I am working in the soft drink business. I am always coming up with marketing ideas. My company has used some but most they feel are more for the national level. when contacting are parent company they say they have a inside marketing department and that’s the end. How can I move these ideas forward and be paid for them if they have merit. I do not have a degree in marketing but I am very creative in product promotion development and many other areas. Would like a chance to do some good with what I have.

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Jay’s Answer: I’d suggest first getting known by your parent company’s marketing department, and offering your ideas to them. Instead of simply emailing an idea every so often, you need to build a relationship with them. Ideally, you find a mentor/champion in your company that could help you connect to the department. If not, then you need to talk with the head of the internal marketing department for an informational interview. You’re looking to learn more about what they do, how they do it, and the problems they’re facing. Your ideas would need to fit into their way of working so you can be seen as an asset.

If your ideas get received well, implemented, and results clearly demonstrated, then you have an opportunity to claim a better salary.

If you hit a dead end, then consider other avenues: becoming an (unpaid) intern for the marketing group, looking for another job (where your skills could be better used), or start a marketing promotions consultancy on-the-side.