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From Loyalty Programs to Leadership: What 20 Years in CRM Taught Me About Organizational Growth
Loyalty programs taught many of us how to turn casual buyers into raving fans. My 20 years in CRM and loyalty for brands like Marriott, Amazon, and American Express—and leading a $3B customer platform—taught me something bigger: The same system that keeps customers coming back also keeps your best people from leaving. When growth stalls, most CEOs reach for the usual levers: more demand gen, more recruiting, more channels.
Navigating Growth During the Economic Sugar Crash
Thu, Aug 4, 2022 — Everyone “knows” we’re in a recession except the economists. We feel the pain of collapsed 401k's, higher fuel and food prices, so isn’t that enough to declare a recession? And shouldn’t my business be hunkering down to ride this out? In today’s chaotic economy, we are more likely to react to news headlines and stock market trends than market insight. We might completely abandon a core strategy, or delay critical execution tactics, based on the sick feeling in our guts. One way to solve this is by tapping the reliable data and forecasts published by ITR Economics.
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.
When Hiring a CMO, Ask These Three Crucial Questions
Thu, Mar 25, 2021 — A senior marketing executive can revolutionize a company’s growth, but choosing the right candidate requires asking three key questions to understand first what the company needs, and then if the candidate can deliver it. There are times when a Chief Marketing Officer might not feel like a necessity, especially for a middle market company that has managed to grow well without one. But what worked for years can falter: growth stalls, a competitor begins to dominate the market, or new investors arrive with a more ambitious vision for the enterprise. And that can prompt the hunt for a new marketing leader. Like any talent search, the process can seem obvious in theory, but much more daunting in practice. People might have the right names on their resume and glowing references, only to still prove a bust when faced with the unique circumstances of a given business.
Top 10 FAQs: What CEOs Ask Chief Outsiders
Mon, Aug 24, 2020 — CEOs connect with us because they’ve been referred by one of our clients, their private equity firm, or have found us by searching for “top strategic marketing consulting firms” or something similar. When we meet, we often find that these CEOs are frustrated with their growth. They have a vision for where they want to take their companies, but don’t have a means to turn their vision into actionable plans, and then see them implemented. After a discussion around their specific business challenges and opportunities, they’re curious about the specifics of how Chief Outsiders might be able to help.
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?
What can Professional Services CEOs do Right Now?
Thu, Mar 19, 2020 — Industry Specific Advice in a Time of Crisis from the Chief Outsiders CMOs These are challenging times. The actions you take now and in the coming weeks will have a huge impact on what happens to your company, your customers and your employees. Some of the challenges we will face during this crisis will apply to all sectors, but some will be industry specific. To help you decide where your focus should be, we assembled panels of Chief Marketing Officers from our Tribe at Chief Outsiders who have spent their careers working in your industry with companies like yours, to discuss what CEOs need to think about doing, right now. The following summary encapsulates the highlights of our panel discussion for the Professional Services industry, hosted by Art Saxby. Featuring CMOs Paul Sparrow, Mark Coronna and Don Lee. For the full benefit, view the discussion video in its entirety (35 minutes). Short of time? See the discussion highlights (6 minutes).
What can Industrial and Manufacturing CEOs do Right Now?
Thu, Mar 19, 2020 — Industry Specific Advice in a Time of Crisis from the Chief Outsiders CMOs These are challenging times. The actions you take now and in the coming weeks will have a huge impact on what happens to your company, your customers and your employees. Some of the challenges we will face during this crisis will apply to all sectors, but some will be industry specific. To help you decide where your focus should be, we assembled panels of Chief Marketing Officers from our Tribe at Chief Outsiders who have spent their careers working in your industry with companies like yours, to discuss what CEOs need to think about doing, right now. The following summary encapsulates the highlights of our panel discussion for the Industrial Manufacturing industry, hosted by Art Saxby and featuring CMOs Dawn Werry, and Dennis Bailen. For the full benefit, view the discussion video in its entirety (19 minutes). Short of time? See the discussion highlights (6 minutes).
When do I need to Hire a Product Manager?
Thu, Jun 28, 2018 — Over the course of my career I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside some really good product managers. The good ones tend to be easy to spot even though many don’t like attention cast on them and are quite content being behind the scenes. Like the conductor, they’re focused on keeping the trains going on time. The “trains” in this case are the products or services a company offers. There is a cadence to product management done right and the frequency they operate under is tuned into by the entire organization. Think of Max Weinberg, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band drummer. It’s said that drummers are the heart and soul of bands. While Springsteen was clearly “The Boss”, Weinberg set the beat and always had his eyes constantly fixated on Springsteen during live performances and could make adjustments in a microsecond that allowed the band to be at its best.