营销虽不像极为精准的火箭科学，可是技术行业营销官还是可以给他的服务业同行传授一两招诀窍的。

marketing isn’t rocket science. but there’s still a lesson or two the technology cmo can teach his professional services counterpart.

问责制是当下营销季的风向标，在每个公司都或多或少能看到问责制的影子。它是营销圆桌会、研讨会或大会中最流行的主题。当然了，预算如此紧，公司的各种首席官们又一直说公司的钱都必须花在刀刃上。所以能不提到问责制吗？

营销中问责制的风行不能、也不应当被忽视，因为这是责任化经商发展的正确方向。合作伙伴意味着你和商业同仁都必须言出必行。问责制的风起云涌证明营销正走向成熟。

营销往往被当作公司的经营成本，而不是核心能力或是投入，所以它很难在公司会议桌上赢得一席之地。大家会问，去年的营销预算都花到哪儿去了？换来了什么？众所周知，零售业巨头约翰·华纳梅克创造了这个时代执行官对市场官的偏见，他声称“我很清楚我的广告费有一半都被白白浪费掉了，问题是我不清楚是哪一半”，这番话直击揭市场人的痛处。

技术行业进入了飞速发展的第三个10年，营销对这一行业产生了前所未有的非凡影响。对技术营销的依赖不断增加，原因之一是一段时间以来，人们认为技术营销是能够测量的，能对其结果负责。和其他垂直市场相比，技术行业更多地受到数据的推动，各种有效的测量方法和标准越来越制度化。通过精准的营销设计，约翰·华纳梅克所指责的浪费已经被逐渐挤出了技术营销等式。

而另一方面，营销在专业服务领域还是个相对较新的现象。20世纪80年代，会计师事务所和咨询公司开始接受营销，90年代律师事务所也开始步其后尘。首席市场官开始出现在公司高管会议上，甚或成为公司合伙人，这些都不再是稀罕事了。但是，这并不意味着专业服务行业已经全心全意地接受了营销或者说营销已经标准化。问责对律师事务所的市场官尤其重要，比起对技术行业营销官来说，把问责制具体化、商业化更是棘手。虽然这两个行业的市场人面临同样的挑战，服务业市场官还是可以从技术市场官那里学到一两招。那么这些招数是什么呢？

获得高管的认同

测量和问责都是为了推动业务取得成功，进而获得回报。技术公司的工程师和业务经理对营销采取了非常理性的态度。他们清楚地认识到，营销活动会变成销售线索，继而变成推销的机会，从而实现销售。

服务业的高管们也必须接受测评和问责决定企业成功这种逻辑关系，市场官的任务就是建立它们之间的联系。如果在营销活动中发现了成功的火花，市场官一定要做好准备，迎接胜利成果。要向高管们建议，把可测量的营销目标纳入市场官的职责范围，赋予营销合理的预算资金，这样才可能真正摘到胜利的果实。

同样道理，市场官在和广告设计、广告代理、公共和互动关系公司等等营销代理共同制定周密的营销计划时，要确保他们对公司营销要求和测评心中有数，对你和高管们的期望也都一清二楚。

定义“问责”

问责的基本原则是一方要求另一方按照协议行事。技术公司会要求公关代理策划反响积极的媒体活动，要求互动代理策划网上宣传活动并产生销售线索。这些代理都必须用实际行动和效果表明他们完成了任务，这是他们的责任所在。

服务行业的市场官掌握着能够落实问责制的各种测评手段，其中最得当的评估措施与企业的成功密不可分。市场官要确立切实可行的目标，把它们列入代理协议中去，选定可行的、但非简单容易的评估手段，因为最终目标是取得营销的成功。

欲速则不达

受数字技术推动的技术行业最看重精准度。技术行业市场官本着提高营销活动效率的精神，会非常非常谨慎地测评营销活动，策略地运用他们的技术知识。比如，如果系列研讨会每场出席率都很高，就会对业务产生立竿见影的效果；又如，设计巧妙的辅助计划能够提高每次营销活动的参与人数。

服务业的市场官同样要选定最精准的测评手段，要在合作伙伴中下足功夫获得他们的认同，还要确保各个代理对评估手段和目标一清二楚。模棱两可的评估只会产生含糊不明的结果，且和公司的业务毫无联系。

理解营销和销售之间的关系

技术行业中，销售和营销被当作两个独立、必要而互补的部门。营销负责定义品牌，传递价值主张，生成销售线索。在组织精良的技术公司，这两个部门有效合作，促使销售线索转化成宣传活动，最终实现销售。

为了提升品牌和价值主张，当然有时还要产生销售线索，律师事务所的市场官一定要和外部代理携手制定宣传材料和计划。但是市场官必须要求代理们担负起硬核心销售的责任。如果他们缺乏正确的销售技巧，市场官们就必须帮助他们掌握相关的知识。

向外部代理提供他们出色完成任务所需的一切

要想让代理们负起责任，就必须创造一切机会促使他们成功。在技术行业，这就意味着代理们可以畅通无阻地和公司的领导层接触，了解他们的愿景，获得产品信息和市场数据。一般说来，如果知道公司领导能够提供这些有用的信息，这些代理就如虎添翼，能够大有作为。

商业咨询公司的合作伙伴必须随时提出差异化的观点、慎密的看法和积极的建议。要让他们尽职尽责。你一定要仔细听取营销代理对数据和信息的要求，要及时回应他们的需求。问责制是双向责任。记住，你要求代理们负起责任，同时你还要期待他们成功，因为你们的利益是紧紧捆绑在一起的。

接受营销代理的忠告

技术行业市场官走过了迂回曲折的学习道路，最终知道必须挑选行业里历史悠久、经验丰富的代理公司；必须要制定营销计划，要迅速执行。有着丰富业内经验的代理商们应当能够为公司的业务、战略和可选方案提供客观、诚实、坦率的意见。

专业服务行业的首席市场官应当向技术行业的同仁学习。不要尝试聘用对你的领域毫无经验的营销代理，这样做会浪费大量时间向他们解释你的领域和其他领域的细微差别，帮助他们了解顾客的价值取向。一旦雇佣了经验丰富的代理公司，就一定要听取他们的意见，要让他们利用经验为你提供深入的观点和意见，倾听他们的看法，利用他们有价值的经验。

灵活多变

众所周知，技术行业是个充满活力的行业。这个行业的特征之一就是变化，一旦变化现身，营销的优先顺序就要做相应的调整。技术市场官给我们的另一点启示是：制定标准，灵活多变。这一点似乎自相矛盾，和我们的直觉相左。一方面必须要定义标准和测评指标，确定测量的目标，要求外部代理负起责任，同时还要因地制宜，与时俱进。如果测量指标不再能反映公司现在或将来的业务影响，还坚持要求外部代理按照这个指标形式，问责制就失去了意义。

问责制现在大行其道，它会在任何行业长久存在。这是一件好事，因为问责制能够掀开营销神秘的面纱，揭示投资回报率的真实面目。它会推动标准的实施，检验最佳实践，并且最终为市场官在公司中赢得一席之地。

（王欣红 译）

accountability is this marketing season’s burberry; everyone has to show some form of it. it is by far the most popular theme at marketing roundtables, seminars or conventions. and why not? budgets are as tight as ever and c-suite executives are insisting that their organizations count their pennies.

the trend toward accountability in marketing cannot-and should not-be ignored, since it is a movement toward a more responsible way of doing business. the basic concept of partnership is the belief that your business colleagues will do precisely what they agree theyll do-and that you will too. the movement toward greater accountability is proof that marketing is coming of age.

marketing has rarely been able to earn a seat at the table because it was viewed as a cost of doing business instead of as a core capacity or investment. where did the marketing budget go last year? what did it generate? we all know that retail magnate john wanamaker created a ceo bias for the ages-and a sore spot for marketers-when he declared that he knew 50 percent of his advertising budget was wasted; he just didn’t know which half.

in the technology sector-an industry in its third decade-the influence of marketing has never been greater. one of the key reasons for the increased reliance on tech marketing is that it has been held accountable for some time. since the sector is more data-driven than other vertical marketplaces, meaningful measures and standards have become increasingly institutionalized. much of the waste that wanamaker decried has been engineered out of the technology marketing equation.

on the other hand, marketing is a relatively new phenomenon in the field of professional services. accounting firms and business consultancies started to embrace marketing in the 1980s; law firms followed in the 1990s. it is no longer a rarity to see cmos sitting on management committees-or even holding partnership status. however, none of this means that marketing success in the professional services sector is fully embraced or easy to calibrate. and while accountability is every bit as important to the law firm cmo, it is much trickier to demonstrate and merchandise than it is for the technology cmo. although marketers in both sectors face unique challenges, the professional services cmo could learn a thing or two from the tech cmo. what do those lessons include?

get executive buy-in.

the process of measurement and the objective of accountability are both intended to determine business success-success that should encourage reward. the engineers and business managers running technology companies view marketing through a very rational lens. they see clear connections between marketing activities that turn into leads, which turn into presentations, which result in sales.

the managing partners in professional services organizations must buy into the relationship that measurement and accountability have on business success, and it’s the cmo’s job to make sure that happens. when there is a win sparked by a marketing initiative, the cmo must be properly positioned to accept the reward. suggest to the managing partners that measurable goals are written into the cmo job description and that marketing is funded realistically so that you can achieve the objectives.

similarly, when charting a course with a marketing resource-your design company, advertising, interactive or public relations agency-make sure that it understands the imperative as well as the measures. be crystal clear about your expectations as well as the managing partners’.

define “accountability.”

the basic tenet of accountability is that one party holds another to their working agreement. in the technology sector, a pr agency might be expected to produce a certain number of positive media hits. an interactive agency would be expected to engineer a certain number of leads generated by an online initiative. both would be held accountable for demonstrating their fulfillment of the promise.

the professional services cmo has a variety of measures to enable accountability, the best of which are closely connected to business success. encourage realistic, meaningful goals from the managing partners and incorporate those into the working agreements with your marketing resources. define obtainable, though not necessarily easy, measures. the objective is to be successful.

remember the adage, haste makes waste.

the digitally driven technology sector is all about precision. the tech cmo measures very, very carefully and applies knowledge strategically in the interest of increasing program effectiveness. seminar series attendance, for example, can have an immediate business impact; supportive marketing programs are often tweaked very subtly to increase attendance records with each deployment.

the professional services cmo also needs to determine measurements that can be evaluated with a surgical precision. take all the time necessary to make sure that the partners are on board and that your outside resources are clear on the metrics and objectives. vague measurements will produce only fuzzy results, with the most tenuous connection to business impact.

understand the relationship between marketing and sales.

in the technology sector, sales and marketing are seen as separate, essential and complementary. marketing defines the brand, communicates the value proposition and generates sales leads. in the very best organized technology companies, there is an efficient handshake between the two competencies as leads are transferred for presentations and closing.

the cmo in a law firm must work with outside resources to develop materials and programs that do the lifting for the brand, its value proposition and-in some cases-lead generation. but the cmo must be able to hold the partners in the firm accountable for the hard-core sales closing. if these partners dont have the appropriate sales skills, they must be expected to develop them.

give your marketing resources everything they need.

if you are going to hold your resources accountable, you must provide every opportunity to generate success. in the technology space, this means unfettered access to the company’s leadership and vision, as well as to product information and marketplace data. often, the thought leadership that exists within a technology company can provide content that offers the most powerful weaponry.

partners in a business consultancy must be available, willing and interested in being out in front with differentiated opinions, thoughtful perspectives and provocative speeches. hold them accountable for this. make sure that you listen carefully to your marketing agencies’ requests for input and data, and be responsive. accountability is a two-way street. remember, you are holding your agencies accountable, but you want them to be successful because your interests are tied to theirs.

take counsel from your marketing resources.

the technology cmo has learned to hire resources that have industry provenance and significant domain experience. the learning curve is an “avoid”; programs need to be up and running quickly. agencies with valuable industry experience should be expected to provide objective, honest and frank views on your business, strategies and options.

the professional services cmo should take a page from the tech book. don’t experiment with marketing resources that are new to your segment; you will invest too much time teaching the critical nuances of your profession and helping them understand the complex buyer values. but don’t hire seasoned pros and ignore their counsel. hold them accountable for providing the perspectives and insights gained through their histories. then give them a fair and open hearing, and leverage that considerable value.

be flexible.

the dynamic nature of the technology sector is well-known. change is part of the landscape, and with change, priorities can shift. and so the technology cmo inspires one other bit of insight that might actually seem counterintuitive or ironic: have standards, but be flexible. define those standards and measures. be clear about those objectives. hold your marketing resources accountable, and demonstrate your own accountability. but be flexible as circumstances evolve. what practical good can come from holding an agency accountable to a metric that is no longer tied to a current or future business impact?

while accountability is hot right now, it’s definitely here to stay-no matter what industry. this is a good thing, since it can only demystify marketing and reveal roi. it will force standards as well as an examination of best practices and, in the end, create a seat at the table for the cmo.