Proofpoint Marketing, LLC

Choice is increasing, trust is eroding, and financial pressures are rising - making choosing a new consulting partner a risky decision. Undifferentiated firms are struggling to generate new business, but simply being different isn’t enough, because differentiation without context is even more risky.‍

Successful firms are becoming the low-risk choice for their ideal clients, and in the process taking control of the pricing discussion, decreasing sales cycles, and accelerating growth.But doing so, requires a deep understanding of how business relationships are built, the role risk perception plays in the buying decision, and using that knowledge to properly position your firm in a contextually-relevant, differentiated way.

Most firms are simply too close to the work to be able to extract and synthesize the appropriate information to do this, and organizational misalignment - disagreements between partners and key leaders - delays the necessary progress.

Over the years working with dozens of firms, I have developed positioning and growth frameworks meant to help firms effectively position their firms, build organizational alignment around this positioning, and activate across all business functions to make the positioning come to life in the minds of their ideal customers.

Founder, CEO

Marketing Adjacent

Imagine you are sitting at a table with two folks who have a lot of a opinions and perspective on some of the new stuff coming down the pipe with marketing, sales, and other adjacent business and technology topics. Now imagine, these two folks are Mike Grinberg and Garrio Harrison. Mike and Garrio will cover the most interesting and impactful marketing adjacent current events, campaigns, and business dealings that are happening every week, and they will also add a good amount of their own perspective on the trends they are seeing themselves in their work.

Get ready for spicy topics, and takes, plenty of bloopers, and disagreements, as Mike and Garrio wrestle with many of the topics everyone is thinking about, but maybe not deeply enough.

Co Host

Mixing Business with Pleasure

A podcast about loving your work and working with your love. We interview business owners and entrepreneurs who are also in a relationship.

Co-Host and Co-Founder

Aspirity Energy

In many parts of the country, retail energy was in a state like the wild west. Everyone has a choice where they buy their energy from, and the process was confusing and often predatory.

Aspirity Energy was on a mission to not only simplify the energy buying process, but to make overall home management simpler.

I was in charge of building our positioning and messaging, and building our go-to-market strategy, which built a multi-million dollar company in under 18 months.

Vice President of Marketing

Digital River

Digital River is a payments and ecommerce company and also provided marketing services to it's clients.

I led Market Force's (the internal digital agency) paid media team, helped drive hundreds of millions of dollars in ecommerce revenue for our clients, and helped build the agency to more than $13 million in revenue.

Senior Manager - Aquisition Marketing

Nina Hale Inc., Search Engine Marketing

I was one of the early employees at the agency (employee #6) and helped the agency grow to over $6 million in revenue and a headcount of 50+

I helped build the paid media practice, and was managing a team of 8 performance marketers when I left after 5 years.

Director of Paid Media

-PPC and SEO Strategy implementation
-Managing six figure annual paid media budgets
-Developed and managing Intern program
-Account Executive/Lead on a variety of B2B and B2C clients
-Managing vendor relations with current reporting platform
-Managing and mentoring group of interns junior staff

Senior Search Manager

-Managing six figure annual search marketing budgets
-Creating and Implementing SEM strategy for a variety of clients (B2B and B2C)
-SEO Strategy and Implementation
-Client management

Search Marketing Manager

Senior Search Specialist

Freelance

Freelance Graphic Designer

Luggage Pros

All Aspects of Internet Marketing - SEO, SEM, Affiliate, Social Media, Datafeed, etc.

I also design all Web/Email ads and graphics, and am currently redesigning the website.

Web Marketing Specialist

MVP Marketing + Design

Assisted in all aspects of creative design.

Graphic Design Intern

Assisted in preparing monthly department forecasts, impacting budgeting and client ROI analysis.
Worked in integrated, cross-functional teams, to develop creative online direct marketing solutions.
Helped manage pay-per-click advertising campaigns, by doing keyword research and analysis.
Aided in analyzing email campaign performance through A - B testing anaalysis
Designed targeted landing pages and banner ads, for online campaigns.
Designed direct e-mail page layouts and templates, for direct marketing campaigns.

Strategic Marketing Intern

Helping consulting firms grow past $30M | Relationship-Led Growth (RLG) | Proofpoint Marketing

I am a creative problem solver at heart, who happened to fall into marketing. 

My original plan was to be a graphic designer and creative director. However, after several internships, including one that exposed me to digital marketing back in 2005, I was hooked and never looked back.

At this point I have "been there, done that" with pretty much every marketing discipline and tactic under the sun. However, my strengths lie in tying marketing strategy to business strategy, customer research, and content strategy and distribution.

I am a combat sports enthusiast and have competed as an amateur. That experience has taught me to roll with the punches and operate well under pressure. So in the midst of a family crisis, I started a marketing agency.

In August 2015, my daughter was born at only 24 weeks gestation. Through a combination of scientific advancements and miracles, she survived and thrived. Her journey was long, and after our journey with her, I definitely felt like I had been in a grueling 12-round fight.

After switching jobs, seeing a startup lose funding and dealing with a variety of pediatric health issues, my wife and I started our agency Proofpoint Marketing, in June of 2017, with the intention of doing great work while providing ourselves, and anyone that would later work for us, a family-first work environment.

Since then, we have helped a number of consulting and advisory firm clients break through growth plateaus by helping them create organizational alignment and build a relationship-led growth system.

If you want to talk B2B marketing, combat sports, or football (the real kind - the kind that's actually played with feet and a round ball), let's connect!

What's each day that you can spend with your children worth to you?

I was talking to my barber about his business, as I was getting my haircut. He told me he was struggling to decide whether he should rent out the second chair that's in his space to make extra income.

He has a small private space with two chairs, but he works by himself, so the second chair stays empty. He is concerned this would hurt his existing clientele.

Even though they pay a higher price, with him they get the 1:1 private attention with nobody else around. They come for the haircut and stay for the conversation. Nothing is off the table - religion, politics, family, etc. That's why I keep coming.

I told him that he is right to question this decision, because that feeling and experience is his positioning.

Then I asked him why he wants that extra income.

He said that his primary goal is to be able to spend quality time with his family. He wants to take one vacation per year, spend the weekends with his young kids, pay his bills, and put some money into savings/investing. But right now he works 6 long days per week. 

I asked him if it's possible for him to decrease his expenses so he could work less. 

To my surprise, he said that he has thought about it, and what he really needs to do is sell his rental property which is losing him money every month, and refinance his current home. 

"What's stopping you from doing that now?" I asked.

"My uncle, who is a real estate agent told me that the market is bad right now and that I would struggle to get a good deal. He told me I should wait for a year or two" he responded.

"How much more do you think you could make if you wait?" I asked. Forget the fact that nobody can predict the market like that, but that's a separate conversation.

"Maybe $50 grand?" he responded.

"Ok, so let's play this out" I said "let's say you wait a year, that's 52 days with your kids you are missing out on. Are you telling me that each day with your children is worth less than $1,000 to you?"

...😕...

He was speechless for few seconds.

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It's amazing how many financially successful founders I speak with, who aren't actually happy in their business.

This is part of having what I call "Owner's Clarity". It's clarity in what you really want, what you are willing to give up to get there, and what you are really good at that would help you get there. Having this laid out in detail, can become your decision making framework.

Without this detailed clarity, you are liable to make decisions in your life and business that are incongruent with what you really want.

Before I work with my clients on positioning their firm as the lowest risk choice, I ensure that they have this Owner's Clarity. This ensures that the positioning we come up with can realistically be activated. This is the first part of my Growth Clarity Sprint.

If you want help getting your Owner's Clarity, let's talk.

#consultingsuccess #OwnersClarity #positioning #worklife

Mike Grinberg

Nobody Gets Fired for Hiring IBM... I help boutique firms compete with and win against the IBMs of their industry. | Positioning | De-Risking

I'm saying no to fewer social/no agenda in-person meetings during the day.

Could be over coffee, a walk, a hike, or a game of pickleball.

Mostly with friends and acquaintances, but also with new people.

I enjoy more intimate 1:1 conversations.

What's the point of any of this, if you can't enjoy the company of others.

I have committed to doing this 1 - 2 of these every week, so if you are in the Phoenix area, and want to meet up for a chat, let me know.

#meetups #phx

In an environment where risk and volatility are ever increasing, the premium on providing clarity to improve decision velocity is at an all-time high.

Position your firm in such a way where you can offer that clarity to a specific type of client for a specific set of decisions (read problems that need solutions).

#ConsultingGrowthInsights #positioning #risk #derisking #consultingsuccess

View newsletter: Consulting Growth Insights

Do you remember the last time you sat down to watch something on Netflix (or your other favorite streaming platform)? Do you remember the anxiety indu

Open article: The Cost of Getting It Wrong Is Too High by Mike Grinberg • 9 min read

When it comes to pricing consulting services, we (founders, principals, and consultants) are often our own worst enemies.

We often ask the wrong questions:
- How much are others charging?
- What if my clients think this is too expensive?

These questions are a reflection of self-doubt or importor syndrome, and often create a fake ceiling for your pricing and income.

The questions you should be asking are:
- If I charge this much, what would need to be true?
- What value is my client getting from this, and what is it worth to them?

Check out my full conversation with Peter Giordano III about pricing consulting services on a recent episode of #ConsultingGrowthInsights

#consultingsuccess #pricingstrategy #professionalservices #pricing

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The value that someone gets from your service, may not be what you think.

Clients don't buy capabilities. They buy confidence in outcomes.

But the outcome they are buying, may not be what you think, especially if you are selling strategy.

Consultants often think that the desired outcome is successful execution, and it often is.

But sometimes it's validation - they already know what they need to do, or have a strong hunch that they do, and what they want is someone with more experience to validate their thinking.

Sometimes it's alignment - someone in the partner or leadership group knows what they need to do, or haas a strong hunch that they do, but there is disagreement, and they are looking for someone with robust experience and clout to help them build that alignment to get everone rowing in the same direction.

Validation and alignment are difficult to put a value on, but they are immensely valuable.

Price accordingly.

Thank you to Peter Giordano III for the amazing conversation on #ConsultingGrowthInsights a few weeks ago. Link to the full chat in the comments.

#consultingsuccess #positioning #professionalservices #pricing

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I help position boutique consulting firms as the lowest-risk choice for their ideal clients.

Your positioining needs to de-risk the buying decision for your ideal clients, because with more choice in the market (AI, fractional CXOs, offshore resources, etc.) the risk of choosing the wrong partner has increased exponentially. That risk has increased both for the individuals making the decisions, and for the organizations they work for.

Hit the Book a Meeting link at the top of this post, if you want to chat.

Many networking events are exhausting.

Whether you are an extrovert or an introvert (especially if you are an introvert).

But not The Secret Sauce Society Consious Networking events.

- Most events are transactional --> These events are all about building genuine relationships
- Most events you feel like you are on your own --> These events people will gladly identify the new people, make introductions, and help you join the conversation
- Most events are all about the hustle --> These events are all about having meaningful conversations

Come meet some great people, have some amazing conversations, build some relationships, and probably get introduced to prospective clients and referral sources. In that order.

https://lnkd.in/gndkDATk

Tired of transactional networking? 🤝

Join the The Secret Sauce Society for our November Conscious Networking Event, where Phoenix's professional services leaders connect with integrity, excellence, and service. 

You aren't just showing up to exchange business cards, you are coming to foster real conversations and build lasting relationships that uplift everyone.

The Secret Sauce Society is dedicated to helping professional services leaders build values-aligned, profitable firms that bring joy and prosperity. Our Conscious Networking Event embodies this mission by bringing together like-minded individuals to share experiences, learn from each other, and make quality introductions.

Ready to transform your network and grow with purpose?

Come find out what the secret sauce is really about.

👉 Register for the Conscious Networking Event today!

#PHX #networking #professionalservices #consciousnetworking #businessgrowth

It's that time again!

Last time when Andrew Kolikoff and I hosted The Secret Sauce Society monthly event at The Pemberton, it was a hit.

Unfortunately I had to miss it 😭 - Yes I had to miss my own event due to unforseen circumstances - but I am super pumped to be there this time, and I hope you'll join me.

https://lnkd.in/gbxCZ_C5

#phx #networking #consciousleadership #professionalservices

The weather is finally cooling off. Don't miss our incredible monthly Conscious Networking event.

This month we are excited to be back at the Pemberton - an amazing venue, for an amazing group of entrepreneurs, business owners, consultants, and professional services firms.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Mary Ellen Twohey, Carlos L. Velasco and 35 other attendees

View event: The Secret Sauce Society: Conscious Networking

The Secret Sauce Society: Conscious Networking

I see experienced senior executives, leaders, and practitioners lose confidence in their consulting practice.

And it's hurting their ability to grow, transition, and scale their firms and their expertise:

1. An experienced executive transitions from industry to consulting. They have built their career on delivering great work and becoming known inside a few companies. They have real tangible expertise in their industry, but they don't have the consulting skillset. They start working with clients and struggle to deliver as much value as they are used to deliver within an enterprise organization.

2. An experienced consultant transitioning from being a partner at one of the big 4 or MBB to starting their own firm. They were very successful expanding their book of business, but now they are struggling because they don't have that big brand behind them.

3.  An experienced practitioner who has consulted on and off on the side, but is questioning their worth because they see what others are charging in the industry. They aren't sure they can charge as much as they want.

In all of these scenarios, these experienced professionals end up questioning their value.

This questioning, in turn, shows in their business conversations and in their marketing.

They may price themselves too low.

They may offer discounts when they don't need to.

They may allow scope creep when they don't need to.

They may hold on to bad fit clients when they don't need to.

This questioning turns into a scaricity mindset.

If you are in this situation, there are steps you can take to get out of the cycle:
1. Upskill yourself on the soft skills - learn to negotiate, learn to actively listen, learn to be more empathetic, learn to be more persuasive and a better communicator. These are the skills you will need to be a better consultant, no matter the industry and technical expertise you have. This will also help you become exponentially better at business development. And the more full your pipeline is, the less of a scaricity mindset you will have, and the more confident you will be.

2. Learn pricing strategy. Price and pricing aren't the same thing. Once you are able to identify a pricing model that works for you, it can be a huge unlock. Once you realize that you can get creative with things like payment schedules, payment terms, and price-value definition, it makes sales conversations easier, and brings more confidence.

3. Learn everything you can about your ideal clients. Work to understand how they perceive risk, both personally and organizationally. Work to understand what their main problems and pain points are, and how they think and talk about them. This allows you to practice and implement your newfound softskills and pricing strategy in a way that shows you understand them.

Your clients are looking for confidence in future outcomes, and if you aren't projecting confidence, they will feel it, but they likely won't say it.

#consultingsuccess #consultinggrowth

Anyone going to the Arizona Technology Council event tonight?

My first one since moving here (yes I know it's been 3 years, but finally making the time for it), so would be good to see some familiar faces.

#PHX #networking #events

Successfully running your firm is all about having conviction and confidence in your decision making.

This isn't possible unless you are personally excited about the direction of your firm.

And that excitement won't happen until there is alignment between your personal purpose and values, and that of your firm.

No amount of positioning and marketing will matter, if that critical clarity work isn't done first.

That's Owner's Clarity.

Without it, you are the problem.

#consultingsuccess #ConsultingGrowthInsights #OwnersClarity #positioning

If your firm keep spinning its wheels and strugglig to stick to a positioning and strategy, the problem may actually be you. I recently worked with a 

Open article: Your Firm Has a You Problem by Mike Grinberg • 10 min read

This isn't just a networking event - although there is plenty of networking that happens.

This isn't just a community event - although there is definitely a community feel.

This isn't just a learning opportunity - although you will have the opportunity to learn from other leaders’ stories.

This is an alignment event. This is an event where conscious leaders - those who are consistently working on the alignment between how they live and how they lead - come together, share experiences, and lift each other up.

This isn't a transactional networking event, where you exchange business cards and move on to the next.

This is an event where you can have interesting conversations that lead to lasting relationships in life and in business.

https://lnkd.in/gbxCZ_C5

#consciousleadership #consciousnetworking #servantleaders #networking #phx

It's not too late.

Come join us for the The Secret Sauce Society Conscious Networking Event
https://lnkd.in/gbxCZ_C5

#PHX #Networking

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