There’s a quiet truth in modern marketing leadership: Many CMOs lose influence, not because they lack vision, but because they limit their ideas and impact to the marketing department.
During a recent Mavuus Live Coffee Chat, I reflected on what it really takes to thrive as a CMO today, especially when driving a go-to-market (GTM) strategy that aligns with product, sales, and customer success. One key theme rose to the surface: Simplicity unlocks clarity — and clarity unlocks alignment.
Here’s how I’m approaching GTM strategy at Wrike — and the lessons I believe apply to every marketing leader aiming to lead with impact.
1. Lead with business KPIs, not just marketing metrics
CMOs who take a broader view of the business also need to talk about how their work and GTM strategy will impact a higher-level set of business metrics. I might look at pipeline, and then identify sub-metrics — like organic traffic or lead velocity — that drive the KPI.
But in executive meetings, we don’t lead with dashboards — we lead with direction.
Your CEO doesn’t want to hear about form fills. They want to know: For every dollar spent, how much value is being created? Will this new GTM strategy help us create value faster? If your metrics don’t tie directly to growth, profitability, or customer lifetime value, they won’t move the business — or the conversation — forward.
2. CMOs must drive impact for the entire customer lifecycle
GTM success doesn’t stop at acquisition. If you’re serious about long-term growth, marketing must influence onboarding, expansion, and retention.
Customer retention isn’t just a sales or delivery function — it’s a marketing function too. It’s about reinforcing your brand promise throughout the journey and creating advocates for your brand.
At Wrike, we use AI to improve content alignment for sales, accelerate onboarding, and surface relevant assets in real time. GTM isn’t a handoff — it’s a handshake across every team.
3. AI isn’t a strategy — but it can fuel one
Like many teams, we’re integrating AI across our stack — not to chase trends, but to scale expertise and execution throughout GTM.
We’re leveraging AI to:
- Analyze sales calls for competitive insights
- Generate contextual research
- Accelerate content creation and sales enablement
- Build insights across multiple internal data sources
If AI saves time, that’s helpful. But when it elevates insight, that’s transformative.
4. Vet the GTM maturity before you say yes to the job
Many CMOs step into roles that aren’t set up for success. During interviews, it’s important to ask:
- Who owns the GTM strategy?
- How do teams align on ICPs and campaign planning?
- How are underperforming initiatives diagnosed?
- What’s the cadence for reviewing positioning and segmentation?
CMOs should also meet with the broader C-suite to understand how decisions are made in general. You don’t just need alignment with the CEO, you need partnerships with product, finance, and sales. Without trust, even the best strategy will stall.
These are considerations for any CMO who is ready to push beyond the limits of their function and release the full force of GTM impact. The difference between marketing as a cost center and marketing as a growth engine lies in your ability to drive clarity, alignment, and action across the business.
If you’re ready to shift from metrics to momentum, Wrike can help you operationalize your GTM strategy with AI-powered work management built for cross-functional success. I’d like to invite you to try Wrike today and launch your GTM with confidence and control.
Let’s keep the conversation going. I’m always eager to connect with fellow marketing leaders. Find me on LinkedIn and let’s share ideas and challenges, and discuss what’s next in our industry.
