Sean Sewell, co-founder and VP of revenue at Partnerize, has had a byline published in PerformanceIn discussing how partnership provides the best training for future chief marketing officers (CMOs) with specific reference to Russell Reynolds’ study on what makes an extraordinary CMO.
Here is an excerpt from Sean’s article:
When the PerformanceIN 50 gets published each year, there is always such a remarkable range of leadership qualities on display in the profiles. We are fortunate that we have strong leaders in this industry, especially as every aspect of the consumer journey is reshaped by a changing media environment. A few years ago, consulting firm Russell Reynolds produced a study of what makes an extraordinary chief marketing officer. When I first read it, I was struck by how the essential skills and traits that are so valuable in a marketing head jibe are exactly the winning traits for an affiliate and partner marketer.
I have since made that assertion in face-to-face meetings with senior executives at leading brands. Many look back at me perplexed. Puzzled because CMOs must be generalists, whereas partner and affiliate marketers have historically been viewed as highly skilled but narrow specialists – people working in a discipline vital to the success of, by poorly understood by the larger organisation.
It’s undeniable that partner marketers have specialised knowledge. You cannot just be dropped into this world and expect to succeed in it, especially in today’s competitive landscape. But thinking about affiliate and partner marketers solely as specialists do a disservice to the transferable qualities that make them so well suited to the C-suite. Here are a few of the qualities that Russell Reynolds identified as essential – I’m sure they resonate with anyone reading this.
Innovation
Imaginative /abstract thinking styles / generators of imaginative solutions
Spend 10 minutes in partnership, and you quickly realise that this is anything but a place for cookie-cutter thinkers. Affiliate and partner leaders must constantly explore new ideas and approaches to drive outstanding business results. We are long past the set-it-and-forget-it phase of this industry.
In new partner recruitment, formulation of innovative commissioning and reward programs, even in the use of data for better decision-making, partner marketers must continuously test the boundaries of what’s possible. As consumer behaviours change, so too must effective engagement strategies.
The partnerships arena is constantly at the forefront of technologies and platforms like mobile, geo-location, and customer relationship management. Yes, of course, there are some “gimme” approaches at work in the industry. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deliver a big value coupon. But those who think this is a deep-discounts-only world need to meet us here in 2019.
Pioneering
Persistent / Decisive / Action-Oriented / Open to New Ideas
Once again, these are core affiliate leader traits. Partner marketers know that the only way to grow is to continuously experiment. Today’s bread and butter tactics may lose effectiveness overnight – we must constantly prepare for what’s next. Further, persistence is part of every partner marketer’s DNA as they explain for the 18th time that yes, partnership is profitable, brand-enhancing, and incremental. And that we have data to prove it.
Openness to ideas is at the heart of any successful business relationship. The best partner and affiliate marketers collaborate directly with their largest partners to identify new ways to improve conversion rates, revenue, and profit. At the same time, partner marketers must demonstrate fearlessness as they stretch the boundaries of technology and customer interactions to identify new sources of growth.
Read the rest of the article in PerformanceIn.
