Marketing Director Wanted!

Yes-to-OpportunityThis is a deviation from my normal posts.  In the past, some of you have inquired about working at Intertech.  This position reports to the Intertech Partner in charge of training sales but has “dotted line” reporting to me.  If you have interest or know someone who may, please apply at Intertech’s website (http://www.Intertech.com/Jobs).  We’re looking for candidates in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Below is the copy from the job posting on our site.

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Intertech, an award-winning firm named the #1 mid-sized employer in Minnesota by Minnesota Business magazine in 2012 and eight-time winner of the Business Journal’s Best Places to Work competition, is looking for an exceptional Marketing Director.

This role will continue the drive in Intertech’s growth (Intertech is an eight time Inc. 500/5000 winner).

As a Marketing Director, we’re looking for someone who can provide direction to the leadership team yet organize and implement the day-to-day marketing activities.  We’re looking for an extraordinary individual who can:

  • Provide a yearly marketing plan with execution details
  • Manage activities and events like our newsletters, user group, and conference exhibiting
  • Engage our customers on social media
  • Create phenomenal content
  • Work with our outside marketing design firm on branding
  • Work with our outside retained public relations firm

Additional Skillsets Needed:

  • The ability to get the big picture and get things done
  • Past marketing experience
  • An undergraduate degree in marketing, business, or English is preferred
  • Excellent writing skills
  • Solid organization skills

Why Join Intertech?

There are many reasons Intertech is the employer of choice.  Below are just a few:

  • The ability as the Marketing Director to have an important voice and visible role in our firm
  • Flexible schedule including standing work-from-home day(s)
  • A remarkable environment. We’re the recipient of over 35 awards for work environment and growth
  • A three month paid sabbatical for every seven years of service

All the other stuff needed to be recognized as the #1 mid-sized employer in Minnesota… good pay, comprehensive benefits, …

standardApril 30Tom SalonekArticle on Intertech

Effective Public Engagement – 10 Guidelines

The-WhitehouseAs I mentioned in my previous post, Fighting a Government Threat is both an academic case study topic in the March 2013 issue of Harvard Business Review and is a subject that is quite personal for my company. In this and several upcoming posts I will share lessons learned from my own engagement with governmental leaders, as well as recommendations from the HBR case study of the same title.  So, without further adieu, here are my Top 10 Rules for Effective Public Engagement:

 

 

 

  1. Pay close attention to the issues and government proposals before they become laws!
  2. Seek to understand both sides of the issue so you can provide a reasonable, balanced perspective.
  3. Work to document your company’s contribution to the local community.
  4. Engage your employees in the public debate as much as possible.
  5. Don’t be afraid to take a position and speak out about it.
  6. Don’t make idle threats.
  7. Try to offer reasonable ideas/counter proposals that both parties can live with.
  8. Don’t assume that your counterpart thinks the way you do or is influenced by the same consideration.
  9. Work to find points of convergence and show empathy for the goals of the Governor or legislators with whom you have a disagreement.
  10. Build a positive relationship with the news media over time.

Next post I will take a closer look at items 1-3.

standardApril 20Tom SalonekTaxes

Effective Public Engagement

Little-Dog-Big-TeethMounting debt, increasing costs and a shrinking tax base have left many leaders at all governmental levels struggling to balance budgets and maintain service levels expected by constituents. Unfortunately, many politicians push tax increases as an almost knee-jerk solution, ignoring the negative impact higher taxes may have on businesses and consumers alike.

A recent case study in Harvard Business Review (HBR) entitled Fighting a Government Threat takes a close look at this scenario and provides commentary by Andrzej Klesyk, CEO of PZU Group and Michael Hartman, senior vice president of legal and regulatory affairs, DirectTV Latin America. The HBR article and commentary combined with the recent debate in Minnesota over the Governor’s proposed tax on business-to-business services, has inspired me to write a series of posts on the topic of Effective Public Engagement.

As you undoubtedly know, Governor Dayton’s proposed B2B tax ignited a firestorm in the local business community and, ultimately, the Governor chose to withdraw his proposal. I appreciate his willingness to listen and respond to the sincere concerns of small- and medium-sized business owners, as well as the CEOs of Minnesota’s largest companies, all of whom weighed in on this hot topic. I was among those participating in the debate and was gratified when the Star Tribune chose to publish my OpEd on the topic Taxing business services is bad for Minnesota.  I also was quoted in a related column by Star Tribune reporter Neal St. Anthony.

What can businesses like mine learn from this recent episode? There are a number of lessons, which I will share in my next few posts on this topic. Some are drawn from the HBR case study I referenced above and others are based on my own legislative debate experiences. I hope you will weigh in with your thoughts, questions and recommendations too!

Up next… 10 rules for effective public engagement.

standardApril 11Tom SalonekTaxes