Perspectives
Useful thinking for complicated growth problems.
There is no shortage of marketing advice. There is considerably less useful guidance for the moments when the answer isn't obvious.
CMO + TEAM Perspectives explores the commercial decisions behind marketing: positioning, growth constraints, go-to-market models, marketing organization, customer economics, private equity value creation, payments, SaaS and the questions leadership teams need to answer before adding more activity.
Featured topics
Questions worth slowing down for.
Growth Strategy
Where is growth actually constrained, and what should leadership do about it?
Marketing Leadership
What should marketing own, how should the function be structured, and when does the business need senior leadership?
Go-to-Market
ICP, positioning, channels, sales alignment, distribution and the mechanics behind a repeatable growth engine.
Payments & Fintech
Merchant acquisition, embedded payments, ISV strategies, channel economics and differentiation.
B2B SaaS & Technology
CAC, pipeline, segmentation, product marketing, ABM and growth-stage transitions.
Private Equity
First 100 days, marketing diagnostics, value-creation planning, org design and exit readiness.
Latest thinking
How to Find the Constraint in Your Growth Engine
Most companies respond to slowing growth by adding activity. A better approach is to identify where the commercial system is actually constrained.
Read perspective B2B SaaS & TechnologyDo You Actually Have an ICP?
An ICP should identify where customer need and business economics intersect—not simply describe every company capable of buying the product.
Read perspective Payments & FintechWhy Payments Companies All Sound the Same
Payments companies often compete with identical claims. Differentiation begins by narrowing the customer, buying situation and commercial advantage.
Read perspective Payments & FintechDirect vs. ISO vs. ISV: Choosing a Payments Go-to-Market Model
Direct, ISO and ISV distribution create fundamentally different economics, control and operating requirements. Choose the model that fits the business rather than the trend.
Read perspective Payments & FintechWhy Embedded Payments Partner Programs Fail to Activate
Signing a software partner creates availability, not adoption. Embedded payments growth depends on turning integrations into productive distribution.
Read perspective B2B SaaS & TechnologyWhen ABM Makes Sense — and When It Doesn't
ABM works when account selection justifies disproportionate investment—not when personalization is layered onto a weak ICP.
Read perspective B2B SaaS & TechnologyWhy More Leads Won't Fix a Broken SaaS Growth Engine
Lead volume is only one part of the revenue system. Find where performance actually breaks before spending more to feed the funnel.
Read perspective Private EquityThe First 100 Days of Marketing After a PE Investment
Use the post-investment window to establish the commercial baseline, identify structural issues and connect marketing priorities directly to the value-creation plan.
Read perspective Private EquityHow to Evaluate a Portfolio Company's Marketing Function
Evaluate marketing by the capabilities and operating model required to support growth—not simply by headcount, activity or channel metrics.
Read perspective Marketing LeadershipFractional CMO vs. Full-Time CMO vs. Agency
The right model depends on whether the business needs leadership, specialist capability or both—and whether it can fund the organization required around a permanent executive.
Read perspective Marketing LeadershipWhat Marketing Capabilities Should You Build, Buy, Borrow or Automate?
A practical Build, Buy, Borrow or Automate framework for deciding how a business should acquire and operate marketing capabilities.
Read perspective Marketing LeadershipWhat a Marketing Diagnostic Should Actually Diagnose
A useful diagnostic starts with the business and commercial system, then turns what it finds into priorities and decisions rather than another marketing audit.
Read perspective Marketing Leadership / AIYou Don't Need an AI Strategy. You Need a Business Strategy That Uses AI.
AI should not become a detached initiative. Use business strategy to decide where AI can improve decisions, speed, personalization and commercial economics.
Read perspectiveSee how the thinking connects to real commercial situations.
Explore representative engagementsFrameworks
Tools for asking better questions.
These are not formulas. They are ways to separate symptoms from causes, force tradeoffs and make the problem easier to discuss.