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When the Founder Is the Rainmaker: How to Scale Without Losing the Spark
In many founder-led businesses, the founder isn’t just the leader—they’re also the best (and often only) rainmaker. They land the big deals. They have the trusted relationships. They know the pitch inside and out because they are the pitch.
It works—until it doesn’t.
As the business grows, this model creates a bottleneck. Every new opportunity depends on one and only person. And it’s the same person every time. But there’s a downside. When that person is also responsible for running the business, mentoring the team, and shaping the vision, something eventually gives.
The Great Resignation: Can Marketing Reverse the Trend at Your Company?
Thu, Sep 1, 2022 — If you, like me, are of a certain age, it’s easy to reflect on how different it was to get a job back in the day. Many jobs required an application and a resume, not to mention a one-on-one interview with the hiring manager. Shake his hand firmly, swallow your pride, spit out the answers – and hope that this interaction leads to a job with decent pay, health insurance, and a chance to sit at the big kid’s table someday. Working from home? Well, that was a one-way trip to the unemployment line. And culture? “Keep your mouth shut, listen to the boss, do what you’re told, don’t complain, and you’ll get a check every Friday. That’s our culture.”
Lead Conversion Lacking? Try Advancing Performance Marketing
Mon, Jan 24, 2022 — Though the past two years will be remembered by most for the impact that COVID had on our lives and livelihoods, most marketers will look back on this time as the era of the “Digital Lead Spigot.” Forced into quarantine at a moment’s notice and anxious to keep their products and services in the consciousness, most businesses – ready or not – twisted the valves on their digital taps and let information flow into and out of their organizations. In fact, one survey found that nearly two-thirds of companies felt forced into accelerating their digital transformation as a result of COVID-19.
Elevating the VIP: Recognizing Your Best Customer is a Make-or-Break Proposition
Thu, Jan 13, 2022 — I have a secret to share that may be surprising. Though automotive folklore insinuates that Henry Ford would only allow his world-beating Model T to be painted in black, you could, in fact, purchase your new horseless carriage in a variety of colors, including blue, red, gray, and green. So as early as 1908 – the year the first Model T was shipped – a customer could distinguish their tastes and flaunt their individuality on America’s roads in a hue that was different from the pack.
A Marketing Mission: Core Messaging That Captivates
Thu, Dec 16, 2021 — You don’t have to be a “trekkie” to know that the continuing mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise was to “boldly go where no one has gone before.” In the same vein, one could say that marketing leaders – much like Captain Kirk or Captain Picard – are navigating a similar path. While marketers don’t face asteroids, droids, or alien encounters, the stakes of their mission are just as high — if not higher. After all, marketing leadership turnover is at an all-time high. When it comes to the business world, success or failure often falls squarely on the shoulders of the head of marketing. And without the right gas in the proverbial marketing engine, the path will be bumpy…and short.
Recruiting and Retaining Employees in a Post-COVID World
Mon, Jul 12, 2021 — Of all of the likely impacts of the COVID pandemic, it’s hard to imagine that business owners envisioned this – a labor shortage, the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. In fact, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there were 8.1 million open and unfilled positions in March 2021 (the last month for which data is available). Even worse, the number of employees available for every open job reached a 20-year low this spring – and continues to plummet.
What's Up With Fractional CMO Demand?
Tue, Jun 29, 2021 — Demand for Fractional Marketing Executives is Exploding Chief Outsiders Fractional CMOs have been helping companies build their engines for growth since 2009. Recently, we sponsored a study with The CMO Council to uncover stakeholders' satisfaction with their marketing organizations, and where fractional CMOs are the best fit. The full study can be found here. This C-Suite Scorecard from the CMO Council brings compelling insight to a growing phenomenon in enterprise-class marketing organizations. Not everything is getting done. With an internal Net Promoter Score of -46 from C-Suite marketing stakeholders (extrapolated from Q2), it’s no wonder the fractional CMO solution is exploding to fill the gaps and holes of critical expertise and leadership. Demand for our firm alone from enterprise businesses has shot up over 150% this year.
What can Industrial & Manufacturing CEOs do Right Now?
Fri, Jul 10, 2020 — Industry Specific Advice for Marketing in a Time of Recovery from the Chief Outsider CMOs The following summary encapsulates the highlights of a panel discussion for the Industrial Manufacturing sector hosted by Art Saxby and featuring CMOs Kimberly Miller, Atul Minocha and Dawn Werry. For the full benefit, view the discussion video in its entirety (15 minutes). Short of time? See the discussion highlights (6 minutes). When the pandemic first hit, events for the industrial manufacturing sector were changing daily. Now, at the start of the recovery phase the entire industry is adapting. Some companies have had to find completely new markets for their products, while others have started making completely new products. Across the board, supply chains have been disrupted. Buyer behaviors have changed and go-to-market strategies have had to adjust in order to keep business moving.
What can Travel/Hospitality/Entertainment CEOs do Right Now?
Tue, Jun 30, 2020 — Industry Specific Advice for Marketing in a Time of Recovery from the Chief Outsider CMOs The following summary encapsulates the highlights of a panel discussion for the Travel/Hospitality/Entertainment industries hosted by Pete Hayes and featuring CMOs Deborah Fell, Adriana Lynch and Aurora Toth. For the full benefit, view the discussion video in its entirety (19 minutes). Short of time? See the discussion highlights (6 minutes). The travel and hospitality industries have been severely impacted by the pandemic but companies are slowly starting to re-open for business. It’s an unprecedented time and one of the major underlying sentiments is fear. How can CEOs and businesses in these market segments address and overcome this concern?
The 7 Rs of Resiliency Programs
Thu, Jun 11, 2020 — The world's best epidemiologists only have models to predict the full depth and breadth of the COVID-19 pandemic, but companies are already feeling the economic fallout. They're scrambling to find the best way to respond, and in many cases, survive, all the while being rightly concerned for the health of their families and communities. It's not easy, and this is no time to pretend otherwise.