Stressmania

n. \ stresś mā-nē-ə \ – a condition of executive directors/lead managers who wear too many hats at once; they are so consumed with day-to-day operation of their organizations, they have little or no time to market the product or service effectively

So give up some of those hats, already! They’re not at all becoming…

Small to medium firms, both for-profit and non-profit, have a tendency to boast about getting a lot done with minimal resources. Chest puffed out, the head of the firm takes pride in achieving his goals with a skeletal staff. “My people get the job done, and they have the same work ethic that I do. They’re not afraid of hard work, like most people are these days.” After this hearty declaration, he goes into his office, closes the door tightly, and rambles around in his desk for a storehouse of painkillers. “Where’s my valium? I had it right here….”

Poor guy. He’s usually someone who thinks no one can get any job done correctly other than himself. So he takes every role on himself. He’s the chief operating officer, the sales manager, a salesperson, an order-taker, an order fulfiller, a marketer, an accountant, a receptionist, a quality control expert … the list goes on. Certain functions get neglected in a big, fat way with this micro-manager at the helm.

Sadly, the daily grind of day-to-day office operations (read sales, order-taking/fulfilling, and accounting) leads to neglect of marketing. The profit centers within the firm get the primary attention and resources, while the cost centers play second fiddle. But, oops—good marketing helps the firm sell its product/service. It also reinforces the message that the salesperson shares directly with potential customers. Consider the multiple roles that salespeople typically play as part-time marketers. Think how much more effective their sales efforts could be if they were backed by a consistent message and brand.

It doesn’t hurt to contract the services of people who have expertise in cost center roles. This way, you don’t have to pay an expensive benefits package in addition to the cost of basic services rendered. Sometimes this is a marketing person, at other times it could be an IT person. If an outsourced service can address your needs more effectively than you or your over-roled staff member, outsource away!

Trottlebee offers nifty service in the form of graphic design, branding and integrated marketing. Call on us when you’re overwhelmed with duties that aren’t in your skills range. Trottlebee can relieve you of the marketing duties and free you up to either 1) outsource other roles (recommended) or 2) perform the other 99 roles (yeesh!).

Remember, professional branders brand brands best.