No one understands the buyer’s behavior better than the CMO—so why isn’t marketing leading more boardroom conversations?
Yet, in the boardroom, the focus too often shifts to marketing metrics like ROI and pipeline, sidelining the broader story marketing should be telling. Why is this still happening?
The real power move for marketing leaders is bringing the voice of the customer into executive discussions. Here are three ways CMOs can leverage customer insights to drive real influence at the highest levels of the organization.
1. Map the Buyer’s Journey—Don’t Just Report on It
One of the most underutilized tools marketers have is their detailed understanding of the buyer’s journey. Yet, CMOs often get so caught up in reporting KPIs that they miss out on telling the larger story about how customers engage with the brand.
Heidi Melin, Senior Operating Advisor at Hellman and Friedman and former Adobe Workfront CMO, knows the importance of challenging the ways “things have always been done.”
“A few years ago, we all were obsessed with mastering the selling process. Internally, we focused on our company’s selling process and aligned our marketing investments with it.”
“We need to flip the script and focus first on our customers’ buying process and how we can improve it.”
You don’t need perfect data to start this. Leverage the data you already have and use it to reveal how your company supports—or hinders—the customer’s journey.
Look beyond marketing touchpoints. Include interactions with sales, customer success, and even product teams.
- What was the turning point for your latest big deal?
- How many touchpoints were needed to convert that lead?
- What frustrations did the customer face, and how did the company respond?
This type of analysis is eye-opening, not just for marketing but for the entire executive team. It shifts the conversation from isolated marketing performance to the broader business impact marketing has on revenue generation.
Bringing the customer’s perspective into strategic discussions allows you to challenge assumptions, highlight gaps in the company’s approach, and propose new directions.
When you consistently back up your points with customer data and stories, you position yourself as a strategic partner rather than just a marketing executor. It’s a key shift that elevates your influence.
2. Bring the Customer Story, Not Just Data
CMOs often walk into boardrooms armed with data—conversion rates, pipeline numbers, and campaign ROI.
But what if, instead, you led with a customer story? Real customer stories can shift the tone of any meeting.
Data is expected; stories are memorable.
An example of a powerful way to demonstrate marketing’s impact during a board meeting is by telling the story of your customer’s journey, from discovery to purchase, including the challenges they faced along the way.
Worry less about the graphs or percentages—and more about the human experience of interacting with the company.
“Marketers must be proactive, stay in market, go on tour, and stay on tour,” says Scott Vaughan, CMO and GTM Advisor, about what’s needed to consistently bring crucial customer intel to board discussions.
While other C-suite members may focus inward—on operations, finance, or product—the modern-day CMO needs to provide a pulse on the external environment.
This approach accomplishes two things: First, it humanizes your data. Second, it connects your board to the real-world impact of the decisions they’re making.
3. Tie Customer Insights to Business Outcomes
Finally, it’s critical to connect customer insights back to business impact. Leadership teams care deeply about growth, revenue, and efficiency. As marketers, it’s easy to get caught up in top-of-funnel metrics like awareness and engagement, but these can sometimes fall flat in the boardroom.
The real value lies in translating those customer insights into outcomes that matter to the board. For example, instead of just saying, “Customer feedback shows that our new feature is popular,” take it a step further: “Customers who adopt this feature have a 20% higher retention rate, which directly impacts our long-term revenue growth.”
By aligning your insights with broader business goals—such as improving customer lifetime value, reducing churn, or expanding into new markets—you demonstrate that marketing is not just about driving leads but about shaping the future of the business.
Final Thoughts: Your Seat at the Table is Yours to Keep
In today’s boardrooms, marketing leaders are no longer relegated to the role of supporting actors. You have a unique perspective—one that no other function can bring to the table.
By leveraging customer insights, leading with stories, and proactively engaging with the market, you can elevate your role and ensure that marketing plays a critical part in shaping company strategy.
It’s time to elevate the conversation by using the customer’s voice as your key advantage in the boardroom.
Remember: You are the expert on the market, the customer, and the buying journey.
It’s that insight that solidifies your place at the table, shaping the strategic direction of the company and proving the real value of marketing. By owning this role, you not only strengthen your influence in the boardroom but also position marketing as the engine driving long-term growth for the business.
We’ve launched a webisode series to help marketing leaders significantly and consistently prove marketing ROI—as discussed by real-time B2B CMOs and marketing veterans.
Watch the discussion below to discover what it takes to bring the voice of the customer into the boardroom to shape strategy, challenge assumptions, and solidify marketing as a driver of business transformation.
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