Earlier today SAP announced that I had been named world-wide CMO, reporting to the co-CEOs Jim Snabe and Bill McDermott.  It’s been an incredible journey for me at SAP that started when I joined via the Pilot acquisition four years ago.  Since then, I’ve had a variety of roles include head of Business Objects marketing, Solution Marketing, and Field Marketing.

Given my background, I look at Marketing with a strong business lens.  What’s the quantifiable return on investment?   How do we set priorities that support the short-term needs of the company but allow us to invest in the future?  Which segments/channels/products can be improved the most by Marketing (as opposed to Sales) investments?

It’s an extraordinarily exciting time at SAP with new solutions and new channels delivering strong revenue growth.  Marketing has a key role to play in this growth and, among other things, we must:

  •  Articulate the value of our solutions in simple and clear ways.
  • Streamline the way people learn about our solutions, try them out, and acquire them.
  • Support the entire lifecycle of a customer’s journey across multiple touch points and channels.
  • Help people to understand how SAP impacts their lives, not just their businesses. 

 

It’s a daunting task but I’m heartened by the amazing people in SAP Marketing and their collective power to change the world.

You can learn more about my leadership style here.  If you’re interested in my writing, feel free to visit this blog or follow me on twitter (@jbecher).