{"id":4313,"date":"2015-08-11T06:20:27","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T06:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keblog.demoapp.xyz\/?p=4313"},"modified":"2022-10-19T03:46:23","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T03:46:23","slug":"how-this-26-year-old-became-a-marketing-head-at-pldt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/how-this-26-year-old-became-a-marketing-head-at-pldt","title":{"rendered":"How This 26 Year Old Became a Marketing Head at PLDT"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you get out of college and start working, you\u2019ll learn that the road to career success can be arduous at best. Littered with so many highs and lows, twists and turns, the typical climb to the top of the corporate ladder is defined by your ability to hustle. While majority of fresh grads will naturally struggle at the beginning of their careers, some people pull ahead of the crowd and start succeeding early in their careers.<\/p>\n<p>So how do you go from inexperienced fresh grad to whip-smart, seasoned yuppie? Kalibrr talked to Marc Roxas, a 26 year old Trade Marketing Head at PLDT SME Nation, which covers PLDT, Sun, and SMART fixed and wireless businesses.<\/p>\n<p>He is responsible for educating his sales teams of the nitty-gritty technical specifications of over 80 products, and for boosting the teams\u2019 productivity through marketing programs.<\/p>\n<p>Marc directly manages a team of six and oversees the work of 300 to 500 sales people. Not too shabby for someone who just graduated four years ago. Here\u2019s how he did it:<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_26 counter-hierarchy\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TOPICS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/how-this-26-year-old-became-a-marketing-head-at-pldt\/#Forcing_his_way_into_the_field\" title=\"Forcing his way into the field\">Forcing his way into the field<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/how-this-26-year-old-became-a-marketing-head-at-pldt\/#Using_Economics_for_Marketing\" title=\"Using Economics for Marketing\">Using Economics for Marketing<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/how-this-26-year-old-became-a-marketing-head-at-pldt\/#The_Secret_Sauce\" title=\"The Secret Sauce\">The Secret Sauce<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/how-this-26-year-old-became-a-marketing-head-at-pldt\/#The_difference_that_the_art_of_openness_makes\" title=\"The difference that the art of openness makes\u00a0\">The difference that the art of openness makes\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/how-this-26-year-old-became-a-marketing-head-at-pldt\/#On_to_the_future\" title=\"On to the future\">On to the future<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Forcing_his_way_into_the_field\"><\/span><strong>Forcing his way into the field<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many graduates struggle with the realization that their degrees turn out to be unrelated to their dream jobs. Marc has always wanted to do something related to marketing and technology but graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in AB Economics. He admits that economics is a little far from his intended career.<\/p>\n<p>Though he enjoyed economics, it didn&#8217;t make his marketing dreams fade. He couldn\u2019t stop thinking about<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kalibrr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0working in marketing<\/a>. He would ask himself, \u201cHow do I go back to marketing?\u201d It can be tempting to just stick with what you studied but instead Marc got into his desired field out of sheer determination.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI forced myself into marketing,\u201d Marc recounts. Even if internships weren\u2019t required for his program, he took up a marketing internship with PLDT to get some hands-on experience. As a product marketing intern for a newly formed group in PLDT, he had more freedom to go beyond the usual intern tasks of photocopying, encoding, and the like.<\/p>\n<p>He was immersed in real corporate work and was allowed to handle projects that are more complex than what a regular intern would handle. \u201cThe reason I\u2019m here today is because every opportunity that was given to me, I really took it upon myself to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His outstanding performance as an intern led to a full-time job in product marketing. PLDT gave him many opportunities across three different product categories, all of which helped him grow as a marketing professional.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_Economics_for_Marketing\"><\/span><b>Using Economics for Marketing<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It can be challenging to pull off a shift from one field of study to another. Although Marc didn\u2019t major in anything directly related to marketing, he credits his economics class as a key factor for his success in the field. Two of the most important lessons he learned in economics class have been crucial in pulling off his transition to marketing and has helped him stand out at work.<\/p>\n<p>First, he learned that economists must not be burdened by numbers, and instead use math as a tool to make sense of the world around them. Second, he applied the Atenean principle of going \u201cdown from the hill\u201d to his lessons in economics, meaning he should be able to explain the complex principles of economics so a person unversed in the subject can understand it.<\/p>\n<p>Applying these principles to marketing helped Marc become a valuable member not only to his sales teams but also to his bosses. He explains, \u201cBehind marketing\u2019s creativity and gimmicks are numbers and stats and that\u2019s where economics comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He had a knack for explaining the story behind the stats and figures in a way that made it easier for top management to understand. The technical aspects of the products he handles can be difficult to understand so he makes it a point to explain them in a way that\u2019s easy enough for anyone to understand, which has helped him successfully push those products.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Secret_Sauce\"><\/span><strong>The Secret Sauce<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Marc makes it look like landing his position in PLDT is easy as pie, but it took a lot of hard work and fierce competition to get there. He still had to hustle to get a good grasp of his responsibilities and get the job done. Marc credits his grit and passion for the job for landing him the position of Trade Marketing Head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of people are look for an eight to five thing. Marketing isn\u2019t an eight to five thing. I really invested a lot of time building rapport with my sales teams and customers.\u201d Eager to prove himself, Marc proactively took on the difficult task of pushing a particular product that was struggling to sell. On top of juggling his regular work load, he did the extra leg work to sell a seemingly unsellable product.<\/p>\n<p>All of the hard work paid off when his superiors took notice of his performance. He credits his \u201csecret sauce\u201d in successfully selling the product for this promotion to Trade Marketing Head, where he is tasked to replicate the same formula and success.<\/p>\n<p>Not one to be daunted by a challenge, Marc also had to compete with older co-workers in a high stakes, competitive environment to land the position but many of them gave up. He admits that one of the biggest challenges he has faced at work is working with and managing older co-workers. \u201cWhen you\u2019re in a role where you\u2019re at the same level as the older guys or leading people who are older than [you], how can [you] get them all to work together and get them to listen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite his youth, he is able to work peacefully and productively with his co-workers whatever their age may be. Marc shares that what helped him overcome his challenges was to ask for help and advice from a mentor. \u201cNo one will teach you what to do so I asked for guidance. I learned that you shouldn\u2019t be afraid to ask for guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_difference_that_the_art_of_openness_makes\"><\/span><b>The difference that the art of openness makes\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When asked what sets him apart from anyone else he competed with, Marc singles out his openness to taking on new career challenges. \u201cOther people were competent and hard-working but they considered new responsibilities as additional work.\u201d It\u2019s not just about taking every opportunity given to you; it\u2019s about working for those opportunities too. \u201cFor some\u00a0<em>kasi<\/em>, when they\u2019re given opportunities, they think of it as extra work load. Yeah, it\u2019s going to be tough and take a lot of time, but the problem is we forget about delayed gratification.<\/p>\n<p>We have to put in the work to get there.\u201d For some people, it is understandably difficult to put in the hard work when you\u2019re not really motivated to do well. Marc suggests finding happiness in the work that you do otherwise there\u2019s no point in pursuing it as a path. \u201cIt has to be an art to you. If you\u2019re not happy, why do all of these things?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another tactic he uses when he\u2019s faced with seemingly insurmountable tasks is to ask himself, \u201cWhat\u2019s the good in all of this? How am I going to have fun doing all of this?\u201d Putting all the hard work to advance a career at a young age can take a toll on anyone. But one thing that has helped him cope with adjusting to a young professional\u2019s life is to shrug off the pressure of achieving the perfect balance between work and play.<\/p>\n<p>Marc doesn\u2019t believe in striking a perfect work-life balance and instead says there\u2019s only prioritization of responsibilities.\u00a0 This way of thinking has helped him manage the gap between work and play and takes \u201cstrategic down times\u201d so that he has opportunities to enjoy his free time.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"On_to_the_future\"><\/span><strong>On to the future<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Marc admits that the road to career success is paved with many sacrifices. His advice to those who are also looking for early career success? Focus on your goal. He says, \u201cThe moment you think of something else, you might get side tracked. If I focus on making money, I\u2019ll get sidetracked from focusing on my career and be tempted to chase after money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For someone who has done a lot at a young age, what comes next? Marc is planning on taking up an MBA a few years down the road while juggling his work for PLDT. But he\u2019s not rushing into it just yet.<\/p>\n<p>With so many accomplishments under his belt already, it\u2019s only a matter of time before he conquers all of his dreams. Already looking ahead to the future, Marc confidently says, \u201cI already know what I want to be. I just need to figure out how to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Do you have your own tale of moving up the professional ladder? Do you think telling the world your story can be an inspiration to those who need it? Message us on our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Kalibrr\/?link=CTAanchortext\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook page<\/a>\u00a0and we can help you get your story out on Kalibrr\u2019s Career Advice Blog!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you get out of college and start working, you\u2019ll learn that the road to career success can be arduous at best. Littered with so many highs and lows, twists and turns, the typical climb to the top of the corporate ladder is defined by your ability to hustle. While majority of fresh grads will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":4319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4313"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}