đź‘‹ Welcome back architect!
I saw an interesting "hot take" post by Jon Miller this week discussing how using a fractional CMO and setting short-term goals only exacerbates the issue of "short-term" thinking in GTM.
I've spoken before in this newsletter about the short-term mindset plaguing GTM teams and how it leaves them feeling like nothing works, they never get anything done, or they can't keep up.
I think the fast pace of trying to keep up with AI has also made things even worse. 🙄
Do I believe in being nimble and conducting experiments in sales, marketing, and GTM operations? Of course!
But that doesn't mean everything you do should constantly be something new—a new tool, a new workflow, a brand new marketing program.
When I see the most well-oiled GTM machines operating, it's when they've taken the time to really invest in fewer high-impact programs and slowly add new iterations or experiments along the way.
The same thing applies to operations. At CS2, we know that building a strong foundation of process, data, execution, and enablement takes time. Great teams still build upon or add efficiencies and "new" features or processes—but they do it mindfully and slowly.
I'll tell you that "moving fast and breaking sh*t" can work, but only for so long. And someone still has to clean up that mess, AM I RIGHT?
But this point about CMOs having very short-term goals to execute against always creates big pressure to make impact fast.
Here's the thing: building a good brand (anything really!) usually takes time.
Lots of it.
Most successful podcasts, newsletters, and brands have all spent a long time working to hit their stride.
For those who don't know, the founders of Clay have been working on their product for over 8 years! "Overnight B2B tech darling" in your head, but lots of time and building in theirs.
So we need to have this balance in our culture—putting in the consistent work and reps to hit our long-term goals, while also taking time to continually iterate, end something if it's not working, and experiment with new things without detracting from the main priorities.
This is true across brand, sales, and even operations.
And lastly, Jon also mentioned in the article that when the fractional CMO inevitably leaves, institutional knowledge suffers.
While I think this happens with or without a fractional CMO, this is where agencies—especially those that like to partner with folks long-term—can really help maintain and document institutional knowledge since they're less likely to want to leave/churn and are incentivized to build programs and processes that work and lay a great foundation for anything else they add on.
We have this approach at CS2, and it's why we really focus on first building out "the foundation" supporting what you can see in our GTM Ops framework.
Do we like seeing quick wins and successes?
Yes, and we actually plan for those when we first sign a client.
But we usually see the most success after we've built out the systems, processes, and reporting that the GTM team needs, which timeframe varies from client to client. Sometimes this can be 3-6 months, and other times it can take over a year or more! Having that "long-term goal" helps us get to a place that transforms their operations.
P.S. Are you looking to go to an awesome MOps event this year to network and grow? Then check out Mopsapalooza happening in Anaheim, CA October 27th-29th. For being a subscriber to the newsletter, you can use this code at checkout to get 10% off: cs2partner10.
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