Marketing my skills

This website is a collaborative effort between myself and my long-time friend Laura Fletcher.

A marketing whiz who left Blue Cross here in Chicago a couple of months ago to embark on a year-long graduate program in the United Kingdom, Laura has spent the past few years trying to ease me away from my journalism and organizing background toward a career in marketing and sales. The results have thus far been a mixed bag.

Despite the distance, we manage to e-mail, text and even talk several times a week. One day she’s praising my efforts and telling me I’m on the right track; the next she’s sternly reminding me to listen carefully and to follow her instructions. More than once, I’ve gotten congratulated and chewed out at the same time.

The parallels make sense, as journalists, organizers and marketers often try to do the same thing: sell an idea to a sometimes skeptical public.

In each case, they use carefully curated facts to make their case.

Although I dabbled in retail sales during much of my 20’s, I never thought of myself as a salesperson, but rather as someone providing consumers a product. I continued that same philosophy as a journalist, with my product being information.

That mindset is helping guide me through the world of marketing, which is where the skills I learned and honed still come in handy today.