Business-to-business transactions take place every day, in every industry around the world, as firms design, market, and sell products and services for organizational customers including businesses, governments, and non-profit firms. Connect with leading B2B marketers and gain business marketing expertise and real-world experience in the Business Marketing Academy, one of two marketing Academies that make the Kelley MBA one of the top marketing MBAs in the US.
Business Marketing Academy: Become a top B2B marketer
Description of the video:
Shathabi Ravindra:I was in the Business Marketing Academy and Professor Fred Roedl was the Academy advisor. He has practical business experience. He kind of tweaks you on the skillset you require to be in the business world. So Academy gave me that push I needed to figure out what exactly I want to do going forward from MBA. Did I want more of a marketing role or more of a general management role? I think all the stepping stones are needed to succeed in my internship starts from Kelley and what they've taught me to know.
Fred Roedl:
Of all the business schools in North America, and around the world, we're one of the very few with that focus on business marketing, and companies know that. So as a result of that uniqueness, companies are very intrigued and also very pleased about what we're doing here. We've been able to attract a lot of companies to recruit our students because that enables companies not to have to train students once they hire them.
So once they go into their internship in the summertime, they've pretty much done everything that they will be doing in their internship. So they've learned best practices of project work. They understand the typical problems that a business marketer faces, whether it be pricing, distribution management, and design issues, how to manage the sales force, the interaction between marketing and sales.
I bring in company executives from a wide array of industries because business marketing is in every industry. So I try to diversify the industries, whether it be healthcare, industrial manufacturing, high-tech, distribution, as many types of industries that I can.
Dan Pickering:
Coming into the internship here at 3M, they're asking you to solve some pretty complex problems. I think when I first got my projects, it is a little bit overwhelming, when you start to look at the scope of what they want you to do. But what I went back to is the training that we did at Kelley. All of the marketing frameworks that we learned in the Business Marketing Academy, all of that has come into play in my projects here at 3M. It's really influenced my ability to complete the internship here.
Is a career in business marketing for you?
Through this Academy, you’ll combine marketing expertise with an understanding of how you can partner with other organizations to help make their businesses better, more profitable, and more successful. As a member of the BMA, you will:
- Travel to cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, and Milwaukee to visit the headquarters of corporations with successful B2B operations, such as 3M, Medtronic, and Intel
- Gain real-world experience by conducting a consulting project for such companies as Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, and Eli Lilly, preparing you for your internship and career
- Learn from professionals and executives from top companies
- Receive ongoing mentoring from the Academy director, a career coach, second-year mentor, executive board, and other BMA alumni
Learn about the broad range of options
You can launch a business marketing career in most industries, including life sciences, tech, and industrial firms. Your career path depends on your interests and strengths. Here are descriptions of three broad areas within business marketing:
- General management positions manage brands and products, often managing specific product lines or industries/channels for firms—managing a small piece of the business
- Customer management involves high-level business development, strategic account managment, and field marketing support, giving you face-to-face contact with customers
- Domain expertise leads to positions with a narrow but deep focus in marketing, such as pricing, social media, data analytics, and product marketing
- Entrepreneurial roles abound in small B2B firms, as well as the opportunity to start your own company serving the various market needs across B2B industries
Career outcomes
Students from the Business Marketing Academy land internships and full-time roles with such companies as 3M, Abbott, Amazon, Cummins, Dell, Ecolab, EY, Google, Eli Lilly, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Kelley MBA graduates pursue careers across the US and abroad. View employment statistics.
Learn about the Academy and business marketing careers
Gain insights about the Academy and B2B marketing careers from Kelley BMA alumni and program leaders.
Learn how to prepare for tech-related business roles
Gain insights for careers in the tech sector from a Kelley MBA student, alumni and faculty.
Learn about product management careers
Gain insights from Business Marketing Academy alumni working in different kinds of product management roles in a variety of industries.
Questions? Contact us
Joshua Gildea
Business Marketing Academy Director
jgildea@indiana.edu
Business Marketing Academy Director Joshua Gildea has nearly 20 years marketing, sales and strategy management experience at a variety of mid-size and large global corporations including Microsoft, General Electric, DuPont, Carlisle Companies and Vitamix Corporation.
Christina Schmidt
Business Marketing Academy Career Coach
schmchri@indiana.edu
Christina Schmidt brings over 15 years of experience in higher education fundraising and physician recruitment consulting as the career coach to the Business Marketing Academy.
More opportunities to build your career
Check out the Marketing Club, the largest student-led club for Kelley MBAs. You’ll learn about marketing across various industries, sharpen your marketing skills, prepare for interviews, and continue developing your network and new friendships.