I assist companies as an Interim CMO. This white paper was inspired by a recent project.

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Synopsis:

According to Statista in an analysis published on January 18, 2022, the average tenure of Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) in the US is 40 months, the lowest of all C-suite titles. Why is that? The short answer is that not all CMOs are alike, and as your company grows, you are going to need a different skill-set from your head of marketing. The mismatch between CEO expectations and CMO competencies creates heartburn. Since the average CEO is in place for 85 months, chances are you are going to need to replace your CMO at least once.

In addition to facilitating Customer and Partner Advisory Board meetings, I serve as an Interim CMO for companies looking to grow from $50M ARR to $100M+ ARR (annual recurring revenue). As a marketing executive veteran, this is my sweet spot. In agile sprint fashion, my duties include building and executing a 90-day plan while coaching the executive team as they hire their next CMO. I do this in partnership with the executive team and their recruiting agency.

This white paper illustrates a proven interview process I use when assisting CEOs in hiring the best CMO candidate.  The case study includes insights on the following:

  • Why I tuned the CMO job description to be specific to the type and caliber of the needed CMO.
  • The actual CMO interview process flow chart we used.
  • The specific interview questions I assigned to members of the leadership team for interviewing CMO candidates.

If your B2B technology company is going through a transition and you are looking for a new CMO, you may find this white paper of interest.

 

Mike Gospe is a skilled marketing strategist acting as an Interim CMO helping B2B technology companies grow from $50M ARR to $100M ARR. He brings 37 years of marketing expertise and leadership experience across demand gen, product marketing, and brand disciplines. As an Interim CMO, Mike designs and delivers a 90-day plan tailored to address specific marketing needs, cut “marketing popcorn” (random acts of marketing), and improve efficiencies, all while guiding the executive team to hire the right CMO. Mike is the cofounder of KickStart Alliance, a marketing leadership consulting team.

He is also a Customer Advisory Board (CAB) strategist, with more than 20 years of experience and 200+ advisory board meetings under his belt. His CAB Resource Center, a website sharing a variety CAB strategies and best practices, has become a trusted resource for CAB managers and executive sponsors around the world.