08. Sales and Marketing Market Insights

Over the past two years, we’ve seen advances and adaptations of new technology in the face of radically changing customer expectations. How marketing teams approach campaigns has evolved accordingly - from leveraging geo-targeting, to creating custom apps, and emphasizing brand values over product features to reach younger demographics.

Consumers in 2022 are electing to engage with ‘brands’ and associated digital experiences that make them a part of a similar minded group. According to market research company, Forrester, this will bring about the need to create digitallyenabled group experiences that make consumers feel like they’re part of something more than just the brand or product.

Good marketing teams will seek to create experiences for groups that align with their own brand values, and those of their target audience. This will be seen through integrating marketing efforts which will mean agency spend will increase. Businesses should prepare to spend on contractor talent for special projects in activations, events/promotions, creative/ development space, and brand building.

At Hunter Campbell, we’re seeing growth in specialist social media and digital engagement roles as businesses look to become smarter and more strategic about their social media and online presence.

One-person social teams are a thing of the past and businesses will be seen to build out their teams with customer-centric social media roles as these platforms become their primary source of communications with consumers. Marketing Managers with experience and knowledge in implementing social media strategy are in high demand to lead these newly formed social media teams.

CONTENT MANAGER

DIGITAL MEDIA SUPERVISOR

ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR

ONLINE COMMUNITY MANAGER

SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYST

Across the telco, professional services and banking sectors, businesses are embracing the concept of agile working to ensure they’re as adaptable and efficient as they can be. While flexible working refers primarily to flexibility around working hours, agile working goes beyond that and focuses on removing boundaries traditionally placed between staff and their goals.

This has been a common approach in the digital space, but we’re seeing more marketing teams adopting agile working to increase productivity by finding the most appropriate and effective way of working to carry out a specific task. The fast-paced and constantly changing nature of marketing lends itself to this approach.

Research suggests that employees operating in an agile working environment become more satisfied, loyal, and innovative. Agile marketers engage more in their work because they have control over it.

The pandemic significantly changed the way we work. Throughout the lockdowns many sales and marketing teams pivoted to remote working. And while that was positive in many respects, today businesses are beginning to discover that it has adversely affected their workplace culture and ability to engage employees with a sense of purpose and belonging.

This is especially true for sales teams who often work collaboratively and feed off each other’s energy and successes.

Unsurprisingly then, after two years we’re finally seeing a return to the office, as businesses begin to re-build their workplace culture.

Culture is not something you can manufacture, much of the re-building will happen organically as colleagues re-connect, and good leadership becomes more visible in and around the office. Nurturing diversity and inclusion, encouraging and supporting team work and social events, establishing trust from the top down, setting measurable organisational goals and offering tailored professional development, are all ways to lay the foundation for an authentic workplace culture.

Over the past two years, ‘remote working’ has also meant ‘remote hiring’. From video call interviews, to on-boarding/ induction on a computer at home. This also has a part to play in a diminished workplace culture. In some instances, new team members have never met their manager or the people they’ll be working with in person.

Humans are social animals and our need for connection is evident in our behaviours. While technology allows us to see each other through a screen, nothing is quite like meeting someone face to face.

The best talent expects businesses to be able to articulate their mission and vision with ease. Having clearly defined organisational goals underpinned by an overarching vision, means candidates can better engage with, and relate to a sense of purpose.

We’re also seeing that more than ever, candidates are keen to understand a business’s diversity, inclusion and sustainability commitments. Being able to demonstrate that you’re a responsible employer is vital to attracting the best talent.

Recent research shows that 65 percent of people around the world want to work for an organisation with a powerful social conscience and 36 percent of HR professionals are building their talent strategies around their organisations’ social & environmental conscience.

With sales performance often linked with mindset and drive, wellness is an important focus for sales professionals. Many sales and marketing teams are investing in wellness programs such as weight loss competitions, exercise, stress management or resiliency education, smoking cessation programs, and wellness assessments to boost team performance.

The option to work from home remains a factor in candidates’ decision-making process, though we expect that exactly what this looks like will change in 2022, as many businesses head back into the office.

As businesses continue to face supply chain and stock issues across multiple industries, sales people who understand how a pricing strategy works will be in a better position to secure longterm relationships.

But how do you manage pricing when costs are increasing whilst still maintaining good relationships? Story telling remains the key skill set. Justifying price increases due to limited stock, new brand investment, new formulations or new packaging will be very important. The ability to build trust and take customers on a journey will set the best sales talent apart in this ever-changing and challenging landscape.

In the fight to attract the best talent, we’ve seen a shift in compensation packages. Commission rewards are being revised to incentivize more than just revenue generated.

And, along with a base salary, commission and vehicle component, packages now often include additional bonuses, external training and tailored professional development, koru lounge memberships, sign-on bonus, retention schemes, medical insurance and wellness allowances such a gym memberships and yoga classes.

A fast process in a good process in this market. Typically what we’re seeing with companies that are able to hire the best talent are the ones following a process similar to this:

• First interview with Line Manager

• Second interview with HR and another business partner

• Two Verbal References

• Case Study presentation (for senior Sales & Marketing staff)

• Psychometric Testing for Management • Third meet the team or meet the CEO/GM on a more low key level

We recommend a process of no longer than 4 weeks in this market for junior-mid level roles and 6 weeks maximum for senior management and leadership level.