Marketing’s Critical Role in Revenue Strategy: How to Earn a Seat in the Boardroom

As marketing leaders, we know our role is no longer limited to managing customer relationships or running campaigns. Today, marketing is a key driver of revenue growth and, if done right, can significantly influence the overall business strategy. But gaining a seat at the executive table is no easy feat. How can we demonstrate the value marketing brings to the bottom line and earn a voice in revenue strategy discussions?

Through my years of experience, I’ve found that alignment is the first step toward marketing’s greater influence in the boardroom. But it’s not just about aligning marketing with sales or revenue teams; it’s about ensuring the leadership team is on the same page about what drives growth and how to get there.

Alignment: The Foundation for Impact

I’ve seen firsthand that everyone works harmoniously toward a shared vision when the leadership team is aligned. Kyle Priest, a B2B CMO with deep experience in marketing and revenue operations, puts it this way: “When the leadership team is aligned, it means everyone is rowing in the same direction with a unified vision and set of priorities. It’s this alignment that drives exponential growth.”

However, alignment doesn’t happen automatically. Too often, marketing teams find themselves disconnected from the rest of the leadership group, and their influence is limited in those cases. That’s why we, as marketers, must work closely with sales and revenue operations (RevOps) to ensure we’re all aligned around one core goal: revenue growth. This means thinking about marketing from a growth-first perspective and contributing to the larger revenue story, not just running campaigns in isolation.

Marketing as the Revenue Storyteller

To truly earn a seat in the boardroom, marketers need to become master storytellers, particularly around revenue. It’s not enough to report on metrics like leads generated, conversion rates, or MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads). These are important, but they don’t always connect the dots to revenue. Instead, we must tell a story that links our activities directly to business outcomes.

I often stress to teams that the story we tell should focus on how marketing’s efforts influence the broader business, particularly revenue. This is what the board wants to hear. Marketing should move away from reporting “activity” and start reporting on how these activities drive revenue growth. As Kyle Priest puts it, “Marketing’s job is to tell a story that demonstrates how its efforts contribute to the bottom line.”

This shift in mindset is critical. Boards care less about the number of leads generated or how many emails were sent. What they want to know is how marketing is contributing to the company’s overall growth, how our efforts help drive sales, increase bookings, and ensure sustainable revenue. The clearer we are about this connection, the more relevant marketing becomes in decision-making.

The Role of RevOps: Connecting the Dots

Another key element of earning a seat at the table is recognizing the role of RevOps in ensuring the alignment of all revenue functions, from marketing to sales to customer success. I can’t stress enough how important it is for marketing to be integrated with sales and RevOps to create a seamless, growth-oriented machine.

When marketing is closely aligned with sales and RevOps, the entire revenue engine works more efficiently. This ensures that all teams are working toward the same revenue goals, with a shared understanding of how each function contributes to the larger picture. Kyle reinforces this point by saying, “RevOps isn’t just about managing processes; it’s about ensuring that everyone—sales, marketing, customer success—operates with the same revenue mindset.”

It’s crucial for marketing to understand that it’s not just about the top of the funnel; it’s about how marketing efforts influence the entire customer journey. When you think about marketing this way, you start to see your impact not just in terms of leads, but also in terms of quality revenue and deal velocity.

Start with Success: Building the Story from the Bottom Up

One of the most effective ways to build a case for marketing’s impact on revenue is to start small and focus on what’s working. I’ve always advocated for looking at past successes, what campaigns worked, which channels were most effective, and what led to closed deals. By analyzing these patterns, marketing teams can refine their strategies and align them more closely with revenue generation.

In practice, this means moving beyond the “vanity metrics” like clicks, impressions, or social shares, and focusing on the results that matter to the business. Start by looking at what has worked, and build your story around those wins. What did the deals that closed successfully have in common? Was there a particular marketing channel or campaign that helped close them? Once you understand these patterns, you can better communicate your impact to leadership.

Embracing the Growth Mindset

The future of marketing lies in embracing a growth-first mentality. We need to look beyond short-term metrics and think about how we’re contributing to the long-term growth and sustainability of the business. This mindset should drive everything from how we measure success to how we engage with the rest of the revenue team.

I’ve seen too many marketing teams focus on “vanity” metrics, like the number of leads generated or the traffic volume. These are nice to report, but they miss the point. As marketers, we need to focus on revenue, deal size, customer lifetime value, and the broader business impact of our efforts. Ultimately, to be seen as a strategic partner in the boardroom, you must align yourself with the ultimate business goal: predictable revenue.

In closing, the key to earning a seat at the table is to be seen as a driver of business outcomes. This means thinking beyond traditional marketing tactics and focusing on how your efforts tie directly to revenue generation. By aligning marketing with sales and RevOps, embracing a growth mindset, and telling a cohesive revenue story, marketing can earn a seat at the executive table and become an integral part of the company’s strategy for sustainable growth.

Listen to the Marketing Ops podcast to hear the full conversation.