About the session
Hear a discussion surrounding the evolving role of the CMO, the need for cross-functional relationships, and the importance of sales and marketing alignment. Hear from guest speaker, Tracy Eiler, who shares her insights on the dynamic partnership between sales and marketing leaders.
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Key speakers
- Mary Gilbert, Host
- Dee Anna Paredes, Host
- Tracy Eiler, CMO of Open Sesame, Co-founder of Women in Revenue, and author of Aligned to Achieve: How to Unite Your Sales & Marketing Teams into a Single Force for Growth
Agenda
- Introduction to the evolving role of CMOs
- The importance of sales and marketing alignment
- The need for cross-functional relationships
- Discussion on the role of Women in Revenue
Takeaways
Takeaway 1: CMOS are key agents for change and growth in companies
The discussion between the speakers highlighted the increasingly critical role of CMOS in today's evolving business landscape. They emphasized the need for CMOS to become agents of change across the business world, especially in times of rapid change.
Dee Anna mentioned, "From our research that we cover in our first two episodes, we've learned that CMOS especially, are very anxious to lead rapid change." Mary added, "CMOS are system thinkers, relationship builders, and dot connectors who can integrate experiences, tools, data and plays across the entire funnel and do it from the customer's perspective."
Tracy Eiler highlighted her approach, "I think that CMOS today have to have a right hand person that is a phenomenal operations and process person. And whether the sales development organization is in marketing or in sales doesn't matter. The CMO needs to embrace that function really tightly...CMOS that have a great understanding of kind of every step of the journey and then understands the process and the tech that can help make that smooth are the ones who win."
Takeaway 2: Pursuing cross-functional relationships and understanding customer needs are crucial in forging successful marketing and sales strategies.
The speakers posited that understanding the dynamic partnership between sales and marketing teams is fundamental to the success of a company. They highlighted the importance of shifting from alignment to integration in marketing and sales strategies.
Tracy Eiler said, "Marketers have to be in front, and we know how to do it right. We know how to lean across the aisle. We know how to bring people together in a rhythm. We're planners by nature. And when we do that and seek to understand what is going on in the sales process, that is the very beginning of alignment."
Furthermore, she stressed the importance of understanding the buyer. She noted, "The buyer is not a human. The buyer is a group in a company with a bucket of money and a value that they're trying to receive. And so unless marketing has that point of view and talks to sales that way and helps sales enrich what they are doing in an account engagement scenario, we fail."
Takeaway 3: Building relationships, fostering diversity and mentoring the next generation are essential for leadership growth.
In the conversation, the speakers emphasized the importance of relationship building, fostering diversity, and mentoring the next generation of leaders. Tracy Eiler shared her work with Women in Revenue, a non-profit aimed at supporting and advocating for women in revenue roles.
Tracy Eiler said, "Women in Revenue is here to educate women, advocate for women, and mentorship is our biggest program. We have 7000 members now all over the United States and some international...I'm fascinated by really the sisterhood of a bunch of badass women that are really in it to help each other win."
She also noted the significance of nurturing personal growth and creativity. "I read a lot of fiction. I consume a lot of audiobook fiction. I garden a lot...I want to make things grow, period. And I enjoy getting my fingers really dirty," said Eiler.
Insights surfaced
- The role of CMOs is becoming more important as they face the challenge of reinventing business at every level.
- Marketing and sales teams are moving from alignment to integration.
- Marketers need to have cross-disciplinary leadership in their DNA.
- It's crucial for marketing leaders to understand the sales process and the challenges faced by sales teams.
- CMOs need to focus on how their organizations make money and deliver value to customers.
- The integration of sales and marketing requires a focus on people, process, and technology.
- The role of the CMO is evolving to include a focus on all revenue growth avenues for the company.
- There is a need for a community of marketers to inspire and co-create strategies for positive change.
Key quotes
- "At Future Ready CMO, we're on a mission to help marketers become a force for change."
- "CMOS are system thinkers, relationship builders, and dot connectors who can integrate experiences, tools, data and plays across the entire funnel and do it from the customer's perspective."
- "There are a lot of CMOS today that are doing this really well, yet many more are still looking for ways to take a larger leadership role."
- "Those who are doing it well have cross disciplinary leadership in their DNA."
- "Marketers have to be in front, and we know how to do it right. We know how to lean across the aisle. We know how to bring people together in a rhythm."
- "The CMO needs to embrace that function really tightly because those people are the first humans that the buyer is ever going to talk to, most likely."
- "The CMO, I think, is uniquely positioned to look at all the ways that an organization makes money."
About Tracy Eiler
Tracy Eiler is a revenue-driving CMO with “core DNA” in demand generation and awareness. She has more than 25 years of experience in B2B technology companies, with experience in business applications, analytics, data management, and both commercial and enterprise SaaS revenue engines. She co-authored the best-selling “Aligned to Achieve: How to Unite Your Sales & Marketing Teams into a Single Force for Growth” (Wiley, 2016). She is recognized as one of the 15 Most Influential Women in B2B Marketing and a B2B Demand Marketing Game Changer. She is a founding Board Member of the non-profit www.WomeninRevenue.org. She lives with her CRO husband in the Wash DC Metro Area in a gardeners paradise.