500+ Critical Sales and Marketing Questions
Many of you have written wondering what I'm up to since my extremely public car accident that forced me to resign from corporate life for awhile to heal up - I've been compiling a list of questions that every VP of Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service needs to get an answer to in order to propel better department and company performance - a complete sales, marketing and customer service "cheat sheet" audit.
Each time I've started a new position or consulting engagement, I've added to a detailed checklist of questions to help me get smart about what's going on within a company quickly. It has ensured that I've risen up the learning curve of a company's sales, marketing and customer service operations in record time and has been the basis for my success, at companies like Nextel, Sprint Wireless, Entellium, and many other firms that were mere startups when I got there. The guide is well over 500 questions, all critical to successfully managing sales, marketing and customer service. For start-ups it provides a road map to the kind of data they will be expected to provide to investors, managers, and board members as they grow. Don't worry, no startup can answer them all - but remember in school how cool it would have been to have the questions before the test? NOW YOU CAN (or as soon as I get my rear in gear and finish it.) Then you can work towards building your data set for the answers, instead of doing it the hard way, which is:
CEO: "We spent $200k on this new information management system and it can't tell me xyz?"
VP of IT: "Well, you didn't tell us you needed to know xyz." (And he'd be right!!)
The audit provides any VP of sales, VP of Marketing, or VP of customer service - or anyone hoping to attain these positions some day - with the cumulative questions confronting these departments. If you've already been in these roles, you have your own way of looking at a business based on your specific cumulative experience. But when you go into a new opportunity, be it taking on more responsibility in your existing company or in a new one, there are areas that are likely new to you. For example, a VP of Sales that wants to become VP of Sales and Marketing. Or a VP of marketing that hasn't had to drive traffic to company retail stores, or hasn't dealt with 3rd party distribution channels before. Or any one of these positions that wants to become a CMO, COO, or CEO but rose through the ranks of one function and now must get a grasp on the issues involved in all of them.
The audit provides you with the questions to ask to uncover the information you need to know to shorten your learning curve by several months - and sound pretty darn smart by knowing what to ask about. Even if you feel yourself an expert, these questions form the basis of a checklist so you aren't coming up with the questions ad-hoc, which frankly takes time and makes it likely you'll miss something. Given the feedback I've been getting from those who have seen a preview, I thought that some of you might like this "cheat sheet" too. It will likely be the price of one dinner out since its a serious brain dump. It's also perfect for those who want to get into the consulting gig - It can form the basis of a strong report to clients.
If you're coming to my site and haven't seen the Startup Junkies TV show to know who I am and why this document might prove valuable, you can watch the episodes on iTunes or learn more at the MOJO Startup Junkies website.
Each time I've started a new position or consulting engagement, I've added to a detailed checklist of questions to help me get smart about what's going on within a company quickly. It has ensured that I've risen up the learning curve of a company's sales, marketing and customer service operations in record time and has been the basis for my success, at companies like Nextel, Sprint Wireless, Entellium, and many other firms that were mere startups when I got there. The guide is well over 500 questions, all critical to successfully managing sales, marketing and customer service. For start-ups it provides a road map to the kind of data they will be expected to provide to investors, managers, and board members as they grow. Don't worry, no startup can answer them all - but remember in school how cool it would have been to have the questions before the test? NOW YOU CAN (or as soon as I get my rear in gear and finish it.) Then you can work towards building your data set for the answers, instead of doing it the hard way, which is:
CEO: "We spent $200k on this new information management system and it can't tell me xyz?"
VP of IT: "Well, you didn't tell us you needed to know xyz." (And he'd be right!!)
The audit provides any VP of sales, VP of Marketing, or VP of customer service - or anyone hoping to attain these positions some day - with the cumulative questions confronting these departments. If you've already been in these roles, you have your own way of looking at a business based on your specific cumulative experience. But when you go into a new opportunity, be it taking on more responsibility in your existing company or in a new one, there are areas that are likely new to you. For example, a VP of Sales that wants to become VP of Sales and Marketing. Or a VP of marketing that hasn't had to drive traffic to company retail stores, or hasn't dealt with 3rd party distribution channels before. Or any one of these positions that wants to become a CMO, COO, or CEO but rose through the ranks of one function and now must get a grasp on the issues involved in all of them.
The audit provides you with the questions to ask to uncover the information you need to know to shorten your learning curve by several months - and sound pretty darn smart by knowing what to ask about. Even if you feel yourself an expert, these questions form the basis of a checklist so you aren't coming up with the questions ad-hoc, which frankly takes time and makes it likely you'll miss something. Given the feedback I've been getting from those who have seen a preview, I thought that some of you might like this "cheat sheet" too. It will likely be the price of one dinner out since its a serious brain dump. It's also perfect for those who want to get into the consulting gig - It can form the basis of a strong report to clients.
If you're coming to my site and haven't seen the Startup Junkies TV show to know who I am and why this document might prove valuable, you can watch the episodes on iTunes or learn more at the MOJO Startup Junkies website.
Can we see an excerpt Natalee to get a feel for your style?
Thanks,
Mark
PS: I hope you are feeling better
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Yes Mark - I will be publishing a free 20 question "teaser" that will give people an idea of style and depth of questions - an "asset" if you will as described in my website advice entry.
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Natalee, the "cheat sheet" sounds like an indispensable tool for anyone in senior mgmt positions, please let me know when it's available.
Best of luck,
Jay Barrett
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I'd love to see your cheatsheet as you get it put together.
I'll even spring for a "real" dinner next time I am in town.
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Natalee,
I would be interested in a copy of your doc.
Thanks,
Lars
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Your blog is very helpful, I would definitely be interested in the questionnaire.
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Natalee, if this is as thorough as I expect then I'd like to get 15-20 copies for myself and my management. Will you offer volume discounts?
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Very much appreciate your interest! This doc will definitely help get your team on the same page, and anyone junior on the team will be thrilled you thought of including them as these questions aren't covered in business school. It will still take me awhile to complete this doc since I can only work on my computer a few hours a day but will keep you posted on pricing and will look to include a volume discount.
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Please add me to your list.
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I'm in marketing now but would like to expand my career into sales and marketing and this sounds like it will help me learn the sales management issues faster?! I'd like to be kept posted.
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Hi Mark - You didn't include your email address in your comment - please email me at Natalee Roan at yahoo so I can get you on the list.
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I'm interested too, thanks.
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I'd love to see this.
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YES! Sign me up - not going to let these others get smarter than me...
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OK add me too - sounds intriguing.
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In many consulting engagements, scope is limited such that 500 questions would be impossible to ask -- but often it is in understanding the bigger picture that crucial insight comes to your more narrow project. How do you suggest working with your list to get up to speed for project-based engagements?
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Generally I start with a narrow subsection of questions based on what the client thinks they are hiring me for - Whether it be to improve sales, or marketing, or both. The questions in this document fall into sub-categories, so I group those and give them an idea, in the proposal, of the questions I will help them answer. This makes the proposal very concrete. I have many of the other questions in mind when I do my initial interview, however, and I add a few to the proposal as an upsell engagement. But here's the catch - I don't expect them to go for the upsell because 90% of the time the startup just sees an immediate problem they are looking to solve and the rest as "luxury we can't afford".
But now they understand I have a wider range of capabilities as they hire me. Then we get into the "prove it" part of the engagement where I help them solve the initial state of emergency that led them to contact me to begin with. After I've proved myself and the initial problem is solved, they are usually excited to see a bit further down the path and investigating other areas they can improve.
It all comes down to trust, competence, and seeing how you fit within their team. 99% of my clients have tried to hire me full-time. I've accepted a few as the company, people, and mission in front of them was attractive to me and I love leading a team. Others I've disengaged from by helping them hire someone with the expertise they need.
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Great blog, I am interested in interview questions you may have for VP Marketing.
Thanks,
Tracy
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