Jumpstart Your Businesses Growth. Stop Wasting Time.
Don't stay your industry's best-kept secret. As your fractional CMO and outsourced marketing team, we tailor every strategy to your business, and bring the right leads directly to your doorstep. Spend more time on your core business. Leave the marketing to us.
Facing Any of These 5 Challenges?
Challenge 1
My Sales Team Just Need More Leads
"When we get the opportunity to talk to the right buyer, we always win. That's the good news. The bad news is that we just aren't getting in front of enough qualified buyers. We need more leads, and they can't be junk leads."
That sounds like meWe've got a real problem with lead quality. I don't want 50 contacts for the same company. What we need are direct lines to the decision-makers. So what problems do we solve that resonate with them? And how do we not just message this, but get the message in front of them?
I've got a couple of seasoned sales people who can source their own leads from the book of business they've built. But our newer reps, they're just starting out. They depend more on us to provide leads and don't yet have the personal network of the veterans. They're hard working and have the drive — they just need more at-bats to build their skills and client lists.
I've heard my fair share of sales lead strategies over the years but how do they apply to me? Which ones would be best? I want to stay ahead of the curve and make sure my competitors aren't using a new strategy I haven't had the chance to use yet.
What if our sales pipeline is part of the problem? If we could improve our deal close rates, the pressure for more leads would ease up. But it's not as simple as telling my team to 'do better'. They need support: a solid repeatable gameplan, and the messaging and tools to back them up.
How well do we really know what's in our sales pipeline? I've noticed instances where leads have been left untouched for weeks. We need to tighten up our follow-up process to ensure no potential deals slip through the cracks. Plus, I'd really like to have a pipeline revenue forecast so I can actually sleep at night.
Challenge 2
My Sales Team Needs Support. And My Marketing Team (or lack of one) Can't Keep Up
"As our sales team has grown, our marketing manager is struggling to keep pace. What was once a well-oiled machine is now a bottleneck. I've got a roster of sales champions ready to win, but they're being held back without the right support."
That sounds like meAll in all… My current marketing team, while competent, lacks the skills or experience my sales team now needs. And attracting (and retaining) the type of talent I need to drive the growth I'm looking for is a real challenge. And frankly, I don't have time to manage the marketing team. Hiring all of these people (and management) will take way too long. I need now.
Back when we had a couple salespeople everything worked great. But now I've got 10 salespeople making requests for custom materials, handouts, landing pages, trade shows in their territories, email blasts… Like, we're going to a trade show in 8 weeks and we still don't have a plan. It feels like nothing is getting done anymore.
Going to tradeshows sounds like a good idea but which ones do we try out first? I've heard great things about digital advertising but should we use Google, Facebook, LinkedIn? The list goes on and I need to know where to start first. And then a game plan for how we're going to execute.
Challenge 3
Slowing (or Flat) Growth. Feels like we're stuck
"My current business is fine (if flat growth is okay… it's not), but what we're doing now won't get me where I want to be. We're stuck. It simply won't scale. I need growth strategies."
That sounds like meOver 60% of our customers make just one purchase and disappear. It's baffling, especially since we have solutions that cater to their ongoing needs. We're sitting on a goldmine of potential repeat business, yet somehow, we're not tapping into it. We need to shift our focus from constantly hunting new business to nurturing the clients we already have. But how do we make that shift? How do we craft a message and experience that keeps them coming back? How can I support my sales team in this new direction?
Our approach to strategy feels like we're constantly chasing the latest trend, jumping from one idea to the next without a clear direction - it's just too herky-jerky. We're spreading ourselves too thin, trying to tackle everything at once. It's like we're in a constant state of overdrive but not really getting anywhere substantial.
Going to tradeshows sounds like a good idea but which ones do we try out first? I've heard great things about digital advertising but should we use Google, Facebook, LinkedIn? The list goes on and I need to know where to start first. And then a game plan for how we're going to execute.
I've heard my fair share of sales lead strategies over the years but how do they apply to me? Which ones would be best? I want to stay ahead of the curve and make sure my competitors aren't using a new strategy I haven't had the chance to use yet.
Challenge 4
Our Competitors are eating our lunch
"We've hit a wall in our usual market - it feels like everyone's selling what we're selling. It's time to explore new markets or add something unique to our mix."
That sounds like meWe've become just another option among many - a commodity. I know we've got something special, something better. But how do we let prospects know? And convince them that we're worth paying the premium for, so my sales team gets into less bid wars. We need a message that differentiates us from our competitors. Something that resonates with the right people.
Staying put in our current market is no longer viable, and we're set to pivot to an adjacent market where our expertise will shine like it used to. But we're much more of an unknown there. So I need ideas, and a gameplan, for how we grow our presence and aggressively support our sales team in this transition.
Clearly our competitors understand something that we don't about what factors drive our customers' choices today. Our USP used to work perfectly, but I'm noticing deals take longer to close, and an uptick in "lost on price" as a reason for why we lost a deal in our CRM. We need to find out what changed, develop a new value-add, and message this ASAP.
As much as I'd like to pivot the company's direction right now, I realize we can't afford to do that. We need to keep selling what's in our bag today, but at the same time slowly change our offerings to help us pivot to where we want to be. Likely even get pickier about what new customers we do business with. Which… sounds like a lot of sales and marketing headache.
Challenge 5
Need To Test if There Is a Market
"The engineering boys have come up with something the market hasn't seen before. They're over the moon excited, but I'm not so sure. We need to find a way to get it in front of people who are ready to buy. We need a “are you my mother” pitch and rollout."
That sounds like meWho exactly is this product or service for? And which problems, that this new offering solves, resonates most? I'd love to start selling, but right now I can't even tell my BD team what trade shows would be the best use of their time.
Our engineers have outdone themselves this time, creating something truly unique. But in the back of my mind, there's this nagging question - will the market be as excited about this as we are? It's one thing to innovate, but it's entirely another to ensure that the market is ready and waiting for such innovation. Is it going to be the next big thing, or are we ahead of our time?
How do we take our new product/service from a simple idea to a big revenue generator? We need a game plan that's more than just a flashy launch. We need steady growth, gaining attention (and holding onto it), turning first-time buyers into repeat customers... there's a lot to think about.
This new service offering we've been ideating on would help us stand out from competitors, but the big question is, is there actually a market for it? How do we know we're not just chasing shadows? I need to figure out if what we're planning to offer will actually click with our customers.
You Need Now. Not 8-Months From Now
Many of us would love to have our own internal marketing team. But building out a full team takes a long time. And you want to start NOW. Not in 8-months after you hire a CMO, Marketing Director, someone to manage your ads, run the website, write landing pages, handle trade shows, build sales material, create newsletters, build your presence on social media… There's a lot to do. Not to mention if you want the top talent, you're going to need to keep them constantly engaged, excited, and on a growth path.
Are you down for that 8-month challenge? Or would you rather spend time on the core business?
Why Choose Eagle Cross?
We speak the same language as your sales team
Our team has an extensive background in sales as well as marketing. And with a primary job of bringing your sales team more leads and building a brand they can sell around, a common language prevents us from constantly butting heads
We believe Marketing is a Sales Support function
A guiding philosophy of ours is “Marketing is anything you do when you can't go see a customer. Sales, is everything else”. Everything we do is to support your sales team.
One cohesive team to handle all marketing and lead-generation
Since we act as your Fractional CMO and outsourced marketing team, we can get started quickly and allow you to scale up and down as you need. Spend more time on your core business instead of management.
B2B and service based company specialty.
B2B marketing IS different. Different needs, options, margin of error, budget, and end-goals. We can quickly grasp your business's unique needs and apply proven strategies from our experience with similar clients. This means less time explaining, and more time executing.
Who is our ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)?
B2B companies
Facing an outlined challenge
Sales-Driven Approach
Have an existing sales team
Small to Mid Sized Business
Our Services
A Complete Marketing Team Ready To Meet Your Needs
Fractional CMO
You need someone to quarterback everything that's going on. Choose the best strategies, and organize the team to tackle them.
Branding and Identity
Your brand represents the experience you offer to customers from start to finish. We help you identify what it is, brand and help message it.
Design and Creative (Digital and Print)
From crafting sleek website designs to producing eye-catching sales enablement materials.
Trade Shows
Trade Shows demand attention to detail. Booth detail, advertising your presence, speaking arrangements, handouts, a follow-up plan, and more...
Digital Marketing
Engaging with customers before and after they're ready to buy requires a broad array of strategies. From SEO and PPC, to website optimization and and social media
Content Marketing
Case studies, white papers, ebooks, podcasts, kits... High-value, thought leader-like content moves potential customers towards becoming buyers (or repeat ones).
Advertising
From testing out a new market, to discovering which keywords convert before spending thousands on SEO, advertising is a tool we love using
PR
Your strategic ally in positioning your brand prominently within the minds of leadership and C-level execs. Get your message to where they spend their time (not your website)
Data Analytics
What questions CAN and SHOULD you ask your data? Have you been collecting the right information? We all make decisions off of emotions, and data analysis keeps us on the right path.
Leadership - Meet John and David Fox
John Fox
John Fox has spent his career on the front lines as a true business developer: creating new sources of revenue, and expanding existing channels for visionary-led companies who provide disruptive products and services that stimulate digital transformation at enterprise customers.
He has a career track record of success recruiting and developing talented marketing teams and aligning all activities, brand and compelling content to a customer-centric value chain through direct and partner sales channels.
He is also the author of Marketing-Playbook—The Definitive Guide to B2B Marketing. Endorsed by Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, and Al Ries. The Playbook provides detailed instructions for implementing more than 100 sales-driven B2B marketing strategies.
David Fox
David Fox brings a wide-range of experience to Eagle Cross, with a professional background in programming, design, data analysis, and conversion rate optimization. He's been part of the development team for Google Chrome, helped found projects like the Web Almanac, and spoken at various conferences to share how ideal customer experiences are made.
David's customer-first philosophy is something that sets Eagle Cross apart in the industry. He believes a customer's experience with your company begins long before they first interact with you, and doesn't end once they've made a purchase. Customers don't see a separation of pre, during, and post-sale. And they certainly have no knowledge of where Marketing ends and Sales begins. To them, it's one singular experience. Helping companies discover this, and putting plans and strategies in place to tackle it, is something David loves doing.
The next area of the web David has been delving into for the past 4 years are various Machine Learning techniques such as LLMs, NNs, and Stable Diffusion - To discover how they can be used to deliver even better customer-first experiences.
Does My Business Count As B2B?
The line between B2C and B2B can be murky. What matters most is if your business looks like the following:
What you sell is a considered purchase
A decision that involves more than one party. Buying groceries in general is not a considered purchase… Remodeling your home, though, might be (you, your HOA, etc)
The purchase has a significant cost
…as compared to other items in your customer's budget
You require a sales person to meet with customers
Since this is an infrequent purchase, you need to help customers navigate their options, walk through the pros and cons, and the scope of the project they're looking at. In some cases this can look like a free or paid consultation.
You rely on (or need) a sales pipeline
Because the lead-times on your business vary (and tend to be longer), there's a sales pipeline you rely on to make sure deals are closing, not getting stuck, and what revenue looks like 3-months out
A Preview of Our First Meeting Together
If you're this far down the page you're likely asking: “Sounds great, what are we going to talk about at our first meeting?” Great question! Our first couple meetings together are to learn about you and your business, the specific problems you're running into and finding out not just if we're a good fit for you, but if you're a good fit for us.
What is the vision or roadmap for your business? What’s it look like in 3 years? In 5? How committed are you to this vision?
Walk me through the journey your customers typically take from discovering your product to making a purchase. Where do you see the most drop-offs or hesitations?
When your customers are considering alternatives, what feedback do you often hear about why they might choose a competitor over you?
Is it more important for you to find new customers, or keep existing ones?
If your #1 sales rep leaves you, how long would it take you to replace the lost revenue? Why so long?
Book your first meeting with John and David
Everyone's business has unique factors you can only describe over a Zoom (or coffee if you're here in Denver, CO).
Let's dive into your business goals and challenges, and start building a game plan together. If we're a great fit we could be working together within the week.
Address
Parker, Colorado, United States
We're Now Eagle Cross!
Big news! Venture Marketing is now Eagle Cross. Same team, same services, just a better name that fits everything we do. Thanks for sticking with us!