If You're Looking for a "Yes Man", Stop Reading This Right Now And Go Find One.
It'll be easy, they're a dime a dozen.
Here's what I mean...
A yes man doesn't bring in $100+ million in revenue as a trusted advisor and visionary leader.
A yes man doesn't implement real-time sales and marketing tracking programs that save tens of thousands of dollars to capture hundreds of thousands in new revenue.
And a yes man doesn't develop marketing departments from the ground up...
Meet The CEO's Secret Weapon
Secret, because my behind-the-scenes work and results as a trusted advisor speaks for itself.
And I think we can all agree that going from zero to acquired for $14.1M in three years would fall under the "weapon" category.
Sometimes you have to crack a few eggs though.
It's impossible to become the CEO's Secret Weapon by keeping your head down and flying under the radar hoping to appease everyone that wants something.
However, It's Not Really About Me...
It's about you. And how I might be able to help YOU.
That's how I approach business.
Maybe you're a Recruiter or TA Specialist
And you're performing your due diligence to make sure there's a good fit before you decide to pass me along to the actual decision maker...
I'm positive you'll find the answer to that as you continue reading.
You see, I've found that working with people in a candid, confident and honest way gets the most accomplished in the shortest amount of time.
Eric does an exceptional job developing and implementing innovative strategies that solve complex business issues. His diligence and professionalism is highly regarded.
- Amy Penny
Perhaps you're an executive in the C-Suite
And competition is a painful thorn in your side, winning market share...
After all, those are supposed to be YOUR customers, right?
A wise man (Dan Kennedy) once said, "Whoever can spend the most money to acquire a customer wins."
Now, this doesn't mean to simply spend more money. It means your Return on Ad Spend and Customer Lifetime Value are keys to hitting your growth targets.
I know it's easier said than done, but this is where the moniker, CEO's Secret Weapon comes into the mix.
Eric always had unique, innovative solutions to present and which worked magic for clients. He could see every step from start-to-finish which equaled easy execution for my team... and lower stress for me!
- Erin Calvin
Maybe you're the business owner or founder
And you've spent a princely sum working with so called marketing agencies only to discover the guidance they provided doesn't percolate beyond the latest trending blog post...
I know because I worked at one, and with several. I was amazed that most people were totally oblivious to how they fit into the bigger picture for the client.
It was MIND BOGGLING.
Just look at all the job postings out there for Director/CMO/VP at big marketing agencies.
If they knew what they were doing, they would actually DO what they are telling all of their clients to do!
I've found that seeing how all the pieces fit into the big picture is key to successfully formulating effective strategies, executing them across departments, accurately measuring effectiveness, and continually optimizing to achieve the overall goals.
So, how would YOU put a job title on that?
Working with Eric has been a fantastic experience on many levels.
First he is an exceptional digital strategist. He approaches all client issues and challenges with deep thoughtfulness and applies best in class tactics that truly move the needle.
Secondly, he is generous with his time and talents which brings an incredible level of learning to those around him.
Lastly, his work ethic and tenacity are characteristics that help him bring results when others might give up. I hope to have the chance to work with him again.
- AnnMarie Wills
I Call It... Strategy Based Revenue Generation
And here's how I've used it to help the companies and people I've worked with...
Having spearheaded growth strategies for multiple organizations, I have developed an impressive reputation for ensuring that all tactics and activities align with enterprise goals and objectives.
My career has been marked by targeting solutions and shepherding successful initiatives under pressure and in challenging environments.
I have been recognized for my keen skill in approaching complex issues with advanced simplicity to bring things back to the fundamentals and revitalize from there.
I am known for my ability to break down a problem by turning it upside down and examining it from all angles, identifying how change can affect all components of a system.
My greatest strengths are incrementally improving every aspect of the business and acting decisively, like a true entrepreneur.
I had the good fortune to work with Eric Laune on a number of digital strategy projects at Kinetic Supply Company. He is insightful, innovative and is a great collaborative partner.
He has the ability to quickly assess a situation, visualize solutions, and acts to get meaningful results. And the best part - he enjoys what he does, and it shows. I'd gladly work with him again.
- Leslie Quillen
Here's My Damaging Admission
The reason why I was able to accomplish ANY of this, was to collaborate with people who could do the things I couldn't do myself.
There's no way I could have heightened profit margins from 29.79% to 58.14% in 15 months myself.
There's no way I could have steered the entire creation of a custom CRM solution for one client, obtaining information and generating critical leads myself.
There's no way I could have boosted sales in a critical channel by over 21%...
There's no way in hell I could've done any of this myself
I'm not a data scientist.
I'm not a programmer or web designer.
Heck, it took a while to put this website together. It was mostly fun, but it was also work.
Don't get me wrong...
It wasn't ditch-digging.
Or double eight-hour Labor Ready shifts to pay the electric and gas bill kind of work - like when I was starting out.
But I pulled it off.
I did all of it. With help...
And having the confidence to realize I don't know everything.
It's not just about delegating and managing resources at crunch-time to make things possible.
In order to do anything, you gotta have buy-in with the team you're working with and be able to take direction from them.
Or else things become... well, impossible.
Here's What To Do Next...
The only way for you to know if I might be able to help is for us to have a friendly & candid chat.
After we connect, you'll know if we're a good fit to work together.
If not, that's ok and we'll just keep on truckin' on our separate ways.
But if we are, we'll discuss the value of how I can help and we can go from there.
Eric possesses a great work ethic with an attention to detail that is very rare.
He continually demonstrates a keen perspective on the Digital Marketing industry and possesses that rare but valuable insightful balance between 'executive demands' and the reality of what the marketplace would react to.
He would prove to be a valuable asset to any company or organization.
- Angela Hamdorf
If you're open to learning how CEOs scale beyond growth, make marketing profitable, empower teams, and translate their vision into action, then connect & DM.
Talk soon,
Eric
I wish I could give Eric and his team 10 stars... No, make that a thousand stars.
I got an immediate ROI from engaging Eric over a year ago, and now everyone in my firm, especially me, wouldn't make a marketing decision without consulting him first.
He has become a trusted part of my leadership team and an advisor in not only our marketing efforts but in running my business overall.
He has incredible business insight and has helped us grow our company when everyone else in our industry suffered because of the pandemic shutdown.
With every suggestion he makes, we see both an immediate improvement in the KPIs that we measure and a longer-term improvement in top line revenue, client satisfaction and retention, and profitability.
If you are on the fence and deciding whether to engage with Laune and his team at SMB Local, just do it.
I've had nearly a dozen marketing vendors and advisors over 20 years of business leadership, and he is the only one that took a holistic view of my company and where I want to go and helped me get there.
If I was giving advice to my best friend or my brother, I would tell them to take Eric's advice, even if it's counterintuitive or a big risk, because he knows what he's doing.
I can honestly say he has had a multimillion dollar impact on my firm.
And one of the side benefits is that he's great to work with. Very casual, lots of fun, and my team and I look forward to every interaction we have with him.