You Don't Need a CMO

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a platform for Preparing and filing of your USCIS application

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with You Don't Need a CMO?

we were trying to test the overseas business-to-business market for our immigration company, and get a stable source of leads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

they were predominantly involved in marketing strategy, the creation and automated of outbound campaigns.               

How has the team composition changed?

they have grown and hired more people - and matured in their handling of client affairs. We were able to resolve some disagreements internally.

How did you come to work with You Don't Need a CMO?

We were approached by sales rep              

How much have you invested with them?

$5500, although ultimately we did have a large part credited to us. we kindly were able to work out some kinks and back and forth we had with the partnership. At the end of the day, we recieved a lot of complimentary work which as a startup we appreciate.

What is the status of this engagement?

on pause as we explore different avenues of partnership - but may explore an advisory relationship in the future. The timing was off and we had some disagreements which have been resolved.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How has your relationship with the vendor evolved?

We have established better trust through constant communication. I worked directly with the founder to resolve my issues and make communication more transparent.

While initially critically, we are appreciate of their outgoing efforts to resolve campaign issues.

A substantial portion of the engagement, kindly, was refunded due to a process issue. I am glad the vendor worked with us to make sure the margins were appropriate and we ultimately received proper value.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

We have better learned our market and which campaigns to approach. I am using this knowledge in our current campaigns.

How was project management handled?

We were managed by one account manager and “higher up” client success manager - with regular communication via slack and asana.

Are there any areas of improvement?

I think the team should expand into other areas of marketing (google advertising etc) to better grow clients.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on September 8, 2022. 

Asel Mukambetova

CEO, SelfLawyer

Legal

1-10 Employees

College Point, New York

Less than $10,000

Mar 2022 - May 2022

Project summary

You Don't Need a CMO was hired by an immigration law company for email marketing services. The client decided to work with the vendor because they observed professionalism prior to the engagement. 

Feedback summary

You Don't Need a CMO did not deliver what the client expected from them, and there was no improvement in the client's email marketing campaigns. They had an ineffective workflow, and the client described the representative as someone who wasn't experienced enough to handle their marketing campaigns.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

If I could give a "0" rating, I would. Chris is good only at selling his own services and that's where the marketing part will end for you. Unfortunately, You Don't Need a CMO cares only about their own sales, not facilitating their clients' sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire You Don't Need a CMO , and what were your goals?

Email marketing

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Chris was very convincing and seemed like a professional but he's not.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

nothing was done. Scam company. No expertise whatsoever.

You will have weekly calls with someone who's likely outsourced and quickly trained but not experienced well enough to do anything related to marketing. Working with You Don't Need a CMO is a proven way to waste tens of thousands of dollars without seeing any result. I guess that's their business model - signing up for 3 months contract, getting money for 3 months and not caring about the results at all.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Just one person

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

zero results

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

not effective at all

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

it's a scam, I wonder how they are able to continue fooling people.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

nothing

Don't work with them, save yourself some money. You will achieve better results by doing the marketing yourself (even without any previous marketing experience and skills). You Don't Need a CMO is a scam.

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 0.5

Quality: 1

Cost: 1

Schedule: 1

Willing to refer: 1

Company Responses

The vendor responded on September 14, 2022.

From CEO Chris Nicholas:
As a marketing agency, it is very hard to guarantee results. Our clientele is underserved small businesses and startups - many of which do not have lots of resources.
As such, sometimes I personally am too optimistic about working with a company when the potential for success isn't optimal. Our bread and butter is startups and a lot of solopreneurs, which comes with unique challenges
Unfortunately, the marketing like any other business does have a cost to operate, and many startup owners are frustrated to have to invest in marketing (our team + technology and infrastructure)

I can empathize with this experience having been in a similar situation. That being said:

1. We do not outsource, all team members are based in our Miami office - occasionally, we use freelancers to pull contacts or do manual tasks but clients never interact or receive work from them, and all of this is transparent.
2. We hire young, underserved people and train them in marketing - because of this, we are able to offer some level of expertise from our higher-ups, but provide an overall lower price point. This is the business model but we are not claiming to have 20+ year veterans and this is obvious from our work.

We are not a scam and have generated plenty of results for plenty of companies, else we wouldn't be in business for five years!
I can empathize with this customer and hope to do better in the future.
- Chris Nicholas, CEO

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Marketing at a small software company that makes a tool for professional photographers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire You Don't Need a CMO ?

We were looking to expand our audience for a new product and reach other small business owners So we wanted a B2B outreach strategy

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The size of the team (small and nimble) and their personality played a big part in it. Their direct communication style was a big plus.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We were looking to expand our audience for a new product and reach other small business owners. YDNACMO identified a long list of potential leads and worked with me to come up with compelling email messaging to develop an interest in our product among new-to-us market segments. As the project went on, we were able to tweak messaging and audience on a weekly basis to maximize response. In addition to those tactical adjustments, We also had regular check-ins to make sure we were using the right strategy and were able to adjust that as well. Their responsiveness is excellent

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had an two account managers who crafted messaging and handled technical implementation, and a marketing executive who worked on strategy. The CEO also helped with messaging input and strategic guidance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Throughout the process, we learned a lot about how these new markets would respond to our product. We were able to shift strategy from generating free trials to intelligence gathering and gained valuable insights that guided our future product development

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Weekly meetings with our account managers were very effective. Aout account managers had tremendous attention to detail and communication styles. We were able to connect over email, slack, and zoom seamlessly and were always given direct clear status of the project

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their responsiveness and nimble adjustments on the fly were really well above average in my estimation. The level and tone of communication are better than I expected -- I always felt that we were on the same page, which is not always easy to get with remote teams.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Perhaps more data visualization may be helpful. Getting stats on emails sent/engagement were available directly from the tools used, so there was plenty of transparency there. But in hindsight, perhaps these could have been summarized better in the weekly summaries

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am co-Founder and partner in SkyFoundry and lead business operations. SkySpark software automatically analyzes data from automation and control systems, metering systems, sensors and other smart devices to identify issues, patterns, deviations, faults and opportunities for operational improvements and cost reduction. SkySpark helps building owners and operators “find what matters” in the vast amount of data produced by today’s smart systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire You Don't Need a CMO ?

To design and manage an email follow up campaign to respond to leads from a wide range of sources.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

They contacted us first. We had a series of good discussions. Their proposal was on target. We went forward and received very good results. We have run the program for almost 3 years now.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Create a system to take lead into a database. Create ongoing mailing program, with a series of messages to stay in front o fthe leads and convert to a direct conv ersation.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

1-3 depending on stage of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We saw a direct increase in responses from leads and even saw leads thank us for following up with them. many converted into sales opportunities.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was very good to work with. No issues.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They didn't try to sell us the world. They focus on our problems and design an effective program that works.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the vp of marketing at Overproof, the only predictive intelligence platform for the beverage alcohol industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire You Don't Need a CMO , and what were your goals?

We launched a new technology this year that requires us to generate leads in the hospitality industry, where we have typically been focused on beverage alcohol suppliers. We brought on YDNACMO to launch a lead gen email campaign to this target audience.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I selected YDNACMO because of their experience in the SaaS space, and the company leader’s overall expertise in the area of email marketing.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

YDNACMO handles our email campaigns from drafting the email templates, to sourcing contact information and executing. They draft various templates for testing, and segment by the contacts position within the company. The CTA is typically to book a call in my colleague’s calendar, so the goal for our campaign is meeting bookings.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We work with an account manager, campaign manager, tech manager to handle integration to our CRM, and also have direct access to the CEO for brainstorming and problem solving.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

YDNACMO has been effective at delivering meeting bookings in a segment we consider to be highly difficult to reach via email. We typically receive anywhere from 2-4 bookings per week.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Effective. We have a once weekly recurring meeting and keep in touch via email and slack throughout the week.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their experience in SaaS delivers exceptional results.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

N/a

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of technology and operations at Welcome Wagon, a marketing company. We offer a welcoming service to new homeowners by giving them a gift book that contains information about their new community and features advertisements from local businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with You Don't Need a CMO?

We were looking to increase our inbound leads. We already had ongoing cold calling efforts, but we wanted to supplement it with email marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

You Don't Need a CMO constructed an email marketing campaign for us. They first conducted an onboarding process where they asked us to describe our ideal customers. 

Based on that, they developed a database of businesses and constructed a multistep email marketing campaign. They continue to reach out to these leads with the goal of generating more interest in our services.

What is the team composition?

Our current main point of contact is Talon (Lead Account Manager). We've also worked with Daniel (COO & Director of Sales), who pitched their services to us, and Brandon (Director of Outbound Marketing), who constructed the entire campaign.

How did you come to work with You Don't Need a CMO?

They initially reached out to my friend through LinkedIn, and that friend thought You Don't Need a CMO might be a good fit and passed their information along to us.

We reached out to them, and they presented their services to us. We were pleased with their work and decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent a little over $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in January 2021 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

So far, the project has been well worth the investment. We're definitely seeing more people reach out to us. Since the team started working on the project, we've gained about 40–50 leads each month. 

We've also managed to convert a significant percentage of those leads, which has led to a revenue increase. We're happy to continue our partnership with You Don't Need a CMO.

How did You Don't Need a CMO perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is very organized, attentive, and prompt. They've been supportive throughout the process and addressed our concerns quickly. They're very responsive and reachable through email and Slack. 

We have weekly meetings where they present our ongoing efforts and the results we've gotten from them. They also bring up points for improvement and gather feedback from us, which they then use to better our campaigns.

What did you find most impressive about them?

You Don't Need a CMO is delivering what they've promised — in fact, the team has surpassed the number of leads they initially guaranteed us. We can't ask for more than that, and we're very satisfied.

Furthermore, we appreciate how they've taken complete control of the process. It's great to have a partner who can work independently while remaining communicative. I definitely think they're worth the investment; the expert team has truly filled our email marketing needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind in terms of what they could do better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a good idea of who your target customers are and what type of businesses need your services. As long as you give them this information in detail, they can provide you with good results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the newly hired employee responsible for marketing operations at an engineering company specializing in AI.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire You Don't Need a CMO , and what were your goals?

Our company, before I joined, hired You Don't Need a CMO to run client acquisition services.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The vendor's name, "You Don't Need a CMO" shows the expected value from the vendor. As the company comprises a group of talented engineers, somebody should be responsible for finding new clients. You Don't Need a CMO team was considered the exact match.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

Within a 3-months period, our company has run email marketing campaigns with the vendor. The vendor used multiple services to run the service.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

For the last 4 weeks, I worked with the CEO of the vendor directly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We are unable to share any measurable outcomes at this time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communications were very productive. The CEO and their teammates were very responsive and responsible.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are capable of aggregating the value and the outcome of various tools and services together and converting them into a better outcome.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We are unable to share any areas for improvement at this time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the copy writer at Kyroc Advertising services Company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire You Don't Need a CMO , and what were your goals?

Our company has been facing some problems by embarking on a new business idea which has not been easy, nor effective. The increasing competition and the pressure to pitch rigorously – all add to the existing challenges faced by our agencies.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

A great vendor is a trusted partner for our business, not just a supplier. We needed a vendor we can easily trust to be professional and help keep our business running smoothly. YOU DON'T NEED A CMOA They are great trusted partner for our business, not just a supplier. They win our trust as we went though they online review sand their past projects which has been successfuly. We aren't disappointed as well as they help keep our business running smoothly.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

How do you think to serve your customers and price your services? In case you have been building websites for brick-and-mortar businesses, this could turn out to be your niche. Focus on a narrower enterprise, instead of building random business sites. This can help you communicate and add more value to your customers. Make a commitment to bettering your core strengths. This could mean sticking to corporate design or print design. Creating a process carefully that insulates the client from tedious work.

Gather information like logins, colours, contact information and preferences all in one go, without dripping questions on the client. Create relationships with contractors so that you can provide work for your client, which isn’t your speciality. They gets started by taking a unique look at the project such as introducing pricing models, which appeal to the target audience. They figure out what we value the most and strive to build the project to our satisfaction

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked together with 5 of their Employees as per the stages in the project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The Email Marketing Project was successful even though it hasn't been so long since the project was completed, we have been seeing improvement which has bring so much happiness and progress in our company

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow between our team and their went smoothly without any difficulty. They are so flexible and easy to communicate with. We do communicate twice a week via Email and they instantly make corrections whenever we needed an adjustment

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their team was full of experts, skilled, and experienced workers.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

VP of Partnerships

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire You Don't Need a CMO ?

We needed an autonomous channel to generate SQLs.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have a long career in sales leadership, operations and enablement. We evaluated at least 3 vendors for this project, and YDNACMO was by far the best option both in support and driving tangible results.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Lead generation and qualification. Sales campaign creation and management. Sequenced handoffs.

What was the team composition?

I had direct line to CEO, sales manager, and we had dedicated Account Manager. They also provided us with a Slack channel for real time support and collaboration free of cost.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

30% increase in SQLs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very. Weekly recurring meetings and dedicated Slack channel.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Top down investment. They made us feel like valued partners at all times.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

SQLs from YDNACMO tended to convert for us into real revenue opportunities after they'd been recycled and re-targeted several months after the initial handoff.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a software company that helps financial companies with their business due diligence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire You Don't Need a CMO , and what were your goals?

We wanted You Don't Need a CMO to help us test cold outreach as a marketing channel.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

They were referred by someone we trust. Their sales pitch was the most compelling.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

They warm up several domains and then used apollo to help send cold emails to potential clients.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

One resource, a marketing manager I believe is her title.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

I feel that they've done a good job testing the marketing channel. I've had two good demo calls come from the channel.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They did a good job of communicating and keeping me aprised of the status of the project.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Overall professionalism is very high.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I don't think so. I'm not 100% sure the marketing channel is right for me but I feel that You Don't Need a CMO did a good job in testing it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the President/Founder of a business to business debt recovery firm that specializes in large and complex claims.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire You Don't Need a CMO ?

We were looking for help in our outbound marketing efforts.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed multiple companies with similar methods and chose YDNACMO because of their expertise, price point and process.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After a quick intake questionnaire, we had multiple discovery meetings with our marketing executive and their writing staff. Through these meetings, they were able to understand our business model, target markets, and core competency intrinsically. Shortly thereafter, YDNACMO put together a very comprehensive email marketing campaign specifically focusing on 12+ vertical markets.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with Lucia, Lemuel, and Ricardo.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We've experienced a 207.55% ROI with YDNACMO!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had weekly meetings with our marketing executive to discuss results, changes and review next steps. These meeting were efficient and helped our firm focus on maximizing our investment.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The services they provided were stellar — account reps were great, and began booking meetings on my calendar in multiple verticals almost immediately. This was consistent over a 1-year timeline and resulted in numerous meetings with high-quality and high-value prospects.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

We had a small issue at the beginning with the content approval process but it was quick resolved.