Erika Rosenthal is a Chief Outsiders Area Managing Partner and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). As Area Managing Partner, she assists customers in healthcare, health tech/SaaS, medical devices, and life sciences, as well as assisting in the matching of businesses to the company’s over 120 CMOs and Chief Sales Officers (CSOs) to CEO’s growth needs. She has over 30 years of marketing, operations, and business expertise. She has worked with a notable list of high-growth firms to help them scale swiftly and effectively while maintaining a laser-like focus on providing an exceptional customer experience. She has been engaged in three successful exits and has worked with private equity firms and physician-founded enterprises. Erika also served on the faculty at the University of California, Irvine, and on the Faculty Advisory Board from 2005 to 2010. She co-wrote the business school’s Marketing and Hospitality Management Course. Erika was the founder and CEO of a medical spa chain before becoming a fractional CMO. She has also held executive positions in large and small firms.
She received her B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, as well as a second Master’s Certificate in digital marketing from the University of San Francisco. Erika completed executive education programs at Cornell University and the Wharton School of Business. She has served on various non-profit and corporate boards and is passionate about research and innovation to make the world a better place.
Erika has lived or worked in six different countries, giving her a unique viewpoint and a passion for the arts. She likes bicycling, hiking, traveling, reading, gardening, and spending time with her family in her spare time.
Below are highlights of the interview:
Tell us about Chief Outsiders and its mission. What inspired you to start this company?
Chief Outsiders was started by Art Saxby, CEO, Founder, and Principal of Chief Outsiders’ global fractional executive firm. Today, he still leads a tribe of world-class marketing and sales executives with a rich playbook to bring new growth, brand strength, and profits to clients.
What strategies do you employ to ensure that Chief Outsiders remains competitive in the market?
CMOs and CSOs with Chief Outsiders follow a process known as The Growth Gears™, based on the book written by CEO, Founder, and Principal, Art Saxby, and Principal, Pete Hayes. The three growth gears in the book refer to insights, strategy, and execution as the three gears to build a growth machine. First, begin with market, customer, and competitive insights into how the current market is behaving and trending. Next, formulate a strategy to capitalize on the insights and differentiate your company from the competition. Finally, execute the strategy with tactics, milestones, and metrics, track progress, and feed key learnings back into insights.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and adaptability within your organization, considering the rapidly changing landscape of the business industry?
In order to succeed as a fractional executive, it’s imperative to be able to adapt and innovate. What separates this line of work from consulting is the fact that we are all “strategic operators.” This means that we use data to understand market conditions and customer buying behavior and formulate strategies that we are then accountable to implement and achieve results. We recognize that such a culture is imperative for our customers to succeed and for each of us to succeed. We therefore lean on a culture of learning through case studies, economic reports, having vetted vendors to help us execute and quickly pivot when needed, and coaching sessions within the organization. Every person leaves their ego at the door when they join Chief Outsiders. There is no room for arrogance or internal competition.
How do you prioritize customer satisfaction and ensure that the company provides exceptional service to its clients?
- 10 straight years in Inc. 5000
- 80 NPS: current average for the tribe
- We are communications professionals and regularly ask the tough questions to ensure progress, as illustrated by….
- Peer reviews, case studies, national conferences, and the culture of a learning organization
- We also have a money-back guarantee for the first 30 days, which illustrates our confidence in our ability to quickly move the needle for our clients.
What steps do you take to attract and retain top talent in the industry, and how do you encourage professional growth and development within your organization?
We are an organization of fractional C-level marketing and sales executives. We are looking for battle-tested business executives with a market-based perspective, who also understand the operational and financial implications of a growth strategy. Becoming a Chief Outsider means joining a team of experienced marketing and sales executives who will be at your disposal for guidance, ideas, and stimulation. You will have access to more experience than you have ever had as a marketing or sales executive for a single company. Chief Outsiders allows you to experience multiple types of business challenges and opportunities, across a wide range of industries. You will have the opportunity to use your knowledge and expertise to deliver results and help companies achieve big goals—and learn even more during the process.
Building on our rich culture of “learning from each other” (which is one of our core values), we have a Chief Learning Officer who directs the processes and tools that enable our fractional executives to onboard quickly, manage successful client engagements, do great work, and be active participants in our collaborative learning culture.
As an Area Managing Partner & CMO of Chief Outsiders, what is your overall vision for the company’s future, and how do you plan to achieve it?
As a member of the leadership team, now is truly my time to serve others. For companies that are not ready for a full-time CMO on their leadership team but want to tap into a strategic growth plan that helps them achieve their goals, a fractional executive makes perfect sense. Other companies need someone to help groom and coach a key player who is growing into a C-level role. We do leadership workshops, advisory engagements, and projects in addition to our fractional CMO or CSO roles. I enjoy meeting CEOs, understanding the top challenges on their minds, and then finding the best resource to help them achieve their goals within the scenario that works best for them.
What advice would you give to aspiring leaders or individuals looking to join the industry?
Fractional is the way to go if you’re a self-starter and love to help companies grow and problem-solve! What attracted me to Chief Outsiders was talking to other fractional CMOs who said they were doing the best work of their careers in this environment. That is compelling. For me, being the subject matter expert for an organization where technology has made it challenging to be current in all areas of marketing and growth, joining a firm like Chief Outsiders where we can tap into other experts is highly appealing. It enables us to give multiple perspectives to the CEOs we work with, and to hit the ground running, making an immediate impact. Chief Outsiders will hire 1 CMO or CSO for every 1,000 resumes we receive. It’s an honor to be with a firm that is selective, values perspectives, and creates a forum for constantly learning. We have control over our work schedules as well as the engagements we take on, which is highly appealing.
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