Many companies are product, sales, marketing, or value driven (i.e. cultural values play a role in actual decision making across the board). In your experience, what has been the main function/stakeholder to lead, and how has that impacted your role as a marketing leader?

In most of my experiences sales leads in the company, it shapes decision-making and prioritization around revenue-driving activities, often creating a high-pressure, fast-paced environment. As a pmm leader, this dynamic requires me to:

1. Align closely with sales goals: Everything marketing does must be tied to sales enablement and revenue outcomes. For example, campaigns are evaluated not just on impressions but on how they influence SQLs or pipeline growth. I’ve learned to position marketing as an ally by asking questions like, “How can this campaign make your team’s job easier?”

2. Be nimble and responsive: In a sales-driven culture, priorities can shift quickly based on quarterly targets or market dynamics. Once, a campaign I was leading pivoted mid-way because sales needed messaging to counter a competitor’s promotion. Flexibility is key.

3. Quantify marketing’s impact: In a sales-led company, the conversation is about numbers. I make sure marketing’s contributions—whether lead generation, deal velocity, or customer acquisition—are crystal clear.

4. Focus on tools and enablement: Sales teams need resources to close deals faster. As a marketing leader, I prioritize creating pitch decks, one-pagers, and competitive battle cards. I’ve also worked closely with sales to refine talk tracks, ensuring alignment on messaging.

5. Advocate for the long-term: While sales may drive immediate priorities, part of my role is balancing short-term wins with strategic initiatives. I use data to make the case for long-term investments—like brand building or customer education—that ultimately make selling easier.

6. Build strong relationships: Partnering with sales leaders is non-negotiable. I’ve spent time shadowing calls, attending deal reviews, and joining QBRs to stay attuned to their challenges. These relationships not only ensure alignment but also build trust, so sales sees marketing as a partner, not a support function.

There is no right answer. It depends on the strategy - if it's more driven by self-service (PLG) or sales.

In sales-driven organizations, sales bring revenue and, therefore, have a lot of power. This is even more true if there is a CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) that oversees Sales and Marketing. On many occasions, CROs come from a sales background, which means that sales get a lot of weight. The fact that compensation for sales is short-term may drive the organization to make more short-term decisions, and that's a problem and contrarian to the marketing mindset.

The fact is that Marketing rarely calls the shots unless the Founder/CEO is a marketing-driven person.