What does it mean to ‘Walk the Horse?’

Grant Leboff: Thomas, one of the phrases you use in the book, which I really like is, “Walk the horse.” You’re telling marketing people to walk the horse. Can you explain a bit more about what you mean by that?

Thomas Barta: Yes. As a marketer, you’ve got to drive change in your company. That’s very typically the case. You have new products. You have new ideas, new ways of serving customers. You cannot drive change by email. It’s just impossible. You have to get out of your office and talk to all the people in the company that don’t report to you. Now here’s an important thing. We have to talk about the power gap. As a marketer, you always have a power gap. Imagine how many people you need to make a really great customer experience happen. A lot of people. How many of these people report to marketing? Very few, so the only way you can get change done and mobilize people is by getting out of the office, talking to people, listening to concerns, and having the one on one arguments, and then joining in and agreeing on a way forward.

Grant Leboff: One of the things I thought was very interesting in the book, which really made me think, actually, was that if you’re going to be this catalyst for change, then in some ways you need to be the great connector, don’t you, across the different functions within the business because as you said, delivering that experience is a cross functional thing. It doesn’t happen in one department. In your opinion, with the studies that you did, is that a place where marketing’s quite weak across the board? – I’m not talking about, obviously about individuals – about this cross functional corporation and being the connector?

Thomas Barta: Yeah, so the majority of marketers in our research, and not a large majority but a majority, said people outside of marketing don’t understand marketing. There’s a bit of a silo thinking because when everybody doesn’t understand you. It’s quite nice to be home in a silo where everybody gets what you’re saying, but it’s so important that marketers overcome this and say, “Hey, you know, look guys. Here’s what we’re doing. Why don’t we join in? Let’s understand what your concerns are so we can do this jointly.” I think marketers are actually quite capable of doing it, just need to have the guts to get out of the marketing silo and talk to more people.

Grant Leboff: Would you recommend that within your working week or working month, when you’re structuring your working life, that a percentage of that time is dedicated to getting out, talking to colleagues? Because obviously that can mean different countries, it can mean different places in your country, but just making sure that’s happening?

Thomas Barta: The most successful marketing leaders, and we work with a number of them for the Twelve Powers of the Marketing Leader, actually spend very little time in their office because they say, “You know, I’m going to be there to check in.” I’m going to, but even in my office, I’m out of my office talking to the team, talking to everybody. It’s hard to give a percentage, but I’d say it must be more than half of your time. More than half of your time has to be spent outside, either with customers or with colleagues.

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