0:02
hey
0:03
Jonathan Hey Dean how are you thank you
0:06
for uh having me a warm welcome to
0:09
everyone watching it's truly an honor to
0:10
join you here uh Dean your reputation as
0:13
a thought leader and innovator proceed
0:15
you and it's exhilarating to be part of
0:17
the conversation under your guidance I'm
0:19
Jonathan Goodman uh with over three
0:21
decades in technology sector I've
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navigated through roles that have not
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only challenged but also enriched my
0:29
strategic and in ative thinking as the
0:31
vice president of halard Consulting I've
0:33
LED our transformation into a front
0:35
runner in AI Consulting we enable
0:39
businesses to integrate Advanced AI
0:41
solutions that refine their operations
0:44
and Elevate their Market position in my
0:47
capacity as a fractional CMO I harnessed
0:49
this depth of tech exper expertise to
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dive deep into and drive marketing
0:55
strategies that resonate across the
0:58
diverse Industries my Comm commment to
1:00
is to pioneering solutions that promote
1:03
growth and Innovation I look forward to
1:05
sharing the nuances of fractional
1:08
leadership and its potential impact on
1:10
today's businesses with all of you all
1:13
right let's jump in so Jonathan tell me
1:17
what a fractional CMO is and tell me
1:19
what a fractional CMO does in the first
1:20
90 days well when I started a year-long
1:25
engagement when I start a year-long
1:26
engagement I often notice that
1:28
business's strategy isn't quite in sync
1:31
with their marketing efforts many
1:33
companies especially small to medium
1:35
businesses have clear Visions but their
1:38
marketing strategies aren't perfectly
1:40
aligned with today's digital and AI
1:42
driven Landscapes I begin with a
1:45
comprehensive assessment of their
1:47
current marketing efforts to address
1:49
this this involves reviewing existing
1:52
data interviewing key stakeholders and
1:55
analyzing their Market position to
1:57
pinpoint where misalignments occur
2:00
for instance they might be good at
2:02
drawing customers in but struggle to
2:05
keep them engaged long term my focus
2:08
then shifts to creating a strategic road
2:10
map incorporating modern tools and
2:12
strategies to enhance customer retention
2:15
and brand loyalty this ensures that
2:17
every marketing move is powerfully
2:19
aligned within with overarching business
2:23
goals turning potential weak spots into
2:26
solid
2:28
strengths Betty
2:30
hi hi hi Dean hi Jonathan happy to be
2:35
here thanks for having me yes uh okay
2:39
talk to me about uh in a hypothetical
2:41
one-year engagement let's say and you're
2:43
the fractional SEO tell me about what
2:45
you like to tackle or even what problems
2:48
you go looking for because the business
2:49
might not even see their problem but you
2:51
know it's going to be there tell me like
2:53
what sort of like makes up the top two
2:55
or three things that make up the first
2:56
90 days and uh let the audience know a
2:58
little bit about you
3:00
sure uh well I'm Betty Ledgewood and I'm
3:03
a fractional CMO I'm usually brought in
3:06
when a company sees that it's behind
3:09
where it needs to be with their
3:10
marketing uh you know maybe they're
3:12
running out of funding maybe they need
3:14
to show some results to a new investor
3:16
or buyer um or maybe they see they're
3:19
never going to get off the Launchpad
3:21
until they figured out this marketing
3:23
thing so someone typically refers me in
3:26
and so the first 90 days looks very
3:28
similar to what JN is talking about and
3:32
uh step one is always a situation
3:34
analysis you know I I um do an audit and
3:38
evaluate what they've done so far and
3:41
yeah typically we find there's there's
3:44
several several issues and usually it's
3:46
around strategy so or not having a plan
3:50
uh so step two is definitely always
3:52
about creating a marketing plan that
3:54
kind of aligns with their business
3:55
object objectives and um
4:00
you know that's always something I find
4:01
this missing anyway that's that's a big
4:03
thing and step three is usually the
4:05
implementation of that plan where you
4:08
evaluate measure and adjust so the
4:10
caveat is to this that um if there are
4:14
any initiatives and there always is
4:16
right I find that there's always some
4:18
last minute oh my gosh we need to have
4:19
somebody in to fix this because we've
4:22
got this deadline so that's typically
4:24
happening at the same time that we're
4:25
working on everything else or if there's
4:27
some lwh hanging fruit that that we
4:29
identify that we can fix right away for
4:31
example um just some verbiage around the
4:33
website you know just to improve their
4:35
messaging or their positioning on their
4:37
website that kind of thing we usually do
4:40
uh first or at the same time because
4:42
clients like to see progress right three
4:44
months is a long time 90 days is a long
4:46
time so we you know we' like to to see
4:50
have them see results right away all
4:52
right so let's shift and um let's
4:55
pretend I'm your client's CEO the CEO of
4:58
the company that right chances are I had
5:00
to go get approval or for the spend to
5:03
bring in I mean in in all likelihood
5:05
you're the first CMO the companies's
5:07
ever had of any stripe never mind
5:10
fractional right right so I I got the
5:12
budget approved to have a fractional CMO
5:14
for a year right right how do I squeeze
5:17
every last penny of value out of that
5:19
one year with a fractional CMO okay
5:23
that's a really good question uh I would
5:25
say that you need to be super clear on
5:27
your objectives and what you want to
5:29
achieve and it also helps to be a really
5:31
good communicator in that vein um I
5:35
think it's important for the CEO to be
5:37
really available you know for meetings
5:39
and interviews and to participate in
5:42
part of the process um I think it's
5:44
important to be supportive and once they
5:47
agree on the go forward plan that they
5:52
shouldn't opt out of a bunch of the
5:54
initiatives and kind of cherry-pick
5:56
because it's a house of cards and
5:58
obviously the marketing won't be as
6:00
effective um if you're you know changing
6:03
things last minute and I'm not
6:04
suggesting you don't pivot and be
6:05
flexible but that's key and I think you
6:07
need to be an advocate for the marketing
6:10
um marketing isn't an activity done
6:13
solely by the marketing department um it
6:16
should never be siloed and it's a
6:18
companywide effort that everybody should
6:20
help Implement so I think them helping
6:23
facilitate that is really important
6:25
thereby in um Jonathan so I want to ask
6:28
you the same question but I want give
6:29
you an opportunity to answer the inverse
6:31
of that question which is how does a CEO
6:34
get maximum value like what is the one
6:37
or two main things to get maximum value
6:39
out of that CEO the CMO or if you prefer
6:42
to answer it this way how do you in your
6:44
experience how do companies end up
6:46
wasting the money that they spent on
6:48
their CMO by doing something that they
6:50
should have stopped doing or by not
6:51
doing something they should have been
6:53
doing relative to that CMO your call
6:56
that's a great question Dean you know to
6:58
get the most out of a fractional CMO
7:01
CEOs should focus on a clear goal
7:03
setting and open communication defining
7:06
success with specific metrics and
7:08
timelines is crucial so we're aligned on
7:11
expectations an essential part of my
7:13
integration is is the company culture
7:16
CEO should foster an environment that
7:18
collaborate and open to new ideas and
7:21
approaches this openness helps ensure my
7:24
Innovative strategies can be implemented
7:26
effectively without resistance empower
7:29
ing me to make decisions is vital for
7:32
applying my expertise to impa impactful
7:35
marketing initiatives additionally
7:38
maintaining regular communication helps
7:41
keep strategies responsive and align
7:44
with business needs cross departmental
7:46
collaboration is another key factor
7:49
working closely with sales product
7:51
development and customer service ensures
7:53
our comprehensive marketing strategies
7:56
support the company overall goal all
7:59
right so let's um Jonathan let's talk
8:01
about the marketing team that's already
8:03
in place probably Junior and midlevel
8:06
folks right let's let's think ahead uh
8:10
12 months so it's been a year of having
8:13
a fractional CMO probably the first ever
8:15
CMO they've ever had in marketing for
8:16
that company right how is that team
8:20
better off at the end of those 12 months
8:23
or how's it different never mind better
8:25
but how's it just different from having
8:27
a CMO in place for a year
8:30
well when stepping in as a fractional
8:32
CMO where our marketing team is already
8:34
in place my initial approach is to
8:37
listen and really understand the team's
8:39
Dynamics and ongoing projects this helps
8:42
me appreciate the workflows and logic
8:45
behind current strategies I identify
8:48
quick wins to build trust and
8:49
demonstrate immediate value such as
8:52
optimizing existing Campa campaigns or
8:55
updating digital tools these initial
8:58
successes can illustrate the benefits of
9:01
new approaches without overwhelming the
9:03
team it's important to gradually
9:06
introduce changes to respect established
9:08
workflows and reduce resistance I'm
9:11
transparent about the goals and reasons
9:13
for any shifts ensuring everyone
9:16
understands why adjustments are being
9:17
made the clarity helps Foster buyin and
9:21
eases the team into the new processes
9:23
encouraging open feedback is crucial I
9:26
actively seek input from the team on
9:29
what works and what doesn't adjusting
9:31
our strategy accordingly this open
9:34
dialogue not only refines our approach
9:37
but also strengthens trust and
9:39
collaboration within the
9:41
team okay and Betty how about you what
9:43
do you think that marketing team looks
9:44
like or how's it different after 12
9:47
months of exposure yeah you
9:49
know I think it is kind of tough um
9:53
initially sometimes right and uh it I I
9:57
agree with Jonathan in terms of
10:00
um trying to really understand where
10:03
they're at and what their pain points
10:06
are um and it really does depend you
10:08
know will the CMO improve anything it
10:10
depends really on how um that position's
10:14
positioned as they as they come in but
10:16
really if they haven't had any a seat at
10:20
the table I think that having a c Simo
10:24
really validates the department right um
10:29
you know they finally have someone in
10:31
the sea Suite that advocates for them I
10:34
think they're more likely to get the
10:35
resources they need and frankly just to
10:38
have a voice on the management team and
10:39
to be seen and I think typically my
10:42
experience is is that that's what
10:43
they've been missing if they haven't had
10:45
a CMO um or somebody at the table it
10:47
means that marketing hasn't been that
10:49
important and that they're kind of you
10:52
know with with the sales and and so I
10:54
think this can bring a lot of value CMO
10:56
position can bring a lot of value um and
10:59
I think it can
11:01
improve the marketing department quite a
11:03
bit by adding some structure some
11:06
strategy um getting the resources that
11:09
you need um to develop like a strategic
11:12
marketing plan and aligning with all the
11:14
stakeholders I think is one thing they
11:16
can see and I think because the outcomes
11:18
typically
11:19
improve um and you reach your corporate
11:22
objectives you know it always feels
11:24
great so my experience has been it's
11:27
it's really positive EXP erience for the
11:30
marketing team let's talk about one
11:32
person on that marketing team let's talk
11:34
about the most Junior newest employe in
11:37
marketing
11:39
right um yeah if you had a chance to
11:44
talk to that person or if you were going
11:45
to talk to yourself at the beginning of
11:46
your marketing career right like what
11:49
sort of like one thing would you tell
11:51
that person to make sure they do or ask
11:54
or try to experience in the one year
11:57
that they're going to have exposure to
11:58
that fraction CMO I'm going to say learn
12:01
everything you can um you know there's a
12:04
lot to be learned from a CMO uh when
12:06
you're you know who's
12:09
open about sharing knowledge right um
12:13
and so I think you know that person that
12:15
Junior person would be you know be well
12:18
advised to glean anything they can from
12:20
this the CMO um learn about strategy and
12:23
process and and maybe some business
12:25
Acumen um and at the end of the day I
12:28
think you know they gain some confidence
12:30
from having a CMO and and to be able to
12:33
learn really from
12:35
them and Jonathan what do you think yeah
12:38
I completely agree with Betty you know I
12:40
focus on aligning marketing efforts with
12:42
broader business goals which might bring
12:45
new projects or change current
12:47
priorities to T Target higher returns so
12:50
one of my key roles is to streamline
12:52
processes and tools by making workflow
12:55
more efficient I help lighten everyone's
12:57
load this could mean introducing new
13:00
tech or tweaking strategies to make
13:02
tasks easier and more effective I bring
13:05
a diverse experience set and Mentor
13:07
teams offering training and one-on-one
13:09
coaching to help build skills and
13:12
Advance careers I encourage open
13:14
communication and value everyone's input
13:17
which helps us better work better
13:19
together and ensures everyone's voice is
13:23
heard um Jonathan so I want to ask you a
13:27
question now um it's it's it's kind of
13:29
blunt it's um not meant to be
13:32
mean but um the question is this
13:36
fractional CMO okay there are a lot of
13:38
easier ways to make money than being a
13:41
fractional CMO a lot less
13:44
frustrating nice or
13:46
hours why do this
13:49
job well you know I see the benefits of
13:53
you know of of CMO of being a CMO
13:57
fractional CMO you know understand that
14:01
I Howard Consulting when we we've been
14:04
around for 15 years and for the past 13
14:08
of those we were focused on SEO and
14:11
website design and development right and
14:13
we've only recently moved into the AI uh
14:17
integration for our company and for our
14:19
clients and so you know working with the
14:23
executive level to have them understand
14:26
what AI is capable of doing is is
14:29
incredibly rewarding and so that's
14:32
really where uh my thrill is uh yeah
14:36
it's difficult you're coming into a new
14:37
environment you're working with people
14:39
who may not want you there that may have
14:41
you know thought someone else should
14:43
have gotten the job but that's always
14:44
the case right and so you always have
14:46
those battles and it's really the skills
14:49
that I'm bringing forward to try to move
14:51
the company forward which is incredibly
14:54
important uh for the company itself you
14:57
can't look at the individual you have to
14:59
understand that AI is going to be
15:01
integrated on all levels for all
15:04
corporations Betty what do you think why
15:07
why do this why do this job why I love
15:10
this job um you know I I I think it's um
15:15
it's it's so creative and it's ever
15:17
changing especially in the last four
15:19
years with AI but with covid and with
15:22
the technology Evolution I think is um
15:27
it makes it really exciting and always
15:28
there something something new so what I
15:31
love about it especially is that it's
15:33
the creative side of of business uh
15:36
development and creating a business and
15:39
seeing it to fruition and seeing it to
15:42
you know be successful and as far as
15:45
being a CMO is concerned versus someone
15:47
who's a little more Junior I think that
15:50
um you know having us on board will give
15:53
you especially at the CMO level uh what
15:56
we bring to the table really is process
15:59
and the tools to use to speed up um
16:03
getting results all right well guys this
16:06
has been really great I really
16:07
appreciate it uh it's been pretty
16:09
revealing uh I get weird answers when
16:12
people when I ask people why they I am
16:13
not a fractional so I get weird answers
16:16
I like the fact
16:17
that hon other than salespeople I don't
16:20
know anyone else in any Enterprise that
16:22
is as optimistic as marketers and you
16:24
kind of have to be Optimist to be a
16:26
salesperson or a marketer right if you
16:28
if you weren't the job would kill you
16:31
you would just
16:32
die all right uh well that's about it
16:35
for me uh thank you very much Betty and
16:37
thank you very much Jonathan for being
16:39
here absolutely thank you and I'll see
16:42
you guys in the next episode or in any
16:45
of the clips see you soon bye