Here's what I learned across countless leadership meetings, reviews and QBRs:
Business leaders don't want marketing updates. They want business truth.
They've heard every buzzword. Seen every hockey stick projection. Sat through countless "brand perception" slides.
What they crave? Someone who understands the business deeply enough to speak plainly about what's actually happening.
The path to the board table isn't through perfect dashboards or flawless campaigns. And certainly by marketers talking marketing speak.
It's through the courage to say what others won't.
Most marketing leaders never learn this because they're too busy managing up instead of thinking like an owner.
Here’s 5 examples I've seen work in the past:
1. "That's going to cost us 3 deals this quarter."
Not "impact pipeline" or "affect velocity." Real numbers. Real consequences. When I showed how a product delay would kill specific deals in Germany, France, and UK, suddenly marketing had weight.
Most marketing leaders say: "This could impact our pipeline health." Business leaders hear: "I have no idea what this means for the business."
2. "We don't understand the real reasons why our customers actually buy."
Showed leadership actual call recording transcripts (summarised with AI). What customers told sales vs. what they told their CFO. The gap was massive. It changed our entire GTM strategy.
Most marketing leaders say: "Our voice of customer research indicates..." Business leaders hear: "We asked leading questions and got the answers we wanted."
3. "I was wrong about that. Here's what actually happened."
Predicted enterprise adoption would drive growth. It didn't. Mid-market was carrying us. Admitted it. Adjusted everything. Leadership loved the honesty.
Most marketing leaders say: "Results were mixed but we're optimizing..." Business leaders hear: "I'm covering my a*se."
4. "We're wasting €2M a month on attribution theatre."
Killed our 6-figure attribution platform. Showed leadership how deals actually happened - dinner conversations, event connections, account management, customer referrals. Not our 47-touchpoint fantasy map.
Most marketing leaders say: "Our attribution model shows marketing influenced..." Board members hear: "I'm justifying my existence with made-up maths."
5. "If we lose Customer X,Y & Z, we lose the market."
Named names. Showed an ABM plan with specific customer names & data-driven insights. Got micro not macro. Made retention our #1 priority. It worked.
Most marketing leaders say: "Customer retention is crucial for growth." Business leaders hear: "Generic strategy consultant speak."
Want a seat at the table? Stop talking like a marketer. Start talking like someone who owns the outcome. Break out of that marketing bubble!