Eve Psalti Speaks out: How did I come to join this Grp? Why do I Work here?

I get a few resumes and comments on joining the team through by blog every week - and the recruiting committee is super-passionate about continuing this pilot of blogging for this reason. One of the feedback was to profile more of our own recruiting committee members and have them talk to you in their words...

So here is Eve Psalti  (See left) - The Queen Bee of the recruiting Committee. Unplugged. I asked her a simple qn -

So how did you come to join WWESS Eve? Why did you join the team? What do you do here?

When I first came to Microsoft Services 1.5 ago as a relatively seasoned marketer with 12 years of experience I was surprised by the energy of the group. Soon I came to realize that although there was a communications department that included PR/AR, there was no marketing function per se. Services was traditionally considered as a “necessary evil” from companies who were buying support as an insurance trying to minimize their risk when they bought Microsoft software.

In the past year, the Marketing organization that was later formed has tried hard to change this perception and position Services as a proactive investment to keep customer infrastructure healthy. Because Marketing in Services is still small and driven by “grass roots” efforts, it resembles a start up environment. Lots of energy, lots of ground to cover, lots of short term wins and long term challenges. The team is very dynamic and diverse with people from different marketing backgrounds.

We branch out and collaborate with all the groups at Services (SKU team, Offerings, Release Management, Support Lifecycle, Field Readiness etc.)- we basically “touch” every consulting and support product Microsoft is offering, helping the product teams formulate the value proposition, messaging and then the go-to-market activities. We focus on delivery excellence and ROI measurement. For some “techie” people marketing equals “fluff” and rarely brings value. Our Marketing team is strongly tied to the Sales organization, working with them to provide them with all the necessary materials and tools to be successful at selling. Marketing enables revenue! What a great reason to come to work every day- being creative, focusing on flawless execution and being responsible for the economic success of the group. It’s a tall order, but a fun one, too…