What Product Line Manager Jobs Involve
As a marketing manager, for example, you determine what your company's marketing strategy is in detail. In general, you're going to be working with subordinates, including market research managers and development managers. You determine what the demand is for the products or services offered by your company, and you identify undeveloped potential markets, such as retailers, the government, the public, and so on.
You are also responsible for pricing strategy so that your company can gain the most profit and market share while still making sure that your customers are happy with what you sell them. You'll generally work in tandem with other managers, such as those in sales and product development. You'll also keep track of trends in the market and determine when new products and services are needed so that you can oversee development of those products, too. In many cases, you'll work with promotion managers or those in advertising to promote new products you have developed and to attract potential customers for those products.
Job Environment
This is quite a high-pressure job, especially when you're working under deadlines. You may have unscheduled changes and problems that are unforeseen, yet you still must meet the goals you set for the product involved. Deadlines, too, must be met to make sure the product gets to market on time and is still of acceptable quality so that people will want to buy it.
You'll also need to travel a lot. It's often mandatory to attend meetings within the industry sponsored by the industry itself or by professional associations. It's often possible, too, that you'll be transferred between headquarters and regional offices during the course of your career, even if you stay with the same company. You'll also often work more than 40 hours a week, including weekends.
Education and Background Needed
The background required can be varied and is not necessarily as specialized as some other professions. That said, it's true that many employers prefer that you at least have experience in a related occupation, if not as a marketing employee yourself. For example, some employers may prefer that you have a bachelor's or master's degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. Courses in statistics, mathematics, finance, accounting, economics, management, or business law are also helpful in understanding and seeing trends in the market. While in school, you may want to consider completing an internship, since this will give you a leg up over other candidates. If the area in which you want to be a marketing manager is highly technical, such as the computer industry, you may want to consider earning a bachelor's degree in one of the sciences or engineering and a master's degree in business administration. This, again, gives you an advantage over other candidates applying for similar positions.
Getting the Job
In many cases, you can simply work your way up within a firm, beginning in marketing in an entry-level position and then moving into a managerial position. Other alternatives are to peruse jobsites and trade magazines for available positions for marketing managers.
You also need to be very familiar with database applications and word processing. This is necessary because you'll also need to do part of your job via the Internet. In addition, if you have expertise in a foreign language, especially in Spanish, this is going to give you an advantage because you can work with a Spanish-speaking customer base, something that is becoming more prevalent in the country currently.
Other Qualifications
To be a successful marketing manager you'll need to be creative and very motivated, and you'll need to be able to change direction quickly depending on the situation. Flexibility and decisiveness are a must, because these are highly stressful, fast-paced jobs. Because of this, you also need to be able to deal with stress well. When you work in these positions, you also need to be able to connect well with people, especially in a supervisory or professional capacity; this is especially true because you'll need to be dealing with people in stressful situations.
Finally, you'll need to be a good communicator because you'll be dealing with people and will need to communicate your ideas clearly and calmly in stressful situations.
In some cases, certification may help you advance your career. Getting certified in your area will give you a leg up in a very competitive job market. There are relatively few positions in the marketing management arena, so certification will help you stand out from the crowd, so to speak.
Depending on where you work, your company may offer you continuing education, either on the job (in-house) or by providing you with the resources to attend a university or college nearby. In addition, employees are also encouraged, if not required, to participate in conferences and seminars that are held by professional societies. Many marketing firms also sponsor programs for talented college students who are just coming into the arena. If you successfully complete continuing education courses during your employment, most companies reimburse you for at least part, if not all, of the cost.
Salary and Outlook
These jobs are highly competitive and sought after. Therefore, job outlook is good, but competition is also high. This particular sector of the economy is expected to grow because the "global economy" has opened up the marketplace in new ways never seen before. The average salary for marketing managers was about $99,000 a year in 2006.
