I grew up in a small town in central Michigan...well, home of Central Michigan University to be a bit more specific (GO CHIPS!!). My family history is one filled with two professions...teachers and bankers. When I was young, my brother and I would talk about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Keep in mind that in the late 70's and early 80's those conversations had more to do with gender and which was more "rad" than the other. I guess the word, "cool" hadn't hit mid-Michigan yet!
At an early age I started defying the things our parents called dangerous, forbidden, and "not for girls." For example, my tree house that was about 50' up an old oak tree...you had to make sure the Red Rider was carefully attached to your backpack because that fall could shatter my old crooked shooter (I became the master of compensating for that old thing!). But I digress.
So in the battle for the best "I wanna be a..." I was always the first girl fireman. Yup, long before being PC firefighters, we had firemen, and I was going to be one. Life happened, education was achieved, then some more education (I had a massive change in career path after that child development class...I KNEW I wasn't going to be a teacher after that!), and there I was...a legacy banker.
Wile my degree is in Marketing, it hasn't always been in banking. I did my internship with a beer and wine wholesaler where I did some merchandising, keg rotating, some selling and a lot of display building. When that was over, I migrated to some financial services marketing...a CPA and consulting firm most specifically where I did some contract work on a branding campaign. Then I went to the bank. Mortgage loans, new accounts and a bazillion other things that were in the catch-all job description of the Corporate Marketing Director.
Because I was spread so thin, it seemed that I was constantly putting out fires, and not able to execute the incredibly exciting and aggressive marketing plan I had written. And that's when it hit me. I had actually achieved my ultimate career goal...or at least the one I had when I was 7 years old. I was a fireman...errr...firefighter. Putting out the fires of every department head who needed that (insert the deposit product promotion of your choice) letter out yesterday!
I knew I had to make a change. Putting out fires is no way to market a bank! The change wasn't necessarily where I was working...the change had to be in the way marketing was viewed by the bank. I was on a mission. Today, that bank has shifted their view of marketing from being the people who recruit volunteers to walk in a parade and order the suckers for the drive through (and I am convinced those are called dum-dums for a reason!) to a revenue generating critical function within the bank. Granted it has taken several years (2 marketing directors and the ultimate consulting company) to get them there, but they are there and are experiencing remarkable success.
So, my question to you today is this: Are you a Marketer, or a Firefighter? Because you can't be both and I have never seen billowing smoke come out of a bank!!
No great reward has come without great risk. Take the risk.
Jenna
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