Business Growth Strategies For CEOs: Top CMOs On Marketing Strategy Implementations

Paul Sparrow

Paul Sparrow is a Managing Partner based in Charleston, South Carolina. He places battle-tested CMOs and CSOs in right-sized client engagements to generate growth strategies that achieve revenue acceleration and profitability. Paul is a business growth expert with over 30 years of strategic development and execution in a variety of industries and organizational settings, including Fortune 50, startups, turnarounds, and emerging growth. He can be reached via email at psparrow@chiefoutsiders.com or at (615) 351-7189.

The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, Part 2: In a Noisy Market, Make Clarity Your Competitive Edge

Tue, Apr 22, 2025 | Posted by Jyotsna Makkar

This is Part 2 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle.

A CEO once said to me, “We know our product delivers real value. Our customers are happy. But when we show up in the market, it feels like we’re saying the same thing as everyone else.”

That stuck with me, not just because it was honest, but because it’s common. In crowded markets, sounding the same is the fastest way to become invisible. Buyers tune out. Sales cycles drag. Margins shrink. And despite how strong your actual offering is, you keep getting boxed in as “just another option.”

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Winning the Budgeting Game in Healthcare Marketing, Part Two

Thu, Oct 24, 2024 — In the first part of this blog, my conversation with Scott Alexander from Jairus Marketing touched on some critical topics in budgeting for healthcare marketing, especially the need to re-think the planning process through a data-driven lens. In part two, we will talk about strategic investments and calculating ROI, while providing some actionable steps you can take to change your budgeting mindset and practice.

Winning the Budgeting Game in Healthcare Marketing, Part One

Thu, Oct 10, 2024 — In today's competitive healthcare landscape, securing and effectively utilizing marketing budgets is crucial for success. However, traditional budgeting methods may not be sufficient today as the industry shifts from sales-heavy to marketing-focused strategies, and a plethora of data and analytics become available to help measure goal attainment. I recently spoke with Scott Alexander from Jairus Marketing about smart budgeting in today’s healthcare industry. We talked about how today’s budgets are complex, data-driven decision-making processes compared to the arbitrary and unscientific budget exercises of the past. Winning the budgeting game in healthcare requires understanding regulatory concerns, operational considerations, and clinical/hospital systems as critical pieces of the value analysis equation.

Healthcare Marketing: Getting Your Value Propositions Right, Part 2

Thu, Oct 3, 2024 — My last blog featured highlights from a recent conversation with Jairus Marketing CEO Scott Alexander. This conversation spotlighted the long-reaching benefits of compelling value propositions in healthcare marketing. For the second half of this topic, let’s explore how tailoring value propositions to specific audiences is essential for success in healthcare.

Healthcare Marketing: Getting Your Value Propositions Right

Wed, Sep 25, 2024 — As a healthcare marketing specialist, I know how challenging it can be to articulate your value to your target customers. I often see what people think are effective value propositions, but they're just sales-based marketing buzzwords that require a dictionary, an encyclopedia, or a concordance to understand. I recently spoke with Scott Alexander, CEO of Jairus Marketing, an innovative healthcare marketing firm that tactically helps healthcare companies build brand awareness, market demand, and sales opportunities.

Preparing for Tomorrow: How to Thrive Amid 2024’s Economic Uncertainty

Wed, Aug 7, 2024 — It is no secret that the US economy is experiencing more turbulence than most jetliners – and that is saying a lot! If you have been following ITR Economics' monthly Trends Report™, you are probably aware of ITR’s mild recession forecast for the industrial sectors and slower growth forecast for GDP this year. ITR is also predicting a 3.0% rate of inflation in 2024. Now here is the big question: Should you be worried? Regardless of the projected intensity, our economy is nonetheless experiencing a choppy season. Though having a plan is crucial, keeping your eye on the bigger picture is paramount. ITR forecasts that the US economy will shift back into broad-based growth, moving from a downward economy at the end of 2024 to a period of sustained growth during 2025. The transition from sluggishness to accelerating rise over 12 months is noteworthy.

Hiring at the Right Level: Fractional or Full Time?

Wed, Jul 10, 2024 — Finding the right leadership talent isn't just about filling a title; it's about matching skills and responsibilities to an enterprise's needs. The importance of strategic hiring decisions cannot be minimized. However, putting the right person in the correct position is critical, and sometimes, that may mean something other than a permanent, direct hire.

Navigating the Choppy Waters of Recession: A Healthcare Marketing Survival Guide

Thu, Feb 22, 2024 — As the dark clouds of economic recession gather on the 2024 horizon, healthcare companies must brace for the choppiness ahead. It's no secret that the healthcare sector, once deemed recession-proof, now faces the stark reality of financial strain, with more than half of hospitals already operating in the red. This alarming statistic not only signifies the urgency for change but also beckons a strategic pivot in how healthcare entities approach marketing.

Full-time or Fractional? Focusing on the Next Generation of Your Company’s Leadership

Tue, Jan 23, 2024 — Nothing quickens the pulse or conjures beads of sweat on the brow of a mild-mannered CEO than the departure of a key member of the executive leadership team. Like it or not, the door to your company’s success swings in both directions, and often, you may find yourself on the drafty side, wondering how you’re going to replace that experience, counsel, and leadership.

The Importance of a Functional C-Suite in Challenging Economic Times

Tue, Oct 17, 2023 — I chuckled when I saw that memorable gummy bear commercial, featuring a board room filled with adult executives talking like toddlers about the chewy treats. Though achieving consensus-by-gummy-bear may work on television, we should be smart enough to know that the last place for petulant, child-like behavior is the C-suite. Yet I have seen my share of “Executive-Level Dysfunction” (ELD) in my years as a sales and marketing executive, and the results are predictable: Quagmires. Uneven results. Power struggles. And a tendency to retreat into separate corners, with the business hanging in the balance.

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