How to Ensure Marketing is on the Priority List Instead of the Watch List

Not long ago, a Forbes article shared the results of a survey that asked members of the C-Suite to identify and rank their priorities. The result was a list in the following order: finance, sales, production, management, legal, and people. Perhaps you noticed that Marketing is missing from the list? So where is it? More often than not, you’ll find yourself and your fellow Marketers on the C-Suite’s watch list rather than the priority list. As Marketing leaders, this is the sign that you need to take action. You can start by demonstrating that Marketing belongs on the list of priorities by shifting your focus from budget management to performance management.

Does your Marketing organization make the cut?

Good question. A better question, however, would be, “Are you a value creator for the business?” To answer this query, the best place to begin is by establishing whether or not Marketing is achieving Marketing Excellence.

Excellence suggests a level of superior quality. The attributes associated with excellence need to be clearly identified so that you know what to strive for and when the target is achieved. In another Forbes article from the same timeframe, In Search of Marketing Excellence: Ten Differences Between HighPerforming and Low-Performing Companies, Dr. Christine Moorman used results from her ongoing CMOSurvey to identify attributes of Marketing organizations that distinguish themselves by achieving Marketing excellence.

Similarly, since 2001, VisionEdge Marketing’s annual Marketing Performance Management Benchmark study has explored what Marketers who earn high marks from the C-Suite do better and differently. What have we learned? We have learned that indeed, CEOs and CFOs are more likely to support specific groups of Marketers over others. They are champions for the marketers who connect the dots between the world of Marketing and the world of business. Marketers who earn the highest marks and make the cut are those who strive for excellence.

Bridging the gap between Marketing and business, however, often requires an adjustment within the Marketing organization itself, and we all know that transformational shifts aren’t easy and often require external expertise. After all, even the best athletes benefit from coaches. Therefore, a good approach to pave the way for your Marketing team’s success is by tapping into proven expertise and best practices.

Are you ready to empower you team and make Marketing a priority for the business? Set yourself on the path to excellence.

Register, log-in, and use these resources to add more high-octane fuel to your Marketing Excellence journey:

• Read How to Guides. We recommend all 3 segments to The Great Big Guide to Marketing Performance Management.
• Begin listening to educational recordings like How to Overcome the 4 Key MPM Challenges – VEM, Allocadia, Origami Logic, Response Capture.
• Read our case studies to learn how real companies create real value. A good introduction is Case Study 39: Aligning Marketing to Business Results.