17 things I wish someone told me at the start of my career

Posted on by Terver
  1. Look everyone in the eye at least half the time. 
  2. Always interrogate your first idea– it’s hardly ever the best one. Good ideas feel good. Bad ideas often play dress up. 
  3. After a while, you’ll know a great idea the minute you hear it. 
  4. Don’t eat a heavy lunch right before a negotiation. 
  5. There are no winners in a negotiation. Only fulfilled interests. Master this and you will grow very quickly. 
  6. Some outfits are luckier than others. Find your lucky suits, pants, socks, etc. 
  7. A successful campaign is a confidence booster but some campaigns are destined to fail. You must remember that failures do not define you. 
  8. Learn all the marketing buzz words you can. You will need them in conversation with people for whom big sounding words matter more than proof of concept. 
  9. Your first PR crisis will feel like an out of body experience. When your brand is being dragged online, your soul is not being ejected out of your body. It just feels that way. 
  10. Campaigns developed after 2am are not as clever the morning after. 
  11. Some people will stick their necks out to get you jobs or promotions. Never make enemies out of them. 
  12. Your heaviest critics see parts of themselves in you. Don’t take it personally. 
  13. Find good podcasts and listen to them in the shower, in bed, and on the go. Let the whimsy of other people comfort you. 
  14. Your mother loves you, so she will nod and praise every idea you have. She is not a good barometer for your ideas. Find friends that will tell you the truth even if their voice shakes. 
  15. When you are bold once, people will expect you to be bold all the time. Use this to your advantage. 
  16. There is no such thing as a bad marketing manager, only an indecisive marketing manager.  Half the job is having the guts to take risks. 
  17. If all else fails, you can always fall back on your lucky outfits. 

28 thoughts on “17 things I wish someone told me at the start of my career”

  1. Holy factsssss!
    There are no winners in a negotiation. Only fulfilled interests. – This needs to be framed.

    Everything is spot on. And the best part is, there is still tons more to be learned. Love it

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  3. Half the job is having the guts to take risks, so true ( cause marketing is all about mitigating risks or taking smart risks.)

    Reply

  6. 8 and 12 are may favorites.

    Regarding item 12.
    I recall a mentor advising me to make a certain decision I saw no sense in. After frustrating him with my adamance, he blurted out: “I wish I was younger.”

    At that point, I realized the gravity of the situation. I decided to follow his line of thinking, and I’ve had no reason to regret.

    People who don’t care about you, have no reason to be worked up when you are threading the wrong line. They simply keep quiet, waiting for you to goof.

    Well done Terver, keep the articles coming.

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  7. “There is no such thing as a bad marketing manager, only an indecisive marketing manager. Half the job is having the guts to take risks. ” In all, you kill it, keep it up.

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  10. There are no winners in a negotiation. Only fulfilled interests. Master this and you will grow very quickly.

    Reply

  14. This word got to me
    Your heaviest critics see parts of themselves in you. Don’t take it personally. Well said Tever you always do make marketing interesting to me

    Nice!

    Reply

  15. Good job Terver. I totally agree with you on all points especially number 12 – never take criticism personal. You can make tremendous progress through criticism, otherwise, simply ignore. Either way, it should never be taken personal.

    Reply

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