Thank you Alan Gonsenhauser, (Interim Chief Marketing Officer | CMO Advisor | Keynote speaker) for contributing this article to our blog.
Over the course of my career, I’ve provided CMO coaching to more than 150 marketing professionals, including many who went on to become CMOs. Also having been a CMO 11-times and a P&L general manager 3-times, i’ve developed a clear understanding of what both current and aspiring marketing leaders are facing. From my time as a CMO Coach and Executive Advisor at SiriusDecisions/Forrester to my work at Demand Revenue, I’ve watched the B2B marketing landscape evolve dramatically, and it’s become more demanding than ever.
Today’s CMOs wear many hats. They’re responsible for managing complex tech stacks, proving marketing’s impact to the C-suite, staying aligned with sales and product, overseeing digital transformation, and making sure those efforts translate into measurable growth and improved brand equity. This isn’t just about executing campaigns. Today’s marketing leader is a strategist, an operator, a data interpreter, and a growth catalyst.
That’s why targeted CMO coaching is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury—not just for those already in the role, but also for senior marketers preparing to take that next step. In a business environment that’s moving faster than ever, effective CMO coaching provides the clarity and momentum marketing leaders need to keep up and stay ahead of competitors in the B2B marketing landscape.
Why CMOs Need Strategic CMO Coaching
The CMO role today looks nothing like it did a decade ago. It’s evolved well beyond branding and lead gen. CMOs are now expected to shape and influence business-wide strategy and outcomes. They’re responsible for leading marketing not just as a function, but also as a short- and long-term revenue engine.
This shift introduces new challenges:
- Navigating an increasingly crowded MarTech environment
- Linking marketing strategy directly to revenue performance
- Aligning efforts with broader business priorities
- Leading across the entire customer experience
- Making timely, data-informed decisions
At the same time, CMOs must manage all of this within the confines of limited resources, evolving buyer expectations, and a hyper-competitive market. It’s a lot to balance. And too often, CMOs find themselves stuck in reactive mode, responding to fires instead of leading with strategy.
In my coaching experience as a CMO Coach, I’ve seen these challenges emerge consistently. CMOs often wrestle with prioritizing initiatives, justifying budget decisions, and collaborating effectively with cross-functional partners. Some struggle to communicate marketing’s value to the boardroom. Others are overwhelmed by how quickly the demands of the job shift.
This is where strategic coaching makes a real difference. It brings outside perspective, structure, and focus. And more than anything, it gives CMOs the space to step back, reframe the challenge, and lead with greater confidence.
What CMO Coaching Offers
In addition to helping current CMOs refine their leadership, this coaching also supports senior marketing professionals preparing for the next step. Over the years, over 30 individuals I’ve coached have successfully advanced into CMO roles. That path to the top often requires more than experience; it demands strategic readiness, executive presence, and clarity of vision. Coaching accelerates that development by helping high-potential leaders think like CMOs before they hold the title.
Whether you’re already in the role or on your way, CMO coaching offers a dedicated space to build your leadership muscle, test ideas, and identify the strategies that actually move the needle.
With experience coaching over 150 marketing professionals, I’ve noticed repeatable patterns in both the hurdles leaders face and the strategies that help them succeed. While every engagement is unique, several core benefits consistently emerge from effective CMO coaching relationships. Let’s explore these key areas where marketing leaders see the most significant transformation.
CMO Coaching for Strategic Focus
One of the most valuable outcomes of coaching is learning how to block out the noise and focus on high-impact activities. There’s always more to do than time allows, and not everything contributes equally to business outcomes. A coach helps you step back, see the big picture, and get clear on where to direct your time and energy.
That kind of focus can transform how marketing teams plan, allocate resources, and measure success. It also helps cut through internal politics and shifting priorities by keeping you grounded in what matters most.
How CMO Coaching Drives Team Effectiveness
CMOs cannot succeed alone. Your ability to lead and develop your team is just as important as your ability to set the strategy. Coaching helps leaders think more intentionally about how they support their teams, communicate, delegate, hire, and build a performance culture.
It also offers a judgment-free and confidential space to talk through people’s issues. That could mean addressing conflict, rethinking team structure, or deciding how to support a high-potential employee who’s ready for more responsibility.
Stronger Collaboration with Sales
The relationship between marketing and sales remains one of the most important—and most challenging—dynamics in B2B organizations. Coaching provides tools and frameworks for improving that partnership, from shared KPIs to aligned go-to-market strategies.
When marketing and sales are genuinely aligned, everything gets easier: pipeline velocity increases, conversion rates improve, and communication across departments becomes far more productive.
Where Coaching Has the Most Impact
Coaching for CMOs tends to center around a few key priorities that apply across most organizations:
CMO Coaching Approaches for Data-Driven Strategy
It’s not enough to collect data. Leaders need to interpret it, make the numbers talk, and use it to guide action. Coaching helps CMOs:
- Choose the right metrics
- Build reporting that connects marketing to revenue
- Communicate the impact clearly to executives
- Foster a culture of insight-led decisions
Data isn’t just about proving value, it’s also about making more intelligent decisions faster. Coaching helps ensure you’re looking at the right signals, not just the loudest ones.
CMO Coaching for MarTech Strategy and Optimization
With so many tools available, choosing and integrating the right MarTech can be challenging. Coaching helps CMOs make strategic decisions and ensure that tech investments serve clear business goals.
That might mean auditing your current stack, evaluating new platforms, or clarifying which tools your team uses and why.
Developing Marketing Team Talents Through Coaching
The marketing field is becoming increasingly specialized. CMO Coaching supports marketing leaders in assessing their team skill gaps, hiring effectively, and helping all your team members grow in alignment with your organizational structure and career needs.
A big part of this work is helping CMOs build adaptable, cross-functional marketing teams that are aligned with the company’s stage of growth. The proper marketing organization department structure can differentiate between chaos and clarity within the company and the broader marketing goals.
How To Communicate Value To Those In Charge
One of the toughest parts of being a marketing professional is helping others within the company understand how marketing is really contributing to the goals and, most importantly, the bottom line. Coaching prepares CMOs to speak to boards and executive teams in ways that build trust and demonstrate the verifiable value of the marketing team’s work, contributing to the company’s macro goals and the marketing department’s micro goals.
To communicate clearly with the C-Suite, the CMO must be able to translate marketing activity into business results and impact, simplify complex stories into actionable narratives, and handle tough questions with credibility and composure. CMOs also need to be well-versed in business and finance language to communicate effectively with the CFO, CEO, and board.
A Coaching Approach Made Just For You
There are plenty of marketing leadership coaches out there, but not all understand the intricacies and quirks of B2B marketing. Here’s how I approach CMO coaching:
My Coaching is Grounded in Experience
I’ve held many marketing roles and worked closely with leaders across a range of B2B industries. That firsthand experience means my guidance is grounded in what happens inside modern B2B organizations, based on decades of first-hand experience, not just theory.
I’ve been in those internal corporate meetings, heard the off-the-record concerns, and dealt with the performance pressures that rarely appear in public-facing reports. That context allows me to offer advice that’s not just strategic, but grounded in the realities of modern marketing leadership.
I Share Actionable Tools
I don’t just talk strategy (although that plays a crucial part). I share tools and frameworks that marketing leaders can use immediately, practical, field-tested methods built over years of hands-on collaboration with other CMOs.
Whether it’s a messaging framework, a budget presentation outline, or a team structure organizational model, these resources are built to be used, not just discussed.
Flexible Delivery
No two leaders are alike. That’s why coaching can be delivered in different ways, whether it’s one-on-one sessions, facilitated team planning, targeted support on a specific project, or stepping in as a fractional CMO during times of transition.
My approach as a CMO Coach centers on establishing the perfect cadence for your current needs while preparing you for upcoming challenges.
How CMO Coaching Improves Marketing Excellence
When coaching works, you can see it and measure it:
- Enhanced clarity around the key initiatives that genuinely drive business expansion
- Stronger collaboration with the executive team, built on alignment and trust
- The ability to move faster on critical initiatives without unnecessary delays
- Teams that are more motivated, less burned out, and more likely to stay
- Tangible improvement across the KPIs that matter most
It also creates more resilient leaders who can navigate uncertainty with focus and lead teams through change. With sustained application, this leadership continuity creates ripple effects that benefit both the marketing team and the broader organization.
What’s Next for CMO Coaching and Marketing Leadership Development
The marketing discipline never stands still, and neither will the methods we use to support marketing executives. Emerging areas of focus include:
- Integrating AI and automation into workflows in ways that add real value
- Addressing rising concerns around data privacy and marketing ethics with clear strategies
- Creating talented groups that possess both specialized capabilities and the agility to realign when business demands evolve
- Balancing today’s urgent targets with the long game of brand building
The more complex marketing becomes, the more critical clarity and perspective are. Coaching helps cut through that complexity, offering a space to reset, refocus, and lead with intention—no matter how fast things are shifting.
Final Thought: Why CMO Coaching Lifts Marketing Leaders Higher
After years of working closely with marketing leaders, one thing has become clear to me: CMO coaching works. It sharpens strategic thinking, builds executive confidence, and accelerates the ability to drive revenue growth through effective marketing leadership.
If you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to strengthen your approach and achieve marketing excellence, specialized CMO coaching can help you overcome today’s complex challenges.
Whether you’re already in the CMO role or working toward executive marketing leadership, the right CMO coaching program—and the right CMO Coach—can provide the clarity and tools you need to lead more effectively and create meaningful revenue impact.
Book a 15-minute CMO coaching consultation call with me, and we can discuss how we could support your next phase of growth.
Frequently Asked Questions About CMO Coaching
What does CMO coaching include?
CMO coaching typically includes one-on-one strategic sessions, customized development plans, actionable frameworks for marketing leadership, and ongoing support for implementing revenue-focused marketing strategies. Each coaching relationship is tailored to the specific needs of the marketing leader and their organization’s growth objectives.
How does CMO coaching improve marketing ROI?
CMO coaching improves marketing ROI by helping leaders align marketing efforts with revenue goals, optimize resource allocation, implement more effective measurement practices, and build stronger collaboration with sales and executive teams. This leads to more efficient and impactful marketing investments.
Who benefits most from CMO coaching?
Both current CMOs looking to maximize their impact and senior marketing leaders preparing for the CMO role benefit significantly from executive marketing coaching. Companies experiencing rapid growth, those undergoing digital transformation, or organizations seeking to better connect marketing activities to revenue outcomes also see substantial benefits from investing in CMO coaching.
To book a 15-minute Strategy call with Alan, click here: https://calendly.com/alan-gonsenhauser/15-minute-strategy-call?back=1&month=2025-04
Connect with Alan here: www.demandrevenue.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/alangonsenhauserhttp://