Weathering the Metrics Winter
In the chill of January, CMOs find themselves squinting through the frost, trying to read the forecast for the year ahead. There’s pressure to move fast, spend smart, and prove marketing’s worth before budget season thaws. But when it comes to metrics, there’s little agreement on what matters most… or how to communicate it to the board. It’s no wonder many CMOs feel like they’re navigating a blizzard with a cracked compass.
This month, in true Huddles fashion, we came together like penguins in a snowstorm—sharing warmth, wisdom, and strategies to survive the fog of metrics.
What emerged wasn’t a universal formula (spoiler: there isn’t one) but a path forward. If you’re trying to find clarity in the cold, these six insights might help you build a fire that actually lasts.
1. Owning the Pipeline, Not Just the Marketing Slice
In the face of uncertainty, a few brave CMOs are stepping beyond traditional attribution and taking full ownership of the pipeline. “I get up every day thinking about the total number we need to hit, not just marketing’s piece,” said one Huddler.
Another noted that while marketing may drive half of pipeline creation, they’re also influencing the rest. This sense of end-to-end accountability brings alignment, but also raises the bar for collaboration across teams.
2. From Volume to Value
While some teams still report on raw lead counts, the savvier ones are shifting toward value-based metrics. One Huddler shared that they track conversion from meeting to qualified opportunity, calling it their best indicator of whether marketing is targeting the right accounts and surfacing real intent.
It’s a subtle but powerful move—less snowball fight, more snow sculpting.
3. Campaign ROI Gets Real
It’s not a myth. One CMO shared how they’ve built campaign-level attribution so tight they can tie a dollar of revenue back to a specific in-app message. “If the CFO gives me 2X budget, I can show them 2X return,” they said.
How? A short sales cycle, clean systems, and a team that treats campaign tagging as a non-negotiable. It’s not always easy, but if you’ve ever tried to light a fire with wet wood, you know preparation makes all the difference.
4. Frameworks Make the Metrics Make Sense
Metrics without a narrative are like snowflakes in the wind: Beautiful but hard to track. Several Huddlers use branded frameworks to give their metrics structure and stickiness. One CMO uses ATM (Audience, Trust, Monetization) as a metaphor and acronym to explain and defend their metrics.
“When I walk into the boardroom with a jumble of KPIs, I lose them,” said another. “But with a narrative framework, they stay with me.”
5. Expansion Metrics Matter More Than You Think
It turns out that 60 to 70 percent of revenue in many B2B organizations comes from existing customers. And yet, marketing dashboards often focus almost entirely on net-new. That’s starting to change.
“We’ve begun running ABM programs specifically around high-value renewals,” one CMO shared, “tracking engagement, renewal velocity, and win rates within our install base.” In a season where budgets are tight and new growth is hard to come by, tapping into expansion likek this isn’t just smart, it’s survival.
6. Everyone’s Measuring Something Different—Bug or Feature?
Across 16 CMOs in one Huddle, not a single one reported the same top three metrics. That could be viewed as a problem… or a sign of strategic adaptability.
“Each company has a different problem to solve,” said one Huddler. “I wouldn’t expect the same metrics year over year, let alone from company to company.” While standardization might sound appealing, many CMOs are finding clarity by categorizing their metrics: leading versus lagging, new versus expansion, brand versus demand.
[For guidance on accelerating funnel velocity, pipeline conversion, and revenue growth, please talk to HG Insights, the official GTM partner of CMO Huddles.]
Final Thought:
Winter doesn’t last forever, but if you want to emerge stronger in spring, you have to prepare now. The CMOs leading the way aren’t chasing every metric—they’re choosing the ones that match their strategy, aligning their teams around them, and translating those numbers into language the rest of the C-suite can understand. That’s how you turn a cold start into sustained momentum.
If you find yourself freezing, just remember, it’s warmer in a Huddle!