The Surprising Findings of the 2018 Career and Compensation Survey

Eileen Monesson, PRCounts, llc

I started my career in accounting marketing in 1999. Although I expected to be welcomed as a member of the management team at my firm, in reality I was no more than a glorified administrative assistant with the marketing director title. Despite being considered a “manager,” I did not command the same level of respect as the CPAs who were also managers.

It didn’t take long to discover I was not alone; other marketing directors were treated the same way. Meeting marketers from different firms at my first AAM Summit opened my eyes to the fact that most were also spending their time performing tacti­cal vs. strategic tasks. I remember telling my managing partner at the time that the firm was not realizing the true value I could contribute to the success of the firm. He responded with a smile.

A lot has changed since 1999. I was happy to learn that, based on the results of the CPA Trendlines-Capstone Marketing-AAM Career and Compensation Survey, accounting marketers finally have a seat at the table. Of course, many marketers and business developers have achieved great success at their firms by being named partner, principal or chief marketing officer and earning generous salaries long before the findings of this year’s survey were released. What is refreshing is that it’s now the norm instead of the exception for marketers and business developers to be recognized as strategic partners in their firm’s success.

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