Let me start by confessing something: I didn’t study marketing in school. Shh … don’t repeat that so loudly. So, if I didn’t study marketing, how is it I can confidently rattle off the “4 Ps” of marketing; discuss at length what the marketing orientations are; enlighten others as to what a positioning statement is?

No, I am not attending night school. No, I did not do a Wikipedia crash-course. No, I did not purchase the Marketing for Dummies series of books. I learned in class at work.

Lonny Kocina, President and CEO of Kocina Marketing Companies, offers what I think is a unique opportunity to his employees: on the job courses in marketing - a subject in which Lonny has more than 20 years experience. Guess how much he charges per class? Nothing. In fact, we’re paid to learn. The courses are taught twice per week, during regular work hours. Sweet.

The lessons I have learned over the past number of weeks have thus far helped me immeasurably in my job. Even within the walls of our office, the dialogue has changed. We’re using the concepts and words of marketing with each other in the hallways, the breakroom, and most importantly, in our work efforts. Don’t get me wrong, we are comprised of successful, seasoned marketing and PR veterans who know their stuff, but now we’re speaking the same language, which was Lonny’s ultimate goal when designing this class.

So now when someone asks me, “Do you think our company should be more market oriented rather than production oriented, employing an undifferentiated segmentation strategy, using reach & remind messaging, now that we’re in the mature stage of the product lifecycle?” I can respond, with a smile, “Yes, and let me explain to you why … .”