The Path to Becoming a CMO That 99% of Marketers Don't Consider
We've all seen it - the endless parade of marketing strategy ads popping up in our feeds. The latest hack, the newest AI chatbot, the shiniest object that will supposedly give us the edge and impress our bosses.
As marketers, we're obsessed with chasing the new and novel. We hoard marketing tactics like a doomsday prepper stockpiles cans of beans.
But what if I told you that path is a dead end?
What if the way to make it to the top levels of marketing - becoming a VP, CMO, or beyond - has nothing to do with shiny hacks or clever tactics?
What if the real secret comes down to one simple shift?
Let me explain with a story...
A Tale of Two Marketers
Imagine you have a headache. You know you need some relief so you pop onto Amazon and search for aspirin. You sort by price, skim the reviews, and buy the best deal.
This is Marketing Tactic Timmy.
Timmy has every social media hack, email tactic, and tracking pixel known to man loaded up in his marketing utility belt. Whenever his CEO feels that headache coming on, Timmy pulls out the newest aspirin to provide temporary relief.
But the headaches keep coming back.
Now imagine instead of a headache, you have a shooting pain down your sides. Do you go to Amazon and search for “shooting side pain” cures?
Of course not.
You make an appointment with a doctor.
This is Marketing Strategist Sara.
Sara doesn’t just treat symptoms.
She digs into the root cause.
She runs tests, asks probing questions, and gets to the bottom of why the business has this pain in the first place. The bigger the problem, the more specialized doctor you need.
Sara becomes an expert marketer for this specific business. She diagnoses the issues and then prescribes tailored solutions.
Do you see where this is going?
The Hard Truth About Marketing Strategies
Here’s the hard truth - marketing strategies are aspirin. Having the shiniest object syndrome as a marketer will only take you so far.
But becoming a doctor?
Developing a process to diagnose and prescribe solutions to businesses?
That’s how you become a CMO.
Think about it.
Do CEOs care about tactics or do they care about vision?
They just know they need “marketing”, not what marketing.
Their marketing problem is a pain in their side. They want it fixed, not band-aided.
The Path to the Top
If you’re focused on marketing strategies, I’m sorry to say but you’re stuck in the commodity trap.
The aspirin trap.
But if you can become a specialist - someone who can come into any business, diagnose their issues, and prescribe tailored solutions - you’re on the path to VP or CMO.
This isn’t easy. It takes training and skill, like a doctor. Every business is unique. The solutions will be just as varied.
But the impact you can have is immense.
You shift from being a dispensable aspirin to an invaluable doctor.
Think about your marketing skill set. Do you have a process for diagnosing businesses and prescribing unique solutions?
If not, it’s time to level up.
The world has enough Marketing Tactic Timmys.
It needs more Marketing Strategist Saras.
Be the Sara.
Want the Full Playbook?
If you want to go deeper on how to shift your marketing skillset to become indispensable and start down the path to VP or CMO, join us for the Million Dollar Marketing Plan Workshop.
It's the handbook for transitioning from marketing tactic collector to marketing diagnostician and solution prescriber.
Level up and become the CMO every CEO wishes they had!