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Big ideas, in powerful language, at scale.

For many small professional services companies, a full-time marketing leader is both too expensive to hire and too valuable to do without.

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Real strategic ownership of your message, brand, and positioning gives you credibility, and ultimately, growth. But the CMO who can deliver those things is unattainable for a small company. What’s to be done?

The answer: a fractional CMO.

I specialize in small professional services companies trying to stand out in a competitive market, using messaging and technology together to drive leads, revenue, and reputation.

At leading professional services companies, I’ve owned messaging strategy, content marketing, business development operations, sales enablement, and more. I start with curiosity about your company’s story, and then bring that story to your market through every channel you use.

About Me

  • "The AI and technology space is full of noise, and Duncan has a gift for cutting through that noise to say what matters about an organization. At Spaulding Ridge, he handled website copy, thought leadership reports, sales proposals, email marketing, and even my executive communications. No matter what industry or line of business he was speaking to, he got it right: The technical details were spot-on, the messaging was compelling and consistent, and each channel was used strategically. Duncan would be an asset to any company's strategic marketing efforts."

    —Jay Laabs, Founder and Executive Chair, Spaulding Ridge

  • "Duncan has the unique ability to take a company’s strategic initiatives and translate them into compelling marketing assets that clearly articulate a firm’s value proposition, differentiate it in the market, and encourage client engagement. What sets Duncan apart is his combination of marketing skills and subject matter expertise. He understands the high-tech space and stays current on emerging trends, such as Agentic AI and enterprise data platforms, bringing credibility and relevance to a company’s messaging. Moreover, Duncan is up to speed on the latest trends in digital marketing, helping those ideas reach a broader audience."

    —Emil Fernandez, Managing Director, Spaulding Ridge

Messaging that works in conversations starts with conversations.

Before an ad grabs your attention, it needs a tagline.

Before an article captures your imagination, it needs a thesis.

Before a sales team delivers the pitch that wins a deal, they need a talk track.

Your underlying messaging determines how successful the rest of your marketing efforts will be, so that’s where I focus first. Because so much of professional services work happens from person to person, informal conversations often produce the seeds of good messaging. My role is to ask the right questions to find the right words to reach the right audience. With those words, everything else falls into place.

I’ve built messaging strategies for industry-leading professional services organizations, and then used that messaging for everything from content strategies to conference scripts. Starting with a flexible, usable message means that whatever medium you compete in, you’re equipped for success.

Reach out, and let’s find the right words for your organization.

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Multi-story parking garage with cars parked on each level, featuring curved concrete balconies on each floor.
Work With Me

What can I do for you?

Whether you need a fractional marketing leader, the foundational message for your business, or a few quick deliverables, I can help!

  • Every organization needs a marketing leader. Not every organization has the budget for a full-time CMO. A fractional CMO can help you grow by focusing on the most important marketing tasks and building lasting marketing capacity.

  • What’s unique about your business? How do you want to tell your story? I can lead the strategic conversations that help you land on a powerful, usable message.

  • Good content builds pipeline. Great content build your reputation. Get a content strategy that meets your short- and long-term goals.

  • Your website is your first impression, your lowest-effort source of leads, and your most trusted brand platform. Make sure you’re giving yours the right amount of attention.

  • Sell with the same message your customers are seeing in your ads, on your website, and in your email campaigns. Sell better.

  • Communicate your firm’s message while establishing your leader’s unique voice.

  • Getting in front of an audience is never easy. Take the pressure off with presentation scripts, panel discussion talk tracks, and whatever else you need to get through the big day.

Let’s talk.

Curious about what I can do for you? Let’s set up a meeting and get started.