Marketing Managers Onet SOC Code 11-2021.00 Career Description: Determine the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm's profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm's customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services. Videos: Click here to view a Career of the Week Video. Related Clusters: Business, Management, and Administration Finance Marketing, Sales & Service

Career Summary:

• Develop pricing strategies, balancing firm objectives and customer satisfaction.
• Identify, develop, and evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
• Evaluate the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, and return-on-investment and profit-loss projections.
• Formulate, direct and coordinate marketing activities and policies to promote products and services, working with advertising and promotion managers.
• Direct the hiring, training, and performance evaluations of marketing and sales staff and oversee their daily activities.
• Negotiate contracts with vendors and distributors to manage product distribution, establishing distribution networks and developing distribution strategies.
• Consult with product development personnel on product specifications such as design, color, and packaging.
• Compile lists describing product or service offerings.
• Use sales forecasting and strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends.
• Select products and accessories to be displayed at trade or special production shows.
• Confer with legal staff to resolve problems, such as copyright infringement and royalty sharing with outside producers and distributors.
• Coordinate and participate in promotional activities and trade shows, working with developers, advertisers, and production managers, to market products and services.
• Advise business and other groups on local, national, and international factors affecting the buying and selling of products and services.
• Initiate market research studies and analyze their findings.
• Consult with buying personnel to gain advice regarding the types of products or services expected to be in demand.
• Conduct economic and commercial surveys to identify potential markets for products and services.

• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• A wide range of educational backgrounds are suitable for entry into this field. A bachelor's degree in sociology, psychology, business, advertising, philosophy, or science is acceptable; however, many employers prefer hiring managers with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. High school students may prepare for this occupation by taking college preparatory courses in English, mathematics, marketing education, and communications.

• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Management of Financial Resources - Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
• Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others - Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates - Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

• Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Second Interest High-Point - Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point - Primary-Rank Descriptiveness

• Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
• Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

• Working Conditions - Workers on this job have good working conditions.
• Ability Utilization - Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.
• Creativity - Workers on this job try out their own ideas.
• Achievement-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
• Autonomy - Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.
• Achievement - Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.
• Independence-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
• Activity - Workers on this job are busy all the time.
• Compensation - Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.
• Recognition - Workers on this job receive recognition for the work they do.
• Co-workers - Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with.
• Variety - Workers on this job have something different to do every day.
• Authority - Workers on this job give directions and instructions to others.
• Company Policies and Practices - Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.
• Recognition-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
• Working Conditions-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Social Status - Workers on this job are looked up to by others in their company and their community.
• Responsibility - Workers on this job make decisions on their own.
• Security - Workers on this job have steady employment.
• Advancement - Workers on this job have opportunities for advancement.
• Moral Values - Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
• Supervision, Human Relations - Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management.
• Relationships-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
• Support-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Wage and salary data provided by:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website