If you have ever hired a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) thinking they would instantly fix your sales pipeline, you are not alone and you are definitely not crazy. It is a tempting thought. But after years of watching this happen across dozens of companies, I can tell you the hard truth.
Most CMOs do not fail because they are bad at their jobs. They fail because they are set up to lose before they even start.
Jay and I break all of this down in our latest episode of Revenue Rewired. If you want the real story behind why CMOs struggle and how to avoid falling into the same trap.
Listen right now:
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Amazon Music
• YouTube
During the show, I shared one of the biggest mistakes I see companies make
“They’re typically hired to execute a big project too, like a total rebrand, but they haven’t been given the opportunity to validate the direction or immerse themselves fully.”
It is not about hiring the wrong person. It is about what environment you are dropping them into.
Should You Hire a CMO or Build a Team First
This is the first real question leaders need to wrestle with. And it is one that causes so many painful and expensive missteps.
As Jay said during the podcast
“If you expect a CMO to build and execute marketing from scratch, you do not need a CMO, you need a team.”
Hiring a CMO too early means they get stuck in the weeds doing execution work instead of leading strategy. Hiring them too late means you are asking them to fix years of bad habits while the rest of the leadership team expects immediate results.
Before you post a job ad, be honest with yourself
• Are you running a repeatable sales process?
• Do you already have a basic marketing engine in place
• Are you ready to truly let someone lead?
If you are not there yet, you are better off investing in building the right foundation first.
Setting a CMO Up for Success Takes More Than a Welcome Email
Hiring a CMO is not just about putting a fancy title on your team page. It is about giving them the trust, resources, and ownership they need to do the job you hired them to do.
Jay put it really clearly:
“The leadership team needs to be ready, willing, and able to entrust them and give them autonomous opportunities to do their job.”
Way too often, I see leaders expect CMOs to make magic happen but refuse to give them the budget, authority, or team they need to make it work.
I said it during the episode, and I will say it again here:
“You have to allow them to validate your assumptions. If you’re not willing to let them poke holes in your thinking, you’re not ready for a CMO.”
It is not just about giving them marching orders. It is about letting them truly lead.
What a Strong Marketing Structure Looks Like
If you are serious about making marketing a real growth engine, here is what has to happen.
Your CMO needs a true seat at the leadership table. They need a budget they can actually control. They need clear KPIs that are realistic, not dream numbers pulled from thin air. They need alignment with sales and leadership from day one. And they need you to clean up the obvious messes before they even walk through the door.
Jay said it simply and truthfully:
“If your CMO doesn’t have control over budget, team, and strategy, you’re not ready for a CMO.”
No amount of good intentions or high hopes can replace the need for structure.
If Your Last CMO Did Not Work Out, You Might Need to Rethink the Setup
I know it is easy to look back and think, "That person just was not a good fit." And sometimes that is true. But more often, they were handed an impossible job.
Jay hit the nail on the head:
“A CMO isn’t a quick fix. If you’re not ready to invest in marketing leadership, don’t hire one.”
The CMO role is not about fixing yesterday’s problems. It is about building tomorrow’s growth. When you treat it like a Band-Aid, you are guaranteed to rip it off again six months later.
A Few Quick Tips to Set Up Your Next CMO for Success
If you are serious about doing this right, here are a few things I would recommend based on what I have seen work again and again
Get real about your expectations.
Do not expect your CMO to rescue the company in 90 days. Growth takes time, strategy, and patience.
Give them control where it counts.
Budget. Team. Strategy. If you are not ready to let go of some of those decisions, you are not ready for a CMO.
Let them challenge you.
The best CMOs will not just say yes. They will ask hard questions, poke holes, and make you better. Let them.
Slow down to speed up.
It is tempting to throw huge projects at your new CMO right away. Instead, slow down. Give them time to learn your business, your people, and your customers first.
Make marketing a leadership priority.
Do not relegate it to a side conversation at the end of leadership meetings. Marketing needs a real voice at the table, every single time.
If you want the full conversation, we lay it all out in this episode of Revenue Rewired. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music.
And if you are tired of guessing and hoping and ready to actually build a marketing machine that can drive your business forward, StringCan would love to help. Reach out to us here. We would love to hear your story.
Work Habits & Productivity
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As StringCan's Chief Operating Officer, Sarah is a solutionist who loves to implement and enhance efficiencies for herself and the team. She strives to support and help people be their best self in and outside of work. Sarah also gets her best ideas by lounging in a body of water. Cocktail is optional. But not really.
Jay, the CEO of StringCan, oversees strategy and vision, building culture that makes going into work something he looks forward to, recruiting additional awesome team members to help exceed clients goals, leading the team and allocating where StringCan invests time and money.
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