Marketing

In the competitive world of business, marketing plays a pivotal role to drive revenue generation, brand equity, and overall business valuation. Companies that view branding and advertising as a growth strategy are twice as likely to see revenue growth of 5% or more than those that don’t (source: “Read our case study for details. A pilot program is a great way to get started with evaluating how marketing can support the sales process. Be sure to give the program enough time and budget to be effective. In the B2B environment, it often does not take much to recoup the costs of a successful marketing campaign. Getting Started In today’s digital age, businesses that fail to leverage marketing risk being left behind by competitors who effectively tell their story and reach their target audiences. As a trusted advisor, you have the opportunity to guide business owners in recognizing marketing’s potential to drive sustainable growth, profitability, and long-term enterprise value. Knowmad is here to help you design and build a digital marketing program that gets measurable business results. Reach out to William McKee and discover the potential that a data-driven marketing plan can make for your business.

outsourced CMO services. In short, we become your company’s chief marketing officer and do so virtually and efficiently — saving you time and money. Since 1999, we’ve enjoyed building and boosting brands for a core set of industries. Our thoughtful process, experienced team, and vested interest in our client’s success have positioned us as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most sought-after marketing partners for those looking to grow their brand awareness and bottom line. Stop paying for digital and traditional services you may not need. Our retainer, no markup model means our recommendations don’t come with any catch or commission. Our advice aligns with what you need and what fits within your budget. For more information, contact us at 410-366-9479 or info@incitecmo.com. 

“Opinions are like boats on the sea of knowledge; while they can guide us, it is important to navigate with caution and consider multiple perspectives.” Are you in the process of evaluating or updating your current website? If so, you’ll soon be drowning in stakeholder feedback. When conducting a site evaluation and content review, it’s best to gather stakeholder feedback early in the process and build your solution around an informed, agreed-upon strategy. However, gathering those perspectives can be overwhelming and an administrative nightmare. Fear not. In this article, we will help you navigate the turbulent waters of conducting a  What Are the Benefits of Conducting a Website Audit? First, let’s start with a quick overview of why you should conduct a website audit before putting pen to paper or mouse to monitor: 1. Identify and fix technical issues: A website audit helps uncover any technical issues affecting your site’s performance, such as broken links, slow loading times, or mobile responsiveness problems. Addressing these issues can improve the user experience and ensure your site functions at its best. 2. Enhance SEO performance: An evaluation also allows you to identify areas where your site can be optimized for better visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), such as improving keyword targeting, optimizing meta tags, or enhancing site structure. By optimizing your site for SEO, you can attract more organic traffic and improve your search rankings. 3. Analyze content effectiveness: A website audit helps you evaluate the quality and effectiveness of your website content. You can assess whether your content aligns with your target audience’s needs and preferences, identify gaps or areas for improvement, and ensure consistency across your site. This analysis can help you create a content strategy that resonates with your audience and drives engagement. 4. Assess user experience: In an audit, you can evaluate the site’s navigation, layout, and overall usability to identify any pain points or barriers hindering visitors from engaging with your site. Improving the UX can enhance user satisfaction, increase conversions, and encourage repeat visits. 5. Benchmark against competitors: Another great benefit of a website audit is that it enables you to compare your site’s performance and features against your competitors. You can identify areas where you may be falling behind or where you excel. This benchmarking analysis can help you uncover opportunities for differentiation and improvement to stay ahead in the competitive landscape. By conducting a website audit, you can gain valuable insights into your site’s strengths and weaknesses and take actionable steps to improve its overall performance and user experience.   How to Capture and Organize Stakeholder Feedback During a Website Audit? All captains need a logbook. When gathering, managing, and implementing stakeholder feedback, you can use several tools and methods to streamline the process and make your life much easier. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. Hotjar: Google Sheet can be an effective way to organize stakeholder feedback. You can create a column for all the URLs of the website pages being audited. Then, you can add columns for the feedback links with descriptions, the point person responsible for making the change, and due dates. You can also include a column with a drop-down multiple-choice for the status, such as “Active,” “Pending Approval,” or “Live.” This will help you track the progress of each feedback item. 3. Project or Content Management Tools: Various project management tools can help you capture and organize stakeholder feedback. Tools like Wrike, Asana, Google Docs or Microsoft Teams can also capture and organize stakeholder feedback. You can create a shared document or folder where stakeholders can directly provide feedback. This allows real-time collaboration and easy access to all feedback in one centralized location. Your choice of tools and methods will depend on how your team communicates best, your budget, and your current tech stack. Test out a few options first to ensure they will help versus hinder the process.   Captaining a website audit has its challenges. But with the right process, people, and tools in place, you’ll be in ship-shape. If you need assistance conducting a website audit or developing your digital marketing strategy, please contact us at outsourced CMO services. In short, we become your company’s chief marketing officer and do so virtually and efficiently — saving you time and money. Since 1999, we’ve enjoyed building and boosting brands for a core set of industries. Our thoughtful process, experienced team, and vested interest in our client’s success have positioned us as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most sought-after marketing partners for those looking to grow their brand awareness and bottom line. Stop paying for digital and traditional services you may not need. Our retainer, no markup model means our recommendations don’t come with any catch or commission. Our advice aligns with what you need and what fits within your budget. For more information, contact us at 410-366-9479 or info@incitecmo.com. 

B2B businesses, particularly professional services, are some of the most skeptical and risk-averse companies when it comes to embracing marketing. I should know because I service this client base. However, once I explain how marketing can elevate awareness and increase ROI, most B2B companies will adopt today’s proven digital marketing tactics. In today’s blog, we explore some common myths and provide insights into the power of B2B marketing. Common Marketing Myths Debunked Myth #1: My website is the only marketing initiative my business needs. First, having a website is a critical piece of any marketing plan, but it’s not enough. Many business owners believe having a website is enough to generate leads and grow their business. Unfortunately, this is a myth. While a website is important, it’s far from the only marketing investment you need. In today’s digital landscape, there are numerous marketing tactics that you can use to grow your business. From email marketing and content creation to social media marketing and search engine optimization, there are many approaches that you can use to increase your visibility and reach potential customers. Additionally, it’s important to remember that having a website is not a one-time investment. You must constantly update and optimize your site for the best results and develop a comprehensive marketing strategy incorporating multiple tactics. This will ensure you can reach your target audience and build a strong brand presence. Myth #2: B2Bs don’t need a marketing strategy. When it comes to marketing, B2B companies need to take a strategic approach to ensure their efforts are successful. Without a plan in place, there is a risk of wasting time and money on tactics that are not effective. On the other hand, a well-crafted

If your business performance is lackluster, take a closer look at how it’s operating. And if you’re a business owner already running your company on EOS® – the Entrepreneurial Operating System — congratulations! You’ve already taken an essential first step toward gaining clarity around your goals and organizing the milestones for how you and your team will achieve them. But where and when does marketing fit into the equation? EOS® plugs marketing strategy into a two-day Vision Building™ Agenda and seven other important topics. That’s a great start, but it only scratches the surface. A comprehensive EOS Model® provides a visual illustration of a six-piece pie chart comprised of the components it deems essential to any business, including: Vision People Data Issues Process Traction Vision Powered by Marketing Strategy & Planning Arguably the foundation for success, and the focus of this article, a company’s vision typically encompasses its core values, purpose, passion, niche, and unique value. It is designed to inspire and motivate employees to work toward a common goal. So…what happens when there’s no clarity around the vision? No focused goal and zero hopes of achieving it. EOS® corrects this by getting everyone in the organization crystal clear about where they’re going and how they’ll get there. But here’s the thing — if you only consider yourselves in this vision, you’re leaving out an essential piece of the picture — your customers. Marketing plays a crucial role in clarifying a company’s vision. Effective marketing is about understanding your target audience and communicating your company’s purpose and values to them in a way that resonates. In other words, your vision needs to align with the needs and desires of your customers. By conducting Positioning Workshop, SWOT analysis, and competitive and industry research, you will unearth existing brand perceptions, gain vital insight to determine if those perceptions will help or hinder your value proposition, and allow you to adjust your vision accordingly. What if, for example, Patagonia’s vision to “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis” lacked a sizeable enough target market that cared enough about Mother Earth to pay $299 for a jacket? It would be a company without any customers and any profit. Luckily for Patagonia, the company’s vision seems to resonate with the strategic marketing plan to your operating system, and you’ll get the insight you need to realize your vision. And stay tuned for our upcoming contact Incite Creative. We have over 23 years of marketing expertise and have worked with businesses running on EOS® and welcome the opportunity to partner with EOS Implementers®. outsourced CMO services. In short, we become your company’s chief marketing officer and do so virtually and efficiently — saving you time and money. Since 1999 we’ve had the pleasure of building and boosting brands for a core set of industries. Our thoughtful process, experienced team, and vested interest in our client’s success have positioned us as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most sought-after marketing partners for those looking to grow their brand awareness and bottom line. Stop paying for digital and traditional services you may not need. Our retainer, no markup model means our recommendations don’t come with any catch or commission. Our advice aligns with what you need and what fits within your budget. For more information, contact us at 410-366-9479 or info@incitecmo.com. 

Every business needs a strong Marketing Strategy & Planning Creative Direction Reporting & Analysis 2. Flexibility & Scalability, only an Outsourced CMO can Provide A fractional CMO is highly valuable because it offers flexibility and scalability that a full-time employee arrangement doesn’t provide. With an outsourced option, you can quickly scale up or down as needed depending on your current business circumstances. If you’re facing a hiring or skillset gap, a particularly busy season, or need additional assistance with a new product or service launch, an external CMO can quickly be brought in at short notice — without any long-term commitment from either side. Plus, an external expert won’t get bogged down by day-to-day tasks or administrative issues. Instead, a fractional CMO can address your specific objectives and focus on delivering results. What are typical outsourced CMOs’ hours? An outsourced Chief Marketing Officer will provide an hourly consultative rate or a retainer based on a predetermined number of hours per month that they will dedicate to your business. This number and rate will depend on your objectives, the timeframe to complete them, and the CMO’s level of expertise. That said, while an FTE’s salary is based on a 40-hour work week, outsourced CMOs only charge for the time they are actively engaged in your project. Therefore, a standard monthly contract may be based on 30, 40, or 50 hours per month or more. 3. Fractional CMO Services Provide a High ROI Hiring an outsourced Chief Marketing Officer to lead your business also has several added financial benefits compared to hiring a full-time CMO. Outsourcing eliminates costly recruitment fees, employment taxes, and benefits packages. Plus, since most outsourced professionals charge a monthly retainer that aligns with a pre-set scope of work, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting for your money without worrying about hidden costs or change order fees that weren’t accounted for initially. Chief Marketing Officer salary (50th percentile) in the United States ($342,859 as of February 27, 2023). This adds up to considerable savings — typically 33-50% or more — that could make all the difference between expanding your business operations and struggling to break even. Where can I find a fractional CMO company? Fractional C-Suite executives have become more mainstream over recent years, with outsourced COOs, CFOs, and CTOs leading the way. While some outsourced marketing professionals are a little newer to the scene, Schedule your free 30-minute consultation today. Incite Creative is a marketing advisory firm that provides outsourced CMO services. In short, we become your company’s chief marketing officer and do so virtually and efficiently — saving you time and money. Since 1999 we’ve had the pleasure of building and boosting brands for a core set of industries. Our thoughtful process, experienced team, and vested interest in our client’s success have positioned us as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most sought-after marketing partners for those looking to grow their brand awareness and bottom line. Stop paying for digital and traditional services you may not need. Our retainer, no markup model means our recommendations don’t come with any catch or commission. The advice we provide aligns with what you need and what fits within your budget. For more information, contact us at 410-366-9479 or info@incitecmo.com. 

Employee Appreciation Day or, if you’re short on turnaround time, announce it on the 3rd for a “coming soon” delivery or future event they can look forward to. Just make sure you hold up your end of the promise.Below are 11 ideas to help inspire you to thank the employees you love ❤️.For SWAG, there are online options, but personalized service is usually the better route when it comes to quality and meeting expectations. Turnaround time for March 3 may be tight, but you could try these folks to see what’s doable in terms of inventory: href=” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”> Recognition Signage/Banner/Display to have on-site that day and year ’round. There are several providers for this, but don’t get burned by online lowest-price options. Depending on the turnaround, complexity, and level of quality you’re looking for will determine the best provider. www.baltimoreseventsolutions.com to be overlooked is a handwritten, personalized 1:1 thank you card that doesn’t feel canned or the same for each person goes a long way.If you have or if we’ve already created a  similar entities; add your logo, and when they arrive, write a noteOr get techy by combining an AI handwritten note with a gift card:  href=” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Amazon Gift Cards great option for remote employees is a Video Thank YouGood ole Zoom or Teams recording will work on quick turnaround, but don’t cop out and do a simple 1:many thank you for small teams. Take a little extra time and show your TLC by doing 1:1 video thank yous that are personalized. Bonus tip: The nice thing about this idea is you can test the waters with your employees, but it makes a great sales prospecting tool as well. a more customized or on-site video,  their employee benefits is another idea, especially if it’s voluntary and at no additional cost to you. Talk to your current insurance provider or 

Yea, a headache that’s a good example. A headache is a symptom, but the problem could be from lack of sleep or food or a myriad of other things. So what do most people do? Grab a couple of Motrin to try to help alleviate the symptom instead of using their brain and asking, “When was the last time I ate. Oh, it was eight hours ago. I betcha, that’s why I have a headache. Maybe I should eat something.” So is ChatGPT a good thing or a bad thing? As you can see, we had some fun writing this article. As for ChatGPT, we think it’s a good thing, but the jury is still out on how much it will help or hinder certain human behaviors, how much reliance people put into it using it as a crutch instead of tapping into their own creativity, how it will be regulated for authenticity, and if it will just push us all further into our devices instead of bringing us closer together. If, however, it’s used to help us be more creative and more productive together without losing everything that makes us human (sense of humor, diverse perspectives, truly, etc.), and our brands stand for something truly unique, I’m all for it. So go. Explore 

When your business owner client decides to sell, there’s a unique, uncommon opportunity for you as a wealth manager to provide an incredibly valuable service to your clients while also growing your assets under management. As a wealth manager, you play a critical role in the lives of your clients. It’s not a stretch to say that their future is literally in your hands. They rely on you to ensure their retirement is going to look a particular way. For business owners, exiting their business is almost always a key component of their retirement plan. The sale of a business may be the biggest liquidity event in their lives. As a wealth manager, you have the opportunity to help figure out exactly how to make the most of that money for their retirement — or for any other purposes they may have in mind. There’s a huge opportunity here — Baby Boomers are beginning to retire in droves (and will keep doing so for at least a decade). There are many business owners retiring right now who will need your help. Here’s what you need to know about exit planning and the role you’ll play in it for your business-owner clients. Figuring Out The Number The first thing you’ll be doing for your business owner clients is helping them figure out the number: the amount of money your client needs to get out of the business when they exit. Usually, retirement is the goal, but there are other potential goals. Maybe they want to open another business or start a non-profit. Maybe they want to engage in some philanthropy or set up a trust for their family. Whatever the case, you play a major role here. As exit planners, we need you to help us figure out how much they need and then do a net present value of the amount. We can then subtract other assets that are available for whatever they have in mind and come up with the number. Valuing the Business Once we have the number, then we have to figure out how much the business is actually worth in today’s market. That’s something the exit planners and business valuation experts in your network will help define. When we have a clear idea of how much our mutual client can potentially make from selling their business, we can then compare it with the number. The difference between the number and the current value of the business will tell them what they need to do next. They’ll need your services for this. If there’s a shortfall, you’ll have to talk to them about what to do. Do they want to reduce their standard of living for retirement? Work a little longer? Increase the value of the business and then look at a potential sale in a few more years? Whatever the case, they now have a plan in place — and they’re looking to you to implement key components of that plan. And of course, there are opportunities for you as well. Opportunities for Wealth Managers One of the first things exit planners will do is to have clients complete a financial plan for the business owner and other stakeholders — you’ll be responsible for your clients’ financial plans and potentially those of their key employees. You also have the opportunity to capture more assets under management. And, as the exit planning moves ahead, there are other opportunities: for example, 401(k) or IRAs and other assets can be transitioned to your management. Another thing to consider is that, once you become an advisor to a business owner, you gain potential access to their network. They might refer you to key people in their organization who also need your help — not to mention their family and friends. For years after the exit, you’ll be managing their assets (and likely managing those assets for their family after they pass). All this because you had a seat at the exit planning table and helped your clients through the process. The Advisor’s Edge — The Education You (and Your Clients) Need The Advisor’s Edge is a library of content that you can use to educate potential and existing clients on exit planning — and you can use it to educate yourself as well. Instead of giving every client an individual presentation (which you probably won’t get them to schedule anyway), you can send them content that answers their questions and educates them. Or you can bolster your social media and marketing efforts with short videos that build the case for working with you and trusting your processes and network.  The Advisor’s Edge includes documents and videos that explain just about every aspect of what CEPAs, financial professionals, and business advisors do in a way that’s clear and highly professional. The content is extremely high quality and has been created by top professionals in exit planning and value building. This means your potential clients will see you not just as a resource and someone they can trust, but as someone who is a true expert, who really knows what they’re talking about.

Do you want to know how to get featured in the NY Times, Fast Company and other media and attract more clients? Meet Meet Nationally acclaimed Marketing/PR Expert Cassandra Bailey co-author of “Pay Attention”. Click here to join Cassandra live to ask her questions about PR and Marketing:

Host Bill McDermott was joined by three accomplished business leaders on this edition of ProfitSense. Banker Samantha McElhaney discussed what business owners need to be focused on now, what to look for in choosing an advisor, as well as how she uses her extensive network to assist her clients. Keith Costley shared how his engineering consulting firm develops and retains talent, how collaboration with clients has been so crucial to their success, and his firm’s succession planning process. Derek Griffin talked about how his firm helps gift and home decor firms, industrial products companies, distributors, and other B2B companies with website and e-commerce solutions for their marketing needs. Bill closed the show with a commentary on the four components of getting a business ready to sell for its maximum value. ProfitSense with Bill McDermott is produced and broadcast by the 

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On September 18, 2024, a panel of three Third US Circuit Court of Appeals judges heard oral argument from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Starbucks on the matter of consequential damages. At stake is the NLRB’s power to award damages for direct and foreseeable pecuniary harms that go beyond lost pay and benefits. The award of such things as credit card late payment costs and uninsured medical costs, fees for not timely paying other expenses, etc. are at issue. If such awards are within the NLRB’s authority, the damage awards in NLRB wrongful discharge cases could dramatically rise. Here is how we got to this point. In 2023, the NLRB ordered Starbucks to pay consequential damages in a case of the wrongful termination of two pro-union employees. Damages included “direct or foreseeable pecuniary harms incurred as a result of [the employees’ wrongful discharges.]” This case is one of many cases Starbucks faces alleging wrongful discharge of union supporters. If it losses, the monetary cost could be significant. By filing this appeal, Starbucks’s joins companies such as Amazon, SpaceX, and Trader Joe’s in challenging the NLRB’s constitutional authority to exert such enforcement powers. Traditionally, the Board would order reinstatement, backpay and lost benefits in a case of wrongful termination, however this was expanded in 2022. A Board decision in Thryv, Inc., 372 NLRB No. 22 (2021), held employees who are wrongfully terminated should also receive compensation for other pecuniary losses stemming from the termination. Examples include credit card cost, out of pocket medical expenses, mortgages related fees, etc. Such damages can quickly add up. In this latest Starbucks case, the Third Circuit considered Thryv  but also the US Supreme Court’s June ruling in Jarkesy v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and its applicability to the NLRB. In Jarkesy, the Supreme Court found it was unconstitutional for the SEC to impose civil penalties in administrative cases. Such awards need to be awarded in a court. The Third Circuit must decide whether the expanded remedies sought by the NLRB would be considered “legal remedies” typically imposed by the courts as in Jarkesy or “equitable remedies” typically imposed by administrative agencies. Such administrative remedies are intended to benefit the worker rather than unfairly punish employers. The NLRB argued they have the authority to impose the remedies regardless of their status as legal or equitable. Not surprisingly, Starbucks argued allowing the NLRB to issue damages beyond backpay would violate their constitutional right to a jury trial and therefore was unconstitutional. The outcome is pending and regardless, it may well be appealed to the Supreme Court where the authority of various agencies is being curtailed. We will keep you informed. Brody and Associates regularly advises management on complying with the latest local, state and federal employment laws.  If we can be of assistance in this area, please contact us at info@brodyandassociates.com or 203.454.0560  

Passed in June 2024 and signed into law by New York Governor Kathy Hochul on September 5, the Retail Worker Safety Act is set to take effect March 4, 2025. The law mandates protections for retail employees including panic buttons, workplace violence prevention policies, and training. Who is covered? The law explains: Covered employers: any person, entity, business, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or an association employing at least ten retail employees. Retail employees: employees working at a retail store for an employer. Retail Store: a store that sells consumer commodities at retail and which is not primarily engaged in the sale of food for consumption on the premises. The state, any political subdivision of the state, a public authority, or any other government agency is not covered by the law. Key Requirements The Act’s key requirements are the installation of panic buttons, implementation of workplace violence prevention policies, and training. The panic button requirement does not take effect until January 1, 2027, while the other requirements are effective March 2025. Panic Button Employers with more than 500 retail employees nationwide must provide employees with access to panic buttons across the workplace. Employers may opt for a physical button or mobile phone-based buttons. The requirements for each are slightly different. If the employer chooses to use a physical panic button it must contact the local 911 public safety answering point when pressed. Pressing the button must provide the answering point with the employee’s location and dispatch law enforcement. The button must be accessible or wearable. The mobile phone-based approach requires the button to be installed on employer provided equipment and is wearable. The mobile button may not track employee locations unless pressed.   Workplace Violence Prevention Policy Employers must adopt a written workplace violence prevention policy to be provided to employees upon hire and annually. The NY Department of Labor (NYDOL) will draft a model plan which will be evaluated every four years from 2027 onwards. Employers may adopt the NYDOL policy or create their own equivalent policy. The policy must: List factors or situations in the workplace which may increase the employees’ risk of workplace violence. Examples given include working late at night or early morning hours; exchanging money with the public; working alone or in small numbers; and uncontrolled access to the workplace. List methods of preventing workplace violence, including but not limited to establishing and implementing a reporting system. Provide information on federal and state laws regarding violence towards retail workers and remedies available for victims of workplace violence. Explicitly state that it is unlawful to retaliate against employees who report workplace violence or factors which place employees at risk of workplace violence. Workplace Violence Prevention Training Employers must provide training upon hire and annually. The NYDOL will provide interactive training which will also be evaluated every four years starting in 2027. Again, employers may opt to use the state provided training or provide their own equivalent. The training must: Include information on the Retail Worker Safety Act; Examples of steps employees can take to protect themselves; De-escalation strategies; Active Shooter drills; Emergency procedures; Instructions on how to use security alarms, panic buttons, and any other emergency devices; and A site-specific list of emergency exits and meeting places to be used in emergencies. Takeaways New York State retail employers should look at the state provided training and policies to adopt as their own or to ensure their own materials are compliant. For employers outside of New York it is important to keep your eyes peeled for creation of similar laws in your own state. Brody and Associates regularly advises management on complying with the latest local, state and federal employment laws.  If we can be of assistance in this area, please contact us at info@brodyandassociates.com or 203.454.0560      

Many consultants/advisors/coaches are serving business owners who resist the notion there might be significant, unrecognized issues in their company, or who believe they needn’t be concerned about issues they don’t know about.  Call it the Ostrich-Head-In-The-Sand Syndrome. As a consequence, consultants feel powerless to get their clients to take action in their own best interest.  From an exit planning perspective, being fully prepared for a future exit is one of those critical issues business owners may be inclined to ignore until it is too late. On Thursday, December 5th, join EvaluSys CEO Tom Bixby and XPX Charlotte founder in a discussion with Larry Gard, Ph.D., XPX Chicago member, executive coach, former longtime clinical psychologist who will help attendees get inside the head of business owners to: Feel confident in your ability to reach clients who resist identifying and confronting issues in their business. Generate client curiosity in your approach and interest in your recommendations. Have a significant impact on your clients’ success in ways they hadn’t anticipated. This program is scheduled for 45 minutes, to include significant opportunity for Q&A with Dr. Gard.  Don’t miss this important program helping you grow your power to create value for your advisory clients!

If you’re looking to attract an investor or an acquirer one day, expect them to dig into your sales and marketing process. If you’re a company that sells to other businesses, an investor will want to know where you get your leads from and how much each costs you to generate. They’ll want to know what technology you use to support your sales team. They’ll want to understand how your sales reps get meetings and how many appointments a good rep has each week. They’ll want to know the close rate of a high performer and how it compares to an average performer. The investor’s questions aim to gauge the scalability of your sales model under significantly higher investment rather than to assess your past performance. Acquirers love stumbling over a business where capital is the primary constraint to growth. They fall over themselves for a company with an efficient sales engine that needs more fuel (i.e., money). Most investors have lots of capital but struggle to find businesses with a sales system that won’t collapse under the weight of more money. How Gregg Romanzo Built a Sales System In 2004, Gregg Romanzo started an old-school freight brokering business. Most freight brokers are nothing more than a handful of people arranging shipments in return for razor-thin margins, but Romanzo realized his sales model had the potential to grow into something much bigger. Romanzo’s model involved hiring high-potential people with a relatively modest base salary of between $40,000 and $60,000 per year and teaching them the business from scratch. He armed them with a computer and access to the best scheduling software and tied their variable compensation to the gross margin of the jobs they booked. Romanzo knew if he could get a rep to clear $100,000 per year in total compensation, he could keep them for the long run. Romanzo took his very best talent—the top one or two percent—and built a team around them so they could earn even more. This cohort of salespeople could clear three, four, or even five hundred thousand dollars in an exceptional year. Since Romanzo paid a relatively low base salary and his people didn’t need much equipment, he could hire many salespeople. By the time he sold his company, he had 200 employees, 190 of whom were salespeople. That’s 95% of his headcount dedicated to sales. How does that compare to your company? If you have a winning formula you think would hold up if you doubled or quadrupled your sales team, consider monetizing the sales model you’ve created. Either hire more reps or show a deep-pocketed investor or acquirer how durable your sales model is and how all you need is their capital to grow it.

Halloween isn’t just a time for ghosts and goblins; it’s also a perfect moment to explore those spine-chilling hiring stories that haunt every small business owner’s dreams. At FIREPOWER Teams, we’re all about turning fears into cheers by empowering actionable strategies and strengthening teams. Let’s face the horrors—a bad hire can lurk in the shadows, embodying the kind of nightmares that disrupt teamwork and stifle growth. But fear not! As you learn about these ghastly characters, remember that each horror story comes with a silver lining: a powerful lesson to enhance your hiring process and bolster your team dynamics. The Vampire – The Energy Drainer Traits: This hire sucks the positivity and energy out of your team, often leaving colleagues drained. Impact: Reduced team morale and productivity. Prevention: During interviews, ask behavioral questions that help you gauge a candidate’s influence on team dynamics. Consider including team members in the hiring process to assess chemistry. The Zombie – The Disengaged Traits: Goes through the motions but lacks initiative and passion. Impact: Minimal contribution to team goals and lack of contribution to goals. Prevention: Look for candidates who ask questions about company culture and show enthusiasm for the role because the job description accurately reflects the role’s responsibilities and opportunities for growth. The Mummy – Stuck in the Past Traits: Resistant to change and new ideas, insisting on doing things “how they’ve always been done.” Impact: Hinders adaptation and progress. Prevention: Look for candidates willing to learn new things. Ask them about situations where they had to adapt quickly or change their approach to succeed. Hiring Doesn’t Have To Be A Nightmare Each of these eerie archetypes teaches us that hiring is not just about filling a vacancy but about enriching our teams and aligning with our core values. Hiring should be strategic, and at FIREPOWER Teams, we understand that the right people are the lifeblood of any thriving business. Each new hire should contribute positively to the team’s dynamics and the company’s mission. Remember, hiring doesn’t have to be a nightmare. With the right tools and insights, you can spot red flags early and attract talent that fits the role and elevates your entire team. Let’s turn these horrors into opportunities. Happy Halloween, and here’s to making every hire a treat, not a trick! Maria Forbes and 

Sometimes the most sensitive question in family succession planning is “Who gets the office?” Dad’s (or Mom’s) office is usually perceived as the center of authority by the employees and other family members. That is where you got called on the carpet, where you were informed of promotions, or where you took an insolvable problem. When a parent/CEO is handing off operating responsibility, there is often a lag, sometimes measured in years, between stepping back from the daily decisions and completely separating from the premises. There is great value in having that experience available for coaching, mentoring, or just to lend perspective on new problems, but where should they sit? Timing The question of the appropriate timing for an owner to surrender his or her seat of power can be sensitive. The retiree often worries about becoming irrelevant. The fear ofappearingirrelevant is just as strong. The boss’s office is a symbol. Often the owner who is stepping down would rather have no office at all rather than a smaller, less prestigious location. I’ve seen owners elect to use the conference room as their “temporary” post. That can create other issues of its own. Are scheduled meetings now subject to last-minute relocation if the boss (who will always be the boss, regardless of title transfers) commandeers it for his own use? Equally distracting is when the conference room is scheduled as before. Then the boss arrives planning to do some work and winds up wandering through the offices looking for a place to camp out. Perception The situation is exacerbated when multiple children are assuming ownership. Who getstheoffice? Parents often have a vision of equality among their children. Ricky will handle sales, Peter does the accounting, and Ellie takes care of inventory and purchasing. The three will make business decisions jointly. Regardless of voting rights, or any amount of explanation to the employees, one of the children will be perceived as functioning at a higher level of authority by assuming possession of the boss’s office. As in George Orwell’sAnimal Farm, all are equal, but some are more equal than others. Family Succession Planning Settling who gets the boss’s office is an important part of any transfer. Too often it is treated lightly, only to be more seriously addressed after the issues are recognized. The symbolism of moving offices is strong, and sends a message to everyone. In some cases, remodeling to change the whole office configuration may be the best solution. New drywall is a cheaper fix than lingering resentment among shareholders or confusion in the ranks. It’s often the little things in family succession planning that matter. One owner who was continuing in his office after his son was named President asked what he could do to make their shared space better reflect the change. “Well Dad, “the son responded, “maybe you could take down those pictures of our fishing trip when I was 11 years old.”   This article was originally published by John F. Dini, CBEC, CExP, CEPA on

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