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I feel like you're doing a bit of "othering" on marketing and sales. As https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39396436 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39396

I feel like you're doing a bit of "othering" on marketing and sales. As https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39396436 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39396436 puts it, this is common outside software (you'll find hardware purchases are similar), and is all about being the preferred vendor of choice (for both current and future purchases). That maybe it doesn't exactly match the archetype people think of as sales, I suspect there's a lot of lessons in looking at adjacent fields to see what they do.

haswell 3y ago
I don't understand the "othering" comment. My point was that within software, DevRel generally serves a very different purpose and function than marketing or sales, and that comments equating DevRel to "just sales/marketing" are missing the clear distinctions between these functions. It's interesting if marketing in other industries covers some of the functions that DevRel addresses in software. But that says more about how different industries divide functions across departments, and to me that underscores the DevRel vs. marketing/sales distinction in the context of software. If you're a one person shop, you're doing all of the above. I also don't agree that the examples provide are analogous to software or software sales. Scientists courting scientists and making sure their company is visible enough to be thought about is really not at all like what the Dev Advocate does. I understand the temptation to compare them, but beyond the vague notions of visibility and preferred status, the analogy breaks down pretty quickly. Showing up at conferences or meetups and running hackathons does provide visibility, but in a large number of cases, DevRel is there to serve the existing customer base and to ensure their success. This can also be a positive signal for prospective customers, which is one of the reasons such programs are considered valuable.

haswell 3y ago

I don't understand the "othering" comment. My point was that within software, DevRel generally serves a very different purpose and function than marketing or sales, and that comments equating DevRel to "just sales/marketing" are missing the clear distinctions between these functions. It's interesting if marketing in other industries covers some of the functions that DevRel addresses in software. But that says more about how different industries divide functions across departments, and to me that underscores the DevRel vs. marketing/sales distinction in the context of software. If you're a one person shop, you're doing all of the above. I also don't agree that the examples provide are analogous to software or software sales. Scientists courting scientists and making sure their company is visible enough to be thought about is really not at all like what the Dev Advocate does. I understand the temptation to compare them, but beyond the vague notions of visibility and preferred status, the analogy breaks down pretty quickly. Showing up at conferences or meetups and running hackathons does provide visibility, but in a large number of cases, DevRel is there to serve the existing customer base and to ensure their success. This can also be a positive signal for prospective customers, which is one of the reasons such programs are considered valuable.