The CMO’s Playbook: How to Nail Your First 90 Days and Build Momentum That Lasts
Discover the key relationships, insights, and strategies every CMO needs to hit the ground running and drive lasting growth.
As a former CMO with 20+ years of experience across multiple companies, I know that starting a new role can feel like stepping onto a high-speed train. Usually, there is a backlog of things to do, that need to be done today, and it’s super easy to get sucked into everything going on within a company the minute you start. While jumping into immediate tasks is tempting, the first 90 days set the tone for your success. I’ve been that person who jumps in and I don’t believe I was as successful in those roles as I could have been because of this. Creating a focused, actionable 90-day plan ensures you build the right relationships, gather critical insights, and develop a strategy that delivers results. Learn from my mistakes - your 90-day plan should focus on:
Relationship Building (Days 1–30)
Assessment and Analysis (Days 30–60)
Strategy and Plan (Days 60–90)
First 30 Days: Relationship Building
Building relationships across the organization is one of the most important things you will do. These relationships set the foundation for your partnership and ensure alignment throughout your tenure. In your first 30 days, I recommend focusing on these critical stakeholders:
1. CEO
As part of the interview process, you should already be aligned on the role, goals, and expectations however, this is a good time to revisit these and understand how best she likes to be communicated with. I recommend discussing communication preferences (email, Zoom, in-person), aligning timelines, and scheduling your recurring one-on-ones. I like to check in at the end of each week during my first 60 days to surface learnings, issues, and opportunities, deepening the trust that’s critical for the CEO-CMO partnership.
2. CFO
The CFO is part of your “power trio” (CEO, CFO, GTM peers). Meet early to discuss:
Budget expectations and current allocation
Past challenges and successes with marketing leader
How best to partner moving forward
When they like to see reporting
Why this matters: CFO buy-in is non-negotiable. According to Gartner’s State of Marketing Budget and Strategy report, 72% of CFOs expect marketing budgets to be directly tied to measurable revenue growth outcomes (Gartner, 2023). Aligning your strategy and reporting with these priorities is critical to securing CFO buy-in.
3. GTM Peers (Sales & Success Leaders)
Beyond the CEO, your GTM peers should be your closest relationships at the company. While you should have met with your GTM peers as part of the interview process (it’s a giant red flag if you didn’t), spending focused time with them during your first thirty days is a critical component in building your relationship. You will be connected at the hip with these leaders so build that relationship! Meet one-on-one with sales and customer success leaders to:
Identify pain points, bottlenecks, and areas of collaboration
Understand pipeline health, sales processes, and metrics
Align on reporting and recurring team syncs
Later, convene as a GTM team to foster transparency and shared accountability. I meet with each leader weekly during my first ninety days, moving to a monthly GTM leadership meeting beyond that. But let’s be honest, I am usually in conversation with these leaders daily and if we are back in the office, I want to be seated close to these leaders and their team (I always want the marketing team interspersed with the sales and success teams).
4. C-Suite Peers
Your partnerships with HR, operations, and product leaders are equally critical.
Product Leader: Discuss roadmap priorities, product marketing overlap, and upcoming launches. This is a great opportunity to review the 12-month product roadmap, get clarity, and solidify your partnership.
HR/Operations: Align on hiring needs, onboarding, and internal communication processes.
5. Your Marketing Team
If you’re inheriting a team, build trust immediately. I work on this in two different ways:
Schedule one-on-one meetings in week one with direct reports to discuss challenges, where they believe they need help, their team, their alignment with the broader GTM team, and the impact marketing is making.
I also will host a casual first-team gathering by the beginning of week two. This is a chance to let those who may not directly report to you get to know you, your background, your areas of expertise and focus, and more in a more casual setting. A bagel breakfast or Bundtini afternoon break is always a hit.
Pro Tip: I love to schedule coffee, walking, or lunches with each of the roles mentioned above within the first two weeks of my joining. If you’re remote, do a virtual coffee or get to know you session. Additionally, I like to shadow my GTM peers’ team meetings within the first 30 days. It’s a great way to meet extended teams and build credibility early.
Second 30 Days: Assessment and Analysis
Now that relationship building is underway, shift to understanding the business, market, the players, the company approach, and opportunities. Focus on these areas:
1. Revenue Analysis
Which market segments, geographies, or products deliver the highest ACV, win rates, and fastest sales cycles?
Who are the key customers, and what drives their loyalty?
Data Insight: According to McKinsey’s Growth Triple Play report, high-performing CMOs focus early on identifying revenue opportunities and aligning marketing efforts with growth targets, prioritizing “revenue mapping” within their first months on the job (McKinsey & Company, 2020).
2. Win/Loss Analysis
I recommend taking a look back at least two quarters to understand why the company wins or loses deals. If your sales cycle is longer, look back further. Why does the company win? Why does it lose? And how does this tie back to win/loss rates? This should highlight key differentiators and areas for improvement.
3. Pipeline and Sales Process
Review the lead-to-close process, identifying gaps or inefficiencies.
Assess CRM usage and reporting—are current reports providing actionable insights?
4. Reporting
Audit existing marketing, pipeline, and revenue reports. Do they align with growth goals? Are critical metrics missing? Thinking back to your meeting with the CFO and your GTM peers, is this the right information to be sharing? And what additional insights or different reports are needed for board reporting?
5. GTM Strategy Audit
If a documented GTM strategy exists, validate its assumptions through team conversations and data analysis. Where do the gaps or opportunities lie? Your cross-functional meetings are a great way to validate the accuracy of an existing strategy and determine if an update is needed.
6. Campaign Audits
Evaluate past and current campaigns:
What worked, what didn’t, and why?
Are channels and messaging aligned with market needs?
7. Customer Interviews
Engage with key customers to uncover:
What value do they gain from your solution
Buying triggers and decision-making processes
Competitive dynamics and selection criteria
These insights will help you refine messaging and improve customer acquisition strategies.
Final 30 Days: Strategy and Plan
With relationships built, data analyzed, and learnings in place, it’s time to develop your strategy and present a clear, actionable plan. Based on what is needed from a growth perspective, what does marketing (and the broader GTM team) need to do to support those goals? Not only from a demand perspective but a broader GTM perspective. I break my deck into three sections:
Where We Are: A summary of your findings from the first 60 days.
What I’ve Learned: Key insights about opportunities, challenges, and areas for improvement.
Where We’re Going: Your proposed strategy to drive growth.
Steps to Roll Out Your Plan
To ensure alignment with your GTM peers, you need to share your initial strategy with those leaders to ensure nothing has been missed and that alignment exists. Gather their feedback and make adjustments as necessary. When you share this plan with the CEO and your board, you need to be able to say that your GTM peers agree and support your strategy and plan.
Once the GTM team is aligned, the strategy and plan should be presented to the CEO for input and approval. The CFO may want to sit in on this meeting and provide input regarding budget and resource allocations.
When approved, it’s time to share it with your team and launch the strategy. Additionally, you may be asked to present elements to the board. As always, once this work has been done, your GTM strategy deck should be updated to reflect any changes.
The first 90 days are your launchpad for long-term success. By focusing on relationships, data-driven insights, and a thoughtful strategy, you’ll position yourself as a trusted leader who drives meaningful growth. Remember, success isn’t about doing it all—it’s about doing the right things with intention.
If you’re preparing for your first 90 days or refining your approach as a seasoned CMO, take this plan, adapt it to your context, and make it your own. Ready to accelerate your impact? Let’s start a conversation—connect with me on LinkedIn or comment below on your strategies for success.