5 Tips for CMOs Wannabe (things we wish we knew but nobody ever told us)
Hey Croners! Let’s be honest, everyone wants to become a CMO, right? But here’s the kicker, especially in those early career years: having a mentor to shed light on your path and guide you makes all the difference. It keeps you from getting stuck in mistakes or falling into bad habits.
And since we’ve been there, we’ve got your back: “𝟓 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐞 𝐂𝐌𝐎𝐬 (𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐮𝐬)”, is our new column where great CMOs will share their knowledge and suggestions just like an old friend.
Cool, right?
Our third guest is Alberto Gerin – Global Head of Marketing @modefinance and much much more.
Adaptability, talent and instinct have guided him on a decidedly unconventional but surprising and richly experienced path.
Reading about his journey feels like an exciting adventure into marketing, fueled by passion and vision. We’re pretty sure that his bits of advices will suit you!
Thank you, Alberto for being part of this column!
Get inspired!
1) Can you tell us who Alberto is in just 20 words? (we know it's tough, but it's just a warm-up)
This question is a tough one, sometimes the toughest we ask ourselves, and no answer may be the ultimate one. As a never-ending learner, who failed several times, I’m the lucky outcome of who I met, what I read, the tickets I collected, and the countries I got lost in.
This also includes my tendency to enumerate things, sorry for that.
2) Tell us about your professional experience. Where did you start, and where are you now? Feel free to use as many words as you want!
I have a kind of a non-traditional path.
Back in the 2010s, I dropped out of college (I wouldn’t suggest doing the same) while studying STEN (Science and Tech in Environment and Nature). I wanted to dedicate full time to my passions: writing (online content, on a completely voluntary basis or freelance contracts) and the American worship for sneakers – which led me to meet an amazing bunch of professionals from around the world, founding a startup and working with the biggest sportswear brands.
Within a digital universe, which was gradually entering our daily lives, I had the chance to draw fully from any source and directly experience best practices.
“Why did they give me enough freedom to damage an entire economy?!”
Well, you have to get back to those years to really feel how the entire SME ecosystem was missing out. No websites, no communication, no computers, and few people being able to adapt to a radical evolution. That has been my career gym, where I was lucky enough to set up good strategies, and develop a network, but mostly bring concrete results.
For those who are not familiar with family-led businesses, there’s no money for someone who doesn’t generate enough value.
What comes next, when you are your own boss, manage your time within years, and you’re lucky enough to choose the projects to dedicate to? Well, challenges.
In 2017 modefinance was a valuable startup, had a seed and a series A funding rounds, and was ready to boom. On the look for switching from an agency-based to its own marketing team, our roads crossed as I was looking for a long-term relationship and wanted to build a brand from scratch in a completely new market: FinTech.
The one thing that clicked for both of us? Being focused on high quality results.
Long story short: in the last 6 years we grew together, from a Startup to a Scaleup and then being part of an international group. From just a narrow corridor with 4 small desks to an entire building – not to mention the adaptability of hybrid work.
Modefinance evolved from a crazy idea by two mechanical engineers in Trieste to global market recognition and I went from being the one-man-band to be guiding the entire marketing team.
3) And now, let's move on to the main question of this column: What are 5 tips you would give to someone who wants to start working in marketing today?
Let’s try to highlight a few tips based on the sneaker formula.
- Model: be passionate about what you do, learn your niche market, and analyse the competition. Create a story: we all know “content is king”, and the king’s not dead.
- Structure: be bold by studying the theory, get your hands dirty ASAP, dive deep into what you’re doing, play with all the instruments you can, create your own methodology.
- Narrative: we all know that we don’t do the magic, so clear the path to the real need, and highlight how the product/service solves a real problem; your customer doesn’t want to be sold to, they want to have an active role in buying.
- Livery: aesthetic is not just that, and it is not even limited to UX: focus on the details, there’s always a matter of science behind it, so let the data guide your decisions.
- Market: remember that “No” is just a starting point; markets may feel like an ocean, but your mark will remain on the sand, so be true to yourself, be present and be there to help others.
Keep reading 5 Tips for CMOs Wannabe!
