We were assigned a geographic region that resold our products to the end user. It was my job to create custom marketing programs highlighting our products and services through direct marketing campaigns, events, advertising, web based marketing, and PR. I dealt directly with the resellers marketing contact to produce monthly marketing activities and implemented them myself in the absence of a marketing contact on their end. I was also a liaison between our corporate marketing team and the reseller providing them feedback that assisted our internal marketing team to create large national marketing programs. I represented the company at events such as seminars to support and assist the internal sales team and the reseller. Based on sales, each reseller was allocated "marketing funds" which were held back for marketing purposes. I would use these funds to drive the various marketing campaigns and was responsible for managing them.
Love It? Hate It?
I rate this career 8 out of 10.
What I Love or Hate
The best part of the job was the creative aspect for me and the freedom to work within the various reseller companies. I had the support of my own internal team at a marketing level and as a member of the sales team. It was rewarding linking my marketing campaigns to direct sales.
The worse part of the job was having to encourage smaller resellers who didn't have the manpower or marketing wherewithal to focus on the importance of creating marketing programs. I had no issue with creating the materials needed, just educating an already overburdened small team.
My Career Tips
Make sure you have the personality that allows you to work with difficult people and be willing to do what it takes to get the job done in an ethical, professional manner. If you can take a Graphic Design course, I recommend you do this as it will help you create your own marketing collateral.
People skills and the ability to work in various teams is critical in this position. You will have to travel as well within your geography. Mine spanned Maine to Fl at one point.
