How to elevate marketing to a true business partner role in complex B2B – 4 situations and how to navigate them as a CMO

In many complex B2B companies, CMOs want to evolve marketing towards a true business partner role. But why does it feel so hard, even though marketing does great work? 

One common root cause is a lack of alignment on marketing’s role. When the leadership team and the marketing leader are not on the same page, it creates this invisible friction in almost everything marketing does:

• No clear expectations for marketing
• No clear role for marketing, and marketing is perceived differently by different stakeholders
• Marketing investments are hard to get buy-in
• Marketing value is not understood
• Marketing gets to influence too late, and usually more on the tactics, not on the strategy

If you want to change this and turn marketing into a business partner, you must first understand your marketing's internal situation.

Read the guide and understand your situation

In this guide, you can read more about:

• How perceived role is your department’s internal brand
• Typical situations we see in marketing in complex B2B
• Identify your marketing's current situation using four archetypes (Painter, Builder, Drifter, Dragger)
• How to navigate in each situation as a CMO

No form fills required.