Dr. Russell F. Henke -- Business Consultant
Case #17 -- Interim VP Marketing
During a recent summer, this business consultant received a 
phone call from the CEO of a still-private CAD enterprise. The CEO's then-current VP Marketing had abruptly up-and-left the company right in the middle of a make-or-break year, with a half dozen key marketing thrusts hanging fire. Could the consultant step in quickly and help out without sacrificing any critical company market momentum?
But of course! Owing to the consultant's extensive CAD/PDM and business background, 
he was able to grasp the essential marketing priorities in a matter of a few days, despite the absence of his predecessor. He met immediately with the CEO, the other company officers, and then every person in the Marketing Department, some based in the USA and some overseas.
While 20 years old and nestled in a comfortable niche in a few countries in Europe, the company had endured several false starts in recent years trying to penetrate the US market against formidable and entrenched US rivals. Six months earlier, the company raised a major tronch of venture capital and had just launched its best and final inroads in the USA. The company could ill-afford any missteps in what was promising to be a defining year.
The first challenge that the new consultant's marketing team faced was to create and execute a 3-day Sales Kickoff 
Meeting for 30 new USA and Japanese sales & applications engineers…in a different city and only three weeks distant! Via a crash effort by the entire team, the Kickoff was prepared and carried out with excellent results by all accounts! (During the first few weeks of this engagement, it became obvious to both the CEO and this consultant, that the interim VP Marketing job was far more than the half-time assignment initially envisioned. The arrangement was quickly changed to full-time).
Hard on the heels of the Sales Kickoff came the new product release planning process, involving all the marketing product managers as well as the heads of the company's much larger R&D Department. 
This ordinary process was made extraordinary by the fact that both the marketing product managers and the more numerous R&D heads are spread among almost a dozen cities around the world. Moreover, this would be the first time in 20 years that the company's next product suite release would be planned by any other influences than those of the R&D team acting alone.
Accordingly, both internal and external stakes were
high. Through the magic of modern virtual telecommunications, Web Ex, TeamView and live videoconferences, followed by extensive documentation via PowerPoint slides, Excel spreadsheets and WORD, along with relentless personnel dedication, all the new release's planned features, functions, benefits, differentiators and roadmaps were successfully scoped and built in a few months' time, despite chronic interruptions of day-to-day business chores.
These actions were carried out, all the while ensuring that the Marketing Department greatly intensified its continuous hands-on support of the field sales and AE forces worldwide, including on-site Marketing personnel presence at customers and prospects, as well as additional and frequent differentiators training and competitive training of the field personnel. Creating "win-win & win" relationships among the "factory-field sales & customers", was one of the hallmarks of this consultant's corporate career (see Consultant's Corporate Background link below). Not coincidentally, the Company enjoyed its best new bookings quarter of the year, double the Q4 results of the previous year!
Through Q4 of that year, the following additional tasks were added by this consultant to the Marketing Department's agenda and accomplished under his interim Marketing Department leadership:
- Improved the Marketing Department's support of Customer Support groups worldwide, including Customer Education.
- Integrated and rationalized Corporate Marketing & PR and established smooth worldwide responsibility chains.
- Increased the company's worldwide PR and press/analyst momentum.
- Rolled out a powerful WW Consulting Services program & PR in November.
- Established a fresh plan for Corporate Identity & Advertising Programs worldwide for the following year.
- Reviewed current Press Agencies in Europe for renewal or possible replacement in the following year.
- Prepared & participated in that year's EuroMold Trade Fair in Germany.
- Supported a major trade show in Tokyo.
- Established additional 3rd Party software partners.
- Resurrected and enhanced Competitive Analysis.
- Reviewed company Pricing Strategy worldwide.
- Hired a new Marketing Department PR & Marcomms Manager in Europe.
- Hired an additional Marketing Department PDM product/engagement manager; issued a new PDM competitive market report, seconded Marketing people to execute company consulting projects.
- Organized the worldwide Marketing financial budget for Q4; carried out WW Marketing Business Planning for the following year. In so doing, resolved issues of slim staff in both numbers of heads & skills distributions, vs. growing tasks and challenges faced.
- Provide smooth transition from this consultant as interim VP to a new, permanent VP Marketing hired in Cincinnati, OH to reflect Company decision to build its future executive team in the MidWest.
"Hi Russ, I had a very positive experience during the time I collaborated with you, so I'm very sorry that you are leaving think3. Anyway, best wishes for your future, too. VN t3 Italy"
"Russ, Thanks for paving the way for our continued success! Best of luck to you in the future. MT t3 USA Sales"
"Russ, Best wishes on your future endeavors. It was certainly my pleasure working with you, although limited, I enjoyed our interaction. Please feel free to call me on me should the need arise! Regards, RF t3 USA"
"Au revoir Russ et bonne continuation pour vous aussi".
AM
VP t3 France
"Russ, Thanks for all your help. We really do appreciate how you stepped up and to lead the team. It was a pleasure meeting you and working with you. Best of luck! DB t3 USA"
"Russ, It was great to get to know you. Best of luck in your future endeavors! BM t3 Marketing"
"Russ, Sorry to see you go. I wish you much success & will keep in touch. MA t3 Italy"
"Best wishes out to you Russ! You continuously produced value for my personal sales wins over the past 6 months or so. Thank you so much for your assistance and guidance! AP t3 Sales USA"
"Hi Russ ! It was great to work with you, I really appreciated your availability even if we did not have the opportunity to work longer together. Good luck for the future! Angélique t3 France"
"Russ,
Thank you for your effort and results. You made a very positive contribution to think3. I know you came into a tough situation which you handled with professionalism and great organization. Best of luck to you. Please keep in touch."
SR t3 SVP WW Sales
"Russ, Thanks for your great Competition work. Outstanding tool! Best wishes! DG t3 VP SALES NA"
"Russ, I appreciated all your support and guidance during this amazing half year. I enjoyed working with you and I'm sure our paths will cross again in this very small industry in an even smaller world. BW t3 Marketing"
"Russ, I enjoyed working with you. JJ t3 USA AE"
"Thanks Russ for all the great data and support. You are a wealth of knowledge and I hope our paths meet again. MR t3 Sales USA"
"Thank you Russ, I hope we will meet again the future. Ciao SS R&D Italy"
"Russ,
It has been a pleasure working with you. Best of luck in your future ventures."
MC
VP WW Consulting
"Russ-san,
Thank you for your strong intention to well organize t3 marketing team. From field sales (actually locally from Japan) perspective I owe you a lot despite of tough transition stage of the company. I wish you a good consulting engagement for the new entity."
Best Regards, TK t3 VP Japan
"Russ I would look forward to working with you in the future should our paths cross again. It in not often we are able to work with true professionals. I consider the time we worked together, as a time of growth for think3 and for me. Thank you for the leadership that you provided to Marketing. It was amazing to watch the changes, and the breadth and depth of information that you made available to all of us. MH t3 Sales"
"Russ, Your work on competitive analysis was very well received at the January sales training events...thanks for completing it on a rushed schedule. Keep in touch, DM t3 Marketing"
"Dear Russ, It was indeed a pleasure to have met you and to work together. Thank you very much for all your assistance and guidance! I do look forward to keeping in touch and our paths crossing again. Best to you for the future. Best wishes, PN t3 - Marketing"
"Dear Russ: On behalf of think3, thank you for your many valuable contributions while serving as our Interim VP Marketing. In particular, I want to highlight your leadership and attention to detail in completing the Company's product plans for our next two software releases and your insights and dedication in introducing new competitive analysis. You also helped make the transition to my new position smooth and efficient. Best wishes in your future consulting engagements."
DPM VP t3 Worldwide Marketing
"Dear Russ:
I really enjoyed our working relationship. You joined a very new Marketing team in a very challenging time, when Marketing had to start driving
product planning and sales support with relatively small experience and very ambitious goals.
Your guidance, support and extensive background were extremely useful
for our company goals. Last but not least important, it was very enjoyable to work with you from a
relationship perspective, which in tough times is very important for every
team member. While you were here, I learned every single day new things that I am
now capitalizing on every day, not to mention your sophisticated vocabulary and
witty humor that I am now using as a model".
DM, t3 Product Marketing Manager (CA)
"Dear Russ,
It's been a real pleasure working with you. Beyond your obvious engineering
skills, I have appreciated your very balanced mind. (I hope that is the right translation!).
I also hope that you will take a long vacation in Italy. In that case, I suggest to visit my
region (Marche, Umbria) in spring time. I give you my personal address.
All the best!" 
DC, t3 Product Marketing, Italy
"Russell F. Henke was one of the most effective managers I had the pleasure
to work with. In the chaotic environment of an "up-start" company he was
able to effectively focus our activities on both a long term plan and strategic vision, as well as on short term
tactical activities to achieve our existing goals. Russ
was effective at leveraging optimally the team we already had in place to
execute on this plan. He also helped us recruit new people. In less than 6 months time we were able to define a new product
strategy, produce a proof of concept for a new line of business and
successfully engage and close the most important business deal of the year
around this new solution. And the growth of our business and future of the
company continues to be based on the foundation that Russ helped us build in that time, assuming of course that we can execute on the plan from here on."
A Nassisi - PLM Product Management
