Last updated on Aug 1, 2024

You're prospecting to a CFO and a CMO. How do you tailor your communication style to each?

When prospecting to a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), it's crucial to understand that each has distinct priorities and areas of expertise. A CFO is primarily concerned with the financial health of the company, focusing on cost, return on investment (ROI), and the overall financial strategy. On the other hand, a CMO is focused on market growth, brand development, and customer engagement strategies. Your communication should be tailored to address these specific interests: for the CFO, emphasize cost-effectiveness and ROI, while for the CMO, highlight how your product or service can help achieve marketing goals and enhance customer experience.

1 CFO Approach

When communicating with a CFO, your approach should be data-driven and results-oriented. Present your proposition with a clear analysis of how it will affect the company's bottom line. Use precise language that speaks to cost savings, revenue generation, and financial risk mitigation. The CFO will appreciate brevity and clarity, so avoid marketing jargon and focus instead on concrete financial metrics and potential impacts on the company's fiscal performance. Remember, the CFO's primary lens is fiscal responsibility, so your pitch should align with that perspective.

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Luiz Octávio Maule Reis

Professor | Consultor | Especialista em Prospecções B2B 🖐🏻A Prospecção é o único caminho na qual só depende de você a geração de leads. 🚀 Saiba mais sobre como posso te ajudar no link abaixo👇🏻
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A comunicação da prospecção outbound nunca pode ser da forma como VOCÊ/EMPRESA gosta, e sim como SEU CLIENTE gostaria de receber. Dito isso, você precisa conversar e entender bem como funciona seus clientes CFOs para desenvolver a comunicação que fará com eles respondam suas prospecções (de forma positiva) em maior quantidade. Portanto, tudo começa com você estudando sobre "como pensa" seu cliente CFO.

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2 CMO Engagement

Engaging a CMO requires a different strategy. Here, creativity and understanding of market trends take precedence. Speak the language of brand value, customer journey, and market share expansion. Show an understanding of the latest marketing platforms and how they can be leveraged for customer acquisition and retention. The CMO will be interested in how your offering can create a compelling narrative for the brand and resonate with the target audience. Your message should be visionary yet grounded in practical marketing strategies.

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3 Tailoring Content

For both CFOs and CMOs, the content of your communication must be tailored to their interests. For CFOs, prepare detailed financial models or case studies demonstrating previous ROI achievements. For CMOs, create visually appealing presentations or storytelling elements that showcase your product's potential to boost brand engagement. Use language that reflects each role's professional vernacular—financial terminology for CFOs and marketing terminology for CMOs—to show that you understand their domain and can speak their language.

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Luiz Octávio Maule Reis

Professor | Consultor | Especialista em Prospecções B2B 🖐🏻A Prospecção é o único caminho na qual só depende de você a geração de leads. 🚀 Saiba mais sobre como posso te ajudar no link abaixo👇🏻
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Não é proibido automatizar mensagens para CFOs ou CMOs. Xandão ainda deixa. rsrs Porém, você precisa prospectar na metodologia LAC, Lista, Aborda e Conecta. A parte da conexão é que precisa ser TOTALMENTE personalizada e sem firulas, do estilo: "vi que sua empresa cresce X%, que legal!", isso não faz sentido. Ele sabe disso. Diga algo que realmente será importante pra ele naquele dia e que mire na sua solução.

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4 Timing Matters

Timing is also a critical factor in sales prospecting. CFOs may prefer to engage at the end of fiscal periods when they're evaluating new investments, while CMOs might be more receptive during planning phases for new marketing campaigns or product launches. Understanding their business cycles can help you time your approach effectively. It's about finding the right moment when your solution aligns with their current priorities or challenges.

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5 Follow-Up Strategies

Your follow-up strategies should also be customized. With CFOs, follow up with additional data or a more detailed financial breakdown if they showed interest in the initial pitch. With CMOs, consider sharing recent success stories or creative content that relates to their current marketing initiatives. Personalize your follow-up communications to reflect the initial conversation and show that you are responsive to their specific needs and concerns.

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Luiz Octávio Maule Reis

Professor | Consultor | Especialista em Prospecções B2B 🖐🏻A Prospecção é o único caminho na qual só depende de você a geração de leads. 🚀 Saiba mais sobre como posso te ajudar no link abaixo👇🏻
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Se você já sabe que, a probabilidade de um CFO ser introvertido e um CMO ser mais extrovertido é grande, pra que escrever a mesma mensagem para os dois? (se vc é meu aluno(a) do Dominando, nunca irá cometer esse erro rsrsrs) A comunicação para um é completamente diferente para o outro. Lembre-se, sua prospecção é feita para o cliente, não pra você. Às vezes irá escrever mensagens que se parecem sem pé nem cabeça, mas que para seu ICP fazem todo o sentido ;-)

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6 Relationship Building

Finally, building a relationship with both CFOs and CMOs is about establishing trust and demonstrating value over time. With CFOs, this means consistently reinforcing the economic value and stability your product or service brings. For CMOs, it's about proving that you can contribute to long-term brand growth and customer engagement. In both cases, be patient, persistent, and always prepared to show how your offering aligns with their strategic goals.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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You're prospecting to a CFO and a CMO. How do you tailor your communication style to each?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 CFO Approach

2 CMO Engagement

3 Tailoring Content

4 Timing Matters

5 Follow-Up Strategies

6 Relationship Building

7 Here’s what else to consider

Sales Prospecting

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You're prospecting to a CFO and a CMO. How do you tailor your communication style to each?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 CFO Approach

2 CMO Engagement

3 Tailoring Content

4 Timing Matters

5 Follow-Up Strategies

6 Relationship Building

7 Here’s what else to consider

Sales Prospecting

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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