Why I Formed C. Owens Run

First of all - hi! I’m Colin Owens. Glad you stopped by. The door is always open, because, you know - it’s the internet.

With C. Owens Run, I bring 25+ years as a leader in business development and marketing. I’ve worked for an integrated marketing communications agency, two HR-based professional services firms, a couple financial lenders and hundreds on hundreds of clients I have helped along the way. Through all of this, I learned some valuable lessons that create the basis for this B2B Growth Consulting Firm, including:

  • People love to buy but people hate to be sold to. Think about any interaction you’ve had with a salesperson attempting to sell you something and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

  • Companies that have business developers focus way too much on sales, and not enough on the things that create sales. Focusing on sales is like focusing on winning Game 7 of the World Series while in spring training. You need to create the mindset, habits, behaviors and skills that create compounded successes.

  • People buy based on emotion and justify that decision with logic, and that’s true if it’s a can of soda or a global software system. It’s not enough to be the best. They have to want to hire you.

  • B2B business development is the intersection of relationships and relevancy. People buy from those they know and trust who do the things they need most.

I also found that many leaders I reported to did not understand or agree with these uncovered truths, though. I often found myself in the quagmire of bureaucracy, conflicting messages or an overemphasis on short-term wins at the expense of long-term growth.

C. Owens Run was created so that I could help clients the way they’ve told me they want to be helped, including seeking to understand before offering services, crafting scalable solutions that pay for themselves and focusing on their long-term growth by helping them focus on authentic relationship building, problem-seeking curiosity and enthusiastic problem solving.

My cousin told me the other day that I never seem to have an unproductive day. I can’t think of a better compliment. Whether I am spending time with my two daughters, wrestling with my mutt Enzo, soaking up life with my wife, helping a friend with a project, renovating our home near the Chattahoochee River, gardening, woodworking, folding laundry (I actually find it therapeutic!) or cooking - I find purpose in all of it. But I also have the guilty pleasures of fly fishing, riding my 70s-cafe-style e-cycle, watching movies, listening to my favorite podcasts and learning about anything and everything. Gosh I love discovering something new. It’s addictive.

Highlights and Bona Fides

  • Four (4) years serving as a Senior Vice President and Area Sales Director for the most profitable and successful division of one of the most respected and renowned global HR services firms, leading a team to a 67% proposal win rate, 141% of annual sales quota, 119% of “new logo” sales quota and a 96% client retention rate.

  • Nine (9) years leading business development and marketing for national marketing communications agency, doubling the company’s revenues from $12M to $24M, landing the agency’s first $1M new account in my first year at the agency, and leaving the agency having reached 145% of the agency’s sales goal in my final year .

  • Establishing three separate CRMs on three different platforms at three different stops in my career journey, also running launch campaigns and ongoing optimization to increase usage KPIs and insights to make BD efforts more efficient and effective.

  • Past leadership roles in Sales, Marketing, Operations and Management, allowing me to “understand the whole machine” and not just my segment of the business.

  • Led countless sales and skills trainings at all stops in my career, including the creation of a biweekly internal continuing education series that grew from just my team of six to 150 regular attendees, all of whom requested to be included and voluntarily attended each session. The series regularly received higher satisfaction scores than the trainings delivered by corporate.

  • Became a “Master Facilitator” in 2015 through Leadership Strategies, Inc. courses.

  • Co-developed a pro bono fundraising strategy summit for NFP development leaders in 2015 with Bunnell Idea Group, BCG, King & Spalding and EY.

Notable Clients Won and Agencies Helped

Lockheed Martin

Danaher

Amtrak

GEICO

UPS

Siemens

FIS Global

Commscope

Primrose Schools

The Coca-Cola Company

Perdue Farms

Toyota Motor Sales

Mattress Firm

MailChimp

SRTA/GRTA/ATL

Google

Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH)

Jackson Spalding

Hay Group (Korn Ferry)

Let’s Chat!

Meeting other leaders is the second best part of my job. The best part is working with them to build impactful solutions to tough challenges. Reach out any time and I’ll be in touch within a day.

Look forward to talking with you soon!