The agony of numbers
Unternehmensrechnung, Rechnungswesen: Für viele Youngsters, die sich in den Feldern von Marketing und Verkauf weiterbilden, sind das Reizwörter. Wichtig ist das Zahlenwerk aber für jeden, der kompetent mitreden will im Betrieb. Und es gibt Lernstrategien, damit man besser klarkommt in der Welt der Firmenfinanzen.
A murmur went through the hall. When the subject of grades in the new subject of corporate accounting came up at the marketing and sales managers' graduation ceremonies last year, some people shuddered as they remembered the two hours of the written exam, when financing and coverage ratios were the topic, when EBITDA, Swiss GAP or US GAAP were the trump cards. Difficult hours. Which was also reflected in the average grade. The average grade of the marketing managers was always above a 4 in all subjects, but corporate accounting was at the bottom with a 3.7. And the same subject was also at the bottom of the hit list for sales managers with a 3.6. This suggests that people who know their way around the world of sales and marketing and want to further their education are more likely to have a flair for brand building, concepts and presentations than for the intricate figures that make balance sheets and income statements work.
Join the discussion at eye level
Thomas Schefer was the best sales manager in 2009 when it came to business accounting, achieving a 4.5 in the subject. For him, Schefer says, it was probably the most difficult task, but nevertheless not a daunting subject, as he has always calculated prices throughout his career: "I'm very interested in the subject," says the newly qualified sales manager, but doesn't make a murder pit out of his heart. "Of course, I enjoy sales itself much more." Schefer knows that business accounting is a problem for many candidates, probably also because there can only be one correct answer in this numerical subject at the end, but you can also score points with creativity in sales concepts and case studies.
Schefer is convinced of the necessity of the subject: "Anyone who aspires to a managerial position in particular should be absolutely fluent in this subject. Sales managers must be able to lead a team or a department. And that also means that they have to have all the figures under control, because the management is constantly asking about them." Last but not least, it's also about being able to communicate competently with colleagues from other departments, so you have to be able to read and interpret balance sheets and income statements.
These are also the words of Alois Fecker, Head of Corporate Accounting for Sales Managers and Head of Accounting/Controlling for Marketing Specialists: "These subjects are about being able to have a competent say on the management board of your own company." The breadth and depth of the subject matter is tailored to the needs of industry professionals: "We don't want to turn young sales and marketing professionals into controllers or accountants with this subject. It's simply about strengthening knowledge of the interrelationships in the economic and financial area." Fecker feels that many exam candidates approach the topics of corporate accounting and bookkeeping in a very negative way. "It would be better to see the benefits and engage with the subject in a positive way."
Going on a research trip in your own company
Jürg Kaltenrieder is also aware of the worries that young people have with the number-heavy subjects. With his company Marketingfox, the lecturer for communication subjects for marketing and sales specialists helps candidates prepare for their exams: "Business accounting and accounting are among the subjects that are downloaded the most from my website." The candidates download summaries, case studies, checklists and solutions to case studies. Kaltenrieder doesn't see any major differences between men and women: "If you compare the basic interest in the subject, women seem to be more reluctant." But when it comes to the results, things look equally difficult for women and men. "The main problem," says Kaltenrieder, "is probably that marketers and sales experts are less confronted with the world of EBITDA and the quick ratio due to their basic orientation and professional nature." As a result, what is perceived as unpleasant is postponed. What can be done to gain access to the world of financial figures in good time?
"There are no universal recipes or standard solutions," says Thomas Schefer. But the tendency to put off unpleasant things until shortly before the exam needs to be countered early on: "It would be better to consistently repeat everything you've just heard after every lesson," even if it's only half an hour a week. "That would be perfect," says Head of Department Fecker. Jürg Kaltenrieder remembers how he also resisted the subject as a budding marketing specialist. His approach at the time: "I simply thought about what it would be like if I had my own company and what figures would be important to me then." If you have a lot of direct contact with corporate customers in your job, you can also make it your business to find out how solvent they are, pick out a "favorite customer", so to speak, and follow them on their EBIT path.
However, constantly raking up figures on your own can also be quite a lonely business. Kaltenrieder therefore invites his students to explain topics from corporate accounting and financial accounting to each other - "because you have to find your own words that way and generally more is retained".
However, Fecker, Schefer and Kaltenrieder find the best solution to be the one that is also the most obvious: to get in touch with their own company. "Why," asks Thomas Schefer, "not simply approach the head of finance at your company and ask for an insight into the company's figures? That would be the most direct line."
"A very good solution," says Fecker. The subject leader thinks little of the idea of some candidates to turn the two-hour business accounting subject into one with four hours and thus reduce the time pressure: "This would not solve the fundamental problem - on the contrary: even more material would be packed in, which would push the candidates, who feel particularly challenged by this subject matter, even further to their limits." This would probably do little to give marketers and sales professionals more confidence in numbers.
Bridging the gap between finance and marketing/sales
If a deeper understanding of corporate accounting, of the world of numbers, helps marketers to better understand the world of financiers, the reverse is also possible. Namely, that those who are in the driver's seat in corporate finance have a better understanding of the way marketers think. Often enough, there is a rift between the two departments. To put it bluntly, on the one side you see the approach of counting peas, of carefully managing liquid assets - and on the other the hunger for market share, the desire for differentiation, the will to engage in activities that cause a stir at the point of sale or in public, the work on the image, on the brand in general. Especially when the latter cannot be calculated down to the last franc, people in the finance department tend to get nervous. Because the actions and the often not immediately visible success of those working on the brand cannot be entered into the existing accounting framework. Michael Dunn, CEO of the global marketing consultancy Prophet, is familiar with this challenge. In a recent interview, Dunn said that "marketing needs to talk more to finance - and vice versa". And, addressing his own guild: "In fact, marketers today can no longer afford not to provide an answer to the question of the payback of their activity."
So if you want to negotiate at eye level with your colleagues or your superiors in management, you would do well to understand the figures of corporate finance. Even if ingenious marketing activities can never be financially translated into expenditure and income to the third decimal place. Of course, Dunn also sees this very clearly and pointed out that the path to inspiration cannot be analyzed without gaps. Dunn said: "You can't calculate a strong idea down to the last centime, otherwise you're sucking all the blood out of it, so to speak."
Andreas Güntert
Join the discussion at eye level
Thomas Schefer was the best sales manager in 2009 when it came to business accounting, achieving a 4.5 in the subject. For him, Schefer says, it was probably the most difficult task, but nevertheless not a daunting subject, as he has always calculated prices throughout his career: "I'm very interested in the subject," says the newly qualified sales manager, but doesn't make a murder pit out of his heart. "Of course, I enjoy sales itself much more." Schefer knows that business accounting is a problem for many candidates, probably also because there can only be one correct answer in this numerical subject at the end, but you can also score points with creativity in sales concepts and case studies.
Schefer is convinced of the necessity of the subject: "Anyone who aspires to a managerial position in particular should be absolutely fluent in this subject. Sales managers must be able to lead a team or a department. And that also means that they have to have all the figures under control, because the management is constantly asking about them." Last but not least, it's also about being able to communicate competently with colleagues from other departments, so you have to be able to read and interpret balance sheets and income statements.
These are also the words of Alois Fecker, Head of Corporate Accounting for Sales Managers and Head of Accounting/Controlling for Marketing Specialists: "These subjects are about being able to have a competent say on the management board of your own company." The breadth and depth of the subject matter is tailored to the needs of industry professionals: "We don't want to turn young sales and marketing professionals into controllers or accountants with this subject. It's simply about strengthening knowledge of the interrelationships in the economic and financial area." Fecker feels that many exam candidates approach the topics of corporate accounting and bookkeeping in a very negative way. "It would be better to see the benefits and engage with the subject in a positive way."
Going on a research trip in your own company
Jürg Kaltenrieder is also aware of the worries that young people have with the number-heavy subjects. With his company Marketingfox, the lecturer for communication subjects for marketing and sales specialists helps candidates prepare for their exams: "Business accounting and accounting are among the subjects that are downloaded the most from my website." The candidates download summaries, case studies, checklists and solutions to case studies. Kaltenrieder doesn't see any major differences between men and women: "If you compare the basic interest in the subject, women seem to be more reluctant." But when it comes to the results, things look equally difficult for women and men. "The main problem," says Kaltenrieder, "is probably that marketers and sales experts are less confronted with the world of EBITDA and the quick ratio due to their basic orientation and professional nature." As a result, what is perceived as unpleasant is postponed. What can be done to gain access to the world of financial figures in good time?
"There are no universal recipes or standard solutions," says Thomas Schefer. But the tendency to put off unpleasant things until shortly before the exam needs to be countered early on: "It would be better to consistently repeat everything you've just heard after every lesson," even if it's only half an hour a week. "That would be perfect," says Head of Department Fecker. Jürg Kaltenrieder remembers how he also resisted the subject as a budding marketing specialist. His approach at the time: "I simply thought about what it would be like if I had my own company and what figures would be important to me then." If you have a lot of direct contact with corporate customers in your job, you can also make it your business to find out how solvent they are, pick out a "favorite customer", so to speak, and follow them on their EBIT path.
However, constantly raking up figures on your own can also be quite a lonely business. Kaltenrieder therefore invites his students to explain topics from corporate accounting and financial accounting to each other - "because you have to find your own words that way and generally more is retained".
However, Fecker, Schefer and Kaltenrieder find the best solution to be the one that is also the most obvious: to get in touch with their own company. "Why," asks Thomas Schefer, "not simply approach the head of finance at your company and ask for an insight into the company's figures? That would be the most direct line."
"A very good solution," says Fecker. The subject leader thinks little of the idea of some candidates to turn the two-hour business accounting subject into one with four hours and thus reduce the time pressure: "This would not solve the fundamental problem - on the contrary: even more material would be packed in, which would push the candidates, who feel particularly challenged by this subject matter, even further to their limits." This would probably do little to give marketers and sales professionals more confidence in numbers.
Bridging the gap between finance and marketing/sales
If a deeper understanding of corporate accounting, of the world of numbers, helps marketers to better understand the world of financiers, the reverse is also possible. Namely, that those who are in the driver's seat in corporate finance have a better understanding of the way marketers think. Often enough, there is a rift between the two departments. To put it bluntly, on the one side you see the approach of counting peas, of carefully managing liquid assets - and on the other the hunger for market share, the desire for differentiation, the will to engage in activities that cause a stir at the point of sale or in public, the work on the image, on the brand in general. Especially when the latter cannot be calculated down to the last franc, people in the finance department tend to get nervous. Because the actions and the often not immediately visible success of those working on the brand cannot be entered into the existing accounting framework. Michael Dunn, CEO of the global marketing consultancy Prophet, is familiar with this challenge. In a recent interview, Dunn said that "marketing needs to talk more to finance - and vice versa". And, addressing his own guild: "In fact, marketers today can no longer afford not to provide an answer to the question of the payback of their activity."
So if you want to negotiate at eye level with your colleagues or your superiors in management, you would do well to understand the figures of corporate finance. Even if ingenious marketing activities can never be financially translated into expenditure and income to the third decimal place. Of course, Dunn also sees this very clearly and pointed out that the path to inspiration cannot be analyzed without gaps. Dunn said: "You can't calculate a strong idea down to the last centime, otherwise you're sucking all the blood out of it, so to speak."
Andreas Güntert
