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What do product marketers get wrong when trying to influence the C-Suite?

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4 Answers
Influencing the C-Suite
  1. Jeremy Wood
    Jeremy Wood

    Adobe Head of GTM Strategy, APAC & Japan • 1y

    Thats a tough one to answer as there are so many variables. Define 'wrong'? I think what often happens is product marketers try to appeal to the wrong factors that are front of mind for the c-suite. A good example is being too tactical and too in the weeds when trying to showcase value. C-suite execs don't have time for that and quite franikly often don't care! What they DO care about is business KPI's and the health of the business such as profitability, new/net ASV, attrition, sales productivi ...Read More

    1,804 Views
  2. Jon Rooney
    Jon Rooney

    Box Vice President Product Marketing | Formerly Splunk, New Relic, Microsoft, Unity, Oracle • 2y

    Product marketers most often come up short in influencing the C-Suite by showing up at the wrong altitude, with the wrong information and the wrong disposition. The most common mistake I've seen is a PMM showing up with far too much detail and data without a clear "here's the goal, here's what we know/learned, and here's the 'so what' of if all." No one in e-staff is going to read your 15 page messaging brief or detailed launch plan or expansive customer usage report. You have to synthesize all ...Read More

    1,053 Views
  3. Sarah Din
    Sarah Din

    Former SVP of Product Marketing at Quickbase • 1y

    Here are a few things I see PMMs get wrong:

    • Focusing on initiatives that don't align with the company’s strategic objectives.

    • Failing to show how initiatives will provide a clear return on investment.

    • Using complex language that confuses rather than clarifies.

    • Operating in silos without involving other departments.

    • Not involving key stakeholders early in the process.

    • Being rigid and not adapting executive feedback.

    • Hesitating to propose new ideas.

    548 Views
  4. Kuber Sharma
    Kuber Sharma

    UiPath Sr. Director of Product Marketing | Formerly Salesforce, Tableau, Microsoft • 1mo

    Having navigated this at Microsoft, Salesforce, Tableau, and UiPath, these are the patterns I see most often. Speaking PMM language in a business language room. "We built a messaging house," "we developed personas," "we created a competitive battlecard" — none of these land with a C-suite audience. What lands is: "win rate on competitive deals increased 8 points after we deployed this enablement" or "this narrative is what we're using in the board deck next month." The habit of translating PMM o ...Read More

    151 Views

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