I recently went one on one with Dawn Weiss, Chief Marketing Officer of CycleBar.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Dawn: The most significant impact of any experience I’ve had is one I face daily. It’s the responsibility of running not just our business at the corporate level, but ensuring my team and I do everything we can to help our franchisees be as successful as possible. Every day brings a new challenge, some I have literally seen hundreds of times, and others I could never have anticipated. Franchise marketing is rooted in building a scalable plan that can be executed in every marketplace and must resonate with audiences in a variety of regions, seasons, and lifestyles.  But it is also reliant on partnership and trial and error, and daily I have to work to earn people’s trust in my direction of their business. This work challenges me and makes me want to be better each day. 

I’ve had the good fortune of being part of some notable franchise brands that I had a front-row seat to help build. Massage Envy saw incredibly rapid growth hitting some aggressive milestones each of the years during my six-year tenure. Seeing the brand continue to sustain remains pretty high on my list. The Joint Chiropractic began as 11 locations we took over from the existing franchisor and resulted in a public offering less than five years later. It changed the way people consume chiropractic, making it more accessible to everyone as preventive care and that’s something I am still very proud of. I enjoyed a brief stint as COO of Amazing Lash Studio until I was moved to CMO to help guide the brand into its most substantial growth phase, resulting in a very lucrative exit for its founders. But to date, being part of the Xponential Fitness family with CycleBar is my most favorite, and being here as we went public now sits at the top of my career highlight list, along with seeing our brands represented on the behemoth billboards in Times Square that day. It was pretty surreal.

As far as what got me to where I am today, years of hard work, great teams, some tough lessons, and a lot of testing and fine-tuning along the way. But the thing I can most attribute my success to is more likely my desire to be here. I like to think that over the years there may have been people more qualified or experienced at the table, but I can guarantee no one wanted it as much as I did, and few were willing to commit to things I have, in order to get here.

Adam: What is the most important attribute of an effective CMO?

Dawn: The ability to marry data with intuition. The data is vital, but it doesn’t tell you everything you need to know. 

Adam: What are three things everyone should understand about marketing?

Dawn:

1. At its very basic, marketing is telling everyone. But great marketing tells the right audience, repeatedly, where and when the audience is most likely to consume the message.

2. Your brand promise must be authentic. No amount of marketing can make up for a brand that at its core isn’t as it presents itself. Eventually your audience or your competition will figure it out.

3. Before there was digital or radio or newspapers, there was word of mouth. We all ask the people we trust for their opinion, read reviews and seek out what others’ experiences have been with the products and services we buy. Before you spend time and money on any marketing channel, be sure you know how to get people to talk about your brand.

Adam: What are three things people who work in marketing should understand?

Dawn:  

1. How to get the consumer’s attention.

2. How to keep the consumer’s attention.

3. How to monetize the consumer’s attention.

Adam: What are your best tips on the topic of branding?

Dawn:

1. Understand how your brand is consumed, where it is consumed, and why it should matter to your target audience.

2. Never look at your brand from the top down. The best branding becomes enmeshed in people’s lives and if you don’t, you’re missing the point. The best brands have a personality of their own, and the best brand marketers should see their role as a great character actor does. You aren’t there to put your name on something, you’re there to fit into the part and move your audience to embrace you in that role, seamlessly.

3. What makes a brand successful isn’t making it what you want it to be, but making it what the consumer needs it to be.

Adam: What is the best advice for those working at big organizations on how to best climb the corporate ladder?

Dawn: Working in a big organization presents many potential opportunities to contribute and grow. But I believe it's a matter of having the desire, the drive, and above all, the perspective to achieve a higher position in your organization.

You must first get in the mindset of being in that next level position or the one as high as you can set your sights on. Then find ways to contribute to the organization with that same mindset. Never view yourself climbing the ladder with each contribution you make, rather make contributions from the view at the top of that ladder. What does the decision before you or the project or assignment look like from your boss's chair? If you want them to notice you, find out. And if someday you want their job, deliver.

There are some pretty inspirational stories about janitors who became high-level executives and leaders of some of the top companies in America. Google: Janitor to CEO to see for yourself, and you'll find that once you set your sights, every contribution gets you closer to the rung above you. And when you get there, be sure to reach down and help others make the climb.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skill to the next level?

Dawn:  Effective leaders are able to communicate the need, encourage and support others to achieve shared goals. But the single most vital qualities are emotional intelligence and soft skills, which are often overlooked. Leaders, even visionaries with the best ideas, can't lead if no one wants to follow.  

Adam: What are your three tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?

Dawn: My three best tips applicable to all of these roles are:

1. Listen. When in positions of power or great responsibility, it is as important to listen and be informed as it is to inform.

2. Ask. Never make the assumption everyone understands what is needed, and never assume you have all the answers. Both of you may, but so often assumptions are made and even small details get missed or instructions are misunderstood, which can cost time and money that could have been saved.

3. Do what's right. People over profits often bring you back to people who work happily and create greater profit. Be empathetic, be loyal, be fair and make decisions following the Golden Rule. You'll attract better talent and get greater buy-in. Results come from a leader's commitment, not just their team's.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received? 

Dawn: My grandmother would say to me when I was working through a problem with a plan she thought wouldn't work, "Like this, it does not go." She was Hungarian and I'm sure it was an idiomatic expression but I liked the way it translated because it spoke to me and has played in my head many times in my life when I was faced with a tough decision.

To me, the thought behind the saying is that there's an order to things. A right way to do things, and another one that doesn't lead to the best outcome. It reminds me to think through plans and speaks to the importance of understanding the right steps to take to get the results I seek. I know it's not as eloquent as the most popular ones others may recall. But for me, it's a litmus test that's run when I am faced with decisions to ensure I am doing the right work to get the outcome I desire. It also helps me check that I am doing things for the right reason. It's harder to get lost on a path that's well lit.

Adam: What is one thing everyone should be doing to pay it forward?

Dawn: Seek those in need of the things you possess, and never forget or stop appreciating what you have. If you take things for granted, you'll have a harder time identifying the things you can do to help others receive or achieve what you have.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Dawn: I think you covered everything!


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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