Shows
Beyond ExpertiseWhy Writing a Book Is Not Always the Best Business Move with Ally Machate“Write a book, and you’ll become an authority” sounds like solid advice until you do the math on time, money, attention, and what that book is actually supposed to achieve. Host Eric Dickmann is joined by Ally Machate, a former Simon & Schuster editor and the founder of The Writer’s Ally, to pressure-test the myth that expertise automatically means you should write a book. We dig into why a book is a tool, not a trophy, and why it’s often the wrong next step when your business is still taking shape. Ally shares what she saw behind...
2026-06-2538 min
Beyond ExpertiseFrom Corporate Stability to Retail Shelves With a Side Hustle With David AskA thermostat guard with a combination lock doesn’t sound like the start of a reinvention story, but that’s exactly why it works. Host Eric Dickmann sits down with David Ask, a Nashville singer, corporate professional turned product entrepreneur, and founder of The Ask Experience, to unpack how a side hustle that “went nowhere” quietly became a real business on the shelves of Home Depot and later Lowe’s.We talk through the unglamorous middle: learning manufacturing, prototyping, supply chain management, retail distribution, and even basic bookkeeping from scratch, all while keeping the stability of a Verizon ca...
2026-06-1837 min
Beyond ExpertiseFrom Corporate Creative to Sci-Fi Author Without Quitting Your Day Job with Christian HurstAt some point, being good at your job stops being the problem and starts being the cover story. Christian Hurst is a seasoned graphic designer and creative leader, but he also carries a sci-fi universe he’s been building in his head for more than twenty years, and he finally decides it can’t stay there.In this episode, host Eric Dickmann discusses career identity and creative reinvention without the dramatic “quit your job” storyline. Christian walks us through how a design career built during the financial crisis trained him to develop ideas, take critique, and keep producin...
2026-06-1132 min
Beyond ExpertiseReinventing After a Successful Exit with Jack CalhounYou can “win” your career, sell the business, and still wake up wondering who you are without the role. Host Eric Dickmann talks with Jack Calhoun, founder of Encore Career Lab, to get honest about the emotional and practical mechanics of a second act after a big professional exit. Jack had something many people don’t: financial runway. What he didn’t have was instant clarity, and that gap is where the real reinvention work begins.We trace Jack’s path from journalism to building a fiduciary-minded wealth management firm, including the stress of guiding clients through brutal mar...
2026-06-0442 min
Beyond ExpertiseHow Getting Fired Sparked a Purpose Driven Social Enterprise with Merry KornGetting fired can punch a hole straight through your identity, especially when your career has been the proof that you’re “doing fine.” Mary Korn’s story cuts through that illusion. She had the title, the money, and the corporate ladder momentum, yet privately felt misaligned and depleted. Then she gets fired from a job she took in desperation and suddenly has to answer the scariest question of all: what now, with kids to support and no clear runway?We dig into what actually helped her reinvent her career, beyond feel-good slogans. Mary shares how career coaching and skil...
2026-05-2123 min
Beyond ExpertiseFrom Corporate Communications to Purpose Driven Work with Ivonne FurneauxSuccess can look flawless on LinkedIn while still feeling wrong in your body. That tension is exactly where my conversation with Yvonne Furneaux begins and where it gets most useful for anyone thinking about identity reinvention, career change, or a second chapter beyond a corporate title. Yvonne spent more than 25 years in corporate communications, employee experience, HR, and DEI leadership, and she shares what she learned from working within large systems that don’t treat everyone the same. We get into the messy realities professionals rarely say out loud: how layoffs actually land, why corporate loyalty keeps ero...
2026-05-1930 min
Beyond ExpertiseA Real Estate Leader Discovers Alignment Helping Agents with Joe ArnaoA career can look successful and still feel strangely unfamiliar. Joe Arno spent decades building in sales, real estate leadership, and recruiting, only to realize that the work he was doing no longer matched the life he wanted to live. After a move, a bout with cancer, and one too many “shiny new” opportunities that didn’t fix the underlying problem, the misalignment became impossible to ignore.In this episode, we talk about the real pressures behind professional reinvention: the loneliness of entrepreneurship, the illusion that independence automatically brings balance, and the way industries like real estate can pu...
2026-05-1431 min
Beyond ExpertiseA Widowmaker Wake Up Call That Changed Everything with Adrian JonesTwo widowmaker heart attacks will either break your story or rewrite it. I sit down with Adrian “AJ” Jones, a longtime financial services leader who had to confront the question most high performers avoid until something forces it: what if the life you built no longer matches who you are? AJ walks me through the early twists that pulled him from international relations into finance, how comfort can become a trap, and how “fine” can mask deep misalignment.We get candid about what happens after a major health scare when the paycheck still feels safer than the calling...
2026-05-1039 min
Beyond ExpertiseCOVID Closed the Stage and Opened a New Career with Kate KayaianThe strangest career clue is not burnout, it's relief. When concert cellist Kate Kayaian watched her entire performance calendar vanish during COVID, she expected panic. What she felt instead was a weight lifted, and that single emotional moment forced a bigger question: if the “dream” disappears and you feel freer, what does that say about your identity?Kate grew up in a world where music was not a hobby but a calling. She had a community and a clear definition of success. In this episode, we unpack how achievement-based careers can become a locked-in professional identity, even when...
2026-05-0841 min
Beyond ExpertiseFrom Selling Canned Corn to Purposeful Coaching with Chip ScholzA layoff. A cross-country move. A booming coaching practice. Then a stroke that forced a hard pause. Chip Scholz’s story is a sharp reminder that career and identity reinvention rarely unfold as we script them, and that “success” can still quietly pull us away from the life we actually want.On this episode of Beyond Expertise, we trace Chip’s path from working non-stop in college, landing in sales during a recession, to discovering he thrives when he can define his own role and build real community relationships. He explains what pushed him out of the corporat...
2026-05-0738 min
The Virtual CMOMarketing Earns Its Seat At The Table When It Speaks Revenue with Dana MarxerFollowers, clicks, open rates, and impressions can make a marketing dashboard look busy, but they rarely answer the question your CEO and CFO actually ask: how much revenue did marketing influence? Eric Dickmann sits down with Dana Marxer, CEO of RevOps automation company ayeQ, to unpack what it really takes for CMOs to align marketing to pipeline, bookings, and predictable growth in today’s economy. We get specific about the language shift CMOs must make to earn influence at the leadership table. Dana explains why marketing should still track leading indicators internally, but present outcomes externally in ter...
2026-04-2033 min
The Virtual CMOBuilding a Marketing Strategy to Reach an Unreachable Audience with Colin JeffriesIn episode 89, host Eric Dickmann interviews Colin Jeffries. Colin is an entrepreneur, podcast host, and Marketing & Communications Director at BrightView. He has over a decade of experience helping organizations reach the right audiences at the right time with messages that galvanize the best prospects to action. Jeffries’ background in digital marketing, content marketing, advertising, branding, strategy, and segmentation help him bring a holistic perspective to help organizations grow. Colin has honed his skills by serving in a wide array of industries. In addition to serving a broad range of healthcare practices and providers, Colin is a pioneer in direct-to-patient ma...
2021-09-0641 minThe Virtual CMOImplementing a CEX - Customer and Employee Experience Strategy with Jason BradshawIn episode 88, host Eric Dickmann interviews Jason Bradshaw. Jason is an entrepreneur, global guru on customer service, award-winning executive, keynote speaker, CMO, and Best-Selling Author of "It’s All About CEX." He created his first business at 14, selling telecommunications and computer equipment in the Australian regional city of Toowoomba. Jason tested and implemented strategies for improving the experience in a variety of sectors, including telecommunications, retail, media, finance, automotive, health, and not-for-profit.A cornerstone of Jason’s career has been an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of customers and employees. During his time in the telecommunications indust...
2021-09-0238 minThe Virtual CMOBuilding a Successful Fully Remote Local Business with Neel ParekhIn episode 87, host Eric Dickmann interviews Neel Parekh. Neel is an entrepreneur and Founder and CEO of MaidThis Franchise. He started his career working in venture capital and private equity identifying and analyzing investment opportunities and managing investment portfolios. His dream was to work for himself and to enjoy freedom from the confines of the 9-to-5 office life. Neel pursued this entrepreneurial spirit and founded MaidThis. MaidThis helps homeowners and short-term rental hosts with their cleanings. As a franchise, it helps owners build their own meaning of “freedom” by empowering them to build their own fully remote, new-a...
2021-08-3035 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Improve Online Lead Generation with Alex OliveiraIn episode 86, host Eric Dickmann interviews Alex Oliveira. Alex is an entrepreneur, marketing innovator, and Host of Dadpreneur Podcast. Throughout his career, Alex has helped generate millions of leads for SMB's and Fortune 500 companies. With his expertise in digital marketing, he also teaches an MBA program at FAU to train Marketing Directors at global corporations. Oliveira’s passion is to help businesses and brands increase leads and sales by building a sustainable marketing strategy that grows revenues for his clients. The Dadpreneur Podcast is all about transforming challenges into opportunities. As host, Alex aims to help businesses di...
2021-08-2642 minThe Virtual CMOUsing AI to Create Content for Social Media with Kate Bradley ChernisIn episode 85, host Eric Dickmann interviews Kate Bradley Chernis. Kate is the Founder & CEO of Lately, the only social media management platform that creates content for you with the power of A.I. As a former marketing agency owner, Kate initially created the idea for Lately out of spreadsheets for then-client, Walmart, and got them a 130% ROI, year-over-year for three years. Prior to founding Lately, Kate served 20 million listeners as Music Director and on-air host at Sirius/XM radio. She’s also an award-winning radio producer, engineer, and voice talent with 25 years of national broadcast communications, brand-building, sa...
2021-08-2344 minThe Virtual CMOBuilding a Fast Growing, High Profit Business with Steve PredaIn episode 84, host Eric Dickmann interviews Steve Preda. Steve is an entrepreneur, speaker, certified EOS implementer, and author of "Buyable: Your Guide to Building a Self-Managing, Fast-Growing, and High-Profit Business." Since the age of ten, Steve (Istvan) Preda dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur, inspired by his great-grandfather, who had built a legendary bakery business in Budapest, Hungary. After working for top consulting firms and banks in London and Budapest, in 2002, he embarked on realizing his dream by starting MB Partners, a consulting firm, helping private companies arrange ownership transitions.Having overcome many painful mistakes, by 2007, MB Partners...
2021-08-1937 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Acquire and Retain New Customers with Tim WuIn episode 83, host Eric Dickmann interviews Tim Wu. Tim is a growth specialist, podcast host, and Head of Growth Marketing of Hatch, a VC-backed FinTech startup based in San Francisco, California. Hatch is an information technology and services company that aims to provide accessible, transparent, and fair checking and lending products to help people start and grow their businesses. Tim also hosts the Hatch Small Business Spotlight podcast. Together with his co-host, Katie, they feature Hatch Cardholders and their trials, tribulations, and successes of starting and scaling their businesses. The podcast also highlights inspiring stories of entrepreneurs...
2021-08-1738 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Build an Effective B2B Content Marketing Strategy with Brad SmithIn episode 82, host Eric Dickmann interviews Brad Smith. Brad is a content marketer and CEO of a SaaS company called Wordable. He runs two successful agencies in the content production and digital PR industry. As a Business Insider featured copywriter, Smith is on a mission to slay awful content one blog at a time. His content has been highlighted by The New York Times, Business Insider, The Next Web, MarTech Today, Marketing Land, Moz, Shopify, Unbounce, HubSpot, Search Engine Journal, Kissmetrics, Crazy Egg, BounceX, and hundreds more.Through his agency work, Brad Smith has helped companies such...
2021-08-0347 minThe Virtual CMOWhy it's Time to Digitize Your Business with Tracy SheenIn episode 81, host Eric Dickmann interviews Tracy Sheen. Tracy is a digital marketer, business strategist, speaker, and author of- The End of Technophobia: A practical guide to digitizing your business. She is also known as "The Digital Guide," who has been working in the marketing and sales space relating to small business technology adaptation for the past 30 years. Tracy is a pioneer in the Australian podcast movement she launched, called the globally successful "Not Another Business Show," and is a regular judge for the Australian Podcast Awards, the Australian Business Book Awards, and The Australian Web Awards.R...
2021-06-2839 minThe Virtual CMOUsing Video to Engage Your Target Audience with Gina PomponiIn episode 80, host Eric Dickmann interviews Gina Pomponi. Gina is an entrepreneur and President and COO of Bluewater Media. Bluewater is one of the leading digital marketing/video production companies in the world. She has spent 30 years in the business pioneering digital marketing and a women’s role at the top of a company. She’s driven well over 11X in media growth and created Bluewater’s Account Management team to provide direct client support. Her leadership has been instrumental in building the web development division, e-commerce marketplace division, and expansion of the analytics team. For show notes...
2021-06-2424 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Activate Your Brand Purpose with Scott Goodson & Chip WalkerIn episode 79, host Eric Dickmann interviews Scott Goodson and Chip Walker. They are both associated with StrawberryFrog, a full-funnel, marketing, advertising, and design company founded in Amsterdam in 1999 and New York in 2005. Their company has put together a new way to overcome the gap between purpose-based storytelling, data-led optimizations, and business transformation. For over 20 years, Scott, Chip, and their team at StrawberryFrog have continued to challenge the status quo and driven remarkable results for iconic clients worldwide, such as Walmart, P&G, Google, Emirates Airline, SunTrust, and Coca-Cola.Scott Goodson is an entrepreneur, business mentor, award-winning author...
2021-06-2135 minThe Virtual CMOUsing Analytics and Business Intelligence to Grow Your Business with Dan McGawIn episode 78, host Eric Dickmann interviews Dan McGaw. Dan is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, speaker, marketing specialist, growth hacker, and Founder and CEO of McGaw.io, an analytics and marketing technology consultancy firm. He has led the teams at Kissmetrics.com and CodeSchool.com, and served as CMO of Effin Amazing, an analytics and marketing consultancy.In 2015, Dan was selected to be a United States Ambassador of Entrepreneurship by the United States State Department, where he had the privilege to advise universities, governments, and private corporations on how to build entrepreneur ecosystems. McGaw authored his latest book...
2021-06-1737 minThe Virtual CMOSelling Online and Building a Successful E-Commerce Business with Joe ScartzIn episode 77, host Eric Dickmann interviews Joe Scartz. Joe is the Chief Digital Commerce Officer of Velocity Commerce Group and TPN+. He is an experienced executive with over 20 years of quantifiable marketing, digital marketing, and ecommerce success. Scartz has worked across industry verticals like retail, travel, CPG, automotive, branded manufacturers, and government to drive innovative and impactful marketing and e-commerce solutions with proven success. Whether in an e-commerce start-up or in a larger agency, Joe has worked well in team settings as an inspirational leader, mentor, and team member.Joe Scartz is an accomplished marketing executive, and...
2021-06-1435 minThe Virtual CMODiversity, Inclusion, and the Importance of Culture in Marketing with Taunya Renson-MartinIn episode 76, host Eric Dickmann interviews Taunya Renson-Martin. Taunya is an entrepreneur, writer, and Founder and Managing Partner of Mach Media. She leads a remarkable team of global professionals who are not only incredibly skillful but also super nice! Advising clients remain as Martin's passion as well, which is why you’ll still find Taunya creating and implementing strategic marketing communications programs to impact business for a variety of international companies. Strategy, creativity, service, and results are the four words that really light Taunya's fire!Taunya Renson-Martin was born and raised in Washington, D.C. She lived in...
2021-06-1031 minThe Virtual CMOPodcasting as a Marketing Channel for Your Business with Graham BrownIn episode 75, host Eric Dickmann interviews Graham Brown. Graham is an entrepreneur, author and storyteller, podcast host, and founder of the award-winning podcast agency- Pikkal & Co. He is a published author on the subject of The Digital Transformation of Communication, works including "The Human Communication Playbook", “The Mobile Youth: Voices of the Connected Generation” – documenting the rise of mobile culture in the early 2000s in Japan, China, Africa and India and “Brand Love – How to Build a Brand Worth Talking About”. Brown also hosts Podcast Maps, The Be More Human Podcast, The XL Podcast, and Asia Tech Podcast. He has publishe...
2021-06-0742 minThe Virtual CMOUsing Immersive Customer Experience to Delight and Sell with Geoff ThatcherIn episode 74, host Eric Dickmann interviews Geoff Thatcher. Geoff is a writer, teacher, author, and Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Creative Principals. He is an experienced creative leader who knows how to take a project from concept to reality. For most of his career, these projects have been about world-class experiences such as the grand opening of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and the American Airlines Museum. Whether it’s the world’s largest video dome on a beach in Dubai or the opening ceremonies of the Rio 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil’s Maracanā Stadium, Geoff’s work tran...
2021-06-0337 minThe Virtual CMOVirtual Events - The New Normal in a Post-Covid World with Joe DavyIn episode 73, host Eric Dickmann interviews Joe Davy. Joe is a serial entrepreneur who founded Banzai to take make the marketing of professional events easier for Chief Marketing Officers and event coordinators around the world. When the pandemic hit, Joe was able to successfully pivot Banzai to success by acquiring a virtual event and webinar platform to build the first truly end-to-end SaaS-based professional events company, Banzai. With clients like Dell, Adobe, Pure Storage, and more, Banzai has become what Grit Daily has called a "marketing automation giant." Joe has created multiple companies during his journey as...
2021-05-3132 minThe Virtual CMOProtecting Your Product Innovations and Intellectual Property with Devin MillerIn episode 72, host Eric Dickmann speaks with Devin Miller, Founder and CEO of Miller IP Law. Devin just loves startups! He established his own first startup while earning his Law & MBA degrees. Since then, Devin has set up several 7/8 figure startups and enjoyed every minute of it. He has a real passion for a new business model--the prospect of a business startup always makes Devin's heart race!Devin is an entrepreneur and a patent and trademark attorney. He obtained several degrees including a Law degree (JD) and a Masters in Business Administration. Miller even has degrees in...
2021-05-2738 minThe Virtual CMOUsing AI to Make Better Decisions on Your Creatives with Anastasia LengIn episode 71, host Eric Dickmann interviews Anastasia Leng. Anastasia is the Founder & CEO of CreativeX, formerly known as Picasso Labs. CreativeX is an automated creative excellence platform that aims to advance creative expression through the clarity of data. Their technology is used globally by Fortune 500 brands like Unilever, Nestle, Heineken, and even Facebook to measure creative efficiency, consistency, and impact across all their image and video content worldwide.Prior to CreativeX, Anastasia co-founded Hatch, one of Time Magazine’s Top 10 Startups to Watch in New York, and one of the four most innovative retail companies. Leng had sp...
2021-05-2442 minThe Virtual CMOThe Power of Tribe-Building, Funnels, and Human Connection with Deirdre TshienIn episode 70, host Eric Dickmann interviews Deirdre Tshien. Deirdre is the founder of Growth Boss, a leading mentorship program for e-commerce business owners wanting to scale to multiple- 6 and 7 figures using the power of tribe-building, funnels, and human connection. She is a serial entrepreneur, having founded and led 5 businesses across 3 industries in the last 7 years, and has navigated the entire spectrum of experiences and emotions (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that come with starting, running, and closing businesses. With Deirdre's hands-on experience in successfully growing her businesses to 7 figures, she now coaches e-commerce business owners on her...
2021-05-2030 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Negotiate with Business Clients with Mike LanderIn episode 69, host Eric Dickmann interviews Mike Lander. Mike has had an eclectic career including engineering, project management, high-value consulting, and entrepreneurship. His start in life was like any kid growing up in a working-class family. His first job was at 16 when he left school and joined an engineering company as an apprentice. The remarkable bit was at the age of 42, Mike raised several million pounds from a UK bank and grew a consultancy to over 120 people.Mike is an accomplished entrepreneur, Chairman, Chartered Director, and seasoned Board Advisor. Mike now specializes in helping suppliers negotiate better...
2021-05-1736 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Use Marketing Automation to Increase Campaign Effectiveness Part 2 with Norman GuadagnoIn episode 68, host Eric Dickmann interviews Norman Guadagno. Norman is currently CMO at Acoustic, where he is helping reimagine marketing technology. Over the past two decades, he has held a number of marketing and strategy roles with a deep focus on business transformation, marketing acceleration, and brand building. Norman was previously SVP of Marketing at Carbonite, helping to successfully transform that company from B2C to B2B. He has also held senior marketing positions at digital marketing agency Wire Stone (now part of Accenture Interactive), Microsoft, and Oracle. With both a B.A. and M.A. i...
2021-05-1341 minThe Virtual CMOUnderstanding Target Audience and Driving User Engagement with Jason ShermanIn episode 67, host Eric Dickmann interviews Jason Sherman. Jason is a successful entrepreneur, award-winning filmmaker, published author, tech startup expert, and journalist. He has been featured by several media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Verge, and ABC News. Jason is fluent in Spanish, is a classically trained violinist, and was a featured speaker on FOX’s Futurist TV Show: Xploration Earth 2050.Jason runs a web and mobile dev shop and film studio from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He gives guest lectures at area universities, and regularly supports hackathons or tech events as a mentor and ju...
2021-05-1035 minThe Virtual CMOUsing Video Marketing to Communicate Your Brand Story with Ben AmosIn part 14 of our Masterclass Series on Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann speaks with Ben Amos, Founder of Engage Video Marketing. Ben has over 15 years of experience in the film and media industry and is also Founder and Creative Director of Innovate Media, a video production and online video strategy agency operating from Queensland, Australia. Ben has also founded Australia’s only purpose-built video blogging studio space, and facility – Vlog Pod®.Ben is passionate about working with clients to develop effective online video strategy within their niche and is driven to help...
2021-04-0840 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Build and Maximize Your Marketing Budget with Melissa ForziatIn Part 13 of our Masterclass Series, Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann talks with Melissa Forziat, Principal at Melissa Forziat Events. Melissa is a Southern California-based marketer, speaker, consultant, and author. She teaches small businesses how to market on a budget and helps them execute their marketing strategies, in addition to working with business organizations to train their trainers. She offers keynotes, presentations, workshops, and webinars, and her national and international speaking schedule has taken her as far as New Zealand! To date, she has delivered over 120 workshops and webinars to thousands of attendees...
2021-04-0539 minThe Virtual CMOList Building Strategy and Mastering Email Communications with Matt RouseIn part 12 of the Masterclass Series on Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann interviews, Matt Rouse. Matt is the host of The Digital Marketing Masters Podcast and one of the founders of Hook SEO. He is the author of "Crush SEO," "Start Saying Yes," "Flattening the Hamster Wheel," and the "Inbox Mastery" email marketing course.For additional resources on this episode and from our other episodes in this Masterclass Series, visit https://fiveechelon.com/masterclassTo learn more about Eric Dickmann and The Five Echelon Group, visit https://fiveechelon.com
2021-04-0135 minThe Virtual CMOBuilding an Impactful PR and Communications Strategy with Tracy RussThis week, in Part 11 of our Masterclass Series on Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann interviews Tracy Russ. Tracy is the Creator and Managing Director of SOLID. He is an experienced strategic communications executive, public relations leader, and public engagement expert. Over his 25-year career, Tracy has demonstrated success in building value and advancing missions for organizations, institutions, campaigns, and movements in the private and public sectors. Together, the core SOLID team works with talented collaborators from a variety of disciplines in communications, design, public relations, civic engagement, and brand development.For...
2021-03-3130 minThe Virtual CMOAdvertising, Content, and SEO for Growing Inbound Marketing with Hamlet AzarianIn part 10 of our Masterclass Series on How to Build a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann interviews Hamlet Azarian. Hamlet is the Founder of The Retail Merchant Group and is a numerical and results-driven executive that blends marketing, technical and operational skill sets. He has delivered long-term scalable growth for both traditional, direct mail, and digital companies from start-up to established organizations.For the past 5 years, he has predominantly focused on working with Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A venture-backed startups as a Senior Growth Adviser. In this role, he has developed playbooks, hired...
2021-03-2530 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Use Social Media Marketing to Amplify Your Reach with Jonathan BaldockIn part 9 of our Masterclass Series on Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann speaks with Jonathan Baldock. Jonathan is an Adviser at SocialHP and a social media marketing expert. With 10 years of experience at LinkedIn, serving customers like Accenture, JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Hershey's, and IBM, he is highly skilled in social sharing best practices. Utilizing earned media as a results-focused evergreen channel, Jonathan is an expert in social media recruitment, sales, and marketing strategies.In this episode, we talk about how companies can amplify their reach on social...
2021-03-2247 minThe Virtual CMOThe Need for Customer Relationship Management and Analytics in Your Business with Ed GarryIn part 8 of the Masterclass Series on How to Build a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann talks with Ed Garry. Ed is an experienced CRM strategist and consultant who specializes in helping financial services firms unlock data, elevate customer experiences and uncover the insights they need to transform. He is a leader within Huron’s Salesforce team and has worked with global Fortune 500 clients and financial services leaders to innovate and enhance the value of their customer relationship management (CRM) software systems.He has assisted his clients in the planning and implementation of in...
2021-03-1838 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Use Marketing Automation to Increase Campaign Effectiveness with Alex DesnoyersIn part 7 of our Masterclass Series on Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann talks with Alex Desnoyers. Alex is a Channel Consultant for HubSpot Solution's Partners. This group is an integral part of the HubSpot ecosystem and they work closely together to strategize and build scalable solutions to help HubSpot's customers grow by taking full advantage of marketing automation technologies. Alex likes to nerd out on data hygiene, automation, and email deliverability, stemming from his past experience working at digital marketing agencies. In this episode, we dive into marketing automation and how...
2021-03-1543 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Expand Your Team with Digital Freelancers and Content Creators with Michael FleischnerIn part 6 of our Masterclass Series, host Eric Dickmann interviews Michael Fleischner. As an entrepreneur, marketer, and author, Michael Fleischner is the Founder of Big Fin SEO, a search engine optimization and digital marketing agency based in Robbinsville, New Jersey. He is also the author of a number of books including "SEO Made Simple," now in its 7th edition, and hosts a weekly podcast titled, “The Digital Freelancers.” of which Eric was a recent guest: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-freelancers/id1485095993?i=1000495420261Michael is a Past-President for the American Marketing Association of New Jerse...
2021-03-1140 minThe Virtual CMODominate the Competition with a Compelling 3-to-5 Word Marketing Message with Greg RosnerIn part 5 of our Masterclass Series on "Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business," host Eric Dickmann interviews Greg Rosner. Greg is the Founder of PitchKitchen.com, a sales enablement agency based in New York whose mission focuses on fixing bad sales messages, virtual presentations, and company home pages that make themselves the hero of the story instead of their customer. PitchKitchen has helped hundreds of SMB organizations upgrade their story which has allowed their salespeople to double their close rate. Greg has taught communication skills at The New School in New York City and has...
2021-03-0932 minThe Virtual CMOBuilding a Brand Story That Resonates with Your Ideal Customer with Michael SolomonIn part 4 of our Masterclass Series on Building a Strategic Marketing Plan, host Eric Dickmann talks with Professor of Marketing and Author, Michael Solomon, about Building a Brand Story That Resonates with Your Ideal Customer.Michael “wrote the book” on understanding consumers. Literally. Hundreds of thousands of business students have learned about Marketing from his books including "Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having and Being" -- the most widely used book on the subject in the world. Michael’s mantra: We don’t buy products because of what they do. We buy them because of what they mean. He adv...
2021-03-0444 minThe Virtual CMOThe Importance of Product Market Fit and Competitive Differentiation with Kevin MakoIn part 3 of our Masterclass Series on "Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business," host Eric Dickmann talks with Kevin Mako, Founder and President of MAKO Design + Invent and host of The Product Startup podcast, about finding product-market fit and competitive differentiation for your products and services.Kevin Mako is the Founder and President of MAKO Design + Invent, the pioneer firm for providing world-class end-to-end physical consumer product development tailored to inventors, product startups, and small manufacturers. Est 1999, Mako Design is a 30-person team with offices in Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto, has developed over 1,000 products f...
2021-03-0141 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Identify Your Target Market and Ideal Customer Profile with Tim FitzpatrickIn part 2 of our Masterclass Series on Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann interviews Tim Fitzpatrick, President of Rialto Marketing, about how to identify your target market and build an ideal customer profile to help focus your strategic marketing activities.Tim is an entrepreneur/business owner with expertise in marketing and business growth. He has 20+ years of entrepreneurial experience with a passion for developing and growing businesses. He started Rialto Marketing in 2013 and has been helping service businesses simplify marketing so they can grow with less stress. Most people overcomplicate marketing. It...
2021-02-1932 minThe Virtual CMO15 Steps to Build an Effective Strategic Marketing ProcessIn part 1 of our Masterclass Series on Building a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Business, host Eric Dickmann discusses the process of creating a plan and the 15 steps required to maximise your campaign effectiveness while reducing spend on activites that don't produce the desired results. Eric Dickmann is the Founder and CMO at The Five Echelon Group, a strategic marketing consulting service that specializes in fractional executive, or Virtual CMO consulting services, for small and midsize companies. In addition to this podcast, he's also the host of the YouTube series Work-Life.Additional information and FREE...
2021-02-1623 minThe Virtual CMOEntrepreneurship and Marketing: Six Principles to Succeed in Business with Jim BrittThis week, Eric Dickmann interviews Jim Britt. Jim is the author of numerous best-selling books and programs. Some of his many titles include Rings of Truth, Do This. Get Rich-For Entrepreneurs, Do This. Get Rich! for Network Marketers, Unleashing Your Authentic Power, The Power of Letting Go, and Cracking the Rich Code. He is an internationally recognized business leader who is highly sought after as a keynote speaker for all audiences.Jim was recently named as one of the world’s top 20 success coaches, the top 50 speakers world-wide, and presented with the “Best of the Best” award out of...
2021-01-2550 minThe Virtual CMOMarketing Costs from the Perspective of the CFO with Jack SweeneyThis week, Eric Dickmann interviews Jack Sweeney. Jack is the host and producer of CFO Thought Leader — a podcast featuring interviews of finance leaders who are driving change within their organizations. He is managing director of Middle-Market Executive, the leader in audio on-demand content for the middle-market C-suite. With a background of more than 20 years in print and online journalism, Jack has written extensively about finance, management consulting, information technology, and public policy. He is the former editor in chief of Business Finance Magazine and the founding editor of Consulting magazine. He served as editor of Integration Ma...
2020-12-3127 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Outrank Your Competition with Creative Content with Liam CarnahanThis week, Eric Dickmann interviews Liam Carnahan. Liam is a content strategist, SEO expert, and writer. He owns Inkwell Content and helps subject matter experts develop search engine optimization driven content strategies to increase organic traffic and drive more leads. He's also the founder of Invisible Ink Editing, a fiction editing company for authors on the road to publication. Liam currently lives on a beautiful lake in Maine and is looking forward to returning to a digital-nomad lifestyle when such things are possible again.Liam's advice for blog writers on LinkedIn: https://inkwellcontent.com/blog/advi...
2020-12-2131 minThe Virtual CMOImproving Your Digital Marketing Strategy and Creating Value With Clients with Jason OsbornThis week, Eric Dickmann interviews Jason Osborn. Jason, is a highly accomplished speaker, coach, and consultant in the fields of digital marketing and mindset. Jason established himself as a life coach, back in 2009 and built his online personal development business and within 18 months was making a full-time income form with clients in 13 countries worldwide. Following this success, he switched gears and became an online marketing consultant and has since become a highly sought after coach and adviser. Headhunted by The Re-Think Academy in 2018, Jason is Head Coach and is steering the company towards becoming the #1 coaching program in the...
2020-12-1735 minThe Virtual CMOBootstrapping Business and Developing Your Entrepreneurial Skills with Bryan ClaytonIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Bryan Clayton. Bryan is the CEO and co-founder of GreenPal, an online marketplace that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. GreenPal has been called the “Uber for lawn care” by Entrepreneur magazine and has over 100,000 active users completing thousands of transactions per day. Before starting GreenPal, Bryan Clayton founded Peachtree Inc., one of the largest landscaping companies in the state of Tennessee growing it to over $10 million a year in annual revenue before it was acquired by Lusa holdings in 2013. Bryan‘s interest and expertise are related to entre...
2020-12-1432 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Optimize Your Sales Pitch and Better Engage Your Audience with Nick CapozziIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Nick Capozzi. Having recruited, developed, and led sales teams across the globe for Fortune 500 companies, Nick Capozzi focuses on client’s sales messaging and framing them uniquely in their space. A believer that how a company presents its offering is often the overlooked piece of the puzzle, he strives to create strategy, engagement, authenticity, and effective calls to action in all of his client’s communication and sales processes. Nick's background helps him to find uniques points that will increase sales of any company, besides knowing what is the key point...
2020-12-1031 minThe Virtual CMOMarketing Automation and the Changing Landscape with Oren GreenbergIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Oren Greenberg. Oren is a growth marketer, On-Demand CMO, and Founder / Chief Growth Officer of the Kurve Consultancy in London. He helps startups and corporate innovation projects scale using digital channels. He has written for leading marketing blogs and has been featured in the international press.In this episode, Oren shares his thoughts on content marketing, growth strategies, and the changing landscape for marketing automation technologies.The MarTech Landscape Report can be found here: https://kurve.co.uk/VirtualCMOPodcastEric Dickmann can be found...
2020-12-0736 minThe Virtual CMOHow Talent Management Can Help Accelerate Growth with Jennifer ThorntonIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Jennifer Thornton. Jennifer has developed her expertise in Talent Strategy & Leadership Professional Development over her exciting 20+ year career as an HR Professional.The rapid growth of her consulting firm, 304 Coaching, has been largely due to Jennifer’s unconventional approach to building innovative workforce development solutions for companies who are facing breakthrough growth and accelerated hiring patterns.She is a sought-after business strategist, specializing in start-ups and large value-based organizations. She assists her clients in building talent strategies that complement their business strategies to ensure exponential growth....
2020-12-0331 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Use Virtual Summits to Engage Your Target Audience with Dr. Mark WadeIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Dr. Mark Wade. From a brick-and-mortar business to an online multi-millionaire, Dr. Mark is an inspiring and entertaining speaker. Coming from the healthcare industry with two Doctorates, he created the American Posture Institute, which became an industry empire built on the strategy he created called the “One-Day Summit Formula.” After his first successful venture, Dr. Mark created the Virtual Summits Software – which is the only software in the world designed to specifically host a virtual summit, making it possible to have a new summit up and running in under 10 minutes. Sho...
2020-11-3036 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Transform Your Team Through Agile Marketing with Andrea FryrearIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Andrea Fryrear. Andrea is the co-founder of AgileSherpas and a leading authority on optimizing customer acquisition and retention processes. She’s the author of two books on organizational agility, and an international speaker and trainer. Her newest book is entitled "Mastering Marketing Agility." In addition to working in the trenches with dozens of the world’s most innovative companies, Andrea has spent years achieving numerous certifications in how to improve all aspects of organizational performance. https://masteringmarketingagility.comEric Dickmann can be found on Twitt...
2020-11-2331 minThe Virtual CMOBuilding a Business Effectively and Helpful Tips to Drive Your Company Forward with Stephen OlmonIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Stephen Olmon. Stephen is on a journey to build 50 companies by 2050. At the age of 30, he's currently about 20% of the way there. He often executes creative deal structures, is not control hungry, and pursues partners for each of his endeavors. His greatest skill is connecting the dots, whether that be people, companies, incentives, or partnerships.Stephen also co-hosts the "Betafy Podcast" to help educate both current and future entrepreneurs and founded Internet Exits to help businesses find buyers.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-betafy-podcast/id1489730001...
2020-11-1931 minThe Virtual CMOThe Impact of Customer Experience Design on Your Business with Stacy ShermanIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Stacy Sherman about Customer Experience (CX) design. Stacy’s journey with CX began in 2013 when, after a reorganization at Verizon, her Digital Marketing role expanded to increase customer satisfaction and brand advocacy. She helped introduce customer and employee feedback in website design, product development, market messaging, and related decisions to enable the brand to exceed customer expectations. As she gained expertise in CX best practices, Stacy fell in love with what she now calls the “Heart and Science of CX,” which is the ability to combine business expertise with a calling...
2020-11-1630 minThe Virtual CMO5 Money-Saving Tips for Startup Marketing on a Budget with Karla SingsonIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Karla Singson. Karla is an entrepreneur and business coach who has built multiple businesses from the ground up since she started her career when she was just 19 years old. Now, in addition to running her multiple businesses, she helps coach other business owners to grow their own businesses with practical advice and strategies to be profitable from day one.Karla's ScaleWind is an umbrella company that offers multiple services including:Virtual Assistants for real estate and property management professionals: https://realestateassistant.comWordPress and technical support services: https://techstack.comLive c...
2020-11-1227 minThe Virtual CMO5 Simple Search Engine Optimization Hacks for Small Businesses with Jeff BakerIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Jeff Baker. Jeff is the CMO of Brafton and a passionate expert on SEO. He helps clients grow their website traffic and create compelling content to rank on Google. Jeff is a featured writer on SEO and has many useful articles on Moz. He is currently a digital nomad and travels the world with other passionate professionals.Jeff is also a podcaster and hosts “Above the Fold”; where he has conversations with top industry leaders.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/above-the-fold-a-content-marketing-podcast/id1413932916Read Jeff's article on M...
2020-11-0950 minThe Virtual CMOEffective Marketing Segmentation Strategies to Improve Your Sales with Rob RistagnoIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Rob Ristagno. Rob is the Founder and CEO of the Sterling Woods Group and focuses his efforts on data analytics and marketing segmentation strategies to spur organic growth. He is passionate about the intersection of data science and sales & marketing leadership.At the Sterling Woods Group, he and the team help clients reliably grow near-term sales by applying data science to build marketing segmentation strategies, identify your best customers, and build a sales plan that drives more revenue. He is also the host of his own podcast CEO...
2020-11-0527 minThe Virtual CMOHow Brand Advocates are Created by Successful Companies Worldwide with Andrew DeutschIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Andrew Deutsch. Andrew is a multilingual global strategic marketing and sales consultant who has successfully driven business growth in more than 100 countries. His company Fangled Technologies is a strategic marketing consultancy with services including Fractional CMO leadership, in-depth research beyond the financials for M&A, in addition to total branding and go-to-market strategy creation. Eric Dickmann can be found on Twitter @EDickmann and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/edickmann and my website https://ericdickmann.com Andrew Deutsch can be fou...
2020-11-0231 minThe Virtual CMOMeetup Groups and Pitching Your Irresistible Message with Patrick M. PowersIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Patrick M. Powers. Patrick has developed a unique way to connect with his customer with emotional marketing, which helps him evolve his process to create the 3 key components that every business should implement to craft a unique and irresistible message. Eric Dickmann can be found on Twitter @EDickmann and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/edickmann and his website https://ericdickmann.com Patrick M. Powers can be found online on Twitter @Patrickmpowers Episode Summary: The episode summary can be fou...
2020-10-2929 minThe Virtual CMOBecome a Rainmaker and Generate Leads from LinkedIn Now with Matt ClarkIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Matt Clark. Matt is the founder of The Virtual Edge and co-creator of The Rainmaker System - an online marketing system that helps entrepreneurs get 2-5 high-value leads per day from LinkedIn without paying for ads.With their flagship program, Matt has helped thousands of businesses in 26 countries grow exponentially. They helped their clients by guiding them to make their profile attractive and give them a process that will adapt to their profiles and make sure that it will be noticeable. They are now on a mission to reach 10k...
2020-10-2633 minThe Virtual CMO3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Company Ranking with Darcy SullivanIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Darcy Sullivan. Darcy's true passion is educating and training small businesses and entrepreneurs on improving their brand’s online presence.She is a public speaker and educator on topics related to marketing, content marketing, SEO, and social media. In this episode, she shares valuable insights on things businesses can do to improve their online rankings. Eric Dickmann can be found on Twitter @EDickmann and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/edickmann and my website https://ericdickmann.com Darcy Sullivan can be f...
2020-10-2231 minThe Virtual CMOCreating a Brand Through Community with Alex SanfilippoTo launch our 3rd season, host Eric Dickmann interviews special guest, Alex Sanfilippo. Alex is an entrepreneur who also works in the aerospace industry. While continuing his corporate work, he got into productivity and business startup coaching which led him to launch the Creating a Brand community and podcast. Most recently, he launched a new online service to help connect podcast hosts and guests called, PodMatch. Alex’s goal is to help others succeed in life and business. https://podmatch.com/signup/virtualcmoThe Creating a Brand podcast is a top 20 entrepreneurship show where he in...
2020-10-1938 minThe Virtual CMOHow to Shift Ahead and Pivot in Business with Allen AdamsonIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Allen Adamson. Allen is a noted industry expert in all disciplines of branding. He has worked with a broad spectrum of consumer and corporate businesses in industries ranging from packaged goods and technology to health care and financial services, to hospitality and entertainment. Allen is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Metaforce (www.metaforce.com), a disruptive marketing and product consultancy which, unlike traditional firms, takes a multi-disciplinary channel-agnostic approach to marketing challenges.How organizations do – or do not - stay relevant is the subject of Allen’s most recen...
2020-10-1335 minThe Virtual CMOUsing Photography Can Improve Your Brand Image with Tanya Goodall SmithIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Tanya Goodall Smith of Workstory Brand Photography. After a decade-long career as a graphic designer and art director, Tanya walked away from it all to pursue her lifelong love of photography.She spent the last 15 years perfecting her digital photography skills and style through workshops, college courses, and hours of experience. Now she’s back to her creative agency roots, offering an alternative to generic stock photography. Tanya’s experience is broad and her ability to create imagery appropriate for any brand is considered her strong point.In this...
2020-10-0827 minThe Virtual CMODigital Marketing vs Traditional Marketing with Jeff RevillaIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Jeff Revilla. Jeff has more than 20 years of experience as a digital marketer. For the last 10 years, he has been the digital marketing director for a large auto group in western PA which has been recognized by Reputation.com as a Top 100 dealer.Implementing his strategies in marketing; he has been ranked Ranked #1 and #2 in the US by an independent audit for Acura and Honda Dealers based on Social, Rep, and SEO.Jeff also runs a trivia podcast called "Stuff I Never Knew" that hosts people f...
2020-10-0533 minThe Virtual CMOGrowing Your Business with a Local Marketing Agency with Randy RohdeThis week host Eric Dickmann interviews Randy Rohde. Randy started working in retail operations right out of grad school – running large box retail stores. He moved on to start several more companies and during that time, discovered the power of digital marketing and the impact it can have on scaling growth and revenue.Randy turned that passion into another new company and now runs a digital marketing agency focused on the growth of other small businesses called 38 Digital Market.In addition, he hosts a podcast called “Running the Bases with Small Businesses“ where he talks with b...
2020-09-2234 minThe Virtual CMOAgencies and the Importance of Digital Marketing with JC HiteThis week, host Eric Dickmann interviews JC Hite. JC is the CEO and founder of Hite Digital, a white label digital marketing agency. He has started several successful business ventures including a language learning app. Now, he’s scaled his agency from 1 to 50 employees in just 2 years and counting.As CEO of Hite Digital, JC believes his job is to focus on people and culture. His first priority in life is family; both at home and at work. He tries to foster a culture of support, growth, and care with a focus on hiring and developing people wh...
2020-09-1532 minThe Virtual CMOWhy the Law Matters to Marketers with Hatti SuvariThis week, host Eric Dickmann interviews Hatti Suvari. Hatti is a non-lawyer who is registered and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in the UK. Hatti helps her audience to get access to clear & free information on legal matters. She created the “Get Legally Speaking” podcast to provide explanations so people can make an informed decision and truly understand the law.The podcast is listened to in over 80 countries and 660 cities and is in the top 2% of podcasts in the UK with the USA being the second biggest audience. Eric Dickmann can...
2020-09-1134 minThe Virtual CMOBuilding a PR Strategy for Your Business with Skye FergusonThis week, host Eric Dickmann interviews Skye Ferguson. Skye has 10 years' experience in PR & communications, working internationally with big brands like banks, airlines, and consultancies, and also in-house for a national UK charity. In this episode, Skye shares strategies for getting PR coverage from mainstream journalists and news outlets. By building relationships, knowing the audience, and creating newsworthy content, she shares how businesses can benefit from the exposure and reach of publications and their audiences. Eric Dickmann can be found on Twitter @EDickmann and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/edickmann and my...
2020-09-0835 minThe Virtual CMOUsing AI to Simplify Online Marketing with Sasha SchriberThis week, host Eric Dickmann interviews Sasha Schriber. Sasha is the CEO of Nanos AI, a machine learning company based in Switzerland. Nanos is a do-it-yourself, pay-as-you-go online marketing platform for non-expert users. With Nanos, anyone without marketing or design knowledge can place paid advertisements (images, videos, and texts) on Google, Facebook, and Instagram, starting from as little as $5, in less than 10 minutes. In this episode, learn how Sasha started the company, managed her own company's marketing, and built a powerful new marketing automation tool to help other marketers be successful with their digital advertising campaigns.
2020-09-0231 minThe Virtual CMOMaking Music by Building the Job You Want with Alan CurrensIn this bonus episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Alan Currens. Alan, is a former Paramount Pictures recording artist, touring rocker, and children's television show producer. In 2013, he set his sites on getting "set for life" by designing his ultimate dream job. He has since grown a single private event band in Denver (called Mannequin) into a globally booked, highly sought after act. Now, six years later, Mannequin Productions boasts three top-tier private event bands, the Denver Music Institute, and a live music production company!Eric Dickmann can be found on Twitter @EDickmann and L...
2020-08-2845 minThe Virtual CMOConversations That Lead to Conversions with Paul AceIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Paul Ace. Paul is the founder of Amplify C-COM , an AI-based messenger bot system that turns leads into conversations using an 80% human-like experience and a 20% human experience, so you can close more sales and reduce customer support time.He created a specific solution for each customer, he worked with John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneurs On Fire and 8 figure trail-blazer Pete Vargas.Paul shares how to use AI & chatbots in conversation to create a human experience with specific steps to gather information and present solutions in a dynamic way...
2020-08-2537 minThe Virtual CMOMarketing on Tik Tok - It's More Than Twerking with Matt StaitIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Matt Stait. Matt went from a scrawny kid with asthma to a world champion martial artist, best-selling author, business owner, speaker, coach, and Tik Tok specialist.He has a following of 225,000 on TikTok with weekly views of around 1.5 million and sustained average growth of 1,000 per day. All with zero spent on advertising and no twerking! He now teaches others how to use the platform and build their own audiences.Matt is also the author of 4 books including his latest, "Online Martial Arts. Evolution or Extinction?"modernsamurai...
2020-08-1829 minThe Virtual CMOExponential Growth Through Digital Marketing with Creighton WongIn this bonus episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Creighton Wong. Creighton is the Founder of Exponential Clients, a digital marketing firm built on the belief that massively growing a business always starts with deep research and gathering the very best data. He is a curious world traveler, an adventurous foodie, and a global nomad who met his beautiful wife while working in Da Nang, Vietnam. Creighton is a former competitive Para-Triathlete who, while missing a right leg and several digits on his hands, has finished the New York City Triathlon (twice); Escape From Alcatraz; and Ir...
2020-08-1437 minThe Virtual CMOBuilding Your Business Step-By-Step with Paul SamakowIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Paul Samakow. Paul, an attorney in Virginia and Maryland, never worked in a law firm. Rather he started his own practice 40 years ago and built it into a multi-million dollar business with seven offices around the region.Paul describes himself as a marketing junkie and claims to have devoured virtually every book on sales, marketing, and the psychology of persuasion. He now has hundreds of business clients and teaches them simple steps to grow their business with the goal of increasing revenue while working considerably less. He is t...
2020-08-1137 minThe Virtual CMOHow a Full-Service Agency Can Benefit Your Business with Kim BratanataIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Kim Bratanata, Director for the US at Mach Media, a full-service marketing and communications agency with offices in Europe and the United States. Kim has become a world citizen, she has a BA and MA in Chinese Studies, as well as an MA in European Politics. She spends a lot of time traveling and working with people from different countries. She is Belgian-American living in Orlando, Florida.In her current role, she helps customers from Europe and the United States, build and develop marketing communication strategies to help b...
2020-08-0331 minThe Virtual CMOOptimizing Conversions Through Experimentation with AJ DavisIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews AJ Davis. AJ is an industry expert in user experience strategy with a proven track record for delivering measurable value to clients. She's led optimization strategy for fortune 500 companies during her tenure at Clearhead, including CVS, Steve Madden, and Lululemon. She's now the Founder and CEO of The Experiment Zone, which provides conversion strategy and testing for online businesses. https://experimentzone.comWe discuss the importance of optimizing website conversions, how little changes can make a big difference, the importance of testing changes, and how metrics are important...
2020-07-2829 minThe Virtual CMODesigning Your Brand Strategy with Russell PearsonIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews brand strategist, Russell Pearson. Whether stalking the big stage, directing the boardroom or rocking a comedy club, Russell brings passion, humor, and insight to every presentation for 25 years, Russell has helped thousands of business people evolve and grow their businesses. In highly competitive industries, his mission to fight apathy in the workplace and to reignite the spark in the hearts of business founders around the world. Russell is the founder of the Crimson Fox Creative Studios, the host of the Marketing Report podcast and the national president of the Professional...
2020-07-2137 minThe Virtual CMOSituational Ethics and the Impact on Marketing with Rick JordanIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Rick Jordan. Rick is the CEO and Founder of ReachOut Technology and has become a nationally recognized voice on cybersecurity, business, and ethics. 12 years ago, Rick was laid off, broke, and in foreclosure with newborn twins. During the middle of the recession, Rick founded a multimillion-dollar company and personally has a burning passion to help other companies see a meaningful transformation in their business lives and relationships.Rick is a featured speaker, a national guest expert, host of the podcast All In with Rick Jordan, and a bestselling author of...
2020-07-1437 minThe Virtual CMOMarketing Gold - Growth Hacking on a Limited Budget with Tarusha MittalIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Tarusha Mittal. Tarusha is the Co-Founder and COO of OroPocket, a new, 100% asset-backed banking platform based on blockchain. She is also the host of a podcast called Living on Blockchain. We discuss the complexities of launching a new international business, dealing with regulatory hurdles, and attracting new users to a banking platform. As a small company, OroPocket is driving new users to its platform through awareness campaigns, influencer marketing, gamification, and social media in order to keep marketing expenses to a minimum.This is a fascinating conversation about...
2020-07-0731 minThe Virtual CMOThe Power of Absolute Marketing with Elizabeth PampaloneIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Elizabeth Pampalone. Elizabeth is the Founder of Beyond The Cause, a marketing agency in Jacksonville, Florida that specializes in helping small businesses and nonprofits build out their marketing strategies. She is also the host of the Absolute Marketing podcast where she discusses new marketing tips each week. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/absolute-marketing-podcast/id1499535026Elizabeth has developed a powerful framework for guiding businesses through the process of building out a comprehensive strategy called Absolute Marketing. We discuss how she uses workshops and coaching to help businesses with...
2020-06-3030 minThe Virtual CMODigital Marketing and Helping Clients Succeed with Brandon SeayIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Brandon Seay. Brandon is the CEO of Sharpen Clicks, a digital marketing agency in Tennessee that specializes in SEO and SEM. We discuss the importance of digital marketing for businesses, how companies can implement chatbots on their Facebook Business Pages, how using video can help amplify your brand message, and finally, we discuss the significance of current events and the Juneteenth remembrance.Brandon is also the host of his own podcast, The Brand On Zone.Eric Dickmann can be found on Twitter @EDickmann and...
2020-06-2531 minThe Virtual CMOFrom Advertising Agency to Entrepreneur with Lynn PowerIn this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Lynn Power. Lynn is a longtime ad agency executive with a love for beauty. She's been fortunate to work on many iconic brands, including Gillette Venus, Clinique, L'Oreal, and Nexxus. She loves building teams, reinventing cultures, and disruption. And now she's disrupting the haircare industry with MASAMI, clean premium haircare with a Japanese ocean botanical that's all about hydration.We discuss how the advertising agency business has changed as big consulting firms have taken over what was once the exclusive domain of agencies. Lynn also shares her experience in moving f...
2020-06-1928 minThe Virtual CMOMarketing Strategies for Creatives with Russell NoheltyIn this episode of The Virtual CMO podcast, host Eric Dickmann interviews Russell Nohelty. Russell is a USA Today bestselling author, speaker, and six-figure creative entrepreneur. He’s raised over $170,000 on Kickstarter, built a mailing list of over 20,000 people, and exhibited at more than 150 events since 2016. Now, he teaches creatives how to lead a complete and successful life through his teaching academy and podcast The Complete Creative, www.thecompletecreative.com. We discuss marketing strategies for creatives, lifetime customer value, multiple streams of income, creative writing, books, comics, and more! Learn how Russell took his creative talents and bu...
2020-06-1732 minThe Virtual CMOMarketing Strategy | An Interview from The Biz Reveal with Craig SawyerIn this episode of The Virtual CMO podcast, Craig Saywer, host of The Biz Reveal, interviews Eric Dickmann about marketing strategies for small businesses and entrepreneurs. We discuss the importance of product-market fit, consistency in marketing, understanding your target market, and situational awareness in your messaging.The full episode is available on YouTube as well at: https://youtu.be/gjAXhxpTrEUFor a full transcript of this podcast go to: https://fiveechelon.com/marketing-strategy-the-biz-reveal-s1e9/Be sure to check out The Biz Review Podcast at https://thebizreveal.comCraig Sawyer...
2020-06-1035 minThe Virtual CMOThe Importance of Marketing for Physicians with Greg SanchezIn this episode of The Virtual CMO podcast, your host Eric Dickmann speaks with Greg Sanchez about the importance of marketing for physicians. As costs have risen and reimbursement from insurance companies becomes more challenging, physicians have been forced to look for new ways of making money. Since many of these new services are cosmetic in nature, they have looked to adopt new marketing strategies to drive awareness of their offerings, manage customer reviews, and find partnerships to help drive traffic.Greg Sanchez has been working with physicians for the past 8 years at both small and large...
2020-06-0732 minThe Virtual CMOQ&A - Marketing Plans as the Economy ReopensIn this episode of The Virtual CMO podcast, your host Eric Dickmann answers questions from listeners about adapting marketing plans as the economy starts to reopen after the COVID-19 shutdown. "My company wants to hold back on marketing spend until the economy is stronger. What should I do?""I'm the only one left on my team after the others were laid off. How can I manage everything myself?"Our company needs revenue and my boss wants us to aggressively market but I'm not sure it will work in this environment. Any recommendations?""We used to do a lot o...
2020-05-1827 minThe Virtual CMOMarketing Challenges as the Economy Prepares to OpenIn this episode of The Virtual CMO podcast, your host Eric Dickmann discusses a recent research report by LemonLight Media on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the marketing efforts of businesses across industries. We will discuss the impacts to:Budget spend and when to start spending againMarketing plans and content already producedAreas of future investmentAudience engagementManaging remote teamsOther impacts, negative and positiveKeep up-to-date with the latest blog articles at https://fiveechelon.com/blogFor more information about Virtual CMO's, visit The Five Echelon Group at https://fiveechelon.comFor...
2020-04-2823 minThe Virtual CMOCrisis Marketing: How to Rework Plans for a RecoveryThe sky is falling! Watching the news every day makes it seem that way. There is no shortage of bad news for us individually, for our businesses, and the economy. The pandemic of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented government and business leaders with an unprecedented challenge of saving lives and the economy at the same time. It's not an easy task, and history will judge how successful they were, but for small and midsize companies, the realities of these changes are significant. For many, it pushes their viability to the brink, and every day becomes a fight for...
2020-04-0628 minThe Virtual CMOMarketing Mistakes Part 2 - Social Media StrategyOn this "Marketing Monday" episode of The Virtual CMO podcast, join host Eric Dickmann as we launch the second of our eight-part series on common Marketing Mistakes for small and midsize businesses. In this episode, we discuss common mistakes with social media marketing. With so many users on social media platforms, businesses have an incredible opportunity to increase brand awareness and engagement if they can avoid these common mistakes:Not setting goals that address your biggest challengesNot researching your audienceNot establishing metricsNot researching the competitionNot creating engaging, platform-specific contentNot making timely engagement a priorityNot taking the...
2020-03-1112 minThe Virtual CMOMarketing Mistakes Part 1 - Not Having a Brand StoryOn this "Marketing Monday" episode of The Virtual CMO podcast, join host Eric Dickmann as we launch the first of our eight-part series on common Marketing Mistakes for small and midsize businesses. In this episode, we discuss the importance of creating a brand story to build connections. Two coffee shops are used as examples to show the power of compelling brand stories and how it can create a compelling atmosphere that more naturally leads into a sales cycle rather than aggressively pushing a promotion or sale.Why is having a brand story important for your business...
2020-03-0217 minThe Virtual CMOGhosting in Business, A New EpidemicIn this episode of The Virtual CMO podcast, your host Eric Dickmann discusses ghosting in business. While the news is filled with stories about the Coronavirus epidemic, Eric argues there's another epidemic infecting our professional lives, the unhealthy habit of ghosting in business.The customer who goes missingRFP's falling into the voidBosses scared of conflictChronic ghosting in recruiting and HRSalespeople as frequent offendersWhy are people ghosting?Your personal brand is at riskFor more information about Virtual CMO's, visit The Five Echelon Group at https://fiveechelon.comFor a transcript of today's...
2020-02-2012 minThe Virtual CMOThe Virtual CMO: The BeginningThis is the launch of The Virtual CMO podcast with your host, Eric Dickmann, Founder of The Five Echelon Group, a marketing strategy consulting firm focused on small and midsized businesses. In this episode, we discuss the concept behind a Virtual CMO and how it can impact your business. Topics will include:Interviews with marketing leaders in small and midsize businessesMarketing technology reviews and vendor interviewsBest of...marketing examples that are having a real impact todayIn this episode, we also cover:Why The Virtual CMO podcast?The problem of "low hanging fruit"The n...
2020-02-1114 minThe Virtual CMOThe Virtual CMO Podcast with Eric DickmannMarketing professionals have a tough job…they have to develop brand awareness and increase product demand to support their company’s growth. The problem is that marketing is challenging in the best of times and even harder in environments with budget cuts and limited staffing. Developing comprehensive marketing plans that encompass website design, search engine optimization, social media, advertising, content, video, events, and more can be a daunting task! How can small teams manage the complexity and still maximize their effectiveness? What are the best strategies, tactics, and tools that can increase the effectiveness of a mark...
2020-02-0101 min