After years of helping an organization build its brand through implementing a strategic and successful marketing strategy and plan, and driving millions each year in revenue, the company was sold and I was laid off.

Anonymous

June 21,2023 at 1:11PM UTC

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After years of helping an organization build its brand through implementing a strategic and successful marketing strategy and plan, and driving millions each year in revenue, the company was sold and I was laid off.

The new president told me I was important and to just be patient as they figure out what my new role would be. She never had marketing in her previous organization, didn't understand, and didn't want to know. She told me to stop everything I was doing and to focus on this one project for her. Over six months leads became fewer and far between, so there was little work coming in. Most of the leads were coming through the website and all digital marketing efforts. Those stop, so don't most of the leads. However, survival of the fittest, Sales gave them incorrect data so it looked like they were driving the revenue. Then she laid me off. Now she's asking everyone why it's so slow. The sales team whom she thought was bringing in all the work, haven't brought in the work, and yet she hasn't put the pieces together, and here I am out of work at 55 looking for a job and not successfully.

I knew she was going to do this six months ago, and she told me no, I was important and valuable - she lied straight to my face, and I found out everyone got raises and more vacation time, I did not. I wasn't included in meetings anymore, she ignored me most of the time, micromanaged me and degraded me every chance she got. My guess is she was hoping i'd quit, but considering 10 people left with no notice, I don't think it was just me. No one is happy there now, but I am so angry and hurt and feel victimized.

I helped the previous owner in so many ways. I helped him to realize that the sales team needed new leadership, better planning, where we needed to focus on marketing - and when we lost two of my employees during covid, I picked up all the work. All while being paid under market value. So you can see where I feel used and abused.

I'm doing everything I can to not take this all personally and as apply and apply and get no response or two interviews and no job offer - I even got 4 interviews a reference check and then they gave it to someone else. Any advice would be great.

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AnonymousJune 21,2023 at 2:04PM UTC
It feel that your unhappiness with the original company may be impacting your interviews. There are ways to deal with it that I have heard of before. (1) Focus on the positive things you learned from your time on the problem job. (2) Have a funeral for your old job and put that phase of your life to rest (3) Get positive skills thoughts to move forward - such as Tony Robbins or Mind Movies. (4) Take regular job hunt breaks so you do not wear down. Hope these ideas help.
Mary PoolJune 21,2023 at 2:09PM UTC
I agree with Anonymous; your disappointment in your last employer is probably affecting your interviews. This old job is in your rearview mirror, you cannot change it, nor would you want to stay in such a negative environment. You have to let go of the anger and bitterness, which is beyond difficult to do. One thing to do might be to focus on the relationship you had with the previous owner and take that energy into the interview.
Valissa PierrelouisJune 23,2023 at 1:01PM UTC
Love that point @Mary
AnonymousJune 21,2023 at 4:41PM UTC
First of all, I am so sorry you went through this. Losing a high-level position with a firm that you put your heart and soul into creates a need to go through the grieving process. Please take a look at grief related resources. For me, personally, acknowledging that I was in a grief process with one aspect of my life, helped me compartmentalize it and move on with other aspects. It sounds like you still have a lot of information about what’s going on in the company. You may want to limit some of that if it’s pulling a scab off of a wound that needs to heal. Until you find another position, try to find something to suck up your time and most importantly, your mental capacity. It’s hard to stop thinking about the past when there’s nothing in its place. TBH, housecleaning is my go to, but it could be something more creative or enrolling in an online certification program that is challenging. Bless you and never doubt that this too shall pass and a year from now you will be thriving.
AnonymousJune 22,2023 at 12:44PM UTC
Bad things happen to good people. Unfortunately many things are outside of our control even when we do everything right. It’s not fair and it’s not fun but put it in the rear view and stop letting it impact your future. Good luck.
Rosa E HearnJune 22,2023 at 1:14PM UTC
Are you marketing yourself? Where is your network? What new certifications have you gotten? Are you posting on LinkedIn advise, education, etc...so people see you as an expert in marketing and would love your experience to be part of their team. The past is the past. How are you marketing yourself?
I know it sucks and I'm truly sorry this happened but put your experience to use. Keep plugging along. You'll get something.
AnonymousJune 22,2023 at 1:32PM UTC
good morning. I wish you and I could sit down, together, and have some beverage and go over all o this. I had something similar happen to me at age 57...and It devastated me. I read your posting above several times to make sure i understand the details and I do...you were an exemplary and critical employee who was appreciated by the prior management and now, you're lied to and dumped at the curb like a disposable piece....yeah, been there/done that in a HUGE way. Please take my advice--Do not hire an attorney. Waste o money. Been there/done that and lost 7K learning that I was powerless to change anything. Do accept the fact that you were lied to, and your gut knew it. Accept the fact that this company will land on its butt and you would like to be their savior, but you do NOT want to go back there. You learned, like me, about the ruthlessness out there. The lack of fidelity out there ...Been there/done that. I know your pain. It's not YOU....you are a hard working super star with a talent and experience package that SOMEONE will appreciate, but not the new company. So yeah, they made you feel silly because you were hoping that your energy and insight would be appreciated..but it was and is not. Brush the dust away and move forward. I spent literally two year in grieving--in hindsight, I was so sidelined and blown away from sheer naiveness--do not be like me. Deep breathe...Exercise every day. Serve a neighbor who is sick, bake pies, donate your clutter, go to church/meditate---IT'S NOT YOU. take some LinkedIn online classes, or even a community college class, DO SOME VOLUNTEER WORK in an area you have interest..make new connections...and a new position will come. It might take several mos...collect your unemployment and rebrand yoursel. IT'S NOT YOU. keep us posted.
AnonymousJune 22,2023 at 3:17PM UTC
I'm so sorry to hear you went through this. I've gone through it twice. Unfortunately, your value as an employee is only as valuable as leadership thinks -- and when leadership changes, they often want experienced and valuable people OUT. I don't know why this is the case, but it's certainly discouraging. This is why I pivoted to marketing consulting -- I see so many competent and hardworking marketing leaders let go due to politics or whims of leadership. Maybe think about branching out on your own?
AnonymousJune 22,2023 at 6:07PM UTC
Well there is a part that you own, you saw it coming and did not take steps to protect yourself and look back then. Don't beat yourself up about it, move on by taking the bulk of what you did wrap it in a nice bow and shamelessly self promote to a new employer who will value you in the process. Work your network, make calls to them and directly email them, don't just apply to jobs. Ask the tough questions up front, ask about revenue, lead generation, look for the trail of leavers from the company via linkedin and how much they are growing revenue and employee-wise. The party line for why you left should be I agreed to stay through the acquisition and then wanted a bit of time to find the right next move. I had the choice to look before buy decided to stick it out because I cared about what I build and wanted to see it through. Then you have positivity around why you left. Don't dwell on the folks they kept behind, there are much better places for you ahead...as long as you don't take the wounds with you into new conversations any prospective employer would be lucky to have your skills and experience to help them to grow a business!
AnonymousJune 23,2023 at 3:05PM UTC
Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate all of your advice. I agree, I did see it coming, but I did start looking back then. Took months to get an interview, and then I went through four with this one company, and a reference check right before I was laid off and I was the second choice. I was trying, the market isn't that great - there is a lot of competition.
In regards to protecting myself to keep my job, I did everything I could to justify my job. She did NOT want to sit down with me and review anything. She would not allow me to go through planning or numbers or everything that I did, so she had NO idea what or how much I was doing and what I was accomplishing and she had NO interesting in listening to me. It was pretty awful. I was out before she even began. On a good note, the company is bleeding money and the person who gave her the wrong information to keep their job and lose me, now has to justify her existence, and i'm not there to do their job anymore. Good luck! :)
AnonymousJune 23,2023 at 9:56PM UTC
i had same happen to me...and the company totally hemorrhaged when i was no longer there....even the HR manager messaged me via LinkedIn and said "everything you warned the CEO about has come to pass"...and while that's all nice, I didn't have my position any longer...so watching the company take a nosedive really didn't help me...adn you're in the same boat. Sometimes, things happen and there aint much we can do about it...God bless and best to you. you and I are dinosaurs...we are coming from a generation in which it seemed that fidelity mattered..but no longer, sadly.
Valissa PierrelouisJune 23,2023 at 12:55PM UTC
That is tough to go through.The first piece of guidance I'll offer is give yourself some time, grace, and space to process and heal from the experience. A job elimination is traumatic especially when an employer doesn't handle it with care.
We go through a grieving process because it is a loss. Even though you know the impact you made, the incident may leave you feeling inadequate in some way.
When we jump into interviews before we've processed the anger or disappointment, the resentment comes through in your responses. That has been my experience. The good news is you have amazing skills.
What steps can you take to build yourself back up?
What opportunities exist to put your skills to use while you identify your new employer?
For example, I'm a Career & Leadership Coach writing a role description for an independent contractor Marketing Assistant right now. There are many solopreneurs seeking someone with your skill set.
Employers will view your commitment to maintain or enhance your skills favorably.
Rooting for you ❤️
AnonymousJune 27,2023 at 3:00PM UTC
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your kindness and support. This is what i've been doing. I have been doing some job searching each day, but more so focusing on myself. Healing emotionally, taking care of myself physically and trying to get my life in order so I can process the emotions that i'm left to deal with. I am hurt, and yes It felt personal as though I wasn't being told the real reason. However, I have been given some great advice that much of what i'm feeling is just feelings and not fact and i'm working on that. In fact instead of ruminating and beating myself up (which is what i'm doing vs. being angry) I have post it notes all over my house to stop me and stay focused. I have "Smile, you'll feel better", "let them" (Meaning let them think and say what they want or believe what they want - it doesn't matter, my reality is my truth", "it's a feeling not a fact", "write your own story", "How would you treat your best friend right now", "You're going to get through this" and many more. I used to be a consultant. I wish I could do it again, but it was exhausting. I spent more time selling myself, being the marketing person, the ap person and then doing the work and then chasing people to get paid. I was given some advice to do retainers or per project pricing and get paid half upfront. I may do that. I'm working on writing the content for my website and portfolio and have a bunch of ideas for content to promote myself.I know that a lot of people want marketing and people with my experience, but what has been your experience with them wanting to pay for it? That is what has been a tough issue. Even when you can see the KPI's and ROI, many CEOS who are older or don't and won't understand the value of Marketing just dismiss it as only spending money and don't understand when they eliminate it the revenue drives up. That is what is happening at the company that just dumped me. Sales have significantly dropped over the last six months and she's asking everyone if it's always been so slow and she hasn't put the pieces together. I have been laid off before - for the exact same reason. The company was bought, the decisions makers were old school and listened to people who were out to keep their own jobs and make cuts and then later realized they made a huge mistake when we had to train the remaining staff and they realized they weren't qualified. They kept them because of their location and lower salary. They ended up having to hire all new staff later on down the road, and usually it costs them a lot more. Not only in lost sales, but in the money it costs to hire another expert and the time it takes to repair all the damage.
AnonymousAugust 10,2023 at 12:06AM UTC
Thank you. Update. I found a job (contract with possibilities) at a very well known large organization that is a leader in their industry. Doing strategic planning for a VERY large marketing team. I’m making 2x what I was and my new boss asks about me, says good job and engages me.
i got everything I had been asking for. While it’s in a totally different Industry, it’s given me a new attitude about making my life most important and work comes second. So far - I’m on normal (slow speed for me) and they are happy with that.
it was a blessing, but just like any toxic/abusive relationship, we feel so awful about ourselves after being beat down for so long we get stuck.
maybe I need to send her a gift basket.
AnonymousJune 24,2023 at 2:09AM UTC
I’m really sorry to hear that you are struggling so much. It’s a tough time to be in the job market.
But understand that most companies can do pretty much whatever they want and deem to be best for their business. Unless you’re working under a union contract, in most places you can be fired or laid off just like you can quit at any time.
You say you knew the new president was going to do this six months ago and yet you chose not to look for a new job. You knew she didn’t value the Marketing function and chose to not go somewhere that does.
When you lost employees during covid and picked up their work load – you apparently decided you were ok with that and chose to stay put.
10 other people made the choice to find other opportunities and you chose not to.
You say you were being paid under market value and yet you chose to stay there.
I see where you feel used and abused but mostly I see the consequences of your own choices.
My advice would be for you to figure out how to move through and/or past that anger. It’s only hurting you. Figure out what you need to do to be able to move on – therapy, exercise, volunteering can channel your energy in a more positive direction – whatever works for you.
I would also check and make sure your anger isn't coming through in your interviews.
AnonymousJune 27,2023 at 2:42PM UTC
Well thank you for the support and kind comments. Had you read the post, you would have seen that I WAS Looking. I had been looking for a job AND interviewing. in fact I had four interviews and a reference check to be the second choice out of over 300 applicants, so I think that's doing pretty good. I had other interviews before the sale of the company and while they were positive, they weren't the right roles for me. The job market is tough for what I do. I'm senior level employee with specialized skill set.
I apologize - I did leave out that when my employees left, I hired contractors, who were actually better than my previous employees because they had more experience, but they didn't do all the little administrative tasks that the previous employees did, so I got stuck with those, but did get better results for things like content, seo and market research. So there is that. But you'd only know that if you asked instead of assumed. I'm sorry that I didn't write things out in more detail - will you find fault with that too?
10 other people left with no job, and no notice because the new president and team were making their lives miserable. I chose to stay because I couldn't afford to be unemployed. Being single and not having any other means of income or support - I didn't have the luxury that others had. But hey ya know - keep judging.
You seem to have clearly NOT read the post and making a lot of assumptions that are negative. I NEVER said I didn't take some responsibility, but your responses are pretty cold and negative and in some ways abusive. Maybe you should have a little self introspective of your own.
My anger is not coming out in my interviews, phone calls or submissions in fact - everyone tells me how much the love my energy and positivity. But your anger is clearly coming out in your post right now, and while I am trying to be empathetic, i'm wondering why you're not.
Thanks anyway.