On this week's episode, I speak with Tamara Yarovoy, the Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Meltwater. She has an interesting story, being that she was originally from Serbia, and now living in the US. We talk about how college athletics prepared her for a career in marketing and how sales and marketing can align to achieve success. Episode Highlights: Tamara's background: from Serbia to the University of Wyoming for marketing.  Why marketing and not professional volleyball?Tamara's "first step" into marketing.Running a real estate venture, in Serbia, while in the US for college.Tamara's current role with Meltwater, goals, and contrast from previous roles.The importance of partnership in digital marketing.Creative vs. Technical marketing.Melding marketing and sales teams.The "Rule of 8" for the alignment strategy of marketing and sales.The challenges of having marketing and sales under one "umbrella."Minimal recommendations to achieve better alignment.Thought experiment: 4 problems of misalignment and solutions.Is the average salesperson better at marketing or the average marketer better at sales?Should marketers and salespeople become one?The #1 piece of advice for new marketers.Why athletes make great marketers.What's next for Tamara. 3 Key Points: It's important to have both the creative elements of marketing and the technical tools working together to build successful campaigns.Marketing and Sales need to be in alignment to have a successful customer strategy.Being willing to continually learn, adapt, and grow your skills is key to being a successful marketer. Quotes: “If both teams understood more of what the other did, it would certainly help.” – Tamara Yarovoy“Have a clear business strategy, where both marketing and sales can build strategies that align with the business." – Tamara Yarovoy"Be patient, try your best, don't give up, continue to learn, find a mentor, and don't be scared to explore.” – Tamara Yarovoy  Resources Mentioned:Meltwater WebsiteTamara Yarovoy on LinkedIn