In this episode of CMOs Without Borders, hosts Joel Crampton and Mandy MacPhee tackle one of the most persistent problems in financial-services marketing: why most funnels still don’t convert.
From RIAs to fintechs, firms spend heavily on awareness and ads — but too often, those efforts fail to translate into meaningful conversations or new clients. Joel and Mandy break down what’s really going wrong and share how to build a full-funnel marketing system that works in today’s multi-channel, compliance-bound environment.
They dive into how top-of-funnel visibility connects with middle-funnel nurturing and bottom-funnel conversion, why too many firms stop at “getting names in the door,” and how to close the gap between activity and results. You’ll hear practical strategies for building awareness that earns trust, nurturing prospects through value-added content, and aligning marketing and sales so every touchpoint feels intentional, not random.
Along the way, they unpack how AI, social proof, and modern buyer behavior are reshaping the customer journey — and why the middle of the funnel is where most revenue quietly dies. This episode goes beyond theory, offering step-by-step ideas for optimizing your campaigns, tightening your messaging, and creating a repeatable system for scalable growth.
The New Shape of the Funnel: Why today’s buyer journey isn’t linear and what that means for your marketing strategy.
Top-of-Funnel Reality: How to build awareness that earns trust — even when it’s hard to measure.
The Missing Middle: Why nurture and consideration phases make or break conversion outcomes.
Bottom-of-Funnel Fixes: How to align sales and marketing around value-based CTAs instead of “schedule a call.”
Social Proof That Converts: How reviews, certifications, and third-party validation drive trust (and even influence AI search).
Reddit, Reviews, and Real Talk: Why unfiltered peer conversations matter more than polished brand copy.
Full-Funnel Optimization: The continuous feedback loop that keeps campaigns improving instead of stalling — and the metrics that matter most to prove it.
In financial services, trust is everything — and yet too many firms chase short-term conversions while neglecting the systems that build credibility and nurture long-term relationships. The result? Bloated ad budgets, cold leads, and inconsistent growth.
A well-designed funnel doesn’t just generate names — it builds belief. It helps prospects feel confident enough to take the next step with you. That’s the difference between a disconnected campaign and a marketing system that scales.
👉 If your marketing system feels disjointed — or your funnel isn’t converting the right leads — Joel and Mandy can help.
Reach out to learn more about their 30-Day Clarity Sprint, designed to audit and optimize your entire marketing funnel — from awareness to conversion — so you can build predictable growth that lasts.
Joel Crampton — Fractional CMO for RIAs and wealth managers
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelcrampton/
https://cmoalpha.com
Mandy MacPhee — Fractional CMO for founder-led companies
EPISODE OVERVIEW
In this episode, hosts Joel Crampton and Mandy MacPhee sit down with Randy Frisch, founder of Trusty, an AI-powered estate planning platform redefining how families manage, document, and pass down their legacies. With $84 trillion set to change hands in the coming decades, Randy shares how technology, emotion, and storytelling can transform estate planning from a cold, legal process into a deeply personal, human experience.
This conversation explores how advisors and families alike can move beyond wills and trusts to create meaningful legacy plans — ones that connect generations, reduce conflict, and capture the stories behind the assets.
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Randy Frisch is the founder and CEO of Trusty, an AI-driven estate planning platform helping families document and communicate their wishes with clarity and connection. Before Trusty, Randy co-founded Uberflip, one of Canada’s most successful SaaS companies, which scaled globally and was later acquired.
KEY TOPICS COVERED
● Why traditional estate planning is broken and how Trusty is making it more human.
● The “letter of wishes” revolution: How families can leave behind video messages and stories that give deeper meaning to their gifts.
● AI’s role in legacy planning: Real-world ways Trusty uses “quiet AI” to simplify, summarize, and guide complex estate decisions without overwhelming users.
● Why storytelling matters: How focusing on narratives — not just features — builds trust and emotional resonance.
● Advisor opportunities: How financial advisors, estate attorneys, and planners can use legacy tech to differentiate, retain heirs, and deepen client relationships.
● Privacy & legal clarity: What’s binding, what’s not, and how to keep sensitive information secure while still making it accessible.
NOTABLE INSIGHTS
WHO SHOULD LISTEN
Financial advisors, RIAs, and wealth managers looking to differentiate their services and retain next-gen clients Estate attorneys and planners interested in modernizing legacy planning Families navigating estate planning who want to go beyond the will and leave meaningful stories behind.
RESOURCES & LINKS
Explore Trusty: https://mytrusty.ai
Connect with hosts:
Joel Crampton — Fractional CMO for RIAs and wealth managers
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelcrampton/
CMO Alpha: https://cmoalpha.com
Mandy MacPhee — Fractional CMO for founder-led companies
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandymacphee/
Illumination CMO: https://www.illuminationcmo.com/
When founders tell their story, they don’t just market their product or service, they create demand and separate their company from the competition.
In this episode, Joel Crampton and Mandy MacPhee sit down with fellow fractional Chief Marketing Officer Chris Downey to unpack a modern, founder-led approach to building pipeline — show up where your buyers already consume content, earn trust with your authentic voice, and make conversion dead simple when they’re finally ready.
Top Takeaways:
Engage With Us:
Financial institutions are waking up to the power of AI in accelerating their marketing engines.
In this episode, Heather Gerdes, co-founder of Promode.ai, joins Joel and Mandy to unpack what real adoption looks like inside banks, credit unions, and RIAs. We dig into customer-driven demand for better digital experiences, how to keep compliance tight while moving faster, and why AI is an amplifier that still needs human strategy.
We also get technical about context windows, RAG, workflow bottlenecks, and the culture shifts leaders must drive.
Key takeaways:
Guest:
Heather Gerdes, co-founder, Promode.ai
Hosts:
Joel Crampton — cmoalpha.com
Mandy MacPhee — illuminationcmo.com
In this episode of CMOs Without Borders, hosts Joel Crampton and Mandy MacPhee dive into one of the biggest challenges facing financial services marketing today: the Sea of Sameness.
From fintechs to RIAs to credit unions, firms are sounding more and more alike, shouting the same claims about being “client-focused,” “digital-first,” or “fee-only.” But if everyone is saying the same thing, how do you actually stand out?
Joel and Mandy share personal stories, cross-border perspectives (U.S. and Canada), and practical frameworks to help financial brands find their white space — the unique position in the market that competitors can’t touch.
Blending in is the fastest way to lose in financial services. When your message sounds like everyone else’s, the default choice becomes the biggest or the cheapest provider. Differentiation isn’t a luxury — it’s survival.
“What got you here isn’t going to get you there. Founders can only run on referrals and word of mouth for so long. At some point, you need a strategy that makes your marketing work harder than your competition’s.” – Joel Crampton
👉 If your firm’s marketing sounds just like your competitors, it’s time to find your white space. Reach out to Joel and Mandy to cut through the noise and build systems that align marketing with measurable growth.
Before you spend another dollar on marketing, find out if your plan is already broken.
Most marketing plans at financial services companies don’t fail because of sloppy execution — they fail before they even start.
In this first episode of CMOs Without Borders, Mandy MacPhee and Joel Crampton unpack the hidden reasons plans break down, from fuzzy positioning and misaligned teams to leadership that undervalues marketing as a growth driver.
You’ll hear real-world examples from both sides of the border, the role trust plays in fintech and advisory marketing, and the “Three C’s” framework for building resilient marketing plans: Clarity, Capacity, and Commitment.
If you’re tired of throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping for growth, this episode will help you see exactly where to start — and what to stop — so your marketing actually moves the needle.
