The CMO's First 90 Days: What Actually Moves the Needle

You’ve just landed the CMO role. Congratulations. Now the clock is ticking.

The conventional wisdom says: spend 90 days listening, learning, building relationships. That’s partially right — but in today’s environment, pure listening tours are a luxury most CMOs can’t afford.

Week 1-2: Find the revenue leak

Before you redesign the brand or overhaul the tech stack, answer one question: where is pipeline dying?

Pull the funnel data. Look at conversion rates between stages. Nine times out of ten, there’s one stage where everything stalls. That’s your first win.

Week 3-6: Fix the handoff

The most common revenue leak? The marketing-to-sales handoff. Lead scoring is outdated, SLAs don’t exist, and neither team trusts the other’s data.

Fix this before you do anything else. It’s high-impact, visible to the CEO, and builds credibility with your CRO.

Week 7-12: Place your bets

Now you’ve earned the right to make strategic moves. Pick two channels. Go deep. Resist the temptation to be everywhere.

The CMOs who survive past 18 months are the ones who show revenue impact early — not the ones with the most elegant brand refresh.