AMA: Salesforce Senior Director, Global SMB and Growth Campaigns, Justin Carapinha on Demand Generation Career Path

So I actually end every interview with the same question, and for me it can be the most telling about someone's accomplishments and how much they value their work. The question is, "tell me about something in your career (related to demand generation or a certain campaign(s)) that you're the most proud of, and why?" For me this question allows individuals to let their guard down and speak more freely about something they likely would have not offered up otherwise. Most folks have pre-canned inte ...Read More

While previous experience in a demand generation role is always preferred, there are 3 skills I look for when hiring a demand generation professional, although they're not necessarily specific to being successful in just the area of DG: 1) Ownership. I look for candidates who index heavily into this value/skill as I believe it is important that demand generation professionals take pride in their area of the business and truly own their respected remit. I look for candidates who want to own the e ...Read More

I hear this a lot, especially as of lately. I think only time will tell how much of AI will truly take over a marketers job, but seeing as I've worked directly for two major AI players in the tech space, I've yet to see anything come close to competing. AI certainly has it place, especially around reducing the resources needed to write copy, spin up creative elements, etc., but I don't think it will ever replace our ability to understand our customers' needs and develop and end-to-end demand gen ...Read More

For me there are two major skills/perspectives that folks can benefit from that go a long way in having a successful career, and they're not necessarily specific to Demand Generation: 1) The value of ownership. This one is huge for me. If someone does not feel empowered or passionate enough to truly own their remit/responsibilities, then they will only go so far. Marketing professionals (are anyone for that matter) should own their respected area of the business as if it was their own small busi ...Read More

This one is easy for me. I just don't have a sellers mentality and I think most people know that early on. Don't get me wrong, the idea of working directly with customers every day and trying to solve their problems is very appealing (not to mention successful sellers can be paid very generously), but the idea of chasing a quota and the uncertainty that goes along with that just isn't for me. But working in Demand Generation still allows me the benefit of working closely with sales to understand ...Read More

For me there are two critical factors that I look for when choosing an organization: 1) Innovation. I want to work for an organization that is continuing to innovate on the behalf of their customers and are constantly bring exiting solutions to market. As a marketer, you're really only as good as the product/service you're promoting, so enjoying what you market every day is an important element for me. 2) Change. I started my career in corporate finance and I couldn't stand the monotony of it. I ...Read More

I personally interact with the sales organization daily, as most successful demand generation marketers should. Demand generation functions cannot be successful if they are not in lock-step with their sales partners as everything you are doing is ultimately to help drive quality pipeline and growth for the organization. In my most successful roles, I would have a seat at the table for sales leadership reviews, leadership meetings, and strategy planning meetings to ensure marketing and sales were ...Read More

I hear this a lot, "successful marketers are good at marketing themselves." I'm personally not a huge believer in it, but I certainly do not discourage anyone from doing whatever works for them and their career. My philosophy has always been to give 110% at whatever I'm tasked with and if done well, good things will follow (i.e. promotions, performance bonuses, opportunities for new roles at other companies, etc.). There is certainly an element of having to promote your work so leadership has vi ...Read More