In January, a client approached me about upskilling their product marketing team. They wanted to do a webinar series for junior staff. I offered that, to see real growth, they’ll need to add some time for the leadership team to set goals and train on coaching. The call went quiet until the head of the team spoke up to say that “our PMDs are too busy for that.”
It’s a familiar story. People love to talk about advancement. They love to sign up for classes. But when it comes to doing the work — when it comes to practice — enthusiasm fades. To see growth, portfolio marketers need to put in the time. Portfolio marketers at high-performing organizations are:
65% more likely to spend at least 40 hours a year on professional development (84% vs. 51%).
More than twice as likely to dedicate 100 hours annually (34% vs. 15%).
Portfolio marketing is one of the most complex roles in B2B — requiring data fluency, buyer empathy, cross-functional leadership and, now, AI literacy. Hiring for this mix is tough; training for it is essential.
But here’s the catch: Formal training accounts for just 10% of effective adult learning. Successful teams don’t spend 100 hours on lunch-and-learn webinars. They spend that time on peer learning (20%) and on-the-job experience (70%).
Forrester’s report, The Portfolio Marketing Team Upskilling Blueprint, spells out how leading teams create real opportunities to practice, collaborate, and apply new skills. The blueprint lays out a four-step model:
Identify high-impact skills. Tie development to business outcomes.
Set clear expectations. Define deliverables and interlocks.
Build skills through practice. Use stretch goals and peer coaching.
Sustain growth. Recognize progress and involve managers year-round.
Upskilling isn’t a checkbox — it’s a culture. And in a world where AI is rewriting the rules, the teams that commit to growth will be the ones that lead the way.
