C-Suite Series: The CMO–CFO Relationship—How to Gain Trust, Budget & Influence

Why the CMO–CFO Relationship Is a Growth Lever You’re Probably Overlooking

When we talk about executive alignment, the spotlight usually lands on sales. Marketing and CRO. Marketing and RevOps. Occasionally, marketing and product.

But what about marketing and finance?

If you're a B2B marketing leader trying to secure budget, prove impact, or evolve from "lead gen" to true growth strategy—you need a better relationship with your CFO.

That’s exactly why I brought Darko Socanski, a startup CFO, advisor, and finance leader with over $1.5B in equity value created, onto the Growth Activated podcast. We worked together at an early-stage startup, and I can confidently say: he’s one of the best partners I’ve had in the C-suite.

Here are the top lessons from that conversation—and how to strengthen your CMO–CFO collaboration to unlock smarter growth.

1. CFOs Think in Runway and Enterprise Value. You Should Too.

"The CFO’s first job is understanding how much time the team has to create enough value to earn the next round of funding."

While marketers are often focused on pipeline, brand, or MQLs, CFOs are zoomed out—thinking in months of runway and enterprise value.

If you're not connecting your marketing strategy to those two concepts, you're missing the bigger picture.

What this means for you:

• Learn how your company defines and measures enterprise value
• Understand how your work ties into leading indicators like ACV, NRR, CAC payback, and revenue efficiency
• Ask about the current runway and how marketing can accelerate time-to-value

If this mindset shift feels unfamiliar, check out our CEO perspective on growth and profitability for a strategic primer.

2. Predictability Matters—But So Does Partnership

Darko breaks marketing investments into two buckets:

• Predictable: Programs with clear ROI (e.g. paid media with known CPLs)
• Unpredictable: Brand, long-term content, creative investments

It’s not that CFOs don’t believe in brand—they just struggle to model it.

"CFOs are responsible for projecting outcomes. So unpredictable marketing investments naturally create friction."

Here’s how to fix that:

• Test, don’t ask for a blank check — Structure brand plays as experiments
• Define a “brand hypothesis” — What metric should we expect to see lift?
• Bring data to the table — CFOs love numbers. Use them.

For more on earning credibility in the C-suite, revisit our conversation with Jeff Ignacio on marketing ROI.

3. Infrastructure and Efficiency Still Need a Business Case

Things like marketing ops, attribution tools, and your CRM setup feel like no-brainers.

But to a CFO, every line item is competing with investments across sales, product, and engineering. Which is why infrastructure still needs a business case.

"The question is always: How much time will this save? How much more productive will the team be?"

How to approach it:

• Quantify time savings or efficiency gains
• Tie infrastructure to revenue capacity (e.g., sales enablement or faster GTM execution)
• Define ownership and accountability for new tools

Need help mapping this out? Use our CMO Playbook to align your operational and strategic priorities.

4. Shift the Conversation from Leads to Value

As marketers, we often default to lead goals - often because this is what our peers are asking from us.

But the best CFO-CMO partnerships don’t just align on MQLs or CPL—they zoom out and focus on value creation.

"It’s not about 1,000 leads. It’s about: Do we even need 1,000 leads? What’s the actual value engine here?"

How to shift the mindset:

• Map marketing efforts to customer lifetime value, retention, and expansion
• Bring sales capacity into planning conversations
• Stop treating leads as the output—treat them as one piece of a revenue-generating machine

Want more on breaking free from the lead-gen trap? Read Cracking the C-Suite Code.

5. Align Top-Down Finance Models with Bottoms-Up Marketing Plans

Top-down financial plans will always exist—especially in VC-backed companies. But that doesn’t mean marketing should blindly accept lead or pipeline targets handed down from on high.

"All plans are wrong. That’s not the point. The value is in the bottoms-up planning and real-time course correction."

Your job as a marketing leader:

• Bring a bottoms-up plan to the table
• Pressure test assumptions together (e.g., sales ramp time, conversion rates)
• Course correct together based on real data

When CFOs and CMOs co-own the plan, you drive better executive alignment—and fewer surprises.

6. It’s Time to Get More Financially Fluent

You don’t need to become a spreadsheet wizard. But if you want a seat at the table, you need to understand:

• The levers that drive enterprise value in your business
• How marketing contributes to those levers
• How to communicate in financial terms

"Start by getting curious. How does the business work? Where does value get created? Then go from there."

Not sure where to start? Let AI be your coach. Use ChatGPT or Claude to:

• Break down terms like CAC, LTV, burn multiple, runway
• Simulate board-level questions or investor concerns
• Practice explaining your strategy in CFO-speak

7. AI and Automation Should Be a Joint Exploration

If you’re not already collaborating with your CFO on AI use cases—you will be soon.

"Most companies are sitting on a goldmine of insights—transcripts, emails, CRM notes. AI can help unlock it."

Think beyond marketing automation. Consider how AI can:

• Accelerate reporting and forecasting
• Uncover GTM insights from sales conversations
• Help marketing and finance find cost-saving or revenue-boosting opportunities

Want to see how other execs are approaching AI and product strategy? Revisit our conversation with Milenko Beslic on AI and tech strategy.

Final Thoughts: From Finance Gatekeeper to Growth Partner

At the end of the day, the CFO isn’t your enemy—or just the keeper of the purse strings.

They’re your partner in building a high-performing business.

When you bring them into your world—and step into theirs—you:

• Earn more trust (and potentially more budget)
• Make smarter investments
• Tie marketing to what really matters: value creation

So take the first step. Reach out to your CFO. Ask to align on business levers. Share your plan. Invite them into your process.

That’s where great marketing leadership begins.

For more inspiration on building a modern marketing career, read How Leslie Vickrey Built a Strong Brand and Unstoppable Culture.

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