Communities
Sign Up / Sign In
AMA: Observable Head of Growth Marketing, Erika Barbosa on Demand Generation Soft and Hard Skills
January 25 @ 10:00AM PST
View AMA Answers
Observable Head of Growth Marketing, Erika Barbosa on Demand Generation Soft and Hard Skills
Top Questions
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
What hard skills are must haves for a demand generation leader? * Curiosity. While a soft skill, a curious, growth mindset is critical for a demand generation leader. This is how you can stay humble, but also continue to allow for growth in yourself and your team. * Data analysis / dat......Read More
458 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
I see the future of demand generation getting more complicated. However, let’s be up for the challenge. Attribution and understanding impact is getting trickier. And at present day, budgets are generally being reduced. That being said, this just means we need to continue to evolve. We need to ......Read More
450 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
The obvious answer is both. : ) However, if I had to select one option I would say it is better to have the right soft skills. Hard skills within demand generation are very teachable. In fact, “being teachable” is a critical soft skill to have. Oftentimes you’ll find educating yourself on demand ......Read More
837 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
In order to retain good talent, I believe you have to care for the person as a whole. They need to know you care about their wellbeing. The leader of the team needs to cultivate an environment where this is naturally developed over the course of micro moments and time. I recommend focusing on the......Read More
399 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
I recommend that you stay motivated and curious. It’s absolutely possible to get an entry level role in demand generation early in your career. One of the amazing aspects of demand gen is the breadth and depth that it allows for various entry points. It makes demand generation quite accessible. L......Read More
417 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
The most important soft and hard skills to help you build your demand gen career are captured below. While I captured each in three buckets, there is so much more to consider. Demand gen spans over many disciplines. Soft skills: * Effective communication * Critical thinking * Empathy Hard......Read More
972 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
That’s a tough position to be in. Hopefully you have the type of communication in place where you feel safe to discuss it. If you do, I recommend approaching it from an objective perspective. There could be nuggets of growth opportunities within the feedback you receive. “... Don’t always know......Read More
388 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
Attaining a demand generation leadership role is certainly not attainable on an island by yourself. There are some responses to this question that are a given such as the support of others. This is such a critical element of growth, but I won’t solely focus here. * Support of others. As noted a......Read More
544 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
The best demand generation candidates have curiosity in common. The demand gen space is constantly evolving. If you are not curious, it’s difficult to keep up. How do you stay curious and motivate curiosity? * Keep reading, learning and exploring topics of interest. * Embody a testing menta......Read More
339 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
I wouldn’t say these perspectives are exclusive to demand generation, but they certainly are imperative to the role. This could also be highly effective across any org. * Curiosity. If you’ve read some of my other responses, you’ll notice a common thread of curiosity. I believe it is critica......Read More
850 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
From my perspective, you can transition to demand generation quite easily. Depending on where you are transitioning from and the associated level, this can help determine where you could land. This is absolutely doable though. I recommend doing some research and educating yourself on what aspe......Read More
802 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
I actually started my career in sales and transitioned over to marketing and demand generation. What made me decide to make the switch? Personally, it felt like a better fit for me. I’m more on the analytical and creative side than sales afforded me. However, sales did give me a unique perspectiv......Read More
739 Views
2 requests
Erika Barbosa
Observable Head of Growth Marketing • January 26
I recommend you first check out my answer related to this at the link below. One incredibly meaningful aspect of sales that is highly applicable in demand generation is having a deep understanding of your customers. The sales and marketing relationship is critical. I am of the belief you have a u......Read More
2026 Views
2 requests
Upcoming AMA's
Show All