What if the CMO who calls himself "just a simple guy" has cracked the marketing code that's stumping industry leaders?

Christian Kunkel went from asking "What's a GRP?" to leading Fingercheck through the saturated payroll software market. While other CMOs chase growth hacks, Christian discovered customers were finding them through ChatGPT — not Google or ads. This revelation completely shifted his team's approach to customer discovery.

In this episode, Charlene Ormo interviews Christian Kunkel, a strategic mind who's not just building marketing systems, but reshaping how small businesses thrive. As CMO of Fingercheck, he's leading the charge in making payroll, HR, and financial flexibility accessible for the people who power our economy. But beneath the strategy is a mission rooted in empathy, resilience, and hard-won lessons.

This isn't your typical CMO interview about funnels and attribution. Discover how a marketing leader cut through the noise by returning to what most of us forgot — and the tactics making it work today.

• The GRP Mystery Detective - Day one in marketing: "Go fill a box with GRPs." Christian spent hours wandering the office asking "What's a GRP?" only to discover it was an elaborate prank.
• Jets Obsession Level: Maximum - This die-hard Jets fan believes if they win a Super Bowl in his lifetime, his legacy is complete (right after being a great dad and husband).
• The Support Call Crasher - While other CMOs chose strategy meetings, Christian secretly joins customer support calls for raw marketing gold you can't find anywhere else.
• Comic Book Marketing Genius - Christian literally drew a comic book to explain boring location data because apparently PowerPoints weren't cutting it. Did it generate millions? Of course not. Did customers think it was amazing? Absolutely. Because sometimes the best marketing ideas sound completely ridiculous until they work.
• The Homebody with a Famous Wife - Married to a Jennifer Lopez (not that Jennifer Lopez), Christian prefers quiet nights at home over the hustle and bustle. While the world chases the spotlight, he's found his superpower in the comfort of his living room.

[01:23] The Simplicity Superpower

Why Christian's approach to breaking down complex problems is his secret weapon in a world of marketing complexity. While other CMOs get lost in sophisticated frameworks, Christian's "simple guy" method cuts through the noise to find solutions that actually work.

[06:02] The Mentorship Multiplier

How the right guidance transformed Christian's career and why he's obsessed with paying it forward. Christian reveals the specific advice that changed everything for him and how he's using it to build unstoppable marketing teams.

[07:13] The Support Call Gold Mine

How secretly listening to customer support calls gives Christian marketing insights that million-dollar research can't buy. While other CMOs stay in their ivory towers, Christian gets on the frontlines to hear what customers really think.

[09:00] The "Feel Smarter" Formula

Christian's counterintuitive definition of good marketing that most CMOs get backwards. Instead of overwhelming prospects with features, he discovered the psychological trigger that makes customers want to buy without feeling sold...