Michele Tresemer & Brett Schklar

Fractional CMOs & The 90-Day Win

This video is an in-depth discussion with Michelle Tresemer and Brett Schklar on 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 are integral in identifying key stakeholders, aligning marketing goals with business objectives, and establishing a systematic approach to marketing that can yield early wins and sustainable growth within the first 90 days.
Key points
✨ Allies Identification: The first step is to identify key allies and potential saboteurs within the organization.
🧩 People Problems: Both Michelle and Brett highlight the importance of addressing people-related issues early on.
🚀 Access and Assessment: The initial phases include gaining access to data and assessing the current state against industry benchmarks.
📊 Gap Analysis: Performing a gap analysis is crucial for understanding discrepancies between current performance and desired goals.
🎯 Alignment with Leadership: Early wins often involve getting clear alignment on the founder or CEO's vision and goals.
🔄 Repetitive Marketing: Effective marketing is about consistent, repetitive processes rather than grand gestures.
📈 Learning Organization: Companies must adopt a learning mindset, embracing continuous small improvements.
🧠 Fractional CMO Value: Understanding that fractional CMOs provide high-caliber expertise that might not be affordable on a full-time basis.
🎥 Strategic Thinking: CMOs are strategic thinkers who should not be bogged down by executional tasks.
🤖 AI Utilization: Embracing AI for operational efficiencies and scalability is essential for modern marketing.
Summary
Introduction: The podcast introduces the topic of fractional CMOs and their impact within the first 90 days.
Key Challenges: Michelle discusses the initial problems she looks for, focusing on identifying allies and potential saboteurs within the organization.
People Problems: Brett agrees with Michelle, emphasizing that people issues are a major challenge in new engagements.
Assessment and Benchmarking: Brett outlines the steps of gaining access to tools and performing an assessment to benchmark against industry standards.
Gap Analysis: Both guests highlight the importance of gap analysis in understanding current versus desired performance.
Early Wins: The discussion covers early wins, focusing on alignment with leadership and understanding their vision and goals.
Consistent Marketing: Brett explains the importance of consistent, repetitive marketing efforts over one-time grand gestures.
Learning Organization: Michelle talks about the need for companies to be learning organizations, making continuous small improvements.
Value of Fractional CMOs: Brett emphasizes that the value of fractional CMOs lies in their expertise and the ability to provide high-level strategic thinking.
AI in Marketing: The discussion concludes with the transformative impact of AI on marketing and the necessity for modern CMOs to be well-versed in AI tools.