How Old School Generalist Recruiters Create Talent Market Blind Spots, Cut Recruiting Effectiveness

by Eric Walczykowski, Adam Boone | Sep 17, 2024 | Blog, Recruiting Best Practices

How Old School Generalist Recruiters Create Talent Market Blind Spots, Cut Recruiting Effectiveness

Authored By Eric Walczykowski, Adam Boone

You wouldn’t go to your general practitioner doctor for brain surgery. So why do some companies hire non-specialized recruiters to perform searches for mission-critical leadership roles?

In fact, relying on an old-school generalist recruiter has a profound impact on the duration of a search and the quality of the outcomes.

Part 2:

The New Recruiting Best Practices Blog Series

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TODAY:

How Functionally Specialized Firms Outperform

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UP NEXT:

How Data-Driven Search Processes Produce Faster, Better Results

The choice is between search firms with partners who specialize in particular roles and those whose partners will try to recruit for any role at all.

Even a cursory look at the metrics shows that one approach is dramatically better than the other for high-stakes searches.

What is Functional Specialization?

Just like medical professionals specialize in particular types of medicine or surgical techniques, executive recruiters can specialize in certain types of searches.

Simply put, a functionally specialized firm orients its partners and their recruiters to go deep on one of five specific functional roles: CEO and P&L leadership; finance leadership; go-to-market (GTM) leadership such as sales and marketing; technology leaders; and human capital leadership.

These five categories of leaders cover all the primary functions in a viable company.

In contrast, the partner in a traditionally organized search firm will chase anything that moves. Today, she might be recruiting a CEO. Tomorrow it might be a CRO. The next day? A CFO.

So just like you would not want your family doctor to perform delicate brain surgery, why would you want that generalist search firm to look for executives who are central to your company’s wellbeing and success?

Partners Focus on One Functional Area

At Bespoke Partners, our strategy is simple yet powerful: every partner focuses exclusively on one functional area. Whether it’s a CEO, CTO, CFO, or any other C-suite position, our partners dedicate their careers to mastering the nuances and intricacies of their chosen domain.

Here is what that specialization means for clients:

Deep Expertise:

Our CFO recruiters, for instance, don’t just know CFOs—they know them on a personal They understand when a CFO is ready to make a move and what factors will motivate them to take on a new challenge. This depth of knowledge is not something you get from a generalist recruiter.

Every Conversation Counts:

Each interaction our partners have builds on previous ones, allowing them to solve your search in record time. They don’t dabble in their functional areas; they know them This includes not only understanding the value creation levers for a role but also knowing what those levers mean in the context of a specific company’s strategy.

The Best Candidates Know Us:

Because we know the functional areas better than any other firm, candidates know we will not waste their time with roles that are not a fit.

That’s why the vast majority will take our calls every time.

In contrast, the generalist search firm’s view of and access to the market will be based mostly on luck.

Ask these questions if you are considering a generalist firm:

How extensive is the recruiter’s network in the space?

Or were they lucky enough to have recent contact with a relevant candidate?

Does the recruiter really understand the essential nuances of the role?

When the recruiter presents your company, will the candidate be impressed with the detailed understanding of the functional area?

Will the talent market view you get from this recruiter reflect the true state of the market,

or are you limited by the recruiter’s own “blind spots” and limited experience in that functional area?

The Numbers Tell the Tale

Results:

Our newest practice, we have placed 100 HR executives with an average DTC of These executives have taken part in 7 exits and have been part of generating $4.8 billion in enterprise value.

Team-Based Approach and Collaboration

Functional specialization isn’t just about individual expertise; it’s also about collaboration. Our partners work together to leverage their collective knowledge for the benefit of our clients. This team-based approach ensures that each search is informed by the insights and experiences of our entire firm, not just one individual.

Referral System:

Each partner refers work to the partner best qualified to handle the job, ensuring that clients receive the highest level of service possible.

Weekly Functional Team Meetings:

Our functional teams meet weekly to discuss active searches, share ideas, and exchange knowledge about the function and its key

Weight of the Firm:

By pooling resources and expertise, our team-based approach allows us to bring the full weight of Bespoke Partners to every search, rather than relying on the capabilities of a single recruiter.

THE IMPACT OF
FUNCTIONAL SPECIALIZATION

95% Success Rate:

Executives placed by Bespoke Partners have a 95% success rate of staying in their roles for at least two years, double the industry average.

95 Days to Close:

On average, our searches are completed in 95 days, half the industry average.

83% Conversion Rate:

Our executive conversion rate is 83%, nearly double the industry average.

Our functional specialization isn’t just a strategy—it’s a proven approach that consistently delivers better outcomes for our clients.

By focusing on specific functional areas, our partners bring deep expertise and unparalleled efficiency to every search.

So why settle for generalists when you can work with specialists who know the industry cold? Get in touch today to discuss how we can solve your critical leadership searches.

Bespoke Partners Named in Top 10 of the “Top 49 Retained Executive Search” 2-Years Running by C-Suite CV Secure.

top 49 search firms 2 years in a row - bespoke partners

Author:
Eric Walczykowski
Chief Executive Officer

Eric is passionate about building high-performing teams that value doing their best, working together, overcoming adversity and learning.

As a proven growth executive, Eric has served as CEO, President, Board Member, Investor and Advisor for technology companies that achieved over $4.5B in successful exits.

Eric brings to Bespoke Partners significant professional services experience from Deloitte and Andersen, as well as the high-growth client executive perspective for private equity-backed technology companies.

Eric earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Business from Fresno State University.

Author:

Adam Boone
Chief Marketing Officer

Boone has led marketing, demand generation, branding, product management, services marketing, or alliances marketing programs for numerous successful companies including Avaya-acquisition Sipera, Sequoia start-up Syndesis, Subex, CoManage, and others. He has driven joint marketing programs and go-to-market initiatives with iconic industry leaders including Microsoft, IBM, GE, AT&T, Oracle, Comcast, Cisco, Ciena and Samsung.

Boone holds an MBA in Business Strategy from the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and completed the Competitive Marketing Strategy Program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

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‘Software is Eating the World’ And Most Search Firms Are What’s For Dinner

by Eric Walczykowski, Adam Boone | Sep 12, 2024 | Blog, Recruiting Best Practices

‘Software is Eating the World’ And Most Search Firms Are What’s For Dinner

Authored By Eric Walczykowski, Adam Boone

“Why Software is Eating the World” was the title of a legendary blog posting by tech industry icon Marc Andreessen.

The co-founder of Netscape and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (A16z) was beyond prescient when he wrote that 13 years ago.

The same year is when Kristie Nova founded our firm, Bespoke Partners, with our unique exclusive focus on executive recruiting for software and SaaS companies.

Part 1:

The New Recruiting Best Practices Blog Series

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TODAY:

Sector Focus Drives Better Outcomes in Software

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UP NEXT:

How Function Specialist Firms Outperform

And today, as software and SaaS companies reach new levels of transformational innovation generating trillions of dollars in value, one part of the world that has been profoundly changed is the world of executive search.

If you are working with a generic, jack-of-all-trades recruiting firm that focuses on any industry, you are setting yourself up for slower searches with worse outcomes. Simply put, these firms don’t have the expertise to understand the sector or the clock speed to deliver at the industry’s pace.

Software Eats the World

In the years since Marc’s statement, the software and SaaS markets have experienced tremendous growth and transformation, reshaping industries and business models across the globe.

The SaaS model became a dominant force, offering scalable, cloud-based solutions that eliminated the need for costly IT infrastructure. Companies like Salesforce and Adobe led the charge, with Salesforce seeing its revenue grow from $2.27 billion in 2012 to over $31 billion in 2023, reflecting the increasing reliance on SaaS platforms by enterprises worldwide(Mattermark, McKinsey & Company).

This shift wasn’t limited to tech companies; traditional industries, from finance to healthcare, have been deeply transformed by software and SaaS. For example, a JPMorgan Chase executive described her firm as a technology company that happens to hold a banking license, emphasizing how integral software has become to its operations (CHM).

Today, the ongoing evolution of AI and machine learning has further accelerated this transformation of all the world’s companies, large and small.

And Talent Is Driving

In years past, private equity investors relied on proprietary deal flow and financial engineering to create value and achieve an investment thesis.

Today, it is universally understood that leadership talent is the overriding factor for creating outsized returns.

Since Kristie founded Bespoke Partners, we have exclusively targeted the software executive market, a decision that has been fundamental to our success.

Why software? The answer lies in the complexity and rapid evolution of the software industry, where success is driven by a unique set of skills and experiences that are not easily transferrable from other industries.

By focusing solely on software, we have developed a deep understanding of the industry’s dynamics, from the specific challenges faced by different software subsectors to the strategic initiatives that drive growth.

Where the Generalist Firms Fail

Most executive search firms are generalists and are willing to take on any senior executive search regardless of industry. This is why time and again we are brought in by clients where searches have stalled or failed to produce any meaningful results even after many months.

It’s our specialization in software that enables us to deliver better candidates faster than these old school firms. Specifically:

For Clients:

Our software specialization ensures that we can quickly identify and engage with top talent who are not only qualified but are also the perfect cultural fit for the organization. Our deep industry knowledge allows us to anticipate market trends and recommend executives who can lead companies through periods of rapid change and growth.

For Candidates:

Executives know that when Bespoke calls, it’s because we have a genuine opportunity that aligns with their expertise and career aspirations. This reputation has led to an 82% executive conversion rate—meaning that when we reach out to potential candidates, they answer the call. This conversion rate far exceeds the industry norm and is how our clients get the most comprehensive and accurate view of the software and SaaS talent market.

Talent Coverage Across Software Sub-Sectors

Bespoke Partners doesn’t just focus on software as a whole; we actively cover 27 software subsectors, ranging from the hottest early growth areas to buyout segments. This extensive coverage allows us to not only serve these sectors but also play a critical role in shaping them.

Our analysts study companies, transactions, and key executives within these subsectors, providing us with the insights needed to understand who the key players are, who’s available, and who might be a good step-up candidate for a role.

SECTORS WE COVER

Fintech

Martech & Adtech

Infrastructure

Cybersecurity

Healthtech

AI / ML

Retail

GRC

HRtech

Marketplace

Real Estate

Supply Chain

CRM / CX

BI / Analytics

Edtech

Insurtech

Mobility

Entertainment & Recreation

Blockchain & Web3

Manufacturing & Industrials

Utilities

Legal

Govtech

Hospitality & Travel

Non-Profit

ERP

IoT Software

We are trusted advisors not just during the search process but often as early as the LOI phase, where sponsors consult with us on talent strategy before making an investment. Our ability to identify and place the right executives, often those who are a step up from their current roles, has made us an indispensable partner in the success of our clients.

THE INDUSTRY LEADER IN SOFTWARE TALENT

Bespoke’s performance for software and SaaS companies across 27 subsectors:

95%

placement success rate – our leaders stay in seat at least 1 year post placement

400+

sofware companies transformed

425+

exits and M&A transactions by our software company

$135B+

enterprise value created

Bespoke Partners’ singular focus on software executive search is not just a strategy—it’s a proven formula for success.

Our deep industry expertise, combined with our comprehensive coverage of 27 software subsectors, allows us to deliver results that are unmatched in the industry. Whether you’re looking to fill a critical leadership position or need strategic advice on your talent acquisition, Bespoke Partners is uniquely positioned to deliver

Bespoke Partners Named in Top 10 of the “Top 49 Retained Executive Search” 2-Years Running by C-Suite CV Secure.

Author:
Eric Walczykowski
Chief Executive Officer

Eric is passionate about building high-performing teams that value doing their best, working together, overcoming adversity and learning.

As a proven growth executive, Eric has served as CEO, President, Board Member, Investor and Advisor for technology companies that achieved over $4.5B in successful exits.

Eric earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Business from Fresno State University.

Outside of work, Eric enjoys spending time with family, coaching baseball, travel, attending live events and sipping good wine.

Author:

Adam Boone
Chief Marketing Officer

In his personal time, Boone enjoys travel, fine food and wine, mountain biking, playing and listening to music, and movies.

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Building the Right Team, Fast: The Team Build Strategy for Accelerated Value Creation

by Matt Sommi | Sep 11, 2024 | Blog

Building the Right Team, Fast: The Team Build Strategy for Accelerated Value Creation

By Matt Sommi

In the world of executive search, a “team build” is a strategic approach to assembling a cohesive group of executives for a single company, often under time constraints. We see it as an essential strategy in our work with private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. When a sponsor has taken on a new portfolio company, time is of the essence. That means effective value creation plan execution needs to take place as quickly as possible. In a market where businesses need to operate their way to value, our clients move quickly in getting the right personnel in place across the organization.

Whether it is augmenting the area of key leaders in the business through strong SVPs or VPs, or the up-leveling of key functions across the C-suite, sponsors are looking to move quickly on multiple roles within the first few months of the hold period. A team build allows the company and sponsor to fast track the hiring process. Compared to traditional searches that fill one role at a time with significant gaps in between, a team build brings together leaders who are aligned or complementary in strategy, culture, and capabilities, whether across the C-suite or within specific functional areas. We have conducted more than 30 team builds over the years, resulting in leadership teams that not only were quickly assembled, but also strategically aligned and ready to hit the ground running.

Lending Operations
Value Creators

Bespoke placed 5 executives for a Lending operations software company, and under their leadership the firm went on to expand their Salesforce partnership, complete three successful acquisitions and increased revenue by 74% and employee count by 48%.

Customer Journey
Mastered

Bespoke appointed several finance executives for a Customer Experience software provider firm that went on to launch multiple products that included AI innovations, successful and key acquisitions and multiple awards from various entities for voice of customer.

Team Build
Leads to IPO

Bespoke placed 6 Senior executives in under three years that lead to multiple acquisitions, a successful IPO event and bringing new solutions to market during a stage of hyper growth.

How Our Unique Specializations Optimize Team Builds

When it comes to hiring for leadership roles, speed is crucial—unfilled executive positions can cripple a company’s ability to execute its strategy, seize market opportunities, and stay ahead of competitors. Vacancies at the top levels of leadership create gaps that slow down decision-making, disrupt operations, and erode organizational momentum.

Bespoke Partners is uniquely qualified to execute on team builds for clients because of two areas of specialization:

Our partners are specialized experts in functional areas.
Unlike generalist search firms where a partner claims to be an expert in any role, our partners focus on functional roles in five areas: CEOs and P&L leaders; Finance; Go-to-Market (GTM); Technology; Human Capital. This means we have the most extensive networks and the deepest understanding of how each role will fit into the bigger picture of your value creation plan.

We go deeper than any other firm in the software and SaaS space.
Our dedicated research team covers 27 software and SaaS market subsectors. We know all the leaders. We know all the trends. We know who is about to become available for new roles.

Our unique focus not only accelerates the hiring process but also ensures a cohesive and effective leadership team from day one when partnering with Bespoke on your team build. By moving quickly and deliberately, we help companies avoid the pitfalls of slow searches, such as mismatches, lost opportunities, and operational disruptions. We also know better than anyone else how specific candidates could mesh and complement one another in a team. In one recent instance, we strategically paired a CEO known for their visionary innovation with a CFO and COO who brought strong financial management and disciplined operational execution to the table. This combination allowed the team to turn ambitious plans into concrete results and showed how complementary skills can come together to form a cohesive leadership team with impact.

Deep Knowledge in the VP/SVP Space

One area in which the right search partner can provide significant value in a team build is in its prior knowledge of VP and SVP talent pools. These roles often serve as a talent pipeline for C-suite positions. Our expertise in identifying and vetting strong #2 candidates ensure they not only support but significantly amplify the effectiveness of C-level placements. A strong #2 provides leverage to the organization, allowing the C-suite to spend more time focusing on strategy, implementation, and execution. This results in expediting of time-to-value for the business. By placing high-caliber #2 executives who directly contribute to the success of C-suite leaders, we ensure they complement and enhance the capabilities of C-level executives. For example, a well-vetted VP of Operations can streamline processes and boost operational efficiency, enabling the CEO to concentrate on strategic growth. This targeted support accelerates C-suite impact and ensures a cohesive leadership team aligned with the company’s strategic goals.

Leveraging our relationships and insights into VP and SVP candidates, we align these #2 executives with the company’s current needs and future leadership pipeline. This strategic placement helps build a balanced and effective leadership team, facilitating smoother transitions to C-level roles as these leaders are already attuned to the company’s overarching investment thesis.

Furthermore, our understanding of the VP and SVP candidate pool provides valuable insights into how these leaders can grow within the organization. This foresight not only benefits the immediate team build but also contributes to long-term leadership development and succession planning. Our deep knowledge of the VP/SVP talent pool enables us to build resilient, adaptable leadership teams ready to navigate any challenge.

Ready to build a leadership team that drives success from day one?

Contact us today to learn how our expertise in executive search can help you assemble the right team, fast, and position your organization for growth.

Bespoke Partners Named in Top 10 of the “Top 49 Retained Executive Search” 2-Years Running by C-Suite CV Secure.

Author:
Matt Sommi
Senior Vice President

Based in Philadelphia, Matt helps lead Bespoke’s client engagement efforts across the firm’s suite of services.

Prior to joining Bespoke, Matt spent 8 years in research and business development at GLG, supporting private equity due diligence efforts and building relationships with GLG’s middle market private equity firms.

The Role of Tech Leadership in a Competitive Market: Insights from the Tech Talent Trends Report

by Ryan Bonner, Haley Mundy | Sep 4, 2024 | Blog

The Role of Tech Leadership in a Competitive Market: Insights from the Tech Talent Trends Report

Authored By Ryan Bonner, Haley Mundy

When we think of human capital management for private equity backed software and SaaS companies, leadership roles like Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Product Officer (CPO), and Chief Information Officer (CIO) are crucial in steering companies through innovation and strategic alignment. These leaders are not only tasked with keeping their organizations technologically competitive, but also with building teams that can deliver impactful solutions.

With top talent in high demand, understanding the latest trends in hiring, candidate dynamics, and evolving compensation packages is essential for maintaining a competitive edge.

Bespoke Partners has been at the forefront of tech executive placements for over a decade. The quality of our placements is evident, with $27 billion in enterprise value created and leadership in 24 successful company exits. This blog is a quick hit summary of our full talent report and delves into the critical trends shaping the tech executive landscape today.

Track Record for this Practice:

Market Trends Shaping
Tech Executive Recruitment

1.

The Shift Toward Niche Skills and Narrow Markets

In today’s tech hiring environment, there is a growing focus on acquiring highly specialized skillsets. Companies, particularly smaller ones, are increasingly targeting niche talent that can contribute immediately, often requiring candidates with very specific expertise. This trend, while allowing for precise matches, also presents challenges due to the limited pool of qualified candidates, who are often in high demand and well-retained.

Bespoke Partners addresses these challenges with a technology-driven approach that accelerates the identification and connection with niche candidates, ensuring a faster and more efficient hiring process compared to traditional methods.

2.

Fluctuating Demand for Tech Leaders

The demand for tech leaders, especially in product and engineering roles, is highly cyclical, often driven by deal flow and growth phases within companies. This dynamic requires a flexible and responsive recruitment strategy to adapt to periods of intense hiring activity followed by quieter phases. The timing of recruitment, influenced by factors like seasonal trends and political landscapes, also plays a significant role.

Companies that initiate their searches during off-peak times, such as the summer, often gain a first-mover advantage. Our team here at Bespoke emphasizes the importance of having a robust candidate pipeline ready to meet these fluctuating demands, ensuring businesses can quickly respond to opportunities as they arise.

3.

Leadership Upgrades Following Acquisitions

Acquisitions and mergers often trigger significant changes in a company’s leadership structure, with new owners seeking executives who align with the revised strategic direction. This phase is critical for ensuring the company can navigate post-acquisition complexities effectively.

Bespoke Partners excels in facilitating leadership upgrades like this by identifying and recruiting executives with proven track records in managing larger, more complex operations. This approach ensures that the right leaders are in place to drive the company forward during and after these pivotal transitions.

Candidate Trends:
Navigating a Competitive Landscape

Fewer Choices, Greater Focus

In contrast to the recent past where candidates often juggled multiple job offers, the current trend shows more focused competition. Companies have become more selective and strategic, resulting in fewer simultaneous offers but a continued intensity in competition for top talent. This shift indicates a stabilization in the hiring landscape, where both employers and candidates approach the process with greater deliberation.

Data-Driven Compensation Strategies

Compensation packages for tech executives are increasingly guided by comprehensive market data, ensuring that offers remain competitive. This data-centric approach helps companies avoid the pitfalls of offering salaries that are out of sync with market realities, which can either lead to losing top talent or unsustainable payroll expenses.

Negotiating Beyond Market Value

Candidates who excel during the interview process often gain significant leverage in negotiations, shifting the focus from market value to their specific demands. This trend underscores the importance of understanding and meeting individual candidate expectations, which can be crucial in securing top talent in a competitive market.

Download your report

Securing Top Tech Talent

Our Tech Talent Trends Report underscores the critical role that technology leaders play in today’s competitive market. From niche skill acquisition to fluctuating demand and strategic leadership upgrades, the ability to attract and retain top tech talent is more important than ever. Bespoke Partners’ expertise in executive placements is an asset in achieving these goals, providing the insights and resources necessary to secure the best talent in the industry.

Find out more about this practice: Product & Technology Leadership Practice – Bespoke Partners

To access additional insights, including our Private Equity Talent Benchmark Report, or for more information on how Bespoke Partners can assist with your executive recruiting needs contact us at the link below.

Bespoke Partners Named in Top 10 of the “Top 49 Retained Executive Search” 2-Years Running by C-Suite CV Secure.

Author: Ryan Bonner Partner, Head of Marketing and Technology Leader Practices Ryan Bonner is a Partner leading the Marketing and Technology Leader Practices with Bespoke Partners. Based in Boston, he joined the firm in 2024. Prior to Bespoke, he spent the previous decade with Spencer Stuart focused on supporting both PE backed and public companies recruit B2B Technology Marketers, Product leaders and digital transformation teams. Prior to search Ryan was a 20 year operator holding senior go-to-market roles with brands like Bose Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific and CVS Pharmacy. Ryan has his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Princeton University. He ran D1 Track at Princeton as well as owning and operating his own business on campus while earning his degree. In his spare time, you can find Ryan at the gym, a concert or comedy show or on hikes with his wife and puppy.

Author:
Haley Mundy
Vice President

Haley is a Vice President within our Product and Technology practice at Bespoke. Based in Los Angeles, she joined the firm in 2024, bringing 12+ years’ experience building and leading growth-stage talent teams, before moving into Executive Search in 2019 with a boutique, LA-based search firm. Haley has built a career developing Product, Technology, and Data teams throughout every level of the organization and is passionate about the role these functions play in creating value.

Prior to Bespoke, she led the Product and Technology practice as a VP at Safire Partners, a boutique executive search firm focused on VC and PE backed growth companies. Haley has completed over 70 VP and C-Level searches throughout her search career, placing executives across multiple portfolio companies at Greycroft, Benchmark, Lerer Hippeau, General Catalyst, Crosscut, and others.

In addition to her executive search experience, Haley previously held Head of Talent roles at growth-stage tech-enabled marketplaces, HauteLook (acquired by Nordstrom for $280M) and AXS (owned by The Anschutz Corporation).

Haley has her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin, which she completed in 3 years while working full-time in a rotational leadership program at Nordstrom.

In her spare time, you can find Haley chasing after her two young children, planning her next home renovation, or sipping wine along the California coast.

Relationships, Reputation and Revenue: The Crucial Role of Chief Marketing Officers in Private Equity Value Creation

by Eric Walczykowski | Aug 28, 2024 | Blog

Relationships, Reputation and Revenue: The Crucial Role of Chief Marketing Officers in Private Equity Value Creation

Authored By Eric Walczykowski

I continue to hear from peers in the private equity backed software and SaaS businesses that one of the top reasons for a loss of sale is a disconnect between sales and marketing, and how the right CMO can turn that around.

At Bespoke, we are fortunate to leverage the enterprise strategic value that our Chief Marketing Officer, Adam Boone, contributes to our go-to-market and value creation strategy. However, I recognize that not every portfolio company shares this advantage.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Alisha Lyndon, founder and CEO of Momentum ITSMA and author of The ABM Effect on the topic of Chief Marketing Officers in Private Equity companies. Our discussion ranged from alignment between marketing and sales, to marketing’s impact on value creation and how the right CMO keeps the team working towards the same North Star.

You can see the full vodcast episode here.

Plus don’t miss Part 2 of my interview with Alisha this week: Register to Watch

Below is a summarized Q&A of part 1 of my conversation with Alisha.

Eric: Talk to me a little bit about the Chief Marketing Officer role within private equity and why it is such an exciting time to be a CMO in private equity as it relates to value creation.

Alisha: We work with many CMOs across portfolio companies, and it is an exciting opportunity. There is a clear path to value creation over the next three to five years, with marketing playing a crucial role. CMOs in PE-backed businesses benefit from having the resources of larger organizations while staying close to the business, offering the focus of a small company. This unique setup allows CMOs to have a real impact, with a seat at the boardroom table and a strong executive presence.

Catch Part 2 of Eric’s interview with Alisha this week!

Eric: My Chief Commercial Officer has a background as a Chief Marketing Officer, which I value for the strategic expertise and market understanding Boone brings. In private equity, go-to-market strategies are central to value creation plans, yet people often focus on the CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) or sales. I would like to hear more about the critical role of the CMO in these plans, especially in relation to account-based strategies, which you have written extensively about.

Alisha: The CMO plays a crucial role beyond just driving revenue. While the CRO focuses on revenue generation, the CMO is essential for understanding how clients and customers buy, their needs, and how the organization can build relationships and reputation to create a path to revenue. They shape positioning, messaging, and enablement, ensuring the organization effectively communicates value. CMOs are uniquely positioned to engage with SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), executives, and customers, enhancing deal velocity, winning accounts, and retaining and growing customers. Their insight is key to refining the value proposition and staying aligned with market opportunities, making them vital to maximizing growth.

Eric: When I think about the classic Chief Marketing Officer and the private equity environment, it is driven by KPIs, KPIs, KPIs. How do we measure marketing success, and what are some of the common KPIs related to a Chief Marketing Officer for value creation?

Alisha: The traditional playbook has been heavily lead-focused, centered around the funnel—getting as much in at the top and converting what flows out. This approach often prioritized “grow at all costs.” However, a shift is occurring in value creation strategies, with more emphasis on anchoring the entire business to drive performance. The focus is now on building a sustainable growth model, which involves winning the right clients to ensure long-term growth without drastic fluctuations and maximizing customer retention to drive advocacy. We are advocating for a measurement model centered on the “three R’s.”

First, relationships: expanding and deepening connections within prioritized accounts.
Second, reputation: positioning the organization to fully support land-and-expand strategies and maximize opportunity size.
Third, revenue: adding pace to deals and ensuring that pipelines are not just filled but converting effectively.

In today’s complex buying environment, many deals may go nowhere, so it’s crucial to have a unified team with a shared revenue goal.

Eric: I love the idea of the three R’s, it’s easy for folks to conceptualize around relationships. Talk to me a little bit more about the reputational aspects of it and how we go about measuring reputation scores.

Alisha: Reputation is crucial in private equity-backed businesses, especially with frequent M&A activity. When acquiring new businesses, it’s important to drive organic growth by deepening relationships with existing customers through cross-selling, upselling, and expanding within accounts. To expand in accounts, you must earn the right to sell new offerings if you’re primarily known for another. This involves building thought leadership, strong positioning, and a clear value proposition. Reputation can be measured by how many accounts are buying new products or services and the extent of multi-threaded opportunities. While metrics like CSAT and NPS are useful, they’re more lagging indicators. The leading indicator is opening new opportunities and buying centers previously inaccessible. Marketing plays a key role in maintaining message and channel consistency. Trust is built gradually but can be quickly lost, so it’s essential to consistently build the right reputation and brand, ensuring customers stay with you and support organic growth and expansion.

Eric: That is very consistent with what we’re seeing when we’re building executive teams and scorecards. Could you talk a little bit more about the importance of alignment between marketing and sales, and how Chief Marketing Officers and others on the executive team can ensure that they’re aligned on that go-to-market strategy?

Alisha:

This is a crucial issue. The primary reason for lost sales is often a disconnect between sales and marketing, making their alignment a business imperative. Marketing’s role in ensuring message consistency throughout the pipeline is vital, as it can streamline deal cycles and reduce noise.

Marketing must also ensure that sales teams and broader go-to-market teams, including customer success, product teams, and sales engineers, carry the right message into customer interactions. Alignment between marketing and sales is essential, extending to shared goals and compensation plans. Marketing should be incentivized similarly to sales, with clear objectives for pipeline creation, deal acceleration, and conversion. This alignment requires having the right talent, structure, and compensation in place within the marketing organization, ensuring that both teams work toward the same goals.

Aligning Marketing and Sales for Optimized Deal Cycles

Alisha effectively emphasized how marketing can optimize deal cycles, identified the key marketing metrics to focus on, and underscored the importance of structuring marketing departments to align with sales goals. As these roles continue to evolve, structuring these teams to work together efficiently is more critical than ever, resulting in a stronger go-to-market strategy and improved outcomes.

Bespoke Partners Named in Top 10 of the “Top 49 Retained Executive Search” 2-Years Running by C-Suite CV Secure.

About Momentum ITSMA

Momentum ITSMA enables ambitious companies to achieve market-beating performance by winning, growing, and retaining the most valuable client relationships. Momentum’s consulting, research, and learning services help build go-to-market teams, optimize strategic accounts, and gain greater market share.

Connect with Momentum to learn more:

About Bespoke Partners

Bespoke Partners is the largest recruiting firm solely focused on software and SaaS companies, and we specialize in firms backed by private equity sponsors. Bespoke Partners can help companies seize emerging opportunities by staying ahead in the software and SaaS leadership market.

Connect with Bespoke Partners to learn more:

Author:
Eric Walczykowski
Chief Executive Officer

Eric is passionate about building high-performing teams that value doing their best, working together, overcoming adversity and learning.

As a proven growth executive, Eric has served as CEO, President, Board Member, Investor and Advisor for technology companies that achieved over $4.5B in successful exits.

Eric earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Business from Fresno State University.

Outside of work, Eric enjoys spending time with family, coaching baseball, travel, attending live events and sipping good wine.

Featuring:
Alisha Lyndon
Chief Executive Officer,
Momentum ITSMA

Alisha is the Chief Executive at Momentum ITSMA, with over 20 years experience advising technology, professional services and financial services firms on revenue performance, go-to-market, strategic account growth.

Entrepreneur and growth evangelist, Alisha pioneered account-based marketing and went on to establish the first consulting firm to focus on driving revenue in strategic accounts.

She is host to America’s top 100 management podcast, Account-Based Marketing, author of The ABM Effect: How to Win, Retain and Growth Valuable Clients, is a regular contributor to Forbes and a speaker on growth topics.

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Hiring Head Start: Winning the Race for Leadership Talent in 2025

by Adam Boone, Matt Sommi | Aug 22, 2024 | Blog

Hiring Head Start: Winning the Race for Leadership Talent in 2025

By Adam Boone, Matt Sommi

Imagine standing on the finish line when the starter gun goes off.

That’s the outcome our clients will experience as they get a jump on 2025 leadership hiring now.

With about a third of calendar year 2024 remaining, it might seem premature to start hiring for 2025 now.

But in fact, the timing is perfect if you are looking to position your private equity backed company for success.

A senior leader who starts work in the first week of January can deliver at least two additional quarters of value creation execution in 2025, compared to a leader hired via a search starting then.

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In other words, if you wait to start your search until the January 1 budget kicks in, you are six months behind.

Talent Market Dynamics

The key is understanding that leadership talent is a market like any other. Companies are the “buyers” aiming to land the best talent. Those executives are the “sellers” who put their services up for sale.

If your intent as a buyer is to generate outsized returns for investors, then you need to secure the best talent and do so ideally at the lowest cost.

Simple supply and demand principles dictate that the best time to achieve that is when demand is lowest.

That’s why we advise our clients to start their hiring process now for key leaders they plan to bring on board in 2025. If you wait until the 2025 budget kicks in, you will be competing against every other firm looking for that talent.

Besides landing the best talent at the best price, you stand to gain a major boost in value creation that can shorten hold periods and maximize returns.

That’s through the metric we track as “Days to Value Creation.”

Cutting your Days to Value Creation

Our “Days to Close” in executive search is typically half the industry average. There are many reasons for this market leading performance:

Our exclusive focus on software and SaaS and our specialization in private equity mean we have the best network and best perspective on talent.

We cap our recruiter searches to provide the most intensive focus on your search.

We never “quiet quit” like firms who are looking for a fast transactional win. When these firms fail to solve your search quickly, they will appear to maintain the same level of activity, collect the retainer payments, and then eventually admit they cannot recruit the right executive.

Our data-driven process is built to optimize search efficiency, accelerating search steps while consistently producing better results.

Why does all this matter?

Because the metric that matters most for our private equity clients is Days to Value Creation.

Executing on value creation plans is essential to achieving the investment thesis. So time is of the essence when recruiting the executives who lead that effort.

Consider the typical timeline for finding and onboarding a new senior executive:

Click/tap the timeline to view fullscreen.

This all means that over a year has passed from the moment an executive hire is needed to when the execution on value creation plans truly begins.

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So in effect, if you don’t start the search until January 1 of 2025, your chosen executive will not be generating value at pace until 2026.

Achieving Industry-Leading Days to Value Creation

Working with Bespoke Partners provides two benefits for achieving the most efficient Days to Value Creation:

Our market-leading search Days to Close is half the industry average and can cut a third of the overall Days to Value Creation.

Our network and relationships with the industry’s best talent enable us to understand who is soon to be on the market so you can connect and secure them before others do. We also have the best visibility into high potential step-up candidates who are ready for the top role.

Faster searches with better outcomes are the hallmarks of the Bespoke process.

The result is a Days to Value Creation that puts you ahead of the pack.

If your team is contemplating a hire, please get in touch. We are happy to provide compensation data by function and scale, give you visibility of actionable executives in our network, and offer perspective on market trends for specific roles.

Bespoke Partners Named in Top 10 of the “Top 49 Retained Executive Search” 2-Years Running by C-Suite CV Secure.

Author:

Adam Boone
Chief Marketing Officer

In his personal time, Boone enjoys travel, fine food and wine, mountain biking, playing and listening to music, and movies.

Author:
Matt Sommi
Senior Vice President

Based in Philadelphia, Matt helps lead Bespoke’s client engagement efforts across the firm’s suite of services.

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