In this episode, Dave sits down with Michael Cole, SVP of Marketing at Everflow, a partner marketing platform that helps companies manage referral and affiliate programs. Michael discusses his journey from being Everflow’s first marketing hire to leading a marketing team of 16, and shares strategies for building a marketing function from the ground up.

Dave and Michael cover:

How Everflow turns happy customers into referral partners
What it’s like to be a first-time marketing leader
Building a marketing function from scratch

Timestamps

(00:00) - - Introduction to Michael
(06:28) - - Michael’s journey to marketing leadership
(11:15) - - Understanding company growth before developing your strategy
(14:19) - - Turning happy customers into referrals
(18:24) - - Scaling a successful team
(25:35) - - Referrals vs. paid ads
(29:52) - - Organic vs. paid strategies
(32:19) - - Growing organically and spreading through word-of-mouth
(34:05) - - Finding complementary business partnerships
(40:18) - - Enhancing content creation
(43:18) - - Delegation and accountability in a strong team
(44:17) - - Strategizing for growth
(47:27) - - Closing remarks

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#212: Marketing Leadership | Lessons for First-Time Marketing Leaders with Michael Cole, SVP of Everflow

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)