During this 203rd episode of “Marketing Today,” I interview Todd Krautkremer, chief marketing officer at Cradlepoint, an entrepreneurial executive with over 25 years of experience.
Today we talk about his passion for building growth companies, his transition from computer science to the development side, product management, sales, and marketing and his CEO role during the 2008 financial crisis. Krautkremer also shares his advice for what marketers should do during this coronavirus pandemic.
Krautkremer starts by discussing his early career work, building some of the biggest data networks for carriers and becoming a sales manager for the Northeast region. Working at Gearworks as CEO through the 2008 financial crisis taught him skills that served him well in his current role as a CMO. Krautkremer says, “I have empathy for customers. I understand how my partner in sales works, thinks, what they need, and most importantly, I am a better CMO because I understand what our CEO thinks and needs and the pressure that he goes through every day and the role that marketing has to play in really shaping the strategy and driving the go-to-market and seizing the opportunities.”
Krautkremer also delves deep into 5G technology and how marketers should be evolving their methods during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. He says, “Every customer is in some type of emergency response mode. It is either survival for the business. It is either a fundamental shift in how people are working or it is mounting a response to the crisis that we are dealing in. Our customers at Cradlepoint include a lot of healthcare providers and first responders. So, we have a smattering of all of that. But as a marketeer, if you’re not dramatically changing everything that you do at this moment in time, you are behind the 8-ball.”
Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today”:
- Todd describes his upbringing and background in computer science. (01:49)
- He joined his first of four startup companies as the only sales representative. (04:23)
- What did Todd Krautkremer learn during the 2008 recession? (06:40)
- With coronavirus wreaking havoc on marketing plans, marketers should be doing the same with their marketing plans. (9:01)
- Todd describes what Cradlepoint does and how they are responding to the current crisis. (10:38)
- Cradlepoint is an enterprise-class product providing wireless connectivity and extending into homes. (14:13)
- What is the vision of where Cradlepoint wants to go in the future? (15:48)
- 5G is going to be fiber-fast but can also literally pop up a network. (17:22)
- During the pandemic, Todd advises marketers to have an open-arms approach to engaging the marketplace with your solutions. (19:16)
- What experience in Todd’s life has helped make him who he is today? (24:20)
- What advice would Todd give to his younger self? (28:00)
- What is a recent purchase of $100 or less that has been the most impactful for you? (31:00)
- Are there any brands, companies, or causes that he thinks marketers should be paying attention to? (32:18)
- What does Todd Krautkremer feel is the largest opportunity or threat that marketers face today? (35:22)