MARCPRODUCT LEADERSHIP
The best product wins the spec.
Lochinvar: I led the team that positioned a new boiler platform and named CON·X·US. The new line went from under 1% to 42% of its category in fifteen months.
See the story →LEADERSHIP & MENTORSHIP · MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS
Build leaders,
not just plans.
I’ve built a marketing department from one person, led teams of 18 and 60, and steered a brand through an ownership change. The plan matters. The people who run it matter more.
People make
it happen.
it happen.
Marc HeffnerTEAM BUILDER
MENTOR
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL LEADER
MENTOR
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL LEADER
LEADERSHIP, BY THE NUMBERS
- 60people across the US and Mexico, one product process
- 18person marketing team that launched a category leader
- 1→teambuilt a full marketing department while the business doubled
- +64%trade-show ROI on a P&L I owned
- 2 mo.CRM payback, against an 8-month plan
- +83%employee morale through an ownership change
HOW MARKET LEADERS WIN
Every great company picks a way to win.
Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema found that market leaders don’t try to be best at everything. They pick one value discipline to lead, then stay good enough at the other two. I’ve led marketing in all three kinds of companies. The job is different in each one, and knowing which one you are changes every decision.
“Choose your customers, narrow your focus, dominate your market.”
THE THREE VALUE DISCIPLINESAdapted from Treacy & Wiersema.
CUSTOMER INTIMACY
Know them better than anyone else does.
A 14-office dental group: we rebuilt the call center around the patient. Booking conversion more than doubled, from 16% to 37%.
See the story →OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
One process. Fewer surprises. Lower cost.
A global hardware maker: a seven-stage process across 60 people in two countries got new products to market 33% faster, at lower cost.
See the story →HOW I LEADMiss one circle and the team stalls.
STRATEGY · PEOPLE · NUMBERS
Great teams live where all three meet.
A strategy with no people behind it is a slide. A great team with no scoreboard is busy, not effective. Numbers with no strategy just measure the wrong thing faster. I lead from the middle, where all three overlap.
- Strategy: three priorities, written so anyone can repeat them back.
- People: the right person in each seat, with real ownership.
- Numbers: one scoreboard that sales, finance and marketing all trust.
“First who, then what.”
BUILDING A MARKETING ORGANIZATION
From one person to a full team, while the business doubled.
I didn’t inherit a big department. I built one, a layer at a time, adding each capability only when the business could see the return on it.
- 1One marketerMe, a laptop, and a plan tied to sales goals.
- 2Creative & digitalContent, web and social that sales could actually use.
- 3Trade shows & PRA trade-show P&L that paid its way.
- 4Customer & product marketingLaunches, positioning and voice of the customer.
- 5National advertising & analyticsReach at scale, measured against revenue.
Each layer paid for the next one.
MY FIRST 90 DAYS
What happens when I walk in the door.
Listen. Choose.
Show the work.
DAYS 1 TO 30
Listen first
Sit with sales, product, finance, ops and the people who answer the phones. Find the real problem, the quick wins, and the people ready to step up.
DAYS 31 TO 60
Choose the priorities
Three priorities, one scoreboard. Put the plan in plain language so anyone can repeat it back. Fix the one thing that blocks everything else.
DAYS 61 TO 90
Make progress visible
Ship the first wins, report them the same way every week, and hand real ownership to the team. That’s what makes the rest repeatable.
“A plan nobody can repeat back isn't a plan. It's a slide.”
MENTORSHIP IN ACTION
Give people the confidence to grow.
Mentoring isn’t a side project for me. It’s how I lead. I coach in the moment, ask better questions, give direct feedback, and celebrate the team out loud. I also teach in middle and high school classrooms, which keeps me honest about explaining things simply.
“A good leader develops the next generation of leaders.”
Clarity over
complexity.
People should know where we’re going and what winning looks like.
Collaboration
over silos.
Marketing works when sales, product, finance and ops pull the same way.
Accountability
with curiosity.
Measure honestly. Learn fast. Keep getting better.
LET’S BUILD SOMETHING
Strong businesses are built by stronger teams.
Whether you need a marketing leader on staff or senior help a few days a month, the first step is a 30-minute conversation.