Who We Are

Marketing Strategy Consultants

It’s About People

A business does not exist without people. People decide which goods and services to purchase, not businesses. Its people that experience the emotions that come with running a business, not the legal entities required to form a business.

When you retain Astute Group, your not just retaining Fractional CMO services and marketing strategy consultants, you are retaining people. We are only as good as the people that make up this firm. People that are experts in their respective fields. People concerned about the client’s success, as much as they are about their own success.

That is why we have built a culture around the following principles

  • We serve our clients, achieving their goals and fulfilling their needs is our primary objective
  • Data-driven decision-making process – Research, Analysis, Evaluation, Decision
  • We are only as good as the numbers say we are – KPIs  such as ROI, Growth Rate, Profit Margins
  • Take pride in anything you produce, if it isn’t a GREAT representation of your capabilities, it’s not complete

Ferris Ayar

CMO • Strategist • Founder

A Strategist with a Passion for Marketing

  • 28 years of sales, marketing, and product management experience, with 12 years in senior executive positions
  • Fortune 500 experience at leading brands like General Electric (GE), JPMorgan Chase, and Compuware.
  • MBA Wayne State University, BA U-of-Michigan (Triple Concentration).
  • Founder of Non-Profit organization that promotes education for minorities.
More about Ferris

Ferris brings a plethora of knowledge, experience, foresight, and skills to every client. An innovative thinker that not only thinks outside the box, he does not see a box. Thus enabling ideation that has often been described as “brilliant”.

Ferris has a strong track record of developing and executing marketing and growth strategies that generate extraordinary results, such as 1,000% (10x) revenue growth.

He has extensive experience collaborating with C-Level executives, senior managers, engineers, scientists to develop and introduce new products and services to market. Ferris has developed product marketing strategies that have generated 10X product line revenue growth in just two years.

Other significant accomplishments include leading a Mid-Tier IT company into an entirely new market, reversing three years of declining revenues while increasing margins and achieving market leadership within 30 months. As well as identifying niche markets for a durable goods manufacturer and developing the go-to-market plan which resulted in a very significant increase in profit margins for three product lines.

Ferris has a Bachelor of Business Administration (Triple Emphasis: Business Administration, Economics and Political Science) from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Wayne State University. While attending U of M, Ferris founded a student organization to promote education to ethnic students. That organization is now in several schools across the country. When not in the office, Ferris is active in the community. Currently, Ferris is a volunteer Big Brother through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. Ferris has also tutored foreign students and children for the past decade. Beyond volunteering, Ferris enjoys spending time on his boat, fishing, playing chess, or mountain biking.

Natalie
Martorano

Analyst – Google Certified

Jessica
Sans

Project Coordinator

Randy
Pilon

Writer

Nichole
Mchlean

Marketing Specialist

Have You Heard?

Bill D. — CEO

“I have worked with the Astute Group for the past 2 and a half years and have been impressed with the leadership that has been provided to our marketing team. Astute has shown skill managing everything from large web site projects to small content development work. Astute has certainly had a positive impact on our business and I recommend them for your marketing needs.”

Have You Heard?

JJ D. — Principal

“Astute Group helped me identify opportunities for growth at higher margins. They helped me brand my firm and develop a brilliant strategy to increase value to my clients, thereby commanding higher fees because we aligned our services with clients’ needs. This enabled our firm to deliver what our clients value through targeting the ideal client type and ultimately improving their satisfaction in our performance. Thank you, Astute Group.”

Have You Heard?

Jonathon T — President

“Astute Group helped reshape our business, increasing our revenues and, more importantly, our profitability. Their guidance and expertise were exactly what we needed.”

Have You Heard?

CRM SaaS Provider – Confidential

President and Owner

“I evaluated several consulting firms. I chose Astute Group because they submitted a thorough, highly detailed proposal. They delivered as promised. The marketing plan Ferris created was as thorough as the proposal. It provided excellent industry insight and solid strategies for branding, positioning, and growth. I am very pleased with what Astute Group has done.”

Fractional CMO Services -  Strategic Marketing Expertise

Brand Strategy

Product Marketing

Strategic Marketing

Digital Strategy

Outsourced CMO

Fractional CMO Services are available in:

Albuquerque

Atlanta

Austin

Baltimore

Boston

Buffalo

Charleston

Charlotte

Chicago

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Columbus

Dallas

Detroit

Ft. Wayne

Grand Rapids

Hartford

Houston

Indianapolis

Jacksonville

Jersey City

Lansing

Los Angeles

Louisville

Miami

Milwaukee

Minneapolis

New Orleans

New York

Newark

Orlando

Philadelphia

Phoenix

Pittsburgh

Raleigh

Richmond

San Diego

St. Petersburg

Tampa

Traverse City

Washington DC

Canada

Windsor

Toronto

Montreal

Virtual CMO Services available throughout the entire United States and Canada

Strategic Business Development

Go-To-Market Strategy

Sales Enablement

Growth Strategy

Innovation Enablement

Digital Transformation