The Marketing Leaders - Samsung adopts national standards for Marketing and Sales to support business growth

Samsung is one of the leading brands that is implementing the new national standards, which have been developed by the Marketing and Sales Standards Setting Body (MSSSB). How will this improve the company’s performance?

Samsung is engaged in a battle for market leadership, where marketing is seen to be a key differentiator. Marketing has come of age and the MSSSB standards are now mature enough to define and support the growing recognition of the importance of ‘Customer Management'. Competitive Businesses’ know that they must rapidly adopt new methods and tools as the marketing process needs to be faster, more distinctive and integrated. Marketing is a discipline, not a function, and must be managed as such. The standards have been developed to be applicable to both the organisation and individual, supporting the learning and application of best practice.

For the employer the operational application of marketing standards provide capability improvements that enable a winning position in the market, while for the employee they support structured training and development and improved performance management.

Improved training and development of employees contributes through developing individual skills, creating winning teams, mapping skills against needs, using gap assessments to support personal development and training requirements, targeting efforts at Business Strategy and with the support of external reference points.

Performance Management can contribute through a Skills Framework & Intranet assessment, Support for performance management process and reviews, a Common framework for managing personnel development within the performance management process, defined learning paths in account management, Organisational skills development targets and a Common Framework for success.

The standards result from a Government-funded initiative to define and inform best practice across all occupational areas. They were developed in conjunction with employers, practitioners, professional and educational bodies and focus on what will deliver “top line” competitive edge. Each ‘Standards Setting Body’ (SSBs) focuses on particular occupational areas, so the Marketing & Sales SSB (MSSSB) is solely responsible for occupational standards for the Marketing and Sales professions.

This initiative recognises that there are approximately 545,000 full-time Marketing professionals in the UK, an increase of nearly 80% over last ten years. They are complemented by 766,000 full-time sales professionals within field sales operations, a more limited increase of only 9% over the same period.

These standards recognise the need to maximise opportunities through aligning organisational operations effectively with markets and customers, highlighting the role of marketing as central to business strategy and integrating marketing and selling strategies effectively.

The MSSSB also recognised that raising marketing and sales skills levels in a fast changing world must include:

• Reflecting corporate ethics, sustainability and social responsibility
• Exploiting information and communications technology
• Addressing increasing regulatory requirements
• Promoting the professional status of marketing and sales

• Identify the key outcomes, behaviours/skills and knowledge required for best practice
• Will inform organisational marketing and sales practice, training programmes, performance management procedures, etc
• Will be the basis for all Government-funded marketing and sales learning programmes
• Will be the basis for qualifications accreditation within NQF/SCQF

Thereby improving marketing and sales practice and competitive advantage for organisations and the UK overall.

This process has taken considerable effort and has directly involved employers, training and education providers, professional and awarding bodies representing the needs of marketing and sales. Initially the profiling and occupational mapping of the professions was carried out, this was completed in February 2004. In-depth interviews, and working groups followed involving over 150 organisations. Questionnaires and commentary upon developing materials involved some 350 organisations and standards were finally field tested, agreed and accredited in January 2006.

The following diagram visually represents how best practice was defined across both the principal marketing and sales functions, while the Standards Structure demonstrates the documentation and support provided in achieving the required business outcomes through development of appropriate behaviours and knowledge.

• Ensure your people work to standards designed to fulfil their potential, and which make them, and your operations, the most effective
• Allow performance management systems to assess those behaviours and outcomes essential for effective operations
• Enable your people to recognise their strengths, as well as any weaknesses, relevant to fulfilling their potential, not only in their current roles, but also in their career development
• Focus your training and development programmes upon developing the skills and knowledge that are really needed
• Recognise and motivate, and therefore retain, your best performers

1. Read, think then act!
2. Consider your own role and development, not only the roles and development of others - The senior marketer is the change manager!
3. Use the standards for developing your organisation
4. Build and deploy a pilot
5. Communicate your plans and progress to all stakeholders

The Samsung case study –
Accelerating growth with a new B2B marketing strategy

Samsung is the top consumer electronics brand according to the Interbrand study of 2006 and aims to achieve the No.1 slot across all its main product categories, but competition is tough. While innovation and quality are cornerstones of Samsung’s approach, B2B marketing skills are also required to achieve the market position they require.

In 2006 a new CMO was hired into the first board level marketing role reporting directly to the CEO. A number of B2B market segments were identified and addressed through the initial marketing plan, including (but not only):
• Pubs and clubs, especially in the run up to the World Cup. Conferences and mass marketing techniques were used with these SMB’s and distribution groups
• Hotel chains (such as Hilton), where most in-room technology was now dated and required early replacement to retain competitive advantage
• New high volume channels to consumer markets, including the traditional technology sellers (such as Dixons and Comet) but also the new leaders by volume (including Tesco, John Lewis Partnership etc)
• Major development projects (such as the Battersea Power Station redevelopment) that require the full breadth of Samsung services, including direct support from the Korea development centres

Samsung believes in local brand engagement in high involvement activities. This is why sports and other sponsorship is a major and very public feature of Samsung’s marketing approach. Samsung sports sponsorship properties include the very high profile Chelsea FC shirt sponsorship deal, the Olympic Games and horse jumping (Samsung Superleague). Samsung also place a high focus on digital content including cinema and music.. While this clearly has an impact on the consumer, which in turn drives demand through the channels and other B2B relationships, special event attendance opportunities can also be used with B2B decision makers.

Special features of the Samsung approach included excellence in Key Account Management and very close integration of marketing (planning), sales (activity) and sales support (technical) groups to achieve major wins in each market segment. During 2006 Samsung Worldwide recognised substantial progress in UK B2B operations through international awards for the operations involved.

Samsung implements, benefits from and supports the continued development of Marketing and Sales standards. The MSSSB work continues through webinars, webcasts and regional launches (most recently in Wales), with the development of sector qualification strategies, an apprenticeship framework for marketers, working with all sectors through other SSBs/SSCs to highlight the importance of Marketing and Sales and the extension of standards for ‘non-specialist’ marketing/sales personnel.

You can download all the standards from www.msssb.org or obtain and use the Standards CD ROM, which also includes the standards in full, guides allow ready access to the modules relevant to you and explanations of the structures of associated vocational qualifications.

For further information and advice and assistance in obtaining the free CD ROM and using the Marketing and Sales Standards, contact Dr Chahid Fourali at email chahidfourali@cim.co.uk or telephone +44 1628 427106

Anthony Marsella Ph.D., FCIM is Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland and co-author of Marketing Revolution, published by Kogan Page. Contact email: anthony.marsella@samsung.com

Bryan Foss, FCIM, CEng, FBCS is an independent board level advisor and non-executive director, also founder of www.FossInitiatives.com



		Samsung adopts national standards for Marketing and Sales to support business growth