Not All Chief Marketing Officers are the Same: The 5 Types Of B2B CMOs

Diversity of Skill and Experience

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CMOs often get lumped into one big pile. The first differentiation is between the B2B CMO and the B2C CMO. Even though they share the same title, the charter, scope of responsibility, KPIs and internal power dynamics are very different.

Even if you focus solely on the B2B CMO, it’s still not a one size fits all situation. The industry, firm size, desired growth rate, market conditions and unique company characteristics can impact the skills and experience it takes for a B2B CMO to be successful. To provide more insight on the types of B2B CMOs, I turned to Heather Loisel, the former CMO of Ricoh, USA and General Manager at SiriusDecisions, a B2B consultancy. The table below provides an overview summary of B2B CMO role types, including a sample of the skills, KPIs and key functional capabilities needed for each flavor of the B2B CMO.

B2B CMO Types

Heather Loisel and Kimberly A. Whitler

While a single CMO role may combine two or more elements listed in the table above, Loisel indicates that there is often a single dimension that is the most important. “For a large organization in a flat market, the Revenue CMO might be most important to drive revenue efficiency. For an organization where the competitive pressures are great and the market is going through great change, a Customer CMO can save the day by ensuring customer loyalty and advocacy. For a smaller organization that has captured early adopters and needs to grow, creating brand clarity and reaching that next market opportunity and growth stage requires a Brand CMO.”

As an example, Loisel worked in three different B2B firms where the head of marketing role emphasis – and therefore the whole marketing teams’ emphasis – differed. At JDA, Loisel indicates that the CEO was looking for a revenue and customer-oriented senior marketer. At Skillsoft, the CEO was completely focused on a revenue CMO and at Bottomline, the CEO wanted to focus on a revenue and strategic CMO. In each firm, the CMO role and therefore the entire marketing department’s role changed. The KPIs, the skills needed, the way in which the department works and the epicenter of who they worked with varied.

For B2B CMOs, understanding which of these CMO types you are stepping into and making sure that your skills, experience, and interests match will be crucial for success. The table above can serve as a tool to guide B2B CMOs in determining relevant questions to pose during interview process to suss out the job emphasis. It can also be used by CMOs to help guide a discussion with the CEO to navigate a shift in emphasis in a current role. Ultimately, the B2B CMOs with the greatest likelihood for success are the ones that are clear on their situation with the CEO, and align their role to match their own skills, capabilities, and experience with the needs and desires of the organization.

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