Interim Management Executive: Sheri Osborn
Filed under: Interim management, interim marketing executive
My background has been many years working for blue ribbon technology companies- hardware, software, internet technologies. The value I bring to organizations is helping the company see new markets that they haven’t seen before and reach new customers that they haven’t been able to reach before, using research methods, data analysis and market analysis. Also, finding the drivers in a market, I’m able to help them find opportunities that they may not have uncovered before and rally the teams to help the teams really reach these new opportunities.
Sheri Osborn is an interim management executive at OneAccord and a recognized leader in bringing emerging products and services to market and reviving waning products. Most recently she is focused on leading the industry in pushing Social Media and Web 2.0 technology to its limit delivering strategically impactful web experiences for organizations. These web experiences not only increase revenues and market position for enterprises but also transfer the brand value to end users and provide user perspective to the organization.
Educating for a High-Involvement Sale
by Paul Travis, Interim Management Executive
The challenge kept coming up in internal discussion: Our interim management value proposition is powerful but not self-evident, so how do we communicate the bigger story? Reflecting on my branding study with an anthropology professor at the Harvard Business School, I saw the opportunity to use a book rather than another brochure or white paper.
[What does one think of the contents of the bag one leaves a trade show with? Propaganda. In contrast, what do we think a library is filled with? Information.]
So a few of the principals at OneAccord LLC collaborated on a book aimed at Presidents, COO’s, CEO’s, and outside Directors of emerging and mid-market companies. Our nationwide firm positions itself as a ‘Catalyst for Revenue Growth’ providing interim executive talent in the sales and marketing realm.
Our goals with the book were to:
1.Communicate the OneAccord value proposition and return-on-investment
2.Highlight both successes and failures (more learning happens with the latter)
3.Demonstrate credibility and instill confidence in the reader
4.Be readable on a plane ride, i.e. not 392 pages
5.Drive interest in our services without being a blatant advertisement
6.Serve a bigger universe than just ourselves.While most of these points are straightforward, the latter deserves elaboration. We’re championing a new way of engaging seasoned expertise, rather than promoting ourselves as ‘the answer’. We may learn that other interim management practitioners start promoting L.O.D. as well (if anything, we’ve been too subtle about the book being ‘from OneAccord’).
Note that revenue is not mentioned as a goal. While we wanted to cover ongoing costs of selling the book, operating the corresponding website, etc., we knew that first-time authors rarely made enough to ‘pay’ for the hundreds and hundreds of hours that go into the creative process.
By all predetermined measures, the endeavor has been a success for myself, my co-authors, and OneAccord. In addition to hearing from longtime friends (professionals in their own right) saying ‘I finally understand what it is you do’, I’ve turned prospective clients into paying clients by letting them consume the philosophy themselves.
In the months since Leadership on Demand was published, principals with OneAccord have held multiple speaking engagements with professional associations or complementary firms, where the book has been sold in the back of the room or the wholesale price was included in the event cost. This is a win/win/win, being unique for most associations and attendees (and, of course, reinforcing our uniqueness in the marketplace).
Our referral sources who read the book are far more knowledgeable about recognizing a potential introduction, where one might have ‘slipped away’ beforehand. And because many people define ‘marketing’ very differently, the case studies in Leadership on Demand help referral sources to see how our practice focus differs from, say, a graphic design firm or a market research firm.
It’s working.
After mailing the book to the managing partner of Accenture in a Midwest market recently, one of our partners in the region received an appreciative reply with a meeting request to talk about a specific situation!
Paul Travis is an interim management executive with OneAccord and helps companies create a screaming value proposition and accelerate sales. He can be reached at paul.travis@oneaccordpartners.com. He also blogs at Marketing 2020.
The book, Leadership on Demand is available at http://leadership-on-demand.com/.
Common Objections to Interim Management
Filed under: Brand Leadership, Interim management, Revenue Growth
Interim Management Question: What are common objections from clients to Interim Management and how do you overcome these objections?
Objection: I have to hire someone after you leave which means we’ll be starting over from scratch.
Response: OneAccord provides a ‘front-end’ Revenue Review that is completed by 2 or 3 CEO-pedigreed Principals with proven revenue growth history. This work, coupled with their subsequent Rapid Revenue Plan will ensure the initiatives they implement produce results. And, OneAccord will not ‘leave’ an engagement until the transition to new, capable leadership is complete.
Scott Philips
Interim Management Executive, OneAccord
scott.philips@oneaccordpartners.com
(503) 913-2705
Objection: AS CEO I’m concerned about the impact of OA on our culture…
Response: OneAccord is there to deliver impact on transforming the revenue culture of a company for a finite period… typically 6 to 9 months. It’s important for the CEO and his management team to acknowledge that CHANGE is needed and to commit w OA leadership to defined roles to affect the necessary change.
Cultural change is always challenging. BUT the breakthrough is realizing there’s opportunity and seeing results.
The purpose of OneAccord’s principals is to help a company’s organization get through the change cycle of their business and transition the benefits of our experience, talent and skills to the company’s stakeholders. Our seasoning has brought us much hard earned wisdom in evaluating difficult changes and the effect on people’s lives in and out of the business. We strive to bring that perspective to the relationships and work we create with our client companies.
Peter Klinge
Interim Management Executive, OneAccord
peter.klinge@oneaccordpartners.com
801.755.6820
Objection: We could never have an interim overseeing our overall game plan, because they’d leave with our entire customer list!
Response: As mentioned in Leadership on Demand (www.Leadership-On-Demand.com) which I co-authored with Charles Besondy, interims are professionals, just like your accountant and your lawyer. Just as you’d not expect them to keep your confidence among competitors, good interims provide that same discretion. An interim CMO or CRO is working at the strategy and process level, not on any particular account. In fact, you incur greater risk any time you face disgruntled/outgoing account executives who not only take their (electronic) black book but also muddy the water with their comments to the rest of the staff!
Paul Travis
Interim Management Executive, OneAccord
Paul.Travis@oneaccordpartners.com
www.60-Second-Marketing.com
Tel: 206.910.2222 | Skype: PaulTravis
Objection: It costs too much.
Response: It’s true – our work this is not inexpensive. But because our work is interim meaning short–term and the fact that we are focused on lasting trans-formation at the top and bottom lines, the returns we provide through our mutual effort during and after the engagement far out way the investment over time.
The advantage to you is a low risk controlled change that registers as sustained profits in a number of levels;
1. Leadership excellence
2. Process improvement
3. Sustained growth
4. Revenue acceleration & profits
The real advantage is the long-term growth and profit your company will gain due to our short-term engagement.
Objection: We’ve tried consultants before.
Response: Our real difference is we not only assess and develop a plan, but come align side, roll up our sleeves and work with you until sustainable change is owned by the leadership and employees across the company.
The advantage of this for you is; we are able to walk away and you receive the full benefit of lasting change.
Because the organization is 100% involved with the change process (top down) it (the company) now has the ability, through modeling, to produce ongoing needed change while continuing to grow and drive profit
Objection: Our company is different.
Response: We draw on our 40 plus stable of tenured leadership and C-level principals. Our first goal is to match your culture and needs to those of our OneAccord principals. This ensures the very best experience, needed tools and cultural fit for your engagement.
The advantage to this means we mesh quickly to your culture and business needs which allows us to move to solutions much quicker.
The real benefit of this is of course savings of time and money – at the very front end – which is exactly why we make sure the culture, experience and engagement fit is spot on.
Objection: I don’t have the leadership in place to support this.
Response: We believe people are your most valuable resource. We are always surprised at the talent we find inside the individuals on staff. One of our best values is to help you identify and grow.
Allowing the right people to rise as leaders sends a clear message through the organization – new energy is released, new ideas are born and leadership transformation begins.
To have a united, focused and energized leadership team takes the pressure off you! You in many ways will be freed to do strategic, visionary and key guidance activities.
Objection: These kind of initiatives never last.
Response: Our overall transformation goal (or specific project goal) is to build and install processes which have identified owners who carry authority, responsibility and show the desire to maintain and even improve the processes over time.
Top-down / bottom-up Ownership is key to the success of all of our engagements. The advantage of sustained change is that you can now shift your attention as a key leader to future growth and profits and rely on “employee ownership” to sustain your processes.
Letting go of the daily tactical challenges fees you to tap and release the leadership value which is called for from your position.
Lasting change is about buying-in from top to bottom. Our processes provides buy-in from leaders to teams and individuals. – There is nothing more powerful than a volunteer army! Can you imagine the success we’d have if this was true in your company today?
Eric Fry
Interim Management Executive, OneAccord
eric.fry@oneaccordpartners.com
Interim Management Executive: Jeff Bradley
Filed under: Interim management, interim marketing executive
My focus is helping big market and emerging companies really transform their trajectory and helping accelerate revenues and really focus hard on strategy, structure, process and culture. How do we develop and align those components and most importantly how do we help unlock the unique gifts and talents of individuals and teams? My particular area of emphasis involves manufacturing technology companies with a focus on changing the revenue trajectory, helping align strategy, structure, process and culture.
Jeff Bradley is an experienced senior business executive with 25 years in the technology and manufacturing industries. He has developed high-performing teams across sales, marketing, new product development, strategic planning, and business development at companies like Eastman Kodak, MCI, US West, Josten’s Learning, Xerox and IBM.
Jeff Bradley
Interim Management Executive, OneAccord
seattle@oneaccordpartners.com
Interim Management Executive: Eric Fry
Filed under: Interim management, Revenue Growth, Social Media, interim marketing executive
I specialize in organizational transformation and cultural empowerment. I do that specifically through identifying and closing performance gaps in the area of planning, structure, people, and processes. Ultimately what that does is it increases productivity, profits, and increases overall value of the company.
Eric Fry
Interim Management Executive, OneAccord
seattle@oneaccordpartners.com
Interim Manager: Dan Garrison
I focus on solving complex sales and marketing problems as they are associated with sales and marketing program development, product strategies and channel partner development strategies. My experience has been broadly in business to business and in business to consumer scenarios both in direct selling and in channel sales. My skills in the marketplace are focused primary in two vertical areas: manufacturing and financial services. I’m comfortable serving as an interim VP of sales and marketing or in standing by the leadership of your company and helping develop the sales programs that will deliver growth and top line revenue.
Dan Garrison is a 20 year veteran of sales and marketing with a successful track record of growing profits in the manufacturing, real estate development, finance and consulting industries.
Dan Garrison
Interim Management Executive, OneAccord
saltlake@oneaccordpartners.com
Interim Management Executive: Dave Parker
My area of focus is mostly in emerging markets and early stage deals where we’re helping to structure deals for funding or we’re helping structure deals for exit. With 13 years of experience in Japan and the last 4-5 years in China, helping companies with the emerging markets opportunity globally is an area of expertise.
I think for referral partners, the best value proposition that we can bring is to really compress the time frame of delivering on results that’s only available through a combination of people who have great strategic experience and can actually roll up their sleeves and get stuff done on an execution level. That combination of strategic understanding, experience, and tactical delivery, I think is the thing that differentiates us from any other group in the traditional consulting model.
Interim Management Executive: Casey Leaman
Filed under: Consumer Behavior, Interim management, Revenue Growth, marketing video
I help companies define and execute their sales strategy and structure and implement a sustainable sales execution framework. I have extensive experience in high tech and international expansion. As a OneAccord partner I can fill a position as the Interim VP of sales or business development for a company with $5-100 million in sales or I can come along side the leadership on a project basis to develop a sales strategy international expansion plan.
The power of OneAccord is the depth and breadth of our sales and marketing expertise as a team combined with our collaborative culture. What this ensures for the client is that the OneAccord resource working with them will be the best fit to drive their revenue growth.
Casey Leaman
Interim Management Executive, OneAccord
casey.leaman@oneaccordpartners.com
512.772.1806
When to Hire Interim Management
Filed under: Interim management, Revenue Growth, interim marketing executive
There are specific situations that arise in organizations in which hiring interim management is most valuable to the organization. The book Leadership on Demand by Chuck Besondy and Paul Travis describes 7 scenarios when an interim manager can make a significant impact on the bottom line.
1. Significant revenue or marketing event is in jeopardy
A significant revenue event could include an upcoming valuation, fiscal year-end, or a pending merger. Bringing in an experienced interim executive can give the organization a “shot in the arm” to help meet revenue goals when they carry additional significance.
2. Totally new strategies or programs must be implemented or tested
According to David Altounian, CEO of iTaggit.com, “I’ve learned that interim leaders in marketing are particulary useful when we’re implementing a type of marketing strategy or tactic that is completely new to us”. When an organization is implementing a new marketing or sales strategy but lack expertise, hiring an interim manager with specific experience in this area can help successful implementation of the new strategy.
3. A gap exists in a key position
When a sales or marketing executive leaves your company, an interim executive can fill the position and maintain momentum until a permanent replacement is found. Since there can be great opportunity cost to leaving the position vacant for months, hiring an interim executive can be an ideal solution to fill the gap.
4. A specific skill set is needed, but not permanently
If you recognize that your organization needs a particular skill set, but the skill does not exist within the organization, an interim manager can be a great source for that skill.
5. Additional bandwidth needed, but not permanently
If your company faces a temporary need for additional bandwidth at the executive level, such as during a product launch or formulation of a new strategy, tapping an interim executive can be a successful method for temporarily increasing bandwidth.
6. Objectivity in a leadership position would be beneficial, especially during strategic planning
An objective and outside perspective can help an organization make decisions that are less affected by internal pressures, politics, and myopic thinking.
7. Hands-on coaching and training is required to elevate skill and process knowledge of existing staff
Bringing in an experienced interim executive can provide existing staff with beneficial executive coaching and training. Interim executives often have 20+ years of experience, and they can transfer their knowledge and advice to current executives.
Photo by barunpatro
Areas of Expertise of Interim Managers at OneAccord
What are is your areas of expertise in sales and marketing as an interim manager?
My expertise is in sales and the business development side of the house. My gifts center around recognizing, pursuing, and closing revenue opportunities, and determining where revenue is sticking and unsticking that and assessing and building world class sales and business development teams. I help launch new products, I help launch new markets, and I help build declining or collapsed revenue growth into profitable growth for companies.
-Jonathan Gilliam, Interim Management Executive
jonathan.gilliam@oneaccordcorp.com
My practice specializes in generating revenue growth by improving the performance of the marketing function within B2B companies. This outcome is delivered by transforming how marketing contributes to company goals, aligning marketing and sales to the buyers’ journey, and creating a culture of accountability and clear, unfiltered communication.
-Chuck Besondy, Interim Management Executive
chuck.besondy@oneaccordpartners.com
The thing that I do is I help business leaders create screaming value propositions, compelling and differentiated for each of my clients customer segments. An example or illustration of this is a few years ago with a technology company where I drove a 1000% increase in revenues and eventually a 77 million dollar acquisition, all within one year. This came from a comprehensive series of initiatives from packaging, to pricing, to communications strategy, all the kind of things that come from 25 years work in technology, food and beverage, and manufacturing.
-Paul Travis, Interim Management Executive
paul.travis@oneaccordpartners.com
I help companies define and execute their sales strategy and structure and implement a sustainable sales execution framework. I have extensive experience in high tech and international expansion. As a OneAccord partner I can fill a position as the Interim VP of sales or business development for a company with $5-100 million in sales or I can come along side the leadership on a project basis to develop a sales strategy international expansion plan.
-Casey Leaman, Interim Management Executive
casey.leaman@oneaccordpartners.com
Although my marketing track record has both breath and depth, my primary focus has been on developing products and brands effectively and profitably. Most of my direct experience has been in the retail and restaurant area where I believe in creating, as a team, the total customer experience.
-Jim Fisher, Interim Management Executive
boston@oneaccordpartners.com
I focus on solving complex sales and marketing problems as they are associated with sales and marketing program development, product strategies and channel partner development strategies. My experience has been broadly in business to business and in business to consumer scenarios both in direct selling and in channel sales. My skills in the marketplace are focused primary in two vertical areas: manufacturing and financial services. I’m comfortable serving as an interim VP of sales and marketing or in standing by the leadership of your company and helping develop the sales programs that will deliver growth and top line revenue.
-Dan Garrison, Interim Management Executive
saltlake@oneaccordpartners.com
