Ruth Saunders BROCHURE Marketing in the Boardroom Training PMO and Value APM PMO Specific Interest Group Conference London, 25 Oct 2016

1. A one-day workshop
for marketers to win
the heart and mind
of the boardroom

3. Did you know?
The average lifespan of a
company in S&P500 has
dropped from 65 years
recorded in the 1920s to only
15 years today.
Of the 22 companies that
performed most strongly each
year between 1980 and 2001
only five still profitably exist
today. It’s estimated that, by
2030, over 75% of the companies
in the S&P 500 will be ones
that we don’t know today.
Many chief executives believe
that their marketers are not
stepping up to the challenge
as they lack the discipline and
capabilities to drive profitable
growth.
Marketing Society

4. 2
NO!

5. The brutal reality
Let’s face it - the current business climate has made
it difficult and complex for companies to expand.
To grow and survive, companies will need to be
increasingly innovative, whilst simultaneously
protecting their core business. Marketing is pivotal
to delivering this.
But there is an inherent problem in the way that CEOs
and other Board members perceive marketing.
Death in the boardroom
An unfortunate, but familiar scenario frequently plays
out in the marketing profession. A team comes up
with a breakthrough idea that could not only drive
short term growth but also ensure long-term financial
stability for the future. But once in the boardroom, it
all falls apart, with members exposing cracks in the
investment strategy where outcomes have not been
clearly outlined or supported with adequate financial
projections or relevant data. Defeat hangs heavy in
the room, offset with blank stares and the demand to
re-write plans again.
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Board games
It’s obvious when you think about it. The Board is
charged with the responsibility to protect and manage
the company successfully. So they tend to be analytical
– they are focusing on shareholder value. Optimising
the NPV of new initiatives, whilst minimising risk of
projects failing leads to them being averse to risk.
Pressure to grow the business here and now, as well
as over time, means a short to medium term mindset.
Marketers often enter into the boardroom with a
naïve appreciation of this mindset, presenting and
behaving in ways that reflect their own mindset. They
believe a more creative approach is needed to build
strong brands, drive through successful innovation
and create effective marketing campaigns. Risk taking
is important to them – in fiercely competitive markets
they believe that risks have to be taken in order
to reap rewards. And brands need time to deliver
breakthrough innovation and to deliver step change
growth. In the boardroom this attitude can cost them
dearly.
Who’s right and who’s wrong? No one is either right
or wrong. But the marketer must recognise that
the boardroom is not their territory. So within the
boardroom you need to think like the Board in order
to convince the Board.

7. “On Point” with the Board
The Board members of any company are invariably
time starved. So to be commercially credible in the
boardroom, marketers need to succinctly show how
their marketing strategies will build shareholder
value, by creating clear, compelling business cases
that the Board can buy into.
To achieve this marketers need to be “On Point”
by being:
→ Commercial, in how their recommendations
will drive business growth.
→ Credible, in how their financials will deliver a
strong, sustainable return.
→ Concise, in their presentation writing and delivery.
→ Clear-cut, in their proposed requests
and next steps.
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8. A one-day workshop for marketers to win
the heart and mind of the boardroom.
Introducing a one-day workshop that will show
marketers how to prepare and present their marketing
strategies to the Board, in a way that will demonstrate
shareholder value, by creating compelling business
cases that the Board can buy into.
This means clear compelling business cases that are:
→ Commercial: delivering business growth.
→ Credible: with financials that will deliver a
strong, sustainable return.
→ Concise: in preparation and presentation.
→ Clear-cut: with well-defined expectations
of next steps
Who’s it for?
→ Senior marketers who present to the
Board as part of their job.
→ Middle level marketers who create Board
presentations for more senior marketers.
→ Board members who would like to understand
the marketer’s perspective.
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10. What is the content of the workshop?
Time is money. When you have highly paid executives
in a coaching session or training workshop there’s a
lot of expensive overhead in the room. This means that
high quality training and coaching that maximises the
commercial success of the company is essential.
Hence our workshop content is designed to maximise
every minute of the available time to the benefit of the
delegates and the Company – our military instincts.
Content is also designed to engage from the first
utterance – our creative instincts.
Before the workshop
On Point involve delegates pre-workshop. Not only
with administrative details but also with any necessary
pre-work. So, when they walk in the door, they are
ready to engage. A personalised pack is sent out,
which contains:
→ All relevant administrative details.
→ The workshop rationale and personal
relevance. Including a pre-agreed
questionnaire on their current Board level
presentation experience and what they need
to achieve from the workshop.
→ A case study. Working on a case study will be
a core part of the day. It will allow “live
action” practice, presentation and feedback.
The case study can be based on an existing case
or a separate one not related to the company.
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11. On the day
We design all of our workshops to ensure engagement
from the very start, training and coaching important
skills across 4 interrelated areas.
The Board Mindset
Understanding the Board mindset, and the mind set
that marketers need to have when in the boardroom.
The Board Recommendation
Constructing a concise Board recommendation that
the Board can buy into, including a clear storyline
outlining the recommendations, a compelling business
case on why it’s important and clearly articulated next
steps.
Selling to the Board
Getting Board buy-in before the Board meeting and
on the day itself.
Keeping the Board on-board
Maintaining Board confidence once implementation
has started by tracking in-market performance and,
where necessary, course correcting quickly.
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12. The Board Mindset
Understanding the Board mindset, and the
mindset that marketers need to have when in
the boardroom.
→ The Board related issues that
marketers face day to day (based on
their pre-workshop questionnaire).
→ The differing mind sets of the Board
and marketers – a facilitated session
that defines the behaviours and
outputs that the Board expects from
marketers in the boardroom.
The Board Recommendation
How to construct a concise Board
recommendation that the Board can buy
into, including a clear storyline outlining the
recommendations, a compelling business case
on why it’s important and clearly articulated
next steps.
→ How to write a succinct one-page
storyline outlining the key
recommendations and next steps.
→ How to build a compelling
business case, backed
up with robust data.
→ How to set out pragmatic
recommendations and
next steps.
Module 1
Module 2
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13. Selling to the Board
→ How to pre-sell the proposal into
the Board prior to the Board meeting
→ How to present to the Board on
the day.
Keeping the Board on-board
→ How to track in-market performance
from day one.
→ How to present the results back
to the Board.
→ If necessary, how to course
correct quickly.
Module 3
Module 4
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14. After the workshop
Each delegate will be sent personalised follow-up material
that will help to embed the workshop outputs into their
working lives, as well as a follow-up questionnaire for
them to let us know what they thought of the day.
Who runs the workshop?
The founding partners of On Point
Ruth Saunders
Ruth has many years of experience preparing and
presenting marketing recommendations to the
Board, gained from her unique background within
management consultancies (McKinsey & Company and
Prophet), marketing (Mars and Procter & Gamble) and
marketing communications (Saatchi & Saatchi).
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“On Point” with On Point
We also offer one-on-one coaching to help individuals
become more impactful in the boardroom or help them
prepare a specific presentation that they need to make.
As well as run workshops across a range of other
marketing topics, most with chosen specialists in a
particular area to be On Point. These include:
→ Profitable marketing strategies
→ Actionable brand plans
→ Cross-channel communications
→ Marketing spend effectiveness
→ Customer experience
→ Marketing team performance
→ Agency relationships
To find out more please contact:
Ruth Saunders
07768 600906
rsaunders@galleonblue.com