surefoot.me

We are proud of the long-term partnerships we have with brands like Peak Design, Hydro Flask, Brooklinen, OXO, Made In Cookware and more.

We strive to create a culture where superior service is our primary sales strategy, clients and co-workers are friends and hard work is balanced with play.

Our core tenets:

- Partner with brands and companies we believe in, who give more than they take, whether that’s in the way of charitable giving, happiness or health.

- Win with integrity and put people over profit in a world that often forgets how to do those things.

- Refuse to waiver on doing what is best for our clients, even if it means less upside for us.

- Only do what we can do well, providing strategic AB testing and personalization services, and partnering with others when we veer outside the realm of our core competencies.

- Be happy. As they say, life is too short to be anything else.

If our philosophy resonates, please give me a shout at brian@surefoot.me

CEO & co-founder

CROmetrics

As employee #1, I helped grow the company to $3.5MM in annual recurring revenue and wore many hats, handling everything from client management to data analysis, QA and process implementation for clients like Facebook, 99designs, Trulia, General Assembly, Weight Watchers and more. 

As the company grew from two people to 25, I was promoted to Director of Operations, where I led various initiatives, including implementation of back-end systems and automation that facilitated internal efficiency and client success.

Director Of Operations

Test My Marketing

This was the second company I co-founded, which I spun out of a 3-day startup event, even winning a MSN influential new business contest. True story. I’m still surprised the domain name was available. 

We offered an affordable copywriting solution to help businesses craft crisp, actionable and compelling messages before publishing to their audiences. As co-founder, I led all internal operations and marketing and managed a community of freelance marketers.

Co-Founder

Rockbridge Seminary

Directed technology, online and traditional marketing, and finance.

Vice President of Operations

Director of Operations

Operations Manager

Watch Dog Time

This was my first foray into the world of business ownership, an online luxury watch repair business. If you had a broken Rolex, Tag Heuer or Breitling, I had a fix for it.

• directed all matters of finance, marketing, and daily operations 
• handled all customer service inquiries, ensuring timely responses (see what I did there?) 
• bootstrapped company and reached profitability and positive cash flow within 5 months of launch

President & Co-founder

Justice Jewelers

In this role, I found diamonds in the rough (literally and figuratively), as I was responsible for directing the buying team, small diamond buying and jewelry appraising. This is where I got my first taste of the World Wide Web (as it was referred to then), as I  managed our company websites and the Inventory Management System. 

• responsible for planned merchandise spend of $6MM annually
• directed outsourced marketing activities with ad agency
• designed and implemented a system to control purchasing budgets 
• designed and implemented a website for sale of slow moving inventory, which led to increased profitability and faster turn
• designed and implemented a purchasing process to increase inventory turn; turn exceeded industry average by 186%
• earned Graduate Gemology degree from the G.I.A.

Buying Team Manager/Marketing Coordinator/Merchandiser

Growing ecommerce businesses through CRO, UX research, and data analytics.

We're a conversion rate optimization agency for eCommerce brands looking to grow to the next level, but know they need to a better job converting traffic. 

We talk to your potential customers, find out why they're not buying, and fix those issues through a/b testing, personalization, and data-informed UX/UI design.

We help you grow by leveraging: 
-> Full-website conversion optimization
-> Landing page optimization
-> Personalization and segmentation
-> Conversion-focused web design
-> User experience research
-> Website analytics and reporting

We’ve worked with brands you know, like JensonUSA, Osprey, PENN Fishing, and The Shade Store. We’re also fired up about helping growing brands reach the next level. Some brands we've helped make this jump include Hydro Flask, Made In, Mizzen and Main, and Peak Design.

Brian Schmitt

The CRO industry is full of 25-year-olds teaching "masterclasses" after running 10 tests.

I've been doing this since 2001. And honestly, almost all of what I see from newer operators today is straight trash.

Can someone be good at CRO in two years? 

"Good" is a loose term. Can someone do it? For sure.

But if you're coming in fresh at 25 with no business experience, you're not going to be proficient.

You'll end up copycatting wins you see posted online with no strategic thought and zero customer empathy.

I've stepped in for clients after they left younger agencies. Their biggest complaint is always:

"Our tests would win, but we wouldn't see revenue translate."

When I examine their "winning" tests, I find they hit significance in 3-4 days when the sample size wasn't big enough, creating false positives everywhere.

We've found "losses" that were actually wins when re-run correctly and "wins" that were flat or actual losses.

Real experience teaches principles, not tactics.

CEO at Surefoot.me | Driving ecom growth w/ CRO, Analytics, UX Research, and Site Design

The most expensive mistake $10M+ ecommerce brands make:

They spend millions on traffic.
But 98% of those visitors leave without buying.

CRO is the lever they ignore.

Acquisition builds reach.
Optimization builds revenue.

Without CRO, your ad budget is a leaky bucket.

Recent wins from Surefoot clients:

 • Free Shipping Threshold → +$516K annual revenue
 • Centaur LP → +8.3% cart adds
 • Category Clarity in the Nav → +$149K annual lift

Different brands. 

Same pattern:
Disciplined experimentation beats design trends.

The most expensive phrase in eCommerce?

“We want to redesign the website.”

Full redesigns do not deliver the ROI you think it will, and it is almost always a waste of time and resources that brands could be putting towards what ACTUALLY drives a substantial impact: 

→ Removing friction where it counts
→ Fixing leaks in the customer journey
→ Tapping into buying psychology
→ Running smart, strategic A/B tests

Chasing shiny new designs is looking for gold at the end of the rainbow. 

Double down on what works and optimize the rest.

Most people think CRO is about button colors and call-to-actions.
It’s not.

It’s about truth.

When we run a test, we’re asking:
“What actually drives buying behavior, not what we think drives it?”

Sometimes that truth hurts.
It shows your $82k redesign was vanity.
It proves your CEO’s favorite headline does nothing.
It humbles teams who “knew” their customer.

But that’s why it works.

CRO turns “we believe” into “we know.”

And once you operate from truth, every other part of your business compounds faster.

When a brand tells me “it should be working,” I know we’re about to find revenue.

“Our PDP should convert better.”
“Our new landing page should outperform the old one.”
“Our loyalty program should increase retention.”

The problem?
None of those sentences include proof.

We’ve run over 9,000 tests across ecommerce brands.
Roughly half the time, the “better” version loses.

That’s not failure.
That’s the tuition you pay for certainty.

You can either spend millions building what should work…
Or a fraction testing what actually does.

If everyone follows “best practices,” who’s left to stand out?


So many CRO audits start with the same sentence:


“We follow best practices.”


And that’s usually the problem.


Because “best practices” mean “what everyone else already tried.”
They’re safe. Predictable. Easy to copy.


But optimization isn’t about copying. It’s about discovery.


Your audience, product, and price point are unique.
Your winning version probably breaks at least five “rules.”


If your pages look like your competitors’, you’re fighting for scraps.


CRO is how you break away, safely.
You earn permission to zig while they all zag.

How's it going today? 

Feeling the anticipation or feeling the heartburn?

Every brand has one assumption about its customers that has never been tested.

What’s yours?
(Serious question.)

New Standard Co.

The Sendero Squad

https://senderosquad.beehiiv.com/

Building an active newsletter where I talk retention strategy, tactical execution and how to navigate the corporate world for your benefit.

Newsletter

Eric Rausch Consulting LLC

Executed tactical and strategic e-commerce growth and retention work for the following brands: Audible, Charlotte's Web, Jinx, KickUp, Miraflora, Right Side Up and more. 

Specialties include email marketing, customer lifecycle journeys, website navigation and conversion funnels.

Growth & Retention E-Commerce Consulting

Outward Hound - The Best Brands For Pets

226% YoY Q1 Growth (2020 to 2021) 
117% e-commerce revenue growth (2019 to 2020)
175% e-commerce revenue growth (2020 to 2021 YTD)

Increased conversion rate, AOV and non-bounce traffic across all platforms through the fundamentals of the E-commerce golden equation. 

Oversaw and managed ESP switch and data-migration from Mailchimp to Klaviyo.
Oversaw and managed website redesign & relaunch from Magento to BigCommerce.

Create integrated B2B & D2C content, strategy and promotional calendars which includes over 60 deliverables a month.

E-Commerce Growth & Retention

Charlotte's Web

Oversaw and managed e-commerce promotional and branding calendar which generated $58 million in 2019, and 65% of fourth quarter revenue.

Grew e-commerce revenue to $63 million in 2020, which was 67% of total company earnings. 

1.7x revenue increase YoY on Black Friday - Cyber Monday campaigns. 

Mystery Sale Campaign was featured during "Best in Business" presentation at Litmus Boston. Set company records for most revenue in 24 hours and highest conversion rate. 

Case study featured on "Really Good Emails"

Customer Strategy & Promotions

The Bradford Group

Managed, planned, scheduled and executed digital campaigns for four different company brands and multiple product divisions within each brand. 

Helped format and edit HTML code for dynamic templates up to 10 times a week. 

Partnered with review platforms to increase our consumer trust score from a 1-star company to a 4-star company as part of a rebranding initiative. 

Helped transition old ESP to two different new platforms with backend API connectivity. 

Responsible for Weekly / Monthly / Quarterly Sales & Budget Forecasting. 

Helped remove blacklisting from domains to ensure maximum deliverability. 

# of Direct Reports: 2
My Direct Boss: VP of Digital Marketing

ESP's: Salesforce / Bluecore / Selligent 
Vendors: Return Path / Coremetrics / Movable Ink / DMi Partners / Liveclicker / Basecamp

Email Marketing Manager

Digitas North America

Client work: Sprint / Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin Robbins / BP / Playstation

• Acted as direct contact to clients, ESP, internal team and vendors. 
• Managed budget and impression allocations across capabilities and third-party vendors. 
• On boarded, trained and managed the offshore team (India / Costa Rica, focusing on reducing email development time, critical problem solving and added value reporting. 
• Planned strategy meetings, managed budgets and controlled all deliverable and solution timelines. 
• Provided vendor specifications, effectively executed QA/QC procedures, coded email builds, oversaw end-to-end testing, and managed vendor functions to adhere to task schedules.
• Set up, designed and performed tactical tasks associated with manual/automated/trigger/journey campaigns.
• Specialized in multi-channel campaign design, execution and analysis (Email, WAP, SMS, Direct Mail). 

Programs Frequently Used: JIRA / Omniture / Salesforce / Litmus / Box / Trello / Acxiom (Zeta) / Movable Ink / Persado

Won 2017 Movable Ink Quarterly Marketing Award for Best Loyalty Offer Email.

Senior Marketing Operations

Chicago Tribune Media Group

Developed, executed and managed integrated marketing campaigns to achieve budgeted annual digital subscription goals.

Helped launch and build automated mailing system (SAS) and vertical integration expansion projects (SportsPlus). 

Used A/B and multi-variate testing along with strategic insight to optimize conversions and KPI's.

Acted as account liaison between central Chicago team and individual markets to ensure successful marketing initiatives.

Managed creative asset development, deployment and placement timelines, strategy and post-campaign reporting. 

Grew customer acquisition database through top of funnel efforts including pop-up light boxes and display ads.

Understood and drove customer behavior through data analysis and reporting. 

Worked with 8 publications owned by Tribune Publishing including Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Baltimore Sun, Morning Call, Orlando Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, San Diego Union Tribune, and Daily Press.

Programs Frequently Used: JIRA / Omniture / Cheetah Mail / Litmus / Slack / Movable Ink / Persado

Senior Marketing Analyst

Power2Practice

Helped form and develop marketing team as first marketing hire. 

Assisted in the development and support of market segmentation, content, positioning and messaging for the P2P brands and all related products, services and marketing strategies

Planed, created and executed strategies to create integrated, comprehensive marketing programs that drove thought leadership, awareness and demand

Supported consistent application of the market positioning and messaging

Ensured that Sales, Product Development, Client Support, and other internal teams were fully informed about marketing and communications programs; product information; etc.

Developed and executed marketing plans to support the launch of new products, services and capabilities

Created collateral materials that supported messaging and positioning; maintained sufficient availability of all materials

Tracked and analyzed competitors’ marketing strategies, tactics, positioning, products and capabilities to ensure effective and differentiated positioning for products/services

Marketing Specialist

Randstad

Developed creative and engaging social media content for Sears and Kmart media channels

Approved and consulted with internal clients on social media marketing campaigns and promotions

Scheduled and added tracking codes on all social media posts through Spredfast 

Prepared weekly creative reviews to present to the Vice President, Digital Media

Marketing Consultant

The golden equation of ecommerce never lies. 

Myers-Briggs: ENTP / ENTJ

Certified in basically every ESP ever invented. 

Bring it on.

Eric Rausch

My controversial stance is that this is a perfectly reasonable and acceptable email for a manager to send to an employee.

If you're doing productive work, this is an easy email to answer.
If you're not doing productive work, this is a good wake up call.
If this email takes you more than 10 minutes to answer, there's an efficiency / job responsibility issue to resolve.

What's that?

You'd like to change your Black Friday offer right now, and would like 15 emails redesigned and 13 SMS's updated by EOD?

10 Tips For BFCM Week Final Push:

This is for every channel manager, every agency and every business.

1. Know the overall business goal
2. Know your individual channel goals
3. Know how you’re pacing every day to each
4. Know what source of truth attribution you’re using
5. Know what contingency plan is approved
6. Know what the cut off date / KPI pacing is to green light the contingency plan launch.
7. Have plans for each channel to pick up other lacking channels slack should they be below pacing, but not activating the contingency plan.
8. Know who will be online, and when, throughout the whole weekend.
9. Have your weekend approved and set, but be able to pivot within the schedule for pulsing reactions to real time data.
10. Enjoy a slice of pecan pie and the Chicago Bears game Friday night and find time to enjoy the holiday with your friends and family.

See you in glory y'all!

This is the response you'll get from leadership when you say revenue is down due to macro economics and the global state of the world instead of uncovering and presenting tangible data backed KPI's.

Saving a couple hundred dollars (or maybe a couple thousand) a month, at the expense of losing 100K+ in revenue due to lack of features and insights, has always been such an interesting choice I've seen brands make.

Of course, this reminds me of a FTE where I got let go because I pushed back on the new CMO's kickback for switching ESP's.

As an agency, we hear a plethora of reasons why brands want to switch ESP's...it almost never makes any sense.

Helping ecommerce brands grow with Email/SMS + Ads + Shopify @ Zettler Digital | Shopify Premier, Klaviyo Elite, Meta & Google Partner

“Klaviyo isn’t working for us. We're thinking about switching platforms.”

I don’t hear this often.

But a former client said it to me last year.

Their biggest concern?

Cost. 

"We pay too much. XYZ platform offered to beat our Klaviyo rate by 10%."

Let me get this straight:

"You’re willing to uproot your entire owned marketing infrastructure…
go through a painful migration…
rebuild every flow, segment, and automation from scratch…

...to save a couple hundred dollars a month?"

That's never made sense to me. 

That brand could have saved thousands by running a cleaner, more efficient program on the platform that’s built to do this better than everyone else.

For brands that think this way, the issue isn't the platform. Instead, it's this:

** They refuse to suppress unengaged contacts **

They cling to dead weight — users that will never buy from them...or click on an email...or open an email...or even get that email delivered to their inbox.

They message these types of recipients all the time and they're shocked when performance tanks. 

Guess what?

A shiny new ESP isn't going to magically solve your abysmal deliverability or strategy. 

Don't make operational problems a platform problem. 

Instead:

- Clean up your data
- Send content to users most likely to engage
- Lean on automated flows that speak to where a user is in their journey
- Stop blasting campaigns because “we need to send something”
- And quit sending 457-character SMS novels with emojis — you’re paying 7x more for messages nobody wants

...I could keep going.

The point is simple:

I haven’t seen a platform better equipped to drive new and repeat revenue for ecommerce brands (and beyond) than Klaviyo.

And I’ve been in and out of every ESP under the sun for 12 years.

Oh — and that former client who left?

They already came back.

The overwhelming response to this was "A good manager should be able to answer this question for all direct reports." 

Ok.

In the event that HR does send this email to your manager, would you rather: 
Option A: Your manager fills these bullets out for you.
Option B: Your manager sends this to you to fill out your own bullets.

Black Friday Tip: 

Put your best products
In front of your best customers
As frequently as you can

Black Friday Tip: 

Get people to click your emails.

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