5 Questions Startup Founders Should Avoid Asking Their CMO

Questions founders should avoid asking their CMO

As a startup founder, you juggle multiple roles and must excel in various aspects of your business. One critical area that demands your close attention is marketing. As a result, understanding and effectively communicating with your Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is crucial. However, grasping all the intricacies might be challenging, and certain aspects require careful consideration.

To ensure your marketing efforts thrive, here are a few questions you should avoid asking your CMO and the reasons behind it.

"Which marketing channel is performing the best? "

I hear this question all the time. Of course, understanding which strategy is performing or not for your company is legitimate. But let’s get real – it’s not just about the channel.

First, define “performing” for your company. Is it the channel generating the most leads or the one converting best into revenue?

Next, consider the full customer journey. Are you looking at the first interaction or the one that ultimately converts?

Remember, marketing channels work together to achieve goals. Combining three channels might do the trick in attracting new leads, nurturing them, and converting them, but remove one, and the results change.

Sure, conversions matter, but without a filled funnel, there’s nothing to convert.

Know this: marketing channels and CTAs unite to achieve objectives. So, skip asking which channel performs best. Instead, get your CMO to present the big picture – objectives, tactics, results and projections. It’s the basis for improvement and alignment. 

"Our main competitor or a big successful company just launched this. Should we do the same?"

While looking at your competitors or seeking inspiration from successful companies is natural, copying what they do is never a good idea. 

Your company is unique, with its own vision and mission. It helps you differentiate within your market and make a statement in your target persona’s mind. Copying your competitors can confuse prospects and prevent you from incarnating your mission. And imitating other successful company activities might not align with your industry or audience. What works for them might not work for you. Stay creative! Focus on your “why” and Unique Selling Points (USPs) to craft a one-of-a-kind brand message.

Stop obsessing over the competition. Instead, collaborate with your CMO to showcase your strengths. Highlight your exceptional value proposition and what makes you unique.

Trust me, it’ll hit the right chords with your audience and bring in those positive results you crave. Be bold, be you!

"Can we try this marketing trend that just went viral?"

Jumping onto every marketing trend that goes viral might not be the most effective approach. Trends are often short-lived, and not all of them match your brand or audience. The most significant risk here is lacking consistency. You don’t want to confuse your target market about who you are.

While all startups need to stay agile and try new things, consistency in your message is crucial to establish your position. Always keep your message on point. Instead, work with your CMO to evaluate trends carefully and consider how they fit within your overall marketing strategy before implementing them.

Set the right timeline and metrics for testing new approaches. Be strategic, not impulsive. Staying consistent while being open to innovation will propel your startup to new heights. 

"How can we reduce our Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)?"

Marketing metrics are the foundation of your marketing analysis. Data-driven insights make it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing strategy rationally. But remember, metrics must align with your objectives and strategy. Asking your CMO to decrease your CAC when you’re newly addressing the Enterprise segment or launching ABM can be counterproductive. Instead, collaborate with your CMO to define the metrics that truly matter for your business. And prioritize implementing tracking and analytics tools to gather valuable insights for continuous improvement.

Data-backed decisions will skyrocket your startup’s growth. 

"Why haven't we seen immediate results?"

Effective marketing is a process that takes time to yield results. It’s essential to understand that building brand awareness, establishing credibility, and nurturing leads require consistent effort and patience. Questioning your CMO about immediate results may create undue pressure and discourage long-term strategic planning. Instead, focus on setting realistic timelines and key performance indicators (KPIs) to gradually measure the marketing efforts’ effectiveness.

To conclude, effective communication between startup founders and CMOs is crucial to achieve success. You’ll foster a collaborative and understanding relationship by avoiding these five questions. That way, you’ll be able to build a strong marketing foundation that drives growth and success for your startup. Remember, a united effort toward clear goals and a well-defined marketing strategy is the key to unlocking your startup’s full potential.

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