Ever Considered a Marketing Career?

Last year I decided to sign up to be a Longaberger Home Consultant because I loved the product, but also because I wanted to expand my world and the people in it.  What has amazed me since that time is how unpredictable people are in what they buy and when.  Being a scientist by training, this has been perplexing because I cannot see any pattern (yet, anyway).  Mind you, my current list of customers are my friends and neighbors so you would think I would know something.  It strikes me that this business is an excellent opportunity to gain some marketing skills and experience, especially for those who are interested in the subject, but not able to find a career position in this economy.  Here is what I have learned or am doing as part of my Longaberger home-based business:

1. Learning to talk to people about this product when I am not always comfortable doing so.  I can see that without a God-given gift for sales or public speaking this can take some practice.
2. But, I have been saved by a recent decision on the part of The Longaberger Company to allow home consultants to advertise online and in print advertising.
3. I have since worked with a marketing person at our local university to create an ad for placement in the alumni magazine.  I took product photos and he laid the design out in Photoshop with my feedback on the image placement and ad copy.
4. I have obtained a domain alias for my Longaberger website so that my print ad URL will be shorter and more relevant to the ad content (www.TailgateBaskets.com will forward to my site at www.longaberger.com/cindypaden).
5. I took a web design class a few years ago "just for fun."  After a grueling quarter, I created my first website, having learned HTML and CSS.  Since then I have been recruited by my family's business to help them with their website where I learned more about Content Management Systems and understand what is behind the Longaberger website to some degree.
6. I will now be creating a one-page website at www.TailgateBaskets.com to highlight the Team Spirit, Collegiate, and NFL baskets from Longaberger and then direct people to my consultant website to purchase.  More online marketing skills.
7. I have read about inbound marketing and find myself enthralled with the internet and social media.  So today I decided to learn how to use ConstantContact so that I could send out weekly (hopefully) newsletters to my Longaberger customers with "inbound" links to my online store.
8. I have contacted another, larger university to inquire about placing an ad in their alumni magazine, only to find out that the prices there are 5-10 times higher!!  I guess it would make sense because they have a larger readership than our local university and are much more well known.
9. We had a meeting last night for our Branch (our group of Longaberger consultant's under one leader) and discussed the recent conference and how to enhance our social media presence by adding a page to our Facebook account.  Of course we only have Facebook accounts (being of a certain age) because people have asked us to be their "friend", not because we "write on our wall".  Being in sales with a company like Longaberger forces one to consider multiple marketing avenues and to stretch and learn the new technologies that are available.

All this made me think of my niece, Lauren, who recently received a degree in marketing.  She finally was able to find a job that was not 60-80 hours a week at a start-up company when she accepted a position as an administrative assistant at Stanford University. It occurred to me that starting a Longaberger business would provide one with a lot of opportunity to practice and learn marketing skills.  For only $49 plus S/H you can get a sample basket and catalogs plus your own website.  You are automatically part of a team that meets and communicates with one another to learn how to promote the product.  But most of all, you have a real life opportunity to see consumer spending habits and likes and dislikes.  What better way to keep on learning and growing while you move up the career ladder to your final marketing position.  To join, got to my website and click on "Join My Team" near the top of the home page and follow the instructions or call me for questions and/or help.