As an external marketing consultant I am often asked to come in and assess an organization’s marketing strategy. That sometimes leads to recommendations for shifting the marketing strategy.
The challenge is always, “how do I get buy-in from the wider marketing team so they don’t feel they’re simply executing a strategy imposed on them?”
“If we build it, they will come.”
Many leaders have this notion of “if we build it, they will come” – that people will rally around a strategy because that’s what was agreed upon.
But agreed upon by whom? A small group of people locked in a room who came up with some brilliant idea to change things?
No one likes being told what to do, or worse, being pulled in various directions, without even understanding the why.
On the other hand, we all dread having to reach consensus amongst a large group of people.
So how can we involve others in marketing strategy building, without there being “too many cooks in the kitchen”?
The key is having a small dedicated group to “shepard” the process, and to invite others in at risky moments in the right ways.
Core strategy team best practices
The core marketing strategy team should be no more than 6-10 people who:
- understand the context
- are accountable, and
- have the space and time to commit to the topic.
When should the group invite others into the process?
- When there are some possibilities (ideally 3) on the table.
- At this point, ask what can be better, and what may be missing.
- When starting to test a direction.
- Here it’s important to turn to subject matter experts for their input. What do they see that the core team doesn’t? How can they support?
- When reviewing marketing strategy results.
- What went well? What could be done better? What did they notice?
Two things that are crucial:
First, it’s really important to be clear with the wider group about the moment you are in within the marketing strategy definition process, so that you continue moving forward and not backward.
Second, this process needs to be authentic – don’t ask for advice if you don’t want it. Pretending for the sake of the process that you care about what others think feels demeaning and plain rude to those who were called upon for input. In the end, we all know that feedback from a diverse range of peers is beneficial, and it should be treated that way.
In summary
To recap, the process of converging ideas for marketing strategy with a wider group, and then diverging back to the core group, is a way of enabling your wider team to make your organization’s marketing strategy their own. In the end, they will feel empowered, accountable, and motivated for the direction they are moving in.
Ready to make your marketing strategy actionable? Learn more about my Fractional CMO services here.