How to Think Like a CMO (Why You Need to Have an Executive Mindset)

A few CustomerXCons ago, there was a talk featuring a CMO. This CMO did a great job of describing her evolution to the C-Suite. The big takeaway was that executives exist in a different world when it comes to communication style, attention magnets and organizational demands. At some point, she asked the audience how many had aspirations of becoming a CMO. More than half raised their hands!

This post is all about getting in sync with how your executives think and work, whether that’s to further your career or to get what you need to run an effective, and appropriately valued CMA program. It’s about thinking differently, not just doing more.

The transition from contributor or line manager to strategic leader is marked by a shift in mindset, behavior, and visibility. And in customer marketing, the leap is especially nuanced. It’s not just about producing impressive numbers of things (peer reviews, case studies, new advocates, etc.)—it’s about becoming an widely acknowledged driver of business outcomes.

In this post, we’ll explore the five core mindset shifts needed to move from tactical execution to strategic leadership—and how you can apply those shifts to elevate your program and transform how executives perceive it, and you.

Part 1: The Five Shifts from Manager to Executive Thinking

1. From Tasks to Outcomes
Managers measure success by activities completed. Executives measure success by business results.
That means shifting your focus from how much you’re doing to how well it moves the business forward.

 2. From Team Goals to Company Goals
An executive doesn’t just ask, “Is my team performing?” They ask, “Are we helping the company hit its top priorities—revenue, retention, market position?”

 3. From Function-Specific to Cross-Functional
Executives break silos. They don’t think in terms of "my lane"—they think in terms of impact across GTM, product, customer success, finance, and operations.

 4. From Input to Influence
Managers support and contribute. Executives shape direction. They anticipate needs, guide decisions, and influence strategy—not just execute it.

 5. From Reporting Activity to Telling a Business Story
Executives don’t want raw metrics. They want context. Insight. Implication. Leaders know how to synthesize data into a narrative that answers: “Why does this matter?”

Part 2: Applying Executive Thinking to Customer Marketing & Advocacy

So how does this apply to CMA program managers? If you want to move from being seen as a dependable executor to a strategic colleague, here’s how to apply those five shifts directly to your program and your role.

Shift 1: From Activities to Business Outcomes
Don’t just report how many advocate requests were fulfilled or content items published. Instead, connect those actions to pipeline influence, win rates, customer health, or deal velocity.

How to show it:

• “This quarter, advocacy influenced 38% of closed-won revenue.
• “Accounts with advocacy touchpoints closed 15 days faster on average.”
• "Program members renew at a 42% higher rate than non-members."

 Shift 2: From Program Goals to Company Goals
Frame everything your program does in the context of growth, retention, and expansion. Show how customer voice is not just supporting sales—but unlocking trust, reducing friction in the buying process, and reinforcing value at renewal.

How to show it:

• “This story was featured in a renewal campaign that helped recover 16 at-risk accounts.”
• “Our advocacy nurtures were tied to $X in upsell pipeline this quarter.”

 Shift 3: From a CMA Program to a GTM Growth Asset
Position your program as a scalable, cross-functional capability that touches marketing, sales, CS, and product. Show how it helps not just individual teams, but the whole go-to-market engine.

How to show it:

• Run internal enablement sessions to show how different teams can leverage advocacy
• Partner with CS to align advocate development with customer health scoring.
• Support AR with a reference-ready advocate pool for analyst briefings.

Shift 4: From Program Contributor to Strategic Advisor
Start asking—and answering—bigger questions:

• Where do we have advocate gaps and why (product, pricing, etc.)?
• What can customer feedback tell us about messaging-market fit?
• How do our strongest advocates correlate with product adoption or expansion?

When you think like this, you’re not just running a program—you’re informing GTM strategy.

Shift 5: From Metrics to Executive Narrative
Replace the laundry list of activities with clear, concise storytelling that connects your efforts to executive priorities. Avoid disconnected, arbitrary vanity metrics. Focus on strategic impact.

How to show it:

• “Our advocacy program helped accelerate $41.2M in quarterly pipeline and contributed to the company’s Q3 segment expansion goals.”
• “We’re seeing a direct link between advocacy engagement and renewal rates. Here’s the data.”

Final Thought: Your Program’s Perception Starts With You

All of this probably sounds like the right thing to do. And it is.

But chances are you’re barely keeping up with the activity side of the job—sourcing speakers, sales reference requests, campaign coordination, data management, and one-off “can-you-help-with-this” Slack messages.

Shifting from execution to executive-level thinking can feel unrealistic. But it doesn’t have to be a monumental leap. Start by taking smaller, intentional steps—and keep at it.

Begin with the executive who holds the most influence over your program.
What do they care about right now—pipeline growth, renewal rates, analyst perception, team efficiency? Learn what makes them tick. Then, start feeding them one insight at a time that speaks to their priorities.

• One customer story that changed a deal outcome, or influenced competitive messaging.
• One trend you're seeing across advocate activity that could shape messaging or CS strategy.
• One advocate gap that could be filled with better advocate targeting.

Keep going, month by month. Expand the narrative. Grow your relevance.
With persistence and discipline—traits every exec needs—you’ll build credibility as a useful advisor, not just a program manager.

Eventually, you’ll earn the right to make the case: “I can do even more of this if I had more time.”

That’s how you get budget. That’s how you get backing. That’s how you change your role—from support function to strategic leadership.

It’s not common to find CMOs who came up through customer advocacy or customer marketing. But frankly, it should be.

You already have what most execs spend years trying to gain: a deep, nuanced understanding of your customers—what they care about, how they think, what makes them trust.

That’s not just valuable.
It’s a requirement of C-Level leadership.