Focused Energy

What Does An Experienced Fractional CMO Do? A fractional CMO role has the same responsibilities as a regular CMO, you are just not getting 100% of their time. A CMO is responsible for overseeing the planning, development, and execution of a business's marketing and advertising initiatives. In plain speak, they are responsible for growth. It is the ‘buck stops here’ role in terms of your company's growth. Many different definitions and opinions exist on what this role is and means but we like to think in terms of simplicity. Let’s draw an analogy to something we are all mostly familiar with. Let’s build a house. First, we have the homeowner, they have the vision for the house they want to build. How many bedrooms, bathrooms, the type of house, location, color, everything. That is the CEO. Then the homeowner has to get the money to build the house. And, spend that money wisely because it is not an unlimited amount. They need to be able to complete the build with the original budget. That is the CFO. Then you have the architect who takes the vision of the homeowner, the limited budget, and combines those to draft the blueprint of what and how to build the house. The blueprint is the key ingredient to the success of the entire build. Without a blueprint, the house will never be completed or turn out the way the homeowner wants.  This is the CMO Finally you have the general contractor. They have to manage the entire project, hire the workers, the plumbers, electricians, and specialists to complete the house. This is the COO Makes sense right? Now, you should be able to see clearly the roles and responsibilities that are necessary for success. The problem is, in today's world, we see many people who are not qualified for the role. If I am a marketing specialist, even greatly experienced, it doesn’t mean I can draft a blueprint. Just because you have been successful with SEO for a few years, for example, it doesn’t mean you know or understand the management of limited resources to achieve the dream. It would be like hiring a plumber to draft your blueprint. They might be successful, but there is sure going to be a lot of pain in the process. Success comes from hiring an architect who knows what to do and can get the blueprints done effectively and efficiently - and execute. So, at the end of the day, we view the CMO role as a combination of both the architect and the general manager. Your CMO should be able to take the vision and work with the CFO to determine a plan to make the dream a reality. That is a huge responsibility. And should be very carefully considered.

Are you a CEO struggling with the hiring dilemma: full-time employees or contractors? Each choice impacts your business's quality and profitability. In our latest article, we break down the strategic hiring decisions that can help you achieve the perfect balance. Don’t let hiring challenges hold your business back. Explore our insights and take your project-based business to the next level. 

In this episode, we speak with a seasoned Fractional CFO veteran about the real costs that many companies do not see that become the real reasons for decreased profit margins. Our guest today, Drew Lyon is the founder and managing partner of Focused Energy. Over the past 12 years, Drew has helped numerous companies in assessing the real issues that hurt companies as they go through growth and maturity phases. Drew gives great wisdom on the importance of hiring and maintaining the Top 20% of employees, motivating the middle 50% and moving the bottom 20% out of the business. Drew states that the most important pre-planning for companies in growth mode is actually the post-planning of what you want your company to be after growth phases or M&A activity. https://lnkd.in/gq58k5qA

After $5M in revenue, you can predict and influence financial outcomes with 99% certainty. I mean, when you look at it, stop playing business and start running a business. As much money as possible should go towards revenue-generating activities. Producing the consistent, predictable outcomes you need to be able to run an effective business and scale it ... without being inefficient, without undue delusion, without undue risk. If you want to transform your company into a predictable, incredibly boring, profit generating machine, then let's talk. Scale confidently

Do you know what experience to look for when hiring a CMO?

How is your Accounting team providing actionable insights to drive better performance? We take the data that everyone considers boring and we transform it into actionable plans that we execute within your organization to drive consistent and predictable results. Give us a call to find out how we can help your organization perform to your expectations.

How much does a fractional Chief Marketing Officer cost?

Developing a USP is key to strategic marketing. One of our CMOs just published this and we wanted to share with you all. Hope it is helpful. https://lnkd.in/g2NJxNtP

There is a good deal of confusion about what a fractional Chief Marketing Officer does with your business. What are the overall responsibilities of the role? And why most failed fCMOs engagements fail. Our latest article about what does a fractional CMO actually do. Please read and share. #fcmo #chiefmarketingofficer #fractionalcmo

What experience should you look for when hiring a Chief Marketing Officer or fractional CMO? What experience should you look for when hiring a Chief Marketing Officer or fractional CMO? The short answer is the most you can find. I mean if I could have Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Tony Hsieh, and Jeff Bezos as my advisory committee, well, that would be pretty incredible right? So again, you want to hire people with the most relevant experience you need in your company. In the case of a fractional CMO, you want to make sure they have acted and performed in the role of a Chief Marketing Officer before. What companies? What type of companies? What challenges did they face? How did they overcome them? How many different companies? What is the direct relevant experience they are bringing to your business? That is essentially what you are investing in with fractional services. You need someone who has been there, and done that. Who has walked a mile in those exact shoes. When you hire a fractional C-Level expert you are buying your way through the learning curve. You are, in a very real sense, bending time. Rather than having to survive the painful learning curve in your business, you can skip ahead down the road of success by hiring a fractional executive who knows what to do and how. That is the key to success. What you really don’t want is someone who is a good marketer, say they have been doing SEO for ages and are pretty darn good at it. Then one day they wake up and decide they are going to be a fractional CMO. This happens A LOT these days. The problem is that a CMO is a managerial C-Level role. The chief marketing officer is responsible for understanding the vision, having a complete grasp of the financials in the business, and then having enough experience and knowledge to then draft the marketing plan that will utilize those limited resources to achieve the vision. Just because you are good at marketing, does not mean you are a CMO. This is a position of responsibility. The “Buck stops here” role for growth. Your fractional or full-time CMO had better have the skill sets that can not only determine the course but also sail the ship to the destination. They work hand in hand with the CEO, CFO, and COO to ensure that every part of the business is operating as efficiently as possible. This is the key concept that you must grasp - if you want to have a successful engagement with a Chief Marketing Officer, be it fractional or full-time.