In the fast-paced and highly competitive landscape of SaaS companies, a strong Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can be the driving force behind sustainable growth and market dominance.
As the digital realm becomes increasingly crowded and customer expectations continue to evolve, the role of a CMO extends far beyond traditional marketing functions.
A proficient CMO possesses a strategic vision, a deep understanding of the industry, and a relentless commitment to customer-centricity.
Their ability to harness data, employ innovative tactics, and inspire cross-functional collaboration can propel a SaaS company to new heights, capturing market share, fostering brand loyalty, and driving revenue.
In this article, we’ll explore the essential questions to ask when hiring a CMO, ensuring you find the right leader to steer your SaaS company towards long-term success.
So, without further ado, let’s dive straight in.
1. Explain your approach to market research
Good positioning of a product is contingent on the gap that it’s able to fill in the market. Why should a business adopt your solution when the SaaS sphere is so oversaturated and there are potentially so many other solutions out there that look very similar?
The answer can be two things: either your product is able to solve a problem that your competitors aren’t even thinking about…
or
...your product is able to solve the same problems more effectively or more efficiently.
Anthony Witherspoon
If your candidate isn’t capable of market research or doesn’t realize the value of it, then that gap is going to be very difficult to fill.
2. How do you build a foundation of trust with the customer base?
An essential component of identifying customer pain points lies in being able to form a solid foundation of trust. It’s not just about conversion, after all, it’s about retention. And solid retention stems from your customers feeling like their concerns and values are being seen or heard.
According to data collected by Sproutsocial, 70% of consumers now care about their values being reflected in the brands that they ally with.
So, if a CMO wants consumers to keep coming back for more, it’s essential that they take the time to understand who their customers are, work to ensure their values are respected, and establish an enduring relationship through trust.
Your candidate's answer should demonstrate not only a willingness to gauge customer pain points, but also to understand them on a deeper level and show how that benefits the growth of an organization.
3. How do you select and prioritize marketing campaigns?
What this question really demonstrates is whether a marketer is able to balance creativity with the broader business aims. This is the determining factor in prioritization.
Your candidate might be a creative maverick, and there’s definitely room for someone who can think outside the box when it comes to crafting powerful, unique campaigns, but you still need someone who’s a team player.
In other words, the candidate won’t be prone to prioritizing based on personal whims or interests, but prioritizing based on those that are likely to generate the most revenue.
4. What is your strategy for branding a company, its products, and services?
Your brand is the face that your company shows to the world. You want to hire someone who recognizes the value of a company’s identity and reputation and is able to embody that in their branding strategy.
Equally, this is a great way to test that the candidate has taken the time to understand your company’s identity and how you want the world to think about you.
If you find someone who gets what you're about, that’s great; if you find someone who already has a strategy in mind for how to make it a reality, then the real work has already begun.
5. Could you please provide insights into your notable learnings from the past year?
You might have a really super candidate, but you don’t really want someone who thinks they’re the finished article. What you’re really looking for is someone who has the capacity – and most importantly, the willingness – to learn.
We don’t need to tell you how fast moving the SaaS industry is. We love that, but the challenge it presents us with is: there’s always more to learn than you think there is.
A good CMO should be making every effort to ensure they’re doing their best to keep they’re finger on the pulse of what’s happening and constantly making efforts to upskill.
Future of SaaS
6. Can you reflect on a past role you had and tell us what you’d do differently if you could do it over again?
You want to hire someone who’s confident in their abilities, yes, but what’s really crucial is that they’re able to strike that important balance between confidence and self-awareness.
A CMO is going to be under intense scrutiny from multiple different departments and it’s imperative that they’re going to be able to take feedback and criticism on board and leverage it to improve their work practices.
This also builds on from the previous question. The candidate might say that they have self-awareness but can they demonstrate this in concrete, tangible terms?
7. What are the biggest challenges that CMOs face right now and heading into the future?
A good CMO is prepared. None of us can see the future, but it always helps to keep an eye on how industries are developing and how markets are changing.
A vital skill for a strong marketer is the ability to pivot even when the most thorough strategy has been laid out.
Having said that, we don’t want to be in a situation where we have to put out fires every five minutes.
It’s difficult to spearhead new initiatives when you’re constantly in panic mode, so ensure you’re hiring someone who’s willing to speculate on what changes might need to be put in place in order to align with change.
Anthony Witherspoon
8. Â What marketing KPIs do you prioritize?
Success looks a little different for everyone. But it’s important that your CMOs definition of success aligns with your organization’s definition of success. KPIs are a good measure of this as they are the most tangible benchmark for success.
They’re a great indicator of what the CMO’s expectations of themselves are, and how adept they are when it comes to keeping track of data and using it to inform their marketing strategies going forward.
Like what you see? Why not check out exclusive insights from the mightiest minds in SaaS with a Future of SaaS membership plan?
