AMA: Heap Chief Marketing Officer, Micha Hershman on Influencing the C-Suite

As a startup grows, the dynamics of demand generation and key stakeholders involved in the process will indeed change significantly. It's a great question and something to be prepared for. Some thoughts: Early stage (seed/startup) key stakeholders: Founders/CEOs: Expect Founders to take a very active role in demand generation at this stage. Brace yourself - they will have many opinions and very strong opinions. Sales leadership: Collaboration with sales is crucial to align messaging with custome ...Read More

Another great question, one of the most sensitive and difficult! Handling a situation where two senior executive stakeholders disagree can be challenging, but it's critical that you develop the skills to navigate these moments diplomatically to ensure alignment and build your own reputation as a bridge-builder. Some thoughts: Listen actively: Seek to understand the perspectives of both stakeholders. Listen to their concerns, goals, and expectations carefully. Ensuring that they feel heard and re ...Read More

This is another hard one. Securing incremental resources for your marketing efforts involves making a compelling case to your executive leadership team. And sometimes these asks are absolutely critical to achieving the big, hairy ambitious goals you are being asked to achieve. Consider this step-by-step approach to making your case: Understand your needs: Start by thinking through exactly what resources you need and why. Whether it's a larger budget, additional staff, or access to new tools, dev ...Read More

This is an important question. Do it right, and you can accelerate your career, secure more exciting projects, and earn the trust of your leadership. Here are a couple of things I would tell my younger self: Speak Their Language: Your head of marketing and head of finance have a point of view on how to evaluate return on investment. Do you know what it is? Every person and every company does it differently: ROI, LTV/CAC, payback period, etc. What framework you use – and how it's calculated – doe ...Read More

Tough one – unfortunately common and much easier said than done. Of course, managing competing priorities and ensuring focus in demand generation require effective communication and alignment with the executive team. Here are some proven strategies to work collaboratively with the CEO and executive team to prioritize and stay focused: Regular communication: Meet weekly with your Marketing leadership to discuss priorities and understand theirs. If there's a conflict, use this time to discuss and ...Read More

Three common mistakes come to mind when Demand Generation managers are trying to influence the C-Suite: Focusing too much on the top of the funnel: Awareness, traffic, and net new leads are important. However, if they don't convert to pipeline and revenue, your efforts won't carry much weight, and you'll develop a reputation for focusing on "vanity metrics." Avoid this at all costs; it will impose a major tax on your career. Failing to understand the whole: We have to stay focused on our task—ge ...Read More