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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 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.
CEOs: The 7 C's of Hiring Fractional Executives
Wed, Jul 5, 2023 — Since Christopher McKenna signaled the rise of ‘The World’s Newest Profession’ by publishing his book in 2006, the trend towards hiring and deploying management consultants has only been on the rise. One of the newest categories of management consulting is the Fractional Executive. But how does a CEO go about selecting one? Surely it’s not the same process and set of qualities you’d look for in an executive hire?
Meshing the Growth Gears for Sales and Marketing Success
Thu, Apr 20, 2023 — Why do the Marketing and Sales departments always have to be at odds, blaming each other for poor results? That’s the way it is in so many businesses. But it doesn’t have to be. As a company leader, you just want them to work together and get more sales, right? When the two symbiotic functions are working properly, they mesh like gears - Growth Gears - cranking out more sales power than either can produce separately. Take a brief ride with me to explore a model for making this work.
Four Ways that Fractional Leadership is Transforming a Resource-Starved World
Fri, Mar 24, 2023 — In a world where much is spoken about uncertainties, there still are many things that are as certain as ever. Despite the impact of a shaky global economy and a population still looking to shake off Covid’s impacts, hard work – and ingenuity – still rule the day. Individual efforts of unaffiliated workers comprise more nearly 60 percent of the U.S. workforce today, thanks to modern socio-economic values that embrace such flexibility. This also has given rise to a new trend -- building and leveraging common shared resources, especially at the upper tiers.
Positioning Mistake No. 365 -- Treating Prospects Better Than Existing Customers
Wed, Jun 22, 2022 — From the world of “shocking but true”: There are real, actual companies out there that are turning away revenue. Literally, they have customers shaking fistfuls of dollars in their direction and walking in the opposite direction. Before you shake your head, thinking this is blasphemy, the stark reality is this: You, too, could be guilty of the same offense.
Injecting the “V-FACTOR” Into Your Marketing Efforts Can Be a Game Changer
Mon, Sep 13, 2021 — If the lifeblood of any business is customer cash, then perhaps we can consider customer satisfaction the heart and soul. As a CEO, you likely are well aware of the value of a satisfied consumer. They stick around, spend more, and often become fierce advocates for your company, its products, and services.
The Fractional Chief Marketer: An Insider’s View
Thu, Aug 19, 2021 — How much is just enough? When you are the CEO of a small or mid-market business, this time-honored question isn’t just a euphemism, but a way of life. Obtaining just the right amount of resources – at the right moment in the company’s maturity – can be a game changer. Enter the fractional executive – an experienced, highly-credentialed CMO-for-hire who can be plugged in for a right-sized engagement, without the expense or expectations of a full-time senior marketing executive.
When to Hire a Fractional CMO, Part 3
Wed, Jul 21, 2021 — Find Your Fit: Five Qualities to Look For Of all the partnerships in our lives, few have the “break-up” potential of the full-time Chief Marketing Officer, and the company they’ve pledged their allegiance to. The most recent stats on the matter bear this out: Last year, the average tenure for a CMO was just 40 months – an 11-year low, according to headhunting firm Spencer Stuart. The survey also noted the lowest-ever median tenure (25.5 months in 2020) – a sign that could point to increasing pressure for quick results for newly-minted CMOs, or, like completing a puzzle, finding that piece that’s the right fit.