How do you influence the c-suite to get more resources?

See my other answer on frameworks for building intluence with stakeholders. Influencing the c-suite to get resources is about influencing the c-suite, which is really about influence, period.  Think of any stakeholder as a customer you'd like to market to. Y What does your stakeholder care about from a business perspective? What information do they need, and where do they prefer to access that information? Internal c-suite folks may care about growth and scale, and you interact with them in inte ...Read More

It starts with making sure the c-suite knows where you fit in to business outcomes. What are your OKR’s for the quarter, for the year? Is there a straight line between your priorities and the key opportunities for the company? Have you shared them?The second is making sure you are being heard. The company needs you to be heard - the unique perspective product marketing brings is so critical to company growth, especially today. So be bold. Have you cultivated sponsors outside of your direct repor ...Read More

The best way to influence the c-suite to get more resources is to quantify the impact of your current resources and identify areas of the business that could benefit from similar impact with more investment. For PMM this can be tough, as we're at the hub of most GTM activities but hard measurement can be diffuse and vague if we're not careful. When pursuing more resources, pick one or two major business objectives (like increasing marketing-driven pipeline coverage or driving up product usage/ac ...Read More

This can sometimes feel like mission impossible, but you need to take on the mindset of a c-level leader. They're operating at the business outcomes level, not the day to day level where additional resources will dramatically change the work. The key is to connect the change to measurable outcomes. Some additional things to consider: Lead with metrics - Before you talk about what you need, talk about what you're trying to impact for the business. Position your needs around the outcomes that the ...Read More

The core mistake PMMs make when asking for more resources is framing the ask around what PMM needs. The frame that actually works is what the business loses by not having it. Start by proving the ROI of what you already have. Before you ask for more, you need a clear story about what your current team produces and its measurable impact. Win rates in competitive deals where PMM-built battlecards were used. Time-to-ramp for new sales reps who went through PMM-built enablement. Pipeline influenced ...Read More

Getting resources is challenging. Everyone in the company needs a budget for their initiatives. So to influence the leadership to allocate more resources to your initiatives, you will need to make a strong case that demonstrates the value and potential return on investment of your projects. This might involve: Identifying the key business objectives (OKRs) that your initiatives will support: Before you approach the C-Suite, take the time to understand the key business objectives of your startup ...Read More