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By Cheryl Strege

Remember the “buddy system”? As a kid going to summer camp or the local swimming pool, you were often reminded not to swim alone. Before you could go into the water, you had to have a “buddy” to ensure that you didn’t lose your way, or end up in the deep water all alone.

I had the opportunity to interview three marketing pros from Microsoft Dynamics™ Partner organizations: Anya Ciecierski, marketing manager at CAL Business Solutions Inc., Judy Van Der Linden, HR director/marketing manager at InterDyn Artis, and Natalie Majerko, director of marketing at Olsen Thielen Technologies. They told me about their own personal buddy system, a best practices marketing group consisting of thirteen members.

Cheryl Strege (CS): Tell me about your marketing group. What’s it called and who is in it?

Anya Ciecierski (AC): We call it the BBC Marketing Group (very original!) since we all met at The Partner Event - BBC last year (2006). We started out with eight members, and now we have 13. (We added new members from The Partner Event - BBC this year.)

Judy Van Der Linden (JV): At the event, we saw the advantage of networking with other marketing professionals to help grow our own respective organizations. I believe the group was also formed from marketing professionals who have a true passion for their profession. Our group reminds me of a quote: “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” I believe this is exactly what we have done and will only continue to move forward in nurturing our relationship with one another. Our members, in order of joining the group, are:

• Anya Ciecierski from CAL Business Solutions (Connecticut - VAR)
• Lisa Steinhart from vSync (Ohio - ISV)
• Judy Van Der Linden from InterDyn Artis (North Carolina - VAR) 
• Jodi Powers from InterDyn Socius (Ohio - VAR)
• Julie Stankey from InterDyn Socius (Ohio - VAR)
• Michael Camp from Synergy Business Solutions (Oregon - VAR)
• Julie Miller from Pinnacle (Indiana - VAR)
• Natalie Majerko from Olsen Thielen Technologies (Minnesota - VAR)
• Amanda Gentile from RockySoft Corporation (Colorado - ISV)
• Ann Haucke from The Resource Group (Washington - VAR)
• Angela Spitz from Accolade Publications (Florida - ISV)
• Charles Bucholz from Diamond Municipal Solutions (North Dakota - ISV)
• Alejandro Barajas from Tensoft, Inc. (California - ISV)

CS: What inspired you to form the group?

AC: For me, the best part about attending The Partner Event - BBC is that I learn so much from other marketers and their experiences. Lisa Steinhart (from vSync) and I had the idea that we would like to continue sharing ideas, and when we attended the one day marketing workshop (after the event last year), there were a few people who spoke up the most and contributed their ideas. We approached those people and asked them if they wanted to continue sharing throughout the year in an informal group. I am extremely impressed with all of us that we’ve been able to keep it going consistently, and it’s getting stronger than ever. Often, ideas like this sound good at the time, but tend to fizzle out.

JV: Anya approached me at The Partner Event – BBC 2006 after our Marketing Professional Community workshop. As an introvert, it was out of my comfort zone to strike up conversation out of the blue, but it is very rewarding to share ideas that will help other Partners succeed as well as refine marketing campaigns for greater ROI. Everyone brings a unique expertise that incorporates their personality and professionalism to the group.  

Natalie Majerko (NM): I was very happy to have the opportunity to network with these established marketing professionals. In our industry, it is not uncommon for our organizations to have multiple consultants or sales people to bounce ideas off of and lean on for support. When they’re approaching an implementation or a challenging sale, they can collaborate with their peers. When it comes to marketing, we may only have one person representing a Partner organization. This group allows me to fill that void and collaborate with others to ensure I stay on the top of my game while marketing my company’s products and services.

CS: What are the objectives of the BBC marketing group?

AC: To share our experiences and our ideas; recommend vendors, share campaign ideas, and so on.

CS: And the benefits?

JV: One benefit is knowing that you always have someone available to give you feedback and ask questions. More importantly, we’ve developed friendships within the group that lend professional and personal support when needed.

AC: It is great to get feedback on questions I throw out to the group. Someone always seems to have a good answer. We have monthly calls where we share specific ideas and present scenarios or issues and then learn how the other members handle them. We also have a Microsoft SharePoint® site where we can upload campaign templates, contact information for vendors, and so on.  This way we all have access to the files and samples at any time.

NM: I agree with Judy and Anya – this is such a valuable asset. You can learn where others made mistakes and prevent repeating them. This allows you to feel free to share ideas and experiences because this is not a competition. We could pay a large annual membership to a national marketing association, but it would be more general marketing advice. With this group we can relate to our specific industry's marketing needs and not get lost in a national association of members. You cannot put a price tag on the value this group adds to our professional development.

CS: What are the top things you’ve personally gained from your membership in this group?

AC: Asking the group for ideas and templates so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel. While planning our customer event this summer, I waited until the last minute to design an event evaluation form. I asked the group, and got several of them back right away. All I had to do was personalize it a bit, and I was done! It saved me a lot of time.

It sounds silly, but at The Partner Event - BBC this year, I really felt like I was part of a “cool gang.” Like back in high school, wondering who you will sit with at lunch. Our group planned a lunch together and looked for each other during the sessions. It is nice to have friends to look forward to seeing at these kinds of large events.
There is nobody else on my marketing team except me, and my boss does not have time to play the “brainstorming” game with me. Often I just need someone to bounce ideas off of and brainstorm with. Hearing what others are doing often triggers ideas in my mind.

JV: Number one for me is their friendship and knowing I have their support whenever I may call upon them. Also, by holding a regularly scheduled conference call, I am held accountable for action items discussed from a previous call - the group keeps me focused. Finally, sharing campaigns and knowing that you can use the same campaign or messaging that is working for someone else is golden.

CS: How often do you meet? In the ideal meeting, what happens?

AC: We meet on the phone the third Wednesday of each month. It started out more informal, since it was a smaller group, and we would all just talk and share ideas and discuss current campaigns. Now it is more formal, and we have a “host” for each meeting and a theme.  This month Lisa Steinhart gave us a great presentation on how to prepare print jobs and save money working with designers and printers. I shared a lumpy (three-dimensional) direct mail campaign with the group, and I know at least one member is going to copy it for her area, which saves her a lot of work!

JV: With our diverse group, we will vastly gain value by our host process as each individual brings a unique expertise to the group. Next month Angela will discuss telemarketing since she has worked in the telemarketing arena. The month I host I will present on how I prepare Existing Client and New Sales marketing reports for our executive team (pulled from Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM).
NM: There can be administrative challenges to leading a group like this. I too, like the opportunity to share the load. This way, it doesn't take away from our first responsibility to our existing firm, and we can share our expertise in our hosted call.

AC: Of course, some members are more active than others. Not everyone is able to attend each call. Right now we seem to have a good mix of VARs and ISVs.

CS: What’s your advice to other Partners who want to form similar groups? Is this hard to do? You mentioned finding people who were outside your target market. How would Partners do that?

AC: Attend The Partner Event - BBC or Microsoft events, and approach people who ask good questions or share good ideas in sessions that you attend. Usually you know who works in your area. Of course you want everyone to be free to share, so you have to be careful not to have any members who compete with each other. Ask about their geography and vertical markets.

JV: I agree with Anya, and I would suggest as your group grows in numbers, be more selective in letting new members join your team.  

NM: You also don't want to get so big that you get lost in the shuffle. There can be disadvantages to being too big, too. Smaller groups are easier to manage.

CS: As marketing professionals, what’s your advice to others on achieving marketing excellence?

NM: Marketing will always be a work in progress. Keep it simple; understand your firm's strengths and what differentiates you from others in the market. Also, integrate your customer evidence into your marketing initiatives. Your customers’ experiences should be consistent with your marketing messages.  Finally, your prospect list will either kill the campaign or allow you to find amazing success. Don't put all of your time, money, and energy in the marketing piece if you have not invested properly in a list.

JV: Set goals for your marketing team. Determine your main focus and ask yourself – will it help our team meet our main focus? InterDyn Artis’ marketing team’s main focus is “to generate qualified opportunities for new sales and existing clients.” If someone asks me to coordinate an activity, I ask myself “Will it generate opportunities for sales?” If yes, it is high on my priority list. Also, don’t get caught up on reinventing marketing campaigns – if it works, don’t fix it.

AC: Nurture, nurture, nurture! Don’t ever give up on a lead. Don’t get too caught up in the creative side of it. If you don’t have a lot of time, just get it out the door! Keep learning! From others, from The Partner Event – BBC, from books – anywhere you can get great ideas.

The buddy system was developed to ensure that everyone in the pool would swim, not sink. These marketing professionals have found a way to come together in the “marketing pool,” and they’re swimming beautifully! Use their tips to develop your own buddy system, and don’t forget about the resources of the Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Professional Community. If you’re not already a member, now is the time to jump in the water with the others!

For more information about the Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Professional Community, visit https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/communities/marketing/