Dear CEO: This Is What Marketing Actually Does

·51 min·5 clips

Rebecca Stone explains why talking to CEOs about the 'math problem' of marketing builds trust and alignment.

This episode features host Drew Neisser and marketing leaders Grant Johnson, Rebecca Stone, and Jan Diehl discussing how CMOs can build trust and alignment with their CEOs. Drew Neisser opens by highlighting that less than 20% of B2B CEOs have any marketing background, creating a significant knowledge gap. Rebecca Stone, SVP of Revenue Marketing at Cisco, emphasizes starting conversations with CEOs by framing marketing as a "math problem" connecting spend to pipeline. She notes that CEOs often come from product or sales backgrounds and respond best to revenue-focused metrics. Grant Johnson, CMO of Chief Insiders, argues that pipeline health depends on brand engagement, market presence, and authentic content, not just top-of-funnel activity. He recommends building the CEO relationship over time through shared activities and consistent data-sharing. Jan Diehl, Head of Marketing at Drake Star, stresses that driving growth is a "team sport" requiring alignment between marketing, sales, and product. He advocates for a structured communication rhythm, including quarterly business reviews and bi-weekly one-on-ones with the CEO. Rebecca Stone suggests using B2C brand examples, like Apple or DoorDash, to help CEOs grasp B2B branding concepts. Grant Johnson shares that he uses a marketing performance assessment with up to 24 metrics to demonstrate holistic contribution. Jan Diehl advises CMOs to earn a strategic seat by focusing on macro initiatives and inviting debate on the annual plan, not minor creative details. A surprising insight is that startup CEOs often over-invest in branding like billboards while underfunding lower-funnel conversion activities. The group agrees that while revenue is a ultimate lagging indicator, CMOs must also track leading indicators like web engagement and follower growth. They warn against reducing marketing to a single metric, as its impact spans multiple interconnected disciplines. The tone is conversational and advisory, blending personal anecdotes with practical frameworks from experienced operators. Listeners gain actionable strategies for speaking the language of business and elevating marketing's strategic role. This episode is ideal for CMOs and marketing leaders struggling to demonstrate their function's value to skeptical CEOs or boards. Executives from sales or finance might also appreciate the clear explanations of marketing's full funnel impact. Those seeking highly tactical, channel-specific marketing tips may find the high-level strategic discussion less immediately applicable.

As heard by us

A practical conversation about aligning marketing with CEOs and showing progress in language finance will respect.

Grant Johnson, Rebecca Stone, and Jan Diehl keep the discussion focused on a familiar problem: how marketing earns trust with CEOs and CFOs. The value here is not in broad slogans, but in the harder work of showing lead progression, setting a baseline, and reading the signals…

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Why you'd press play

Learn how to explain marketing to CEOs and CFOs without losing the quarterly pipeline case.

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