Like a Fish in Water

CMO on demand

AGILITY

You can probably remember when you were young (or maybe more recently with your children), up to your waist in water with a fishnet and bucket. How successful were your efforts to catch that quicksilver creature?

Having the agility to survive isn’t only important for a fish. It’s vital for any commercial organisation operating in a world that never stands still. Particularly today, when many companies tend to be increasingly introspective and overwhelmed by issues around International expansion, IT, Big Data so everything related to e-commerce and customer journeys. Than there is a call for operational excellence.

I can help you and your marketing and commercial colleagues gradually bring the focus back onto the outside world. So you can interpret the ever-changing needs and behaviour of your customers. Enabling your company to respond to shifting market conditions review and sharpen its commercial strategy with the agility of that little fish.

ADAPTABILITY

Fish change course, seek out fresh waters, dive deeper, are constantly on the move. Which for a company translates into constantly discovering new (foreign)markets and additional customer segments in existing markets, and extending the range of your product and service solutions.

But adaptability is also about critical evaluation of existing practices and processes in the light of new opportunities technology presents. Digitised, automated marketing calls for `always on` social media content marketing strategies. Which in turn requires rethinking not only how to improve the customer experience, but also how to make that experience easier, faster, richer. And how to ensure your organisation is both ‘mentally fit’ and ‘functionally competent’ to cope with the pressures your strategy will put on it.

I can assist you on that journey. Helping you define the customer journey, set buyer and decision maker profiles, optimise your value proposition to customer needs, draft a content strategy for online presence with landing pages and social media. Support your sales teams, discover which competences need to come on board, accelerating only as and when confidence and buy-in within your company allow.

ALIGNMENTS

Self-reliance — the quality held by companies or marketing departments who have the answers and keep their cards to their chest — is rare in today’s world. Strategy at the corporate or product development level, innovation drives, development of innovative strategies: does your company have the expertise and resources to select, guide and manage the alliances you need to forge with third parties to unlock the full potential of the opportunities out there and accelerate their impact?

Does your company actively and deliberately recruit and build teams around talent with a diverse education, professional experience and complementary personality?

I can help you keep on course with your guiding star. Helping you work with more effective teams from inside and outside your organization, bringing together their networked contributions in support of your strategy.

Configurations are always changing. So additional expertise and a fresh mind-set can only enrich the mix of experience and quality of outcome.

PROPOSITION

I bring my diverse strategic marketing, innovation, ecommerce and multi-media communication experience, as well as a creative, inquisitive, out-of-the-box mind to support anyone from start-ups to large, mature companies. In fact to any business whose commercial and marketing leaders see change as an opportunity, and are determined to respond to the challenges ahead while maintaining the world of their customers as their point of reference.

  • I will help you broaden your perspective, define and clarify the bigger picture, and identify the key interdependencies or connections and synergies.
  • I will help you make the right strategic choices, then implement and execute them.
  • Getting you there requires not only a process but also an eye for talent, for assembling the right team skills and creating the appropriate mind-set.
  • The world of automated, digitised, 'always on’ transaction and communication channels makes you feel like a small child climbing behind the wheel of Daddy's car.

When relevant to you?

Review or re-set your strategy, consider how best to position and roll out a new product or service, evaluate the performance of a business channel design market research, conduct stakeholder interviews and describe and quantify market opportunities

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When relevant to you?

New product development, implementation of ecommerce solutions, re-branding or organisational change imply the involvement of many and the need to create momentum, a desire to accelerate and smoothen the process of change

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When relevant to you?

In a highly competitive environment, in a sector where personal changes are constant and staff is required to adapt to ever changing protocols and processes, work with your staff, make them more aware of the value they add to the total customer experience, make them understand the bigger picture and take their feedback serious so create a loop with follow up reporting.

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When relevant to you?

It’s only when you really understand your target audience that you can use data to help you segment and cluster groups effectively and its only with a clear notion of where you are on the customer journey, that you can determine which content and media vehicles you should use and only then you can develop appropriate campaign strategies for them.

Having a cute App or a cool Facebook page is one thing. But it’s quite another knowing what functionality they should have, which internal processes you need to adjust and what IT investments need to be made in order to make the digital experience an easy and valuable one for the customer. As head of ecommerce & innovation in the financial services industry, I learnt the hard way. Experience that I’m convinced will be invaluable to any company or service provider facing similar challenges.

Teaching - Sparring - Facilitating - Strategizing - Delivering

Workshops + review sessions + away days + project support + business development + new business pitches + client management + training curricula and working sessions + seminar presentations + sparring partner

Interim - project-based - revenue participative

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Electude automotive e-learning solution in LATAM

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Electude is the creator of the world’s leading automotive e-learning solution, used by thousands of schools, companies and governmental organisations in over 50 countries. Business development opportunities exist with public and private education institutions in Colombia and other LATAM countries. my presence in Colombia allows me to take an active role as business representative and help  market the innovative digital interactive  simulation and learning method.http://electude.com

SpeedCell storage system

SpeedCell is an innovative suspended modular system of cells created to fill up unused space within pallet rack and pick modules which is flexible and easy to us at locations such as warehouses and logistics and transport hubs.

This new system has such huge potential among all industries and markets that the well established Michigan based company behind this product solution has set penetration of the domestic US market as its priority.

My role:
How to optimise sales and marketing efforts in support of the high ambitions set for the US market? it requires a go-to-market strategy with a specific approach for each of the sales channels. An understanding of the buying process and expectations of the decision makers at each stage based on interviews with sales rep’s, dealers and customers leads to a contact and messaging strategy. This sets the ground for development of a content plan for landing pages,social media and other communication carriers.

Rabo Development

Rabo bank is in a process of strategic re-orientation and such a planning process about new strategies  involves also  its activities in Africa. Rabo Development holds shares in local retail banks in various countries . An eventual revised holding structure and prioritisation of investment opportunities within the F&A sector will impact the corporate mission, corporate identity and marketing priorities and activities.

My contribution to the internal task-force focusses on alignment between business and marketing purposes, impact on positioning and identity. Prioritisation, planning of stakeholder management,  communication and marketing initiatives and choice of  tools.

 

FV Magazines

At Pelican Custom the branded content arm of Pelican Media I support the team and help manage the client relationship with strategy and international coordination.

The deliverables are development of a content strategy and production of a 23 countries, 18 languages , 61 pages glossy lifestyle & luxury product magazine to support the Ford Vignale cars brand positioning and roll out in Europe and deliver editorial content for the multi language digital platforms. The FV Magazines issues September and October 2015 have been successfully delivered throughout Europe!

Successful integration of a wide range of marketing communication initiatives including quarterly Magazines will become instrumental for Ford’s ambitions with this Vignale line! To be continued

AKA

The Entertainment and arts marketing services group with established business presence in the London, New York, Los Angeles, Sidney and Melbourne theatre, film, exhibition’s and museum sector aspires enlargement of their footprint with presence in continental Europe.

I actively support this effort with Business development activities in the German market, measuring the business opportunities base on market description, field research meeting with representatives of cultural, entertainment, public sector and ticketing business. Which proposition, positioning and competences will allow for a grassroots entry? To be continued

ABOUT ME

I am a lawyer who never practiced law but instead became a banker. I gained a lot of knowledge about finance and gained experience in relationship management and started to developed an interest in marketing and brands. So I went into advertising, where my career allowed me to manage agencies and work both internationally and very locally in different countries, with clients from a vast range of industries including Coca-Cola, Nestle, Unilever, Rolex, Renault and the European Central Bank.

Later on I became the Global marketing, brand  and/or communications responsible director at Zurich Insurance, Stage entertainment and Leasing company DLL international and run an EU co-funded Mushroom promotion programme in the agri&food sector.

As general manager and most senior marketing chief I build organisational structures and led teams through change and managed relationships within a wide range of industries in areas of marketing, strategy, business development, media and technology.

Requisites for success are in my belief, the possession of a social antenna, people management skills and a capacity to receive and give energy back to people.

After years working in Spain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland in multi-national and multi country tasks I had moved back to Amsterdam but never stopped servicing my international network and now, since July we made booming Colombia our resident country and work from Bogotá for a year or longer, we will see.

For 25 years together with Angela Pelaez Vargas, a Colombian-born children’s author and illustrator, with whom I have 4 children.

Raymond van Buuren

Mail
Raymond@likeafishinwater.nl

Mob
+57 322 3818572

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