Demand Generation Career Path

Ask yourself these two questions: 1) Are you already performing at the level you are aspiring to be in? The best orgs won't promote you soley on tenure, but also with peformance leveling. If you're al

The leap from manager-level to director-level demand gen leadership might be one of the biggest lifts in career development. Being a manager, coaching, and making sure your team is performing well an

From my experience, the step from the Senior to Director level focused on a few areas: Having a deep understanding of metrics and the tracking setup associated with these metrics. Not always but ofte

The move from Manager to Director is about transitioning from someone who is told what to do and "pulls the levers." In someone who can own a strategy and help execute it. Before you can build a stra

My biggest tip for gaining influence as a new member of an organization is a two-parter - Work creatively and know your numbers. As cliché as it sounds, thinking on your toes & thinking outside t

Three recommendations I have for gaining influence as a new member of an organization or as a junior team member include: Understand how your work impacts the business objectives. The leadership team

To gain influence, do your job well. When you join a team, it is essential to connect with all your teammates and try to add value as soon as possible. Throw yourself into projects and offer up your t

My biggest frustration is the fact that sometimes programs work really well and then two months later, that same program will just not work. It's tough when you forecast a certain volume of new names

I believe one of the biggest frustrations in demand generation is that sometimes you can’t provide a crisp definitive answer for performance. I spend lots of time in reporting and analysis, but someti

It can be incredibly frustrating when other teams lack respect for the time and effort it takes to execute a demand gen program. Sales teams and others can sometimes take the effort for granted and ex

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

This depends on your experience level. If you are new to your field, joining with the right mindset and attitude can take a long way. If you engage with your teammates with a desire to learn and displ

Creating an environment where we have trust, pysocholigical safety, and fun is key, but it's trust that allows team members to have autonomy and agency. Celebrating wins toegther, celebrating mistake

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 t

In my experience there are 3 keys to both developing and retaining top talent: Prioritize and maintain alignment with sales: nobody wants to be doing work that isn't appreciated or that isn't aligned

I start making a list of what I want in my next role during my current role. I don't wait until anything is bad or tough, I just start compiling the list when inspiration hits me. (ex. Own a pipeline

The framework will be unique to an individual, but here are some areas I recommend you consider: Seek a manager you can learn from. I firmly believe in a growth mindset. That being said, I recommend

This is a great question, and like most questions, there isn't one perfect answer. It really depends on the organization (size, growth rate, etc.), but I'll share some key things I would certainly wan

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 cu

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 cu

The best demand gen candidates bring a balance of art and science! Demand Gen is not just being a digital marketer, and it's not just being really creative. It's so much more, and the best candidates

My favorite question to ask during an interview is “If you could spend an extra $100k on demand generation in your current role, what would you spend it on and why?” I really like this question becau

My favorite demand generation interview question is around how do you measure success. I tailor the question based on the role, but the essence of the question is the same. This is my favorite questi

Walk me through your favorite campaign.  I love this question but it's pretty open-ended and can reveal a lot about the way in which a candidate thinks. Did they understand their audience? Did they d

This one is going to be simple. Focus on being close to the numbers and be ready to be creative! I do think there are some foundational pieces to building a demand generation engine. The first is ha

In order to become a demand gen leader, you need to understand how to empower your team to execute to the best of their ability, and also forge a professional development path for every team member. S

Aside from mastering the skills in your discipline, two pieces of advice I would give to others who are looking to become demand gen leaders include: Be curious and learn. In this space, you have to

This is a great question as Demand Gen has so many unique skills, responsibilities, paths, roles, etc. - one could easily go crazy trying to become an expert in every field, or feel inadequately prepa

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 ma

Demand generation encompasses so many unique skills - both technical, but also business acumen. I'd contend there is no perfect singular answer to this question, as each company's situation will be un