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The Chief Outsider
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Recent Posts
Does Your Contracting Pipeline Live in the Owner’s Head?
Relationships matter in construction, and most subcontractors have good ones. The owner or president carries the key customer relationships, and the project managers carry everything else. That arrangement can work well. It is also fragile. In our last post, we asked whether you know by name who owns each strategic account. This one looks at what happens when the answer is the owner.
Why CEOs Must Be Active on Social Media: Building Trust and Authenticity with Customers
Wed, May 14, 2025 — Executive Takeaways CEOs who are active on social media build significantly more trust with consumers, employees, and stakeholders LinkedIn is the most effective platform for CEO thought leadership and B2B engagement Authenticity matters more than polish—honest, imperfect posts resonate better than scripted content
Sales Velocity Model: A Tool for Growth Engine Mechanics
Wed, May 14, 2025 — Most companies deploy a sales “force”. Too often, their combined efforts are not meeting company growth expectations. Most CEOs would like a better growth engine, a larger sales pipeline, and more sales, but they struggle with exactly how to help their sales teams. Busy CEOs combined with people and process related complexities of Sales, often results in companies not being clear on the root cause of their growth engine problems.
Growth Hurts. Let it.
Wed, May 14, 2025 — “Don’t Risk Too Little. Don’t Rescue Too Soon” – the growth lesson I learned outside the boardroom. My son once played striker in a school tournament. With minutes left and his team trailing, he broke through the defense and had a clean look at the goal. He hesitated, and the shot went wide.
The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, Part 4: How a Shared Playbook Across Sales and Marketing Unlocks Value
Fri, May 2, 2025 — This is Part 4 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle. You’ve got a sharp Marketing team. An experienced Sales leader. Solid product-market fit. And yet, the customer experience feels disjointed. Campaigns generate leads that go quiet after handoff. Sales calls start from scratch, even when prospects have engaged with marketing content. Messaging shifts between touchpoints and the onboarding experience doesn’t match what was sold.
The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, Part 3: How Marketing Can Deliver Predictable Outcomes
Fri, May 2, 2025 — This is Part 3 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle. In many boardrooms, the prevailing sentiment is "Marketing is a black box - effective in parts, but it's unclear which parts." That kind of uncertainty is surprisingly common. For many growth-stage businesses, marketing still feels like a gamble. You spend, you hope, you wonder if it worked.
The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, Part 2: In a Noisy Market, Make Clarity Your Competitive Edge
Tue, Apr 22, 2025 — 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.”
The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook: Why Your Brand Is Your Most Powerful Compounding Asset
Tue, Apr 22, 2025 — This is Part 1 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle. Each chapter explores how to turn brand, positioning, operations, and customer experience into engines for measurable growth.
Respected Boss? Trusted Coach? Why Sales Managers Need to Be Both
Mon, Apr 7, 2025 — As a front-line sales manager, distinguishing leadership from management responsibilities is critical to a sales team’s culture and success. Distinguishing between the two helps managers be more intentional about developing these very different skill sets. Sales leadership focuses on inspiring and developing people, while sales management concentrates on processes and immediate results. Effective sales professionals must balance both roles.
Sales Terraformance: A Scientific Approach to Sales Growth
Fri, Mar 28, 2025 — Most companies deploy a sales “force.” Too often, this means a bunch of people do things with good intentions, but their combined efforts do not meet company growth expectations. Most CEOs and Founders would like a better salesforce but struggle with how to impact the “art and science” of sales improvement. At Chief Outsiders, we believe more science can help uncover and develop the insights, strategies, and execution required to achieve breakthrough performance.