How to Hire a CMO [Top Tips]

Did you know that CMOs rarely last longer than 3 years in a single company?

To illustrate – if you hire them before the upcoming FIFA World Cup, there’s a chance they won’t see the one after…as your employee. And that sounds like a bad investment.

So what should you do? Obviously, don’t rush into hiring a below-par person to overlook one of your most important departments.

Ideally, you should focus on the following instead:

How to Hire a CMO

Understand the common mistakes CEOs make when hiring CMOs.

For instance:

• Focusing too much on where they shine, be it growth, brand, or product marketing
• Not understanding the amount of time required to serve the business
• Overlooking strong leadership and operational abilities

Once you tick these off, focus on the essentials.

Think through CMO archetypes

Samantha lists five different CMO types that are all effective in specific environments and bring different skills to the table.

1. Chief storyteller is an architect. Promotes brand awareness and tells its story.
2. Capability builder is future-focused and utilize data to connect the dots and grow.
3. Innovation catalyst is agile. For example, they experiment with new platforms.
4. Growth driver plans out sustainable growth and has an enterprise-wide mindset.
5. Customer champion is focused on user needs and is the voice of the customer.

Put on your two-year future lens

Don’t hire to solve current marketing problems. Instead, find someone capable of piloting around a longer timespan, solving obstacles that are yet to appear.

Lose the “M”

In other words, don’t fixate on their marketing experience.

Soft skills are equally, if not more important.

The “C” skills include ability to lead, communicate, and inspire.
The “O” skills include ability to organize, operate efficiently, and transform the company

And you’re ready for the CMO hunt

Just remember – hire for the span of multiple World Cups, not just the time in-between. That’s your key to success.

Related

• CMO vs. CBO