The Most Influential CMOs to Follow in 2023 featuring Alan See

1. Alan See
Chief Marketing Officer
Alan See CMO Temps, LLC
cmotemps.biz
The Most
Influential CMOs
to Follow in 2023
ALAN SEE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CMOS TO FOLLOW IN 2023

2. Recognized as one of the "Top 50 Most Influential Chief Marketing Officer's
on Social Media" by Forbes and voted the American Marketing Association
“Marketer of the Year” for both Content Marketing and Social Media Marketing.
Alan teaches organizations how to punch above their brand weight.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW YOUR
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY?
ANSWER: I was introduced to the world
of sales and marketing thanks to my
father’s Radio Shack franchise. As a
teenager, I received front-line experience
dealing with customers. And I can tell
you, when you are working for your dad
you can’t afford to get the customer
experience wrong! After completing my
ALAN SEE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CMOS TO FOLLOW IN 2023
BBAandMBAitdidn’ttakelongtorealize
that the old “rolodex” system that I had
become familiar with was losing ground
rapidly. I was fortunate to be one of the
first on the LinkedIn platform in 2002,
and Twitter when it was released. Social
media and content marketing just took
off for me from there.
https://rb.gy/ri2cw

3. ALAN SEE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CMOS TO FOLLOW IN 2023
HOW HAS YOUR EDUCATION AND TRAINING PREPARED YOU FOR YOUR
CURRENT ROLE, AND WHAT SKILLS OR KNOWLEDGE HAVE YOU FOUND
TO BE MOST VALUABLE IN YOUR WORK?
AS A RECOGNIZED INFLUENCER IN THE FIELD OF MARKETING, WHAT DO
YOU SEE AS THE MOST IMPORTANT TRENDS THAT ARE SHAPING THE
INDUSTRY TODAY?
ANSWER: Neither one of my parents
were able to complete their High School
education. In fact, my father was a 17
year old Marine during Korea. So, the fact
that I’ve been able to attend institutions
like the United States Naval Academy,
Grinnell College, and Abilene Christian
University is a blessing. But I would
encourage you to read “A Message to
Garcia” by Elbert Hubbard. Yes, it was
written in 1899, and many would say that
in today’s world the message is not
relevant. But they are wrong. If you
ANSWER: People simply are not subject
totherigorouslawsoflogicormeasurable
with the precision that data-driven
marketers would like. In fact, most
purchasedecisionsaremadeemotionally,
and then justified, rather than the other
way around. That means it’s critical for
organizations to create customer
relationships through emotional bonds.
haven’t first learned to follow directions
and be a good team player you probably
won’t be a good leader. Having said that;
theproliferationofmediaanddistribution
channels, combined with consumers
increasing demand for communications
relevance, has created the perfect
marketing storm for marketing leaders.
As a result, the need for more rigorous
marketing discipline and media
competency has never been greater.
That means stepping-up your game to
be a life-long learner.

4. ALAN SEE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CMOS TO FOLLOW IN 2023
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE AND WHAT
CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU THINK ARE ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESSFUL
LEADERSHIP IN TODAY’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT?
YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH BOTH LARGE CORPORATIONS AND
SMALL BUSINESSES. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES
YOU’VE NOTICED IN THE MARKETING STRATEGIES AND TACTICS USED BY
THESE TWO TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS?
ANSWER: I can express my leadership
style in just six words: “Old dog, new
tricks, no problem!” In the long run, the
only sustainable competitive advantage
a person or company has is their ability
to learn faster than their competition.
Effective managers realize that they
cannot leave school as “A Manager-in-a-
Box” and never look back. They need to
be lifelong learners ready to engage a
lifetime of business challenges.
ANSWER: Big or small, the short answer
is TRUST. I remember a story about a
shoe repair shop as told by one of their
long-time customers. It’s a heart-warming
smallbusinesstalethatIthinkyou’llenjoy.
Thesoleproprietorisacobbleratnight;he
holds down a delivery job during the day.
His shoe repair business is built on a self-
service model that depends on trust.
Customersleavetheirshoesforrepairina
converted newspaper vending machine
located on his front porch. Shoes that are
ready for pick-up as well as the money
folder are also in the machine. Yes, I said
the money folder. Customers pick up their
shoesandleavetheirpayment,andinover
25 years he never came up short. Without
trust relationships will not move forward.
Infact,Ioftenthinkofbuildingtrustthrough
the following formula:

5. ALAN SEE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CMOS TO FOLLOW IN 2023
TRUST = (RAPPORT × CREDIBILITY) / RISK
In our global economy we read plenty
aboutearningcustomertrust.However,
you don’t see much written about
trusting the customer. Can you earn
trust without giving it? I believe that
two-way trust is what really holds our
economy together.
IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE KEY TO DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE
MARKETING STRATEGIES THAT DRIVE PROFITABLE GROWTH?
CONTENT MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ARE TWO AREAS
WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR YOUR EXPERTISE. HOW DO
YOU SEE THESE TWO FIELDS EVOLVING IN THE COMING YEARS?
ANSWER: Persuading is a universal
activity, and it plays a key role in a
marketing strategy. Just because
marketers’cangetclosertocustomers
with targeted marketing messages
through the aid of sophisticated
customer analytics tools doesn’t
mean the need to persuade has gone
ANSWER: Content marketing distributed
through engaging social media channels
can provide the foundation for both
personal and corporate brand growth.
away. In fact, it may be more important
than ever. But you need to have a great
narrative in order to influence your
targeted audiences beliefs and
behaviour’s. You need to be able to
wrap your persuasive content in a way
that builds trust, presents logic, and
tugs at the emotions.
Social platforms help you be found, find,
andengagetheaudienceyouseek.Timely
and relevant content creates awareness
and builds trust.

6. ALAN SEE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CMOS TO FOLLOW IN 2023
AS SOMEONE WHO HAS WORKED WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATIONS, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO STARTUPS OR
SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE JUST GETTING STARTED WITH THEIR
MARKETING EFFORTS?
ANSWER: Develop a great sense of
empathy. That can be difficult though
because in business we are schooled
that it is a competitive, dog-eat-dog
world. We fake it, in order to make a
customer or partner organization
think we are engaged and that we
really want to deliver a great
experience. But most times we are
not really feeling empathic, are we? I
believe having an empathetic spirit is
one of the best things a marketing
organization can do. Really think
about things through the eyes of the
person on the other side of the desk.
What are they really going through
today, and how can you help?

7. ALAN SEE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CMOS TO FOLLOW IN 2023
YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE AS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MARKETING.
HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN ACADEMIA INFLUENCED YOUR APPROACH
TO MARKETING AND BUSINESS STRATEGY?
ANSWER: Yes, I love to teach, but don’t
particularly look forward to grading
papers! Having said that, providing
feedback is one of the most important
things a leader can do. My experience
with one of the world’s largest global
learning infrastructures (University of
Phoenix) allowed me to be certified to
teach online, on ground and FlexNet
(combines online and on campus
learning). I’ve been certified to teach
Marketing, eBusiness, Management
Theory, Critical Thinking and Business
Ethics. That means I’ve personally
experienced course and content design
and delivery, built grading rubrics and
feedback systems.
IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILLS AND
COMPETENCIES THAT LEADERS WILL NEED TO SUCCEED IN THE FUTURE,
AND HOW CAN THEY DEVELOP THEM?
ANSWER: Over the years, there has
beenalotofresearchandconversations
between the CMO and the CIO. The
number of applications related to
marketing which impacts IT
infrastructure has skyrocketed so
that's necessitated a lot of
conversations between the CIO and
the CMO. Currently though, a greater
amount of my concern is with HR
because they are alienating more
people than most marketing
departments realize.
Consider this: You create an online ad
for a Vice President of Sales or Vice
President of Marketing. Two-hundred
people apply so the first 150 you cycle
through quickly and don't even reply.
The next forty you send the template
rejection letter. You get down to the
five that you actually call and talk to
and then the three that are invited in
and then you hire one. Out of 200, one
person gets the job and that's the end
of the story as far as HR is concerned.
However, out of the 199 that were

8. ALAN SEE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CMOS TO FOLLOW IN 2023
rejected, how many of those have tens
of thousands of followers on Twitter
and other major social platforms?
Organizations need to realize that with
dismissals like that, karma is nasty and
at some point it will probably sting
them. I believe that in the same way
that CRM went through a process of
ranking the most loyal and profitable
customers more care needs to be given
to the recruitment process, and how
those who aren't hired are handled. I
believe they need to be handled much
like you handle a customer that's
disgruntled. Dismissing them out of
hand is dangerous. That's a long
example,butIseearealneeddeveloping
in this area for all future leaders.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE SHORT-TERM PRIORITIES WITH LONGER-TERM
STRATEGIC GOALS, AND WHAT STRATEGIES DO YOU USE TO STAY
FOCUSED ON YOUR ORGANIZATION'S VISION AND MISSION?
ANSWER: When Ted Turner was asked
for the secret to success, he said: “Early
to bed, early to rise, work like hell and
advertise.” That is not something
marketing people can bet their careers
on anymore. We live in a relationship-
based economy. The consumer is
looking for transparency, trust, relevance
and engagement. In order for marketing
messages to cut through the congestion
and be heard by today’s audiences,
marketers need the ability to tell the right
story, in the right way, at the right
moment, in just the right amount of time,
or risk driving their sales funnel off the
road. I’m not throwing traditional
marketing under the bus, it’s still useful.
But,you’regoingtoneedacomprehensive
social media and content marketing
strategy to deliver on many of today’s
expectations.

9. ALAN SEE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CMOS TO FOLLOW IN 2023
YOU RECENTLY RECEIVED THE ALBERT NELSON MARQUIS LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD BY MARQUIS WHO'S WHO. WHAT ADVICE WOULD
YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING MARKETING PROFESSIONALS WHO HOPE TO
ACHIEVE SIMILAR LEVELS OF SUCCESS IN THEIR CAREERS?
ANSWER: Be a lifelong learner. Keep
learning and innovating. Be curious
and keep your mind open to new
possibilities.