Business Growth Strategies For CEOs: Top CMOs On Marketing Strategy Implementations

Paul Sparrow

Paul Sparrow is a Managing Partner based in Charleston, South Carolina. He places battle-tested CMOs and CSOs in right-sized client engagements to generate growth strategies that achieve revenue acceleration and profitability. Paul is a business growth expert with over 30 years of strategic development and execution in a variety of industries and organizational settings, including Fortune 50, startups, turnarounds, and emerging growth. He can be reached via email at psparrow@chiefoutsiders.com or at (615) 351-7189.

Forecasting the Best Impact on Your Marketing Dollars

Thu, Feb 8, 2024 | Posted by Robin Liebowitz

With the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaching, Americans are once again keenly interested in predicting outcomes. Techniques for forecasting election results using punch cards and early computers were developed in the late 1960s. Today, the use of AI has significantly improved our ability to predict election results and tabulate them accurately. Interestingly, the principles of forecasting elections and projecting the impact of marketing dollars in the business world share some similarities.

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The Importance of a Functional C-Suite in Challenging Economic Times

Tue, Oct 17, 2023 — I chuckled when I saw that memorable gummy bear commercial, featuring a board room filled with adult executives talking like toddlers about the chewy treats. Though achieving consensus-by-gummy-bear may work on television, we should be smart enough to know that the last place for petulant, child-like behavior is the C-suite. Yet I have seen my share of “Executive-Level Dysfunction” (ELD) in my years as a sales and marketing executive, and the results are predictable: Quagmires. Uneven results. Power struggles. And a tendency to retreat into separate corners, with the business hanging in the balance.

Your Business Needs a Secret Sauce: Enter the 3 Uniques™

Tue, Sep 12, 2023 — Today, we’re going to whip up a secret sauce. Now, I can’t promise that this tasty combination will result in your anointment as a Kitchen Hero or the envy of Gordon Ramsay. But when basted upon your business, your clandestine condiment could unlock the kind of business success that will have your competitors salivating and your customers asking for seconds.

Winter is Coming: How Economically Healthy Are You?

Tue, Jul 18, 2023 — If you are a fan of the hit show “Game of Thrones,” you’ll appreciate where I’m coming from: The ominous pronouncement, "Winter is Coming," always managed to capture my attention since I could see through the fictional seasonal meaning it foretold and apply it to events in everyday life. The first time I heard those words, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. But as time went on, winter never actually arrived in Westeros. A similar mindset has taken hold in the U.S. business world, where we have been hearing for the past two years that we are in a recession -- when in reality, we are not and have not been.

Wizard or Witch? How to Keep Your Business Ahead of the Tornado

Tue, Mar 21, 2023 — My little sister, the owner of an upscale hair salon in Georgia, called last week. Twice. No message. In our family that means a twister has touched down in the backyard, so “call me back – now.” I eventually reached my dear sis and she spat, in a Wizard-of-Oz-Lions-and-Tigers-and-Bears-Oh-My tone of voice, her concerns over the economy. The collapse of two banks. Rampant inflation.

The Great Resignation: Can Marketing Reverse the Trend at Your Company?

Thu, Sep 1, 2022 — If you, like me, are of a certain age, it’s easy to reflect on how different it was to get a job back in the day. Many jobs required an application and a resume, not to mention a one-on-one interview with the hiring manager. Shake his hand firmly, swallow your pride, spit out the answers – and hope that this interaction leads to a job with decent pay, health insurance, and a chance to sit at the big kid’s table someday. Working from home? Well, that was a one-way trip to the unemployment line. And culture? “Keep your mouth shut, listen to the boss, do what you’re told, don’t complain, and you’ll get a check every Friday. That’s our culture.”

Elevating the VIP: Recognizing Your Best Customer is a Make-or-Break Proposition

Thu, Jan 13, 2022 — I have a secret to share that may be surprising. Though automotive folklore insinuates that Henry Ford would only allow his world-beating Model T to be painted in black, you could, in fact, purchase your new horseless carriage in a variety of colors, including blue, red, gray, and green. So as early as 1908 – the year the first Model T was shipped – a customer could distinguish their tastes and flaunt their individuality on America’s roads in a hue that was different from the pack.

A Marketing Mission: Core Messaging That Captivates

Thu, Dec 16, 2021 — You don’t have to be a “trekkie” to know that the continuing mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise was to “boldly go where no one has gone before.” In the same vein, one could say that marketing leaders – much like Captain Kirk or Captain Picard – are navigating a similar path. While marketers don’t face asteroids, droids, or alien encounters, the stakes of their mission are just as high — if not higher. After all, marketing leadership turnover is at an all-time high. When it comes to the business world, success or failure often falls squarely on the shoulders of the head of marketing. And without the right gas in the proverbial marketing engine, the path will be bumpy…and short.

Recruiting and Retaining Employees in a Post-COVID World

Mon, Jul 12, 2021 — Of all of the likely impacts of the COVID pandemic, it’s hard to imagine that business owners envisioned this – a labor shortage, the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. In fact, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there were 8.1 million open and unfilled positions in March 2021 (the last month for which data is available). Even worse, the number of employees available for every open job reached a 20-year low this spring – and continues to plummet.

Your Strategic Marketing Plan: Five Gotchas to Avoid

Mon, Jun 28, 2021 — Written by: Paul Sparrow, Area Managing Partner & CMO, and Don Lee, Partner & CEO, both of Chief Outsiders The city of Las Vegas is an interesting study in best intentions -- resplendent with people hoping that the flip of a card or the roll of the dice will produce luck-driven riches. About 150 percent of the time, our protagonists leave with empty pockets and dashed hopes. If luck is so evasive in Sin City, what makes anyone think it’s the foundation for any serious effort? Unfortunately, we see it all the time – a well-meaning entrepreneur or CEO employing instinct and a mega-watt smile, hoping to achieve Bezos-like success.

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