In this next segment, I’ll move a little higher up the corporate ladder. In most organizations, it’s the midlevel managers and higher that have the authority to carry out these next four suggestions.
Last Friday I shared several ideas for cutting back on marketing expenses without cutting into the meat of the programs that drive your business success. These first four suggestions were ones that marketers at any level in the organization could implement.
In this next segment, I’ll move a little higher up the corporate ladder. In most organizations, it’s the midlevel managers and higher that have the authority to carry out these next four suggestions.
Outsource Marketing Functions
If you’ve been reading my blog you know that I am a fan of outsourcing some of the marketing functions. It keeps revenue per FTE high, which can be an important metric if you are a public company. It keeps committed expenses low, including the overhead that comes with an FTE. And, it keeps the team more agile. I can hire the expertise that I need when I need it without commitment to a long-term relationship.
Use Interns
First let me say that I believe in paying interns. As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” If you hire someone as a volunteer the results will show it. The one exception to this rule may be the not for profits where there is a “cause” the intern may buy into. Those of us who are capitalists will have to shell out an hourly wage to get the results we are looking for.
Don’t just hire any intern. Look for someone who has the qualifications to fill an entry-level position in your organization. I like interns because they usually have strong technology skills and they bring in a fresh perspective. But I also look for experience with certain applications, strong communication skills, and outstanding writing skills. My interns usually do a significant amount of editing work that no one else wants to do.
The bottom-line is that you can hire two part-time interns for the same price as one full-time entry-level hire. And, with the interns, there is no long-term commitment not the full overhead associated with an FTE.
You can easily blow the intern approach by having too much sympathy with your interns as they approach graduation. I have seen many seasoned managers move heaven and earth to hire someone “they like” on as a full-time employee even though they didn’t really need to add that role.
You are giving interns great on-the-job experience and I hope a significant amount of mentoring. Help them develop their skills while they work for you, but don’t compound your expense issues by feeling obligated to hire them. And, please, for their sake don’t dangle that carrot in front of them unless there is a very good chance that will have a position to offer them.
Put Everyone on a “Plan”
In Part 1 talked about setting metrics that directly link to the company’s objectives. When it comes time to start cutting back on marketing, it’s time to start evaluating everyone’s job performance against their goals and pay rates. I hate to sound heartless but you can’t afford the employees that hang on year after year without providing any real value.
Some corporations make a practice of “stack ranking” everyone and cutting off the bottom 10% every year. That probably seems a little harsh to most but in the corporate environment they’ve built, it’s expected. Even if you don’t go to that extreme, you should evaluate every employee by the value they add. If you, or their direct manager, can’t explain how their performance drives business objectives you’ve got an employee who needs better management or redeployment – potentially in another organization.
Another individual in this a category is the seasoned worker who has been in the same position for years and because of yearly merit increases is now paid far in excess of what the job is worth.
These can be sensitive issues to deal with. You should involve your HR manager if you are planning to “manage an employee out of the company.”
In my next post, I’ll move up the corporate ladder again and share ideas that may require even more authority to be carried out.
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