One Sweet Gig

As associate brand manager for Lindor, a brand of truffle made by Lindt & Sprüngli, a Swiss chocolate manufacturer that has a U.S. headquarters in New Hampshire, I'm responsible for all impulse (think checkout stand) products sold through traditional retail channels as well as company-owned stores. In my role, I manage the existing product line, analyze opportunities in the market, develop new products, and create promotions to drive customer excitement.

I began my career in finance with a multinational health-care and consumer goods conglomerate. After several years, I decided that the brand and product side of the business was much more aligned with my capabilities and interests.

To refocus my career on marketing and business strategy, I decided that Boston University School of Management's MS-MBA program was the best option for me, because it gave me a solid MBA as well as an MS in information systems. The degree updated my technical knowledge and gave me insight into the thinking and strategy behind information technology.

Every day at Lindt is a whirlwind of strategy, tactics, and execution. Since Lindt is a small company, I must wear many hats to get my job done. Here is what a typical day might look like:

7:00 a.m. -- Leave for work, coffee in hand.

8:00 a.m. -- Arrive at the office, check e-mail, and plan. The first and most important thing I do everyday is prioritize my tasks and schedule for the day based on my notes from the day before. Few days end up as planned, but refocusing is critical to ensuring that I don't get sidetracked and forget about what's most important.

8:30 a.m. -- Review art for new product packaging, then attend to e-mails that arrived from Europe overnight. If I don't deal with these e-mails or calls by 10 a.m., I won't get a response from my international contacts until the following day.

9:00 a.m. -- Work on a three-year strategic plan for increasing sales of my product line. The morning is the best time to make progress on strategic issues or complex analysis, because new issues or projects will arise as the day goes by.

10:00 a.m. -- Meetings, meetings, meetings. These typically cover project status updates, planning, or problem solving. One could be a review of new packaging, while the next might assess the promotional calendar for the following year.

11:30 a.m. -- Return to my desk. Document notes from the meetings I just attended and deal with the follow-ups that can be completed quickly. Check e-mails and messages that arrived during the morning and deal with any urgent items.

Noon -- Lunch. I don't eat at my desk unless I have a very pressing deadline, because it's just not productive. Taking a few minutes to enjoy lunch and chat with co-workers gives my mind time to relax, so I'm better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.

12:30 p.m. -- Prep for afternoon meetings. Re-prioritize tasks for the afternoon and adjust schedule if necessary.

1:00 p.m. -- Visit one of our manufacturing plants. I don a lab coat and protective gear to enter the production facility. Meet with the operations department to discuss date coding technologies to accommodate new packaging on a core product.

2:00 p.m. -- Brainstorming session. All the brand managers meet with our sales force to discuss channel strategy for some of our products.

4:00 p.m. -- Coffee. Without coffee, maintaining a productive pace through the afternoon would not be possible. We consume plenty of our own "product" at work, and chocolate goes particularly well with a strong cup of cappuccino.

4:15 p.m. -- Review advertising copy. Whenever new copy arrives, I drop into my boss's office to discuss whether it fits the goals for the campaign.

4:45 p.m. -- Analyze sales performance of one set of products and its effect on current forecast.

6:00 p.m. -- Complete open items. Send last e-mails covering today's items and issues to be dealt with later. Make notes for important items to follow up on tomorrow.

6:30 p.m. -- Leave the office. If it's baseball season, I'm hoping the Red Sox win tonight.

Success in marketing depends on your ability to prioritize work, manage time efficiently, multitask, and plan for the future. It is common to have over 20 different projects of various sizes and scopes on your plate at any given time. Constant assessment and prioritization ensures that work gets done and deadlines are met.

At Lindt & Sprüngli, there are a number of employees in marketing without an MBA, so it isn't a requirement to land a job like mine. Without an MBA, marketing experience and ability are the main requirements. For me, getting an MBA was invaluable, because it forced me to deal with problems and to think strategically about causes and effects within business situations. Above all, the decision-making and critical thinking experience were essential.

The best way to get into Lindt & Sprüngli is through networking. I secured my position through a summer internship between my two years of business school. Lindt listed the position with our school career center, and I applied for an interview. After researching many opportunities, I felt the job with Lindt would give me the most hands-on experience. Once I was hired, the next challenge was to keep my hands out of the chocolate.