Should you go from CMO to CRO?
Is it the best path for all CMOs? Four questions you should answer before considering the move.
I have done a dozen podcasts and 1:1s about my move from CMO to CRO, but no one has ever once asked me if I liked being CRO. Yes, I was successful, I led the company to acquisition, and although I wasn’t quota carrying, I closed a few hundred thousand dollars myself in SaaS sales, but was I happy being CRO?
When I went from CMO to CRO at Intellimize, I had a choice, but not really a choice. In other words, if CRO were presented to me again, I am not sure I would take it.
Here are a few things I learned about myself and reflected upon on and you might want to think about if you are presented with or are pursuing CRO as your career path.
Answer these 4 questions if you are considering CMO to CRO career path:
Are you motivated by money? Y/N
Do you like routine? Y/N
Are you comfortable giving up day-to-day control of Marketing? Y/N
Are you comfortable with being responsible for every employee’s job? Y/N
If you answered Yes to two or more then you should go for it. But if you said only yes to one or no to any of them, you should reconsider, here’s why.
Money
If you’re motivated by money, and that gets you out of bed in the morning and makes you want to go to work, then by all means, you can make a shit ton of money as CRO, especially if you’re good at sales. Personally, I like money, but it’s not what motivates me to get up out of bed every morning and go to work — on the other hand, creativity does.
Routine
Being CRO is like being Bill Murray in Ground Hog Day. You basically do the same thing every 90 days and then are asked to do it all over again. If you like routine, then this could be for you. Personally, I like a little variety in my work day from quarter to quarter, it’s why integrated campaigns, brand, and demand gen are so exciting!
Control
While I had a fabulous marketing team (the best!), and two great directors to keep things moving, I hardly had any time to look at what was going on in marketing. I trusted my team fully, and thankfully they delivered. But marketing feeds my soul, and sales I discovered, sucked the life out of it. Know what fills your cup and fill it.
100% responsible
Lastly, while you might be holding half the bag as CMO, you’re holding the whole bag as CRO. That means that if you screw up and fail, you jeopardize people’s livelihoods. Layoffs could occur because you missed a quarter or two. It’s a lot of pressure. For me, I didn’t mind the pressure so much, and at certain times it was even exciting. But I had my own reasons for taking the role which I can’t go into here (perhaps over a beer somewhere, someday), but just remember you’re only as good as and remembered for your last quarter.
Also, it’s not easy to inherit a sales team. Sales people want to work for experienced sales people. They want to be mentored, nurtured, and know someone has their back who has been in the trenches like them before. You will need a tough outer shell and have to prove yourself. The only way it’s fun is if you don’t give a shit about what other people think. (I say that with love 🫶, of course)
Who CRO is not a fit for
I’m sorry to say this but it is not for CMOs who came up through brand or product marketing. I am sure you are awesome, but CRO is not for you. You have the best shot of being successful at CRO if you have a sales, demand gen, or marketing ops background.
If you do decide to pursue CRO
If you do decide to go for CRO, it will definitely make you a better marketer, as well as give you credibility with sales in your next role. And as always, if you want to chat with me, connect with me on LinkedIn or send me an email, happy to chat with you more.