Below is a slightly edited version of an article I wrote at the one-year anniversary of Director of Marketing at Ipswitch File Transfer, sharing the top 43 lessons (tongue in cheek) that I learned. Re-reading the list, most of it can be universally applied.

It’s not a strategy if it hasn’t been written down
It’s not a program if it hasn’t been communicated to sales
The content doesn’t exist if it’s not in the content inventory
With an inventory number (which means it can be easily updated when it changes)
When presenting to the executive team, don’t tell a long story and summarize it at the end
Start with your conclusions or key takeaways, single slide
Then have the story to back it up & go deeper, as necessary
Make sure your vendors & agencies get this too
There’s power in data and best practices
And we have to leverage it
“I thinks” typically get won by the most senior person
So use data
And third party, best practice insight
Get the VP of Marketing involved early in the process
Talk to Sales. A lot.
And talk to our Customers. Even more.
If you are asked a question, answer the question first.
Then get into the details
We deliver on our commitments
And if a committed date is in jeopardy, we communicate it early
So we can do something about it
If the projected start date has passed and you haven’t started it, that’s probably an issue
Every project need a project manager
Project managers send out meeting agendas ahead of time
And afterwards recap the meeting – what’s been resolved, what’s open, next steps
As part of a project make sure you define how you are going to measure it
And who needs to approve it
Don’t schedule a review meeting if you aren’t ready for it
That can get create a lot of stress
Stop the Madness
That means we’ve got a lot we want to do, but we need to prioritize based on impact
And first get done the things that will move the needle
Fill your Boat
That means don’t feel you need to solve the difficult problems on your own
Give yourself enough time
And assemble the right team together
Empathy is a really important skill
That helps you put yourself in the head of a prospect as they go through their buying process
It also helps you know where your colleagues are coming from when they give you feedback
Always ask “what about International?”
And “what about Channels”?
Our website is our most important marketing asset
And last but not least: We have assembled a killer, veteran team over the past year. We are gelling as a group every single day. We are starting to finish each other’s sentences. One of the reasons I took this job was to become part of an outstanding marketing team leading the way forward, and we have created that team. We are well suited to learn from each other, and leverage each other’s strengths in driving the growth of our company and brand. I look forward to a lot of good times ahead together.