Think that CXO is your ideal target? Answer these questions to find out.

Congratulations! Your company offers a winning product or service that could transform your target B2B buyer’s market position, make their life easier, or something in between. So, simple question: who do you target with your marketing message, when, and how do you frame it? Well, some would offer a simple answer: aim high to engage the most senior leaders now and lay out your full argument. 

When to approach the top brass

Sometimes, this answer makes sense. There are ample cases of sales cycles that conclude with the blessing of that head executive. In fact, they may offer an attentive ear and be your advocate from the start. This is especially true for smaller companies with less complex organizational structures. Alternately, the complexity may lie in the purchase itself, demanding more senior oversight—regardless of company size. 

Or perhaps the priorities of that CXO squarely align with what your solution offers, so it will serve their long-term interests. And if you are able to fast-track their path to that long-term horizon for the better, you can bet that they should sit up and lean in. The more personally invested a CXO is in the outcome of that purchase, the earlier and longer they are likely to engage. 

Given their undisputable seniority and organizational power, why wouldn’t the CXO be your primary marketing target? Why would you consider spending your marketing efforts lower in the org chart? For quite a few reasons, actually.  

When to aim your efforts elsewhere

C-suite executives often play a more limited role in the buying process. Even when they’re receptive to an early high-level pitch, don’t be surprised if they delegate the deeper investigation to team specialists. Often more likely, the CXO is brought in later in the decision path to review the details and recommendations of  other members of the buying group. In these cases, proof points, success stories, and references—ideally, from companies where you’ve solved a similar challenge to theirs—are the right material for them. They may not care about the ins and outs, but your chances will be better with them when you present the evidence they need and make it easier for them to agree.  

In other companies, the CXO may oversee responsibilities at a higher level than your solution serves. In those cases, the top brass may delegate buying decisions entirely to elsewhere in the organization. 

The good news is that the right pitch made at the right time can come through clearly to those most vested in taking a careful listen. Who is that vested listener for your offer, really? Is the C-suite really your ideal target? Is now the right moment to reach them? And what case do they need to hear? 

They’re simple questions, sure, but some simple questions demand more than simple answers. In fact, some require even more questions—probing questions that lead to truly informed answers. In my role at demand marketing agency Quarry, I help clients determine the right answers to these questions all the time. 

The essential questions

Ask yourself these questions to determine whether the C-suite is truly where you should aim your marketing efforts. 

1. How complex and costly is the purchase of your product? Consider the purchase price and also the overall cost (and opportunity cost) of implementation, training, any required downtime, etc. (Whose goals in the organization will this investment serve? Whose goals might be impacted?) 

2. How are purchasing decisions like this made at the types of organizations you are targeting? Where does the chain of delegation lead? 

3. Are there likely to be resources budgeted for this effort already, or will this require access to new budget?

4. When does the CXO contribute to the decision-making process, when do they retreat from it, and what role do they play (decision maker, influencer, gatekeeper)?

5. How strategically aligned is your solution to this leader’s priorities and long-term vision?

6. How might a relationship forged with the top brass serve your overall joint business interests? 

Simple answers to simple questions can lead to obvious but uninformed answers. Taking the time to further interrogate the value your solution offers to the CXO and their role in the buying journey will help determine whether the CXO is destined to be your biggest champion or an unnecessary distraction to your marketing efforts. I wish you wisdom in making that distinction and the resulting decision.