Marketing Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm's profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm's customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services.

On the job, you would:

• Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
• Formulate, direct, or coordinate marketing activities or policies to promote products or services, working with advertising or promotion managers.
• Evaluate the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, or return-on-investment and profit-loss projections.

Education

• bachelor's degree
• master's degree

Business

• sales and marketing
• management

Arts and Humanities

• English language

Communications

• multimedia

Engineering and Technology

• computers and electronics

Basic Skills

• figuring out how to use new ideas or things
• listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

Problem Solving

• noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

• thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
• measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it

Enterprising

People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.

• Initiative
• Dependability
• Leadership
• Achievement/Effort
• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Attention to Detail

Verbal

• communicate by speaking
• listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

• use rules to solve problems
• come up with lots of ideas

Math

• add, subtract, multiply, or divide
• choose the right type of math to solve a problem