Look for quick wins: make sure you have new results to show for after the first 2 months, however small they may be. It’s important to identify these low-hanging fruit early and take action.
Focus on three fundamentals. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when joining a new org, so use the Holy Trinity of GTM as your guiding north star:
- the buyer/buyer experience
- revenue
- alignment
In your mind, try to boil everything down to one or more of these. Meaning: whenever you are introduced to a process/program/tool or learn about someone’s role, look for how the dots connect to the buyer, revenue and alignment between GTM teams.
This should become a core part of your thinking even after the first 61 days, which brings us to:
- Revenue-mindset. Sure, you’re a marketing leader and people expect you to do “marketing-y things” but the more you can lean into an integrated revenue-mindset and modus operandi, the better for your company …and career.
Here is what we mean. Even if you have an established revenue leader (who understands, creates and oversees full-lifecycle revenue programs), most everything you do should lean into taking the Holy Trinity of GTM into account (the buyer, revenue, alignment).
It is likely that the revenue dept is non-existent and may not even be present on a theoretical level (meaning people are still thinking of sales, marketing and customer success as siloed depts operating with little overlap and some interaction.) If that’s the case, this principle is even more important.
Learn, think, do, bond
It’s helpful to think of your first 61 days as a sprint. Whatever you do should fall into one of four categories:
- learning - interviewing, understanding
- thinking - analyzing, planning
- doing - taking action
- bonding - getting to know people, building rapport
You should have clear outcomes for each of those categories after your 61 days
Overview of your 61-day sprint
Learning
As the newly appointed head of marketing at a B2B SaaS company, your first two months are all about getting a solid grasp of the company and its inner workings.
Start by digging into the company's money matters. That means understanding things like where the revenue comes from, how the company makes a profit, and where it spends money. It's also crucial to get the lowdown on how the company sells its products or services and how it reaches customers.
Don't forget to chat with the bigwigs in the company, like the top executives. Find out what they expect from the marketing department and what they see as the key priorities. Building good relationships with these decision-makers is a must.
Another critical aspect of your first two months is getting a deep understanding of the company's ideal customers. To do this effectively, consider these steps:
- Buyer Interviews: Reach out to existing customers and conduct interviews. Ask them about their pain points, motivations, and why they chose your company's solution. This will provide valuable insights into what resonates with your best buyers and why they became customers in the first place.
- Listen to Sales Calls: Spend time listening to sales calls or reading transcripts if available. This will give you firsthand knowledge of the questions, objections, and concerns that potential customers raise during the sales process. Understanding these interactions can help you review and tailor your marketing messages.
- Talk to Other Department Heads: Collaboration with other department heads, such as product development, customer support, and sales, is key. These teams often have valuable information about customer needs, pain points, and feedback. Regular meetings and open communication can lead to valuable insights that inform your marketing strategies.
- Tech Stack Understanding: Familiarize yourself with the company's tech stack, including marketing automation tools, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and analytics platforms. These tools can provide data on customer behavior, engagement metrics, and conversion rates, which are essential for refining your marketing efforts.
Thinking
Here is the thinking/planning you want to be diving into over the first couple of months:
- Map Buyer Journey Paths: Start by drawing up the buyer journey paths for your key customer segments. Understand the stages they go through from initial awareness to becoming loyal customers. This will help you tailor your marketing strategies to guide prospects smoothly through each stage/smoothen things out wherever needed, of their journey.
- Audit Revenue Programs and Campaigns: Take a close look at your existing revenue-generating programs and campaigns. Perform a funnel and channel analysis to identify which channels and segments are driving the most impact and revenue. This analysis will also reveal areas where improvements are needed. Pay special attention to identifying quick wins—low-hanging fruit that can be optimized for immediate results. Be brave in shutting off initiatives that lose money and don’t serve other meaningful business interests.
- Create a 90-Day Marketing Sprint: In your first 90 days, focus on quick wins and avoid major overhauls or expensive initiatives. Identify specific marketing activities that can be implemented swiftly and have a positive impact on revenue. This might include optimizing high-performing campaigns, or improving conversion rates on key landing pages. The goal is to generate momentum and show tangible results early in your tenure.
- Buyer, market insight: New marketing leaders often do market researh
Doing
Bonding
