Charlotte Metro
Transitioning from functional executive to enterprise growth leader capable of leading entire commercial organizations. John Francis is a growth and brand executive operating at the intersection of revenue, marketing, and technology. As VP of Sales & Marketing Operations at IZEA, he integrates go-to-market strategy, brand development, and revenue operations to drive scalable growth in the Creator Economy. With 28 years of experience, John has built and led high-performing teams across brand strategy, demand generation, and RevOps. He combines creative instinct with analytical rigor, developing brands that resonate in market and convert into measurable demand. Known for aligning strategy with execution, John translates complex market dynamics into clear positioning and builds modern MarTech ecosystems that connect brand, content, and performance into a unified growth engine. His work consistently improves pipeline velocity, acquisition efficiency, and customer lifetime value. Prior to IZEA, he served as VP of Marketing at MERGE, where he scaled demand generation, strengthened brand positioning, and delivered high-ROI growth. KEY SKILLS AI Platform Expertise (Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT), Strategic Demand Generation, Brand Principles, Design Systems, Lifecycle Marketing, Martech Optimization (Marketo, Pardot, Salesforce, Hubspot, Sales Navigator, Apollo, Salesloft), Multi-Channel Campaign Execution (SEO, Paid Media, Social, Email), Analytics and Attribution (Google Tag Manager, Looker Studio), Funnel Optimization, Pipeline Growth, Team Leadership, Budget Management EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS - BA, Communications – University of California Santa Barbara, CA (1998) - Strategies that Build a Winning Brand - Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern (2023) - 2X Marketo Engage Certified Expert, Adobe User Group Leader - Charlotte, NC
Dual-hat leadership role reporting to CEO; serving as Head of Marketing and Lead of Sales Operations. I orchestrate the activities of cross-functional teams across Sales and Marketing to drive efficiency and revenue growth for IZEA's managed services. Strategic Alignment: Unifying Sales and Marketing functions under a single operational vision, fostering a culture of collaboration and shared metrics. Tech Stack Architecture: Strategic ownership of Salesforce, HubSpot, and Apollo to automate workflows and provide actionable intelligence to the sales force. Creative & Brand Direction: Overseeing creative leadership to ensure brand consistency across all market-facing channels. Process Optimization: Currently deploying comprehensive Account-Based Marketing (ABM) methodologies to increase pipeline velocity and deal quality.
Marketing leader reporting to CEO. - Designed MERGE's internal marketing team of 10 (people, processes, and technology) to serve the organizations growth needs. - Developed a robust demand generation program from the ground up for a Top 100 independent marketing and tech agency. - Strategized and executed plans with the Chief Growth Officer to grow 6 practice areas and 3 service offerings within an 800-person agency, spanning North America with eight offices. Master at stakeholder management. - Established a unique approach for identifying intent behaviors for 60% of ABM targets. - Broke company records for net new business in year two of operations. Mastered operations around webinars in a way that directly correlated to new business. - Spearheaded the development and execution of comprehensive marketing strategies, significantly enhancing brand presence and market share. Key metrics including website traffic, organic/paid social impressions, net new name growth, MQLs, SQLs, and opportunities all trending up
Marketing leader reporting to CEO/Founder. Crafted and implemented marketing programs to attract and nurture qualified prospects, increasing marketing-influenced revenue tenfold in two years. Developed the first ever Marketo user study.
Lead consultant on Meta account. Consulted as a Marketo Engage expert, leading an account team and designing/architecting technical customer lifecycle campaigns for top client Meta; resulting in thousands of MQLs.
- Established the demand generation function at a $4B company with over 10,000 employees. A key result was creating a new advertising channel using Criteo that drove 600% ROAS; and leveraging paid search with similar ROAS. - Directed all digital marketing channels, planning, developing, and executing inbound and outbound digital marketing efforts. Redesigned www.sunbeltrentals.com, generated 3,000 product descriptions, and moved to a new CMS.
- Attracted prospects to products and services, generating marketing-qualified leads and driving revenue through digital channels. Trained 40 GM’s in regional markets and sales leadership on consultative selling to scoring threshold leads. - Built a demand generation program from the ground up; enhancing brand awareness and thought leadership for The Business Journals nationwide.
- Increased sales through digital marketing channels, including copywriting, social strategy, landing page optimization, and customer segmentation.