Mastering the Top 10 Skills: Your Path to CMO Success

When asked what I want my future in Marketing to be, I thought I was overreaching my ability when I replied Chief Marketing Officer. This was until I researched into what skills and attributes it takes to fill a role like this. This blog is designed to help Marketing students feel more confident when dreaming for high achieving jobs by highlighting the all-time 10 most essential skills which are critical to acquiring a job as CMO. The ability to take a step back and look at the main picture whist still overseeing the smallest operational decisions really called out to me. If you share the same opinion, then this blog is the one to read. CMO very much resembles the aspects just mentioned with a closer connection to brand image and market strategy, placing you at the heart of the company between the customers and CEO.

1. Communication

When thinking of the most important skill to gain peoples trust, to motivate and to advance a business; I think of communication. "Communication, both written and verbal, is really important and I look for people who have an energy and spark about them." (Cottrell, 2022). When it comes to the written this is something I have personally struggled with along many other students. ‘How do you structure an essay?’, ‘How can I write an academic report?’, when all these requirements are thrust upon us, it can be overwhelming. Nevertheless, you should not worry as these aspects, merged with the corporate world, are developed all throughout your 3 years of university, giving you all the understanding you need through feedback.

To develop verbal communication presentations have been key. This is a big part of being CMO and I feel as though my skills has been developed every presentation I have done. The answer is to tell a story, "Today I give CEOs and politicians the same advice: if you want to be quoted, tell a story, and the more personal the better. " (Gallo, 2014).

2. Strategic Thinking

When in charge of brand image, take a step back and strategize. The reason good strategic thinking is essential may be obvious to many, but this skill should not be overlooked. Having a good strategy can be the difference between a successful company and one which collapses. "Good strategy is a coherent set of analysis, concepts, policies, arguments, and actions that respond to a high-stakes challenge" (Rumelt, 2011) and in the case of a CMO this will determine the customers views on the brand and ultimately determine whether they hold value in it.

3. Data Analytics and Interpretation

In today's data-driven landscape, the skill to derive meaningful insights from data is imperative. CMOs who use these data analytic skills effectively can make informed decisions that advance marketing strategies. In university this may be developed when finding referencing in any project by learning how to analyse vast amounts of data to collect the most fitting hones these skills, much like a CMO.

4. Leadership and Team Management

Leadership is not just a title but a responsibility that defines team dynamics. A successful CMO inspires and guides their team, developing an environment of creativity and productivity. From my personal experience, the way to develop is through taking charge in a group project, becoming responsible for organising work distribution and bringing all the work together to make a comprehensive project. Doing this will give you a feeling of responsibility for everyone's grade, and if you are successful, you will get a rush of achievement both personal and overall.

5. Adaptability and Innovation

The importance of adaptability in today's market with rapidly advancing technologies cannot be understated. When talking about a company in this new era of business, “how it adapts or fails to adapt is a major determiner of its survival” (Colon, 2016), and given the CMO is sometimes as important as CEO, this skill is very important. Adaptability is developed during projects through the feedback from professors, sometimes resulting in the change of your whole thesis. Translating this to the industry is just raising the stakes - not all mistakes in business can be so easily changed as they were in school.

6. Risk Management and Decision Making

As CMO, there are constant risks you must assess day to day where all responsibilities are on you. Being able to lead your team through these risks and make tough decisions is vital for the position and therefore you must be able to handle the pressure.

7. Financial Intelligence

Achieving a good ROI falls partly onto the role of CMO and that is make or break. This was something I managed to learn along with other students when you must budget your own life at university, managing expenses responsibly, especially during a cost-of-living crisis.

8. Digital Marketing Experience

"This new digital landscape is impacting organizations in more than just the lead and sales generation departments, though. Savvy companies use the Internet to drive awareness and interest in what they offer, but also to convert casual buyers into brand advocates who buy more and encourage members of their network to do the same." (Deiss and Henneberry, 2017). CMOs being the head of the marketing team shows why the skill of digital marketing is important.

9. Customer Relations

The best marketing strategy is a satisfied customer. To do this it is vital to place the customer at the centre of all decisions and cater to the client. This will help grow the business and create loyal customers.

10. Punctuality

This is a skill which many people struggle with at all levels of life. With endless distractions we've created for ourselves it has become too easy to get lost and end up in a stressful state trying to get it all done. This is something which a CMO cannot afford to do. If they fall behind, then the team they run will as well.

Upon reflection of my experience at university and further education, I believe the skills on this list I have most developed are communication, leadership and adaptability. This has been accomplished through projects which require working in teams, where I have shown my confidence in leading whilst communicating ideas well. Skills which need improvement to a professional standard include risk and decision making. The lack of pressure so far has meant these skills haven’t had the right environment to improve. This will be a focus for me this academic year with aspirations to pass my first year with a 2:1 grade. Therefore, I will strive to make a series of risks and decisions when it comes to coursework to ultimately improve grades. Another skill to improvement is my digital marketing experience. I lacked the experience of marketing in school but will be enhanced through me researching correct examples and theories surrounding this for various coursework to hopefully be reflected in my final grade. The final skill to improve is customer relations and I will personally learn this through my current job in hospitality. Currently I am a bartender in Oxford (The Varsity Club), however by using my initiative to advance my position in my workplace will teach me exactly how to respond to customer advise, being in control of the whole customer experience and by eventually becoming manager.

Bibliography

Carmine Gallo (2014) Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds Macmillan; Main Market edition

Geoffrey Colon (2016) Disruptive Marketing: What Growth Hackers, Data Punks, and Other Hybrid Thinkers Can Teach Us About Navigating the New Normal AMACOM

Richard P Rumelt (2011) Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters London : Profile Books

Ryan Deiss and Russ Henneberry (2017) Digital Marketing for dummies Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons

Stella Cottrell (2022) Skills for success : personal development and employability 4th edn. London : Bloomsbury Publishing