Jessica Moyer and Dan Jones | Fractional CMOs & The 90-Day Win
This video is a podcast interview with Jessica Moyer and Dan Jones discussing the role and strategies of fractional Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) in achieving significant business wins within the first 90 days of engagement.
Conclusion
Fractional CMOs focus on identifying core problems, leveraging data, and integrating effectively into the team to drive growth. They emphasize the importance of clear communication, consistent messaging, and setting clear goals to ensure success.
Key points
🔍 Identify Core Problems: Address core issues first, even if clients initially present other problems.
📊 Data Utilization: Leverage data to understand the current state of the business and make informed decisions.
🗣️ Consistent Messaging: Maintain clear and consistent messaging across all channels to build a strong brand presence and avoid confusion.
📈 Early Wins: Focus on quick, impactful wins to demonstrate value and build trust with clients.
💡 Customer Insights: Conduct thorough customer research to understand their needs and how they perceive the brand.
🤝 Team Collaboration: Work closely with internal stakeholders to align strategies and improve overall effectiveness.
🚀 Execution and Resources: Develop realistic and executable marketing plans with measurable goals and ensure the necessary resources are in place.
👥 Stakeholder Engagement: Engage key stakeholders early on to ensure alignment with the company’s vision and strategy.
🧠 Marketing Education: Educate clients on the importance of strategic marketing and the iterative nature of positioning.
📋 Long-term Objectives: Establish both short-term and long-term goals to guide marketing efforts and ensure accountability.
Summary
- Introduction: The podcast introduces the topic of fractional CMOs and their impact within the first 90 days.
- Dan’s Background: Dan Jones discusses his background as a serial entrepreneur turned marketer, running an online marketing education platform and a small business marketing agency.
- Identifying Core Problems: Dan explains his approach of identifying core problems by asking strategic questions and building rapport with clients.
- Jessica’s Background: Jessica Moyer shares her experience in financial services and fintech, emphasizing her holistic approach to marketing.
- Revisiting Fundamentals: Jessica highlights the importance of revisiting business fundamentals, such as market positioning and competition analysis, especially for early-stage clients.
- Formalizing Processes: Jessica discusses the need for formalizing and making business processes more intentional to ensure success.
- Sharing Information: Both guests emphasize the importance of full transparency and information sharing between the fractional CMO and the CEO to maximize value.
- Setting Goals and Accountability: Jessica and Dan stress the need for setting clear goals, establishing reporting cadences, and maintaining accountability to track progress and achieve desired outcomes.
- Trust and Autonomy: Both guests agree that trust and giving the fractional CMO enough autonomy are crucial for a successful engagement.
- Advice for New Fractional CMOs: Dan advises new fractional CMOs to build trust and rapport with existing marketing teams, align with their goals, and work collaboratively to achieve success.
Quotes - 00:22: “What problem do you usually go hunting for, or do you expect to see?” – Dean Waye
- 00:43: “I have a framework of about 10 bullet points that I apply to an observe and report situation.” – Dan Jones
- 01:26: “I kind of see my role as almost like a therapist where if I do more listening and ask the right questions strategically, the problems and sometimes easy-win solutions will present themselves.” – Dan Jones
- 02:19: “Usually people, business owners, CEOs, just tell me where they’re spending their ad dollars and on what channels.” – Dan Jones
- 02:58: “Lack of focus, lack of planning, and lack of understanding who their target is are probably the top three problems.” – Dan Jones
- 03:49: “I don’t go in digging or looking for a problem to fix; I go in with more inquiry and revisiting the fundamentals.” – Jessica Moyer
- 04:22: “Sometimes it’s not necessarily fixing so much as formalizing, making things more kind of intentional.” – Jessica Moyer
- 05:15: “I do like to do a lot of interviewing of clients, stakeholders, customers, and prospects to get a lot of feedback from the market.” – Jessica Moyer
- 06:12: “Definitely agreeing on goals from the beginning and establishing a reporting cadence and some level of accountability is crucial.” – Jessica Moyer
- 06:58: “The relationship is always going to be a two-way street; the fractional CMO should be sharing information with the CEO just as much as receiving it.” – Dan Jones
- 07:49: “The biggest mistake I see CEOs make is not giving the fractional CMO enough autonomy or trust with their methodology or input.” – Dan Jones
- 08:30: “Have a clear agreement up front of the scope; spend the time upfront to agree on the process and map out the first 90 days.” – Jessica Moyer
- 09:33: “Do not be a stiff consultant; ease the tension, align yourself with the team, and find common ground.” – Dan Jones
- 10:21: “You’re coming in as a coach, a mentor, and a teacher, not trying to make waves or course-correct.” – Jessica Moyer
- 11:18: “If a company brings in a fractional CMO, it means they need that senior thought leader with a deeper set of experience.” – Jessica Moyer
- 12:22: “Marketers share this commonality of camaraderie, and bringing in a fractional CMO can be seen as adding a ‘ringer’ to the team.” – Dan Jones
- 12:55: “Clear objectives and strategy presented by a fractional CMO can refine junior and mid-level roles with clear deliverables and objectives.” – Dan Jones
- 13:39: “You can expect more accountability, which can add stress but ultimately improves performance.” – Jessica Moyer
- 14:17: “Those who are not pulling their weight get exposed, and those who are going above and beyond get recognized as power players.” – Jessica Moyer
- 15:19: “Speed is in the sprint; momentum is in the marathon.” – Dan Jones