You’re interested in a career in B2B Marketing Strategy. What soft skills do you need to succeed?

having excellent communication skills is crucial for success. In this field, you have to work with multiple decision-makers, influencers, and stakeholders, which means you need to communicate clearly, persuasively, and professionally. It's not just about what you say but how you say it, both verbally and in writing. Additionally, you need to be able to listen actively, ask relevant questions, and adapt your message to different audiences and channels. By having strong communication skills, you'll be able to build rapport, trust, and credibility with your prospects and clients, as well as collaborate effectively with your internal team and external partners. In short, communication is the foundation of any successful B2B marketing strategy.

Communication and collaboration are essential for ensuring solutions are relevant and meet actual needs, as they allow for direct feedback and insights, and these practices build trust and credibility. Collaboration, with solid communication with peers and experts, amplifies your message and validates your expertise, also facilitating the sharing of knowledge and innovation, enriching your solutions with a variety of perspectives and experiences.

as a b2b marketer, you will need to work effectively with a number of stakeholders during your career to be successful you might have one manager, but you will work with other teams -- think sales, product, and customer success, . not just internal, you need to work with prospects, customers and partners too. the common thread is you need to learn to communicate effectively to be successful in B2B marketing. "operate by influence" is a saying i can relate to here. an example would be conveying complex ideas to stakeholders, collaborating with other teams, or getting buy in and presenting strategies to leadership consider taking courses, or simply, start writing a lot. you can learn to write succinctly and persuasively by writing a lot!

As my career progressed, I continued to hone and utilize my soft skills in every aspect of my work. From building rapport with potential clients to negotiating deals and managing long-term relationships, my ability to connect with people on a personal level proved to be an invaluable asset. I also became known for my ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with my colleagues, which helped me excel in team projects and secure promotions. Ultimately, my strong soft skills not only led to my success in the competitive world of B2B sales, but also helped me to create meaningful and lasting connections with my clients and colleagues.

Three keys: - Always remember who you're talking with or presenting to and communicate in a way they can understand. - Listen listen listen. Don't hear someone talking as you wait when to start talking again. Listen to what they say and engage. - Absorb the discussion and take action steps afterwards if appropriate.

To succeed as a B2B marketer, you need communication, analytical, creativity, empathy, and learning skills. Communication is vital to deal with multiple stakeholders, while analytical skills help you collect, analyze, and interpret data. Creativity skills help develop innovative ideas, and empathy skills understand client needs. Learning skills are essential to adapt to new trends. Effective communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills are crucial to work with stakeholders. Possessing a range of soft skills is essential to make informed decisions and stay ahead in B2B marketing.

Yes, collecting the analytics and interpreting are critical in this day and age. There are analytics for everything. Also, learn how to present the data and your analysis to others in a way they can understand. I have been in countless meetings and presentations watching somebody spew out data, looking around the room and knowing that nobody was understanding what the person was talking about.

B2B marketers must possess creativity skills beyond catchy slogans or visuals. Creativity is essential in differentiating from competitors, generating innovative ideas, and creating compelling content to engage the audience meaningfully. It helps to overcome obstacles, test new approaches, and learn from failures. Creativity skills can help retain customers, stand out, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

This is more critical than ever as we're all bombarded with information. Whether it's an advertising message, positioning, key messages, a piece of educational content, demand tactic, or other. How can you be creative and stand apart and get results? I marketed a product in the vacation rental management industry. Guest experience was a top focus of the property management companies. But all sounded the same. How could I create content that would get noticed, create greater awareness for my product? I watched a TED Talk about memories. Wow. I wrote an article about guest experiences and the memories of those experiences. Hadn't seen one with that POV. It got published in the top industry magazine and generated many useful connections.

Imagine you're tasked with boosting engagement for a B2B software product. Instead of following the conventional playbook, you decide to get creative. You suggest organizing a virtual roundtable discussion featuring industry experts, not just to promote your product but to genuinely provide value and insight into industry trends and challenges. This approach not only differentiates your brand but also positions it as a thought leader. You also introduce an interactive quiz on your website that helps businesses identify their tech gaps, offering personalized recommendations (including your product where relevant). Such creative strategies can captivate your audience, provide genuine solutions, and set your brand apart in the B2B landscape.

B2B marketers need to have empathy skills to create effective marketing strategies. Empathy involves understanding and sharing the feelings and perspectives of customers and colleagues. By putting yourself in their shoes, you can anticipate their needs, address their pain points, and build customer-centric and human-centric marketing strategies that deliver value and satisfaction.

Empathy is one of the top leadership skills you can build regardless of the career path you choose. Feeling what others feel, being compassionate and kind - all of these are indications of being empathetic towards your colleagues and those you will lead. It starts with genuine caring. Think about how you would like to be treated. Themes include respect, listening, understanding, and helping to elevate.

Don't eat your own dog food...don't breathe your own fumes...don't read your own press clippings. Lots of cliches but the point being, listen, understand, realize your product isn't for everyone, every objection isn't to be discarded as the person being wrong. Only then can you see the whole picture and do the best.

Empathy is one of the keys to being a great marketer. You need to be able to think from someone else’s perspective in order to create a campaign strategy and messaging that will resonate. You need to be empathetic to other people’s challenges. But go one step further and think from that buyer perspective based on the point of the funnel they’re at. For example, a customer might not even be aware of your business, so you’ll need to focus on building trust and positioning your brand as a thought leader. But if your customer is further down your funnel and already having a conversation with your sales team, your messaging might focus on providing social proof or talk to your products or competitor comparisons.

1. Communication skills - the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with multiple decision-makers, influencers, and stakeholders. 2. Analytical skills - the ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data from various sources to make informed decisions. 3. Creativity skills - the ability to differentiate yourself from your competitors, generate innovative ideas, and engage your audience. 4. Empathy skills - the ability to understand your customers' needs and address their pain points. 5. Learning skills - the ability to adapt to new trends and stay ahead in B2B marketing. By possessing these skills, you can make informed decisions, work effectively with stakeholders, and stay ahead in B2B marketing.

To further excel in a career in B2B marketing strategy, consider the importance of strategic thinking. You need to be able to see the big picture, anticipate future trends, and develop long-term plans that align with your business goals. Strategic thinking also involves being able to prioritize tasks, allocate resources effectively, and make informed decisions that drive your strategy forward. Additionally, consider the value of adaptability and resilience. The marketing landscape is constantly evolving, so you need to be able to adapt to changes quickly and bounce back from setbacks. By developing these soft skills, you can enhance your effectiveness as a B2B marketing strategist and advance your career.

a lot of these soft skills are not necessarily taught at school / university, and you should find opportunities to get exposed to this. If you are figuring out that you dont have these skills -- take the initiative to upskill. start a part time job, start a side hustle, or volunteer at your local community to learn these soft skills or talk to marketers to see what skills are relevant and how they have gotten better. one way to meet other marketers is to join a marketing community that is relevant to you to find them -- if you are kind and specific in your ask, they will be willing to help you!

As B2B marketers, we always seek to learn and improve our strategies and tactics. This space provides an opportunity to share unique examples, stories, and insights that don't necessarily fit into any specific category. It's a chance to think outside the box and showcase our creativity. Whether it's a new approach to lead generation, a successful account-based marketing campaign, or a unique way to measure ROI, this is the space to share our learnings with the broader B2B marketing community. Let's make the most of this opportunity and help each other succeed!

What sets us apart in the B2B strategy game? It's all about thinking ahead, and aligning our plans with where we want to go. Be like water, my friend. Ready to adapt to whatever curveballs the market throws our way. And soft skills –are the secret sauce. And I gotta say, soft skills are frequently underestimated, maybe because it has the word “soft” in it, (?) which means that is a weakness. But I think they also embody indispensable strength and versatility when effectively integrated into your skill set. Stay sharp