The field of marketing is open to all. Though no formal educational
qualification is required, most organisations prefer graduates specially
with MBA degree as their marketing executives.
Most Business schools teach sales and marketing management
as a part of the MBA curriculum. Graduates in any discipline can apply
for the two year MBA programme with specialisation in marketing. Admission
is based on written examination followed by group discussion and personal
interview. CAT, MAT, XAT, JMET, ATMA are some of the management entrance
test conducted by the institutes like Indian Institute of Management (IIM),
All India Management Aptitude Testing Service (AIMATS), New Delhi, Xavier
Labour Research Institute, Jamshedpur (XLRI), Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) and Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS). Even though
these exams are conducted by the respective institute for their admission,
its scores are widely accepted by many of the Indian Business Schools.
MAT exams are conducted 4 times a year while all the others are held once
in a year. Certain other Business schools and universities conduct their
own entrance test and some of these include National Management Aptitude
Test (NMAT), Symbiosis National Aptitude (SNAP) Test, Open Management
Admission Test (OPENMAT) by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU),
Written Admission Test (WAT), IBSAT, CEMAT etc. All these exams follow
the same syllabus and students can attempt 2 or 3 of these tests, so that
they can apply to multiple institutes. Some institutes offer executive
MBA programme in Sales and Marketing which require a certain years of
experience.
Besides MBA programmes, BBA (Bachelor in Business Administration) or
BBM (Bachelor in Business Management) degree holders can also have openings
in the field of marketing. The diploma course, PGDMCM (Post Graduate Diploma
in Marketing Communication Management) also make the students professionally
qualified in the fields of marketing, advertising, Entertainment, Brand
management etc.
Accounting principles, business laws, buyer behavior, economics, human
motivation and behavior, statistics, principles of marketing, marketing
research, production management, psychology are some of the subjects taught
for marketing management courses.
Personal Skill : For a successful career in the field of sales and marketing certain
personal skills are needed. Understanding the product well is the major
thing one should look into when he enters the field of marketing. One
should be very tactful when dealing with clients and be patient and possess
keen business expertise. Good communication skills, leadership quality,
ability to motivate and work as part of a team, ability to understand
and solve problems are the needed attributes. Quick thinking and the ability
to come up with new ideas are advantageous. Meeting the target is a big
criteria and for that time management is very essential. A marketing manager
must be self confident and always be updated with the current affairs
and be familiar with advertising and merchandising techniques. Working
for long hours under hectic work pressure is not a new thing in this profession.
Sometimes the job of a marketing manager demands lot of travelling, be
prepared for that. Good computer knowledge especially in softwares like
Excel and Power Point is an added advantage for this profession.
