How to clearly explain the importance of marketing to a back-end developer?

Question

Marketing

Other possible titles for the question are:
“How to properly siege a back-end developer?”
“Do all back-end developers think of themselves a lot or are we just that lucky?”
"Help me understand how a back-end developer thinks"
Hello friends. We have such a situation. We are launching a cloud in the b2b sector, the project is now at the “just about beta” stage. There are three of us in the team, all of them, if not friends, then good acquaintances. And we all met long before we started this project. The roles now are as follows - a developer (who stubbornly does not want to be a technical director), a marketer (he is also a content manager and a seller) and a general (he has a legal entity and several channels through which customers sometimes come).
I’ll make a reservation right away, if it seemed to you that two “non-developers” per one developer is too much, then this is not so. Such is the specificity of the service that the developer alone will not take it out, because there are already competitors on the Russian market, but they still do not know one little secret that we know. In general, we take it as an axiom that three people in a project is a necessary minimum. The marketer understands this, the general understands it, but the developer does not understand it.
Maybe because the developer doesn't know one little secret. But the difficulty is that this secret is exclusively marketing. Therefore, it can be explained to someone who understands marketing, positioning, branding. Moreover, not in theory, but in cloud b2b. And he understands the specifics of the Russian "cloud" market. And our developer immediately sternly stated: “I won’t get into this marketing of yours, I’ll have a service.”
Maybe my question should have been phrased like this: “What is the best way to explain the intricacies of marketing to a back-end developer?”
The first money appeared (two customers, the income from each of them amounted to 4 thousand rubles), this money happily went to the general for SEO. Developer indignant: “How so! You are already sawing some kind of loot, but don’t share it with me! And I work here, but you don’t work!” By the way, everything works. But he does the service. We have a general problem book that this web developer suggested, but it contains development tasks. Marketing tasks are not taken into account there.
Maybe my question should have been: “How can a marketer show a developer that he (the marketer) is also working?” Well, indeed, if it happens that the result of a two-day work is one text for 3000 characters. So what, that this is a key positioning concept, that before that two days of research were carried out - this is just one text for 3000 characters.
Therefore, sometimes the developer slips phrases like: “I made a service, you bring customers, the profit should be halved.”
In general, help somehow. Who than can. If so, ask clarifying questions and I will answer. The main thing I want to understand is: is this a problem for all developers, or is it just us? :(
And yes, if anyone offers any specific solutions, I'll try to use them. What works - I will mark it as a solution.
Thank you friends.

Answer 1

As a representative of the "other side", I came to the conclusion that "salespeople are our everything", only constipating two years of full-time work for my own startup and losing money that was essential for myself. Technologically, we were better than the competitor, but we thought about marketing - "garbage", what the hell is marketing.
Therefore, in my next undertaking, I called the salesman for the leading role. Yes, I don’t go to buffets with clients, I don’t get praise from them (but I don’t get cunt either) no one knows about me at all. The main thing for me is that the project brings money.
These points are enough for me not to change my mind:
1) any software can be copied. even if your programmer is a graduate of Moscow State University, a competitor will hire two of them.
2) the opinion of authoritative people in the IT business that technology is no more than 20% of success. the main thing is distribution (give a link at least to Til's lectures on Habré)
3) it is much more difficult to copy and reproduce the sales system than software.

Answer 2

“How can a marketer show a developer that he (the marketer) is also working?”

No way.
Make a written document to whom how much is due from income. And the whole problem.

Answer 3

Stop whining and just do your job, you won't fix the developers. Your role in this problem is a little unclear: do you distribute the loot? If so, then agree with the developer in advance what and when you will share. This is a very simple advice, and it is the most important, because it puts all points over i. Also agree on exactly how you will diverge: to whom the clients will go, to whom the domain, etc.

Answer 4

And marketers don't work. They make money. From someone else's work, for example. And for this they must be able to pretend. Pretend that the service is working as it should. Pretend it's worth paying for. If you can't pretend that your activities are worth paying, then what the hell kind of marketer are you? Share.

Answer 5

The little secret is that without a developer there is no service, no business, no money. And all your "positions" turn out to be an empty phrase. Think about it and understand who really works.

Answer 6

You have a mess. Define clear terms of reference and do not dedicate the developer to other than his business. Marketing? Why does he need to know about it? Need to write a tool to ease your marketing campaign? Tell them to write, but don't ask for opinions while they're working. You can only arrange a brainstorm at an informal meeting, but no more.
In general, I see problems here not with the programmer, but with the gender. Who is your general? The question is rhetorical. I don't know where you are going, but definitely not uphill - more like a canyon. And so that your business is not torn apart, you need to do something. I understand friendship (although newcomers take friends into the business), but you don’t even smell like it. Divide the shares, make a full and incremental backup from your side, look for potential programmers who could replace the current one, if something goes wrong, indicate the place.
You do not have a business yet, but a round dance "dances and dances." The problem is typical for many startups, just like the cause of death.

Answer 7

Thanks friends.
The first thing I realized is that developers hate marketers. =)
In principle, I already understood it that way, but now I just felt it in my own skin.
I also realized that there is no consensus. It certainly gives hope, indicates that the problem is more ours than everywhere else.
And it also smelled of a pleasant breeze, the last time I experienced this at the very same two. Oh!
Another thing in common: we are not talking about another calculator of some mysterious statistics. We are talking about powerful branding, about several sites within one project, about several services at the same time (there is even a mobile application).
I will respond to interesting comments.

Answer 8

First of all. You know, I (the programmer) read your question and really didn't understand. And I would not understand if I were your programmer. What does "little secret they know and I don't" mean? If the question is put in this way, then it's a little insulting. If I worked with you, then the issue would be resolved as follows: we gather in the evening for a glass of tea, and you explain to me very briefly, but clearly, where the legs of the processes grow from. Well, I do not believe that it will be impossible for a person who makes a living with his head to convey this at least in general terms. This is not a report, but an exchange of information within a friendly working group. It seems to me that the programmer is offended here by the fact that, as it seems to him, the processes have bypassed his understanding of the picture of the world. Yes, programmers are sometimes biased towards salespeople, and this attitude in itself, from experience, very hard to change. This goes against the mindset of a programmer: I create a product that people need, which means I am automatically a hero. This slightly childish picture simply does not fit the idea that we still do not have communism, "fulfillment of the plan" is not an end in itself, and we still need to find a buyer for this very product. But the main key to the solution is precisely the understanding that, yes, it is still necessary. And there is no other way to convey this to the programmer, except to let him realize it. Telling clearly and concisely what and how and why. If you have friendly relations, then this can always be done. is not an end in itself, and you still need to find a buyer for this very product. But the main key to the solution is precisely the understanding that, yes, it is still necessary. And there is no other way to convey this to the programmer, except to let him realize it. Telling clearly and concisely what and how and why. If you have friendly relations, then this can always be done. is not an end in itself, and you still need to find a buyer for this very product. But the main key to the solution is precisely the understanding that, yes, it is still necessary. And there is no other way to convey this to the programmer, except to let him realize it. Telling clearly and concisely what and how and why. If you have friendly relations, then this can always be done.
Well, and secondly, as mentioned above, you don’t cut money, but launch it for SEO. If the programmer does not understand the need for this, then there are doubts about his qualifications.

Answer 9

The case smacks of conflict.
The developer may simply not notice your work, because he is immersed in his codes. It seems to him that he created all the conditions for time tracking, but you do not use it. How can he see who and how much of their time is investing in the project?
If something is still not clear to the developer, then your marketing does not work on it. Study his needs, behavioral factors, make a portrait. Love with all your heart, as you love your customers. Conduct interviews, surveys, questionnaires. And sell him your secret in plain language!
Spending money on advertising is smart. Hiding this from the developer is strange. I would have thought that you were going to overturn me and immediately demanded a contract and a notary to be sure that the profit was halved.

Answer 10

Programmers often begin to feel like they are in charge of a project because of their rarity and indispensability.
But this is not so, the main thing in the project, if it is not a hobby, but a business - sales and marketing.
I recommend an interview with the creator of Price.ru about this, it puts a lot in its place:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIsz9AvSFwI