Fractional CMO for Manufacturing, e-commerce & B2B Services

Hi, I’m Dave Lee.

I help companies bridge the gap between sales and marketing to get higher quality leads and more profitable clients.

Times are changing for sales and marketing.

Studies from Pew Research and Forrester reveal:

  • Millennials are the largest component of today’s workforce

  • They research you and your company online

  • They develop shortlists based on your digital content

  • And now they are using AI to evaluate potential suppliers

Today’s B2B buyers use your website content to determine if your company:

  • Understands their problems

  • Have the experience and expertise to provide solutions

  • Is easy to work with

If your B2B buyer or their AI tool can’t find what they are looking for on your website,

they will go somewhere else.

You can no longer afford to think of your website as a simple lead generation machine filled with SEO optimized content and marketing fluff.

Instead your website needs to be your educational tool and an integral part of your prospect buyer’s journey.

The saying: if you confuse, you lose has never been more true.

It is critical that your message on your website aligns with your sales team in person conversations.

To achieve this, you need a comprehensive marketing and website strategy.

  • Clarity on who you are targeting, the questions they are asking and where they find potential suppliers.

  • Consistency in messaging so potential customers know why they should choose you over your competition.

  • A clear action plan that differentiates your company and has a clear path to help them achieve success.

  • Alignment between Marketing, Sales and Customer Support

  • Integration of Operations, Engineering, and Product Development in your marketing message.

  • Technology integration with your key systems including your CRM, ERP, e-commerce and shipping .

If this sounds more than just Marketing stuff like SEO, tradeshows, website design, social media or blogging, that’s because it is.

Today marketing strategy is about

  • Creating the right message

  • Educating your B2B buyers

  • Influencing them to put your company on their short list of potential suppliers

I help manufacturing, e-commerce and B2B service companies embrace this approach and make their website and marketing a seamless part the buyers journey.

Three ways I help you and your company:

Strategic Website Plan

For those who recognize that their website needs to be a part of their buyer’s journey and want their next website project to be delivered on time and on budget.

What you get

Everything you need to get a firm fixed bid from a web design company.

    • Manufacturing

    • Distribution

    • Wholesale

    • e-commerce

    • Buyer Persona Playbook

    • Functional Requirements

    • Technical Requirements

    • Comprehensive Page List

  • 4-8 Weeks

  • $15k - Manufacturing, B2B Services

    $25k - e-Commerce

Strategic Marketing Plan

For companies who need more than a schedule of marketing activities and want a strategy that positions their company to win.

What you get

A Strategy to win and a Plan to execute.

    • Manufacturing

    • Distribution

    • Wholesale

    • e-Commerce

  • Buyer Persona Playbook

    Buy-in from Key Stakeholders

    Organizational capability requirements

    Technical & System requirements

    12 month roadmap

  • 12-24 months

  • $8k to $15k per month

    Monthly contract

Buyer Persona Playbook

For marketing and sales teams who understand that a unified message influences their B2B buyers to choose them and not their competitors.

What you get

A comprehensive playbook that identifies where to play, how to win and where to engage your customers.

    • Manufacturing

    • Wholesale

    • Distributors

    • e-Commerce

    • B2B Service Companies

    • Target Audience Demographics

    • Target Audience Psychographics

    • Your unique solution to their problem

    • Key Message

    • Which Discover & Research channels to focus on

    • Customer Experience Map

  • 2-4 Weeks

  • $5k

What my clients say

“Their data driven approach combined with their technical expertise allowed me to fully delegate all things marketing while still understanding the results.”

Molly

“I was tired of working with other companies who would charge me monthly, but I had no clue what they were actually doing. Dave was a breath of fresh air. My business has grown exponentially in ways that I never could have done alone."

Dani

“They work to fully understand your business processes so that they can recommend the best solutions to move your company forward"

Tim

FAQ

  • One of the common challenges that manufacturing companies face is that the marketing department typically has only a manager to run everything.

    Most other time is spent either managing or executing marketing tactics which leaves very little energy to think about anything else.

    A fractional CMO is focused on strategy, integrating marketing with sales and driving revenue results.

  • Account to salary.com a full time CMO base salary is about $350k per year before benefits and bonus.

    My fCMO services cost between $96k to $180k per year depending on the engagement.

  • A marketing agency brings in talent to execute specific tactics like web design, social media or content writing.

    Similarly a marketing consultant is brought in for a specialized task like e-commerce integrations, HubSpot implementations or running an account basked marketing campaign.

    A CMO does not execute tactics. Rather he develops the marketing strategy, bridges the gap between sales and marketing and works with the executive team to make sure that marketing is providing business results.

  • Yes, team integration is one of the primary responsibilities of a CMO.

    It is critical for a fCMO to work with the product and engineering team to craft the right messages for the products and services they develop.

    It’s also important for the fCMO to work closely with the sales team to make sure the marketing is part of the sales process to close new business.

  • Of course it depends on how much foundation work needs to be done.

    Strategy is about winning and making critical decisions on:

    • Who are you chasing?

    • Where you should compete?

    • What organization assets are needed?

    • What technology assets are required?

    None of these are an easy or quick fix and often require changes to process and people as well.

  • My typical CMO engagementrun between 12-24 months.

    The weekly time commitment depends.

    During quarterly and annual planning more time is required.

    Slower “between” months i am not needed because the execution team is doing the work i planned out.

  • One of the most important is experiences. According to korn ferry the average age of a cmo is 55.

    Industry, marketing, agency, and consulting experience also matters.

    And there has to be a good cultural fit. Like any executive, the personality, beliefs and character are all important factors when deciding bring in a fCMO.

  • Yes and no.

    It’s important for the fCMO to spend time at the different facilities, get to know the executives, to walk the floor and get an understanding of the capabilities, and to meet the product engineers.

    The fCMO should also attend company tradeshows to meet the customers and observe the sales team in action.

    And of course during important planning times such as end of year, it may be a good idea to have the executive team all in one room.

    Other than that, remote work is possible and actually saves relocation or special housing / travel expenses.

  • If there is one thing I have learned from running a full service agency is the need for flexibility.

    My contract is month to month.

  • I can usually start a new engagement within a few weeks of signing a contact.