August 9, 2018
My sincere thanks for considering me for the Channel Marketing Manager opportunity. I have a positive, enthusiastic, and professional attitude and am confident that I have what it takes to deliver superior results at Pure Storage. I have an exceptional track record of success in traditional, digital, and channel marketing, and take great pride in the many imaginative branding and engaging promotional campaigns I have developed. In addition, I have a wealth of experience in technology and project management and know how to get things done. Following is a summary of the value I can bring to the Pure Storage team:
- With 15+ years of marketing leadership, I have substantial expertise developing strategic marketing plans and managing tactical execution. Of course, key planning inputs are vital, such as corporate objectives, market research, sales goals, product roadmaps, channel/partner intel, and engagement with internal and external stakeholders. I will also want to learn about past channel marketing campaigns – what worked and what didn’t.
- I believe in working smart, leveraging marketing automaton, CRM and planning tools to ensure that plans and tactics are traceable, measurable, and repeatable. I was the SalesForce administrator for Daniels Associates, and even wrote a few custom marketing apps to handle follow-up with leads and candidates.
- While my career path has been somewhat unconventional, I have never been afraid to tackle big challenges. My exposure to a variety of business settings and diversity of experiences have made me stronger professionally. The journey has thoroughly prepared me to take on this exciting role with Pure Storage.
- As a senior manager for 6 years at Cummins IT function, I partnered with Supply Chain, Finance, and Sales/Marketing leaders to implement effective technology solutions, which sometimes involved third-party strategic partners. Our team used an immersive approach to collaborate with functional and channel partners, ensuring we were fully aligned with their unique business challenges and constraints. We often found ourselves in safety gear on a Cummins plant floor or at a customer site to better understand downstream considerations.
- My 9-year tenure at NIC – a portal software company serving government partners – was fast-paced, often stressful, but immensely rewarding. I wore many hats, but all of them were cut from marketing cloth. Revenue was 100% dependent on end users (NIC had a “self-funded” contract with Indiana), so effective marketing to drive fee-based transactions was “Job One”. We used a variety of tactics, including email, print, trade shows and PR, almost always collaborating with state agencies – in essence, our channel partners.
- As Director of Marketing for Sound Floor (a distributor in Seattle) for 5 years, I created and ran an advertising program for retail dealers. Every other month, I designed a full-color newspaper flyer (featuring Sound’s products, of course) with customized sections for each retailer. I coordinated printing and media buys with local papers, usually targeting retailer-specified ZIP codes. The program delivered significant sales increases for Sound and strengthened its bond with participating retailers.
- To learn more about my work, check out my portfolio.
Marketing is my passion. I believe in the possible, and always expect the unexpected. If I hit a wall, I’ll find a door; if there’s not a door, I’ll make one. Marketing isn’t “magic” – it demands more than a few clever tricks. When an idea takes shape, when a plan comes together, when the hard work pays off, and when bottom line reflects success – now that is pretty magical.
I look forward to talking soon about contributing great things at Pure Storage. Many thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Laura Lindenbusch
je suis notlinda 