The CEO's Question: Where Should I Spend My Marketing Dollar?
By Sean Martin, CISSP
Your CEO has approved marketing budget for next quarter. It's not unlimited—it's the difference between hiring another engineer or investing in growth. Before they sign off, they ask:
"If I give you this money, what exactly will I get back? Not 'increased awareness.' What business outcome will this dollar produce?"
Can you answer that question?
The Executive Reality Check
Your CEO doesn't care that you published 30 blog posts. They care whether those posts helped close deals.
Your board doesn't care that you hit your MQL target. They care whether marketing spend is driving revenue efficiently.
Your investors don't care that you're using AI tools. They care whether you're building a scalable, repeatable go-to-market motion.
You're probably reporting the wrong metrics to all of them.
The CEO's Brutal Question
Every startup CEO is thinking some version of this:
"I have one dollar to spend on marketing. Maybe it's $50K this quarter, maybe it's $500K. But it's finite. If I give it to you, what business outcome will that dollar produce?"
"Will it help us close the three deals stuck in pipeline?"
"Will it help us win against Competitor X?"
"Will it reduce our CAC over time?"
Or will it just produce more content, more leads, and more activity—with the same win rates, same sales cycles, and same competitive losses?
Most marketing leaders can't answer this.
The Leadership Disconnect
Here's what's happening in rooms you're not in:
Your CEO asks your VP of Sales:
"With all this marketing activity, why aren't we closing more deals?"
"Are we getting ROI on marketing spend?"
Your board reviews the metrics:
Marketing spend: ↑ 40%
Lead volume: ↑ 225%
Revenue growth: ↑ 12%
Board member asks: "Where's the leverage?"
Your investors compare you to portfolio companies:
Company A: Lower marketing spend, higher win rates
You: More activity, same efficiency metrics
They're not asking "Is marketing busy?" They're asking "Is marketing working?"
What You're Reporting vs. What They Care About
In your board deck:
"Generated 650 MQLs (225% YoY growth)"
"Published 30 blog posts, 8 webinars, 15 whitepapers"
"Increased web traffic 180%"
What the board is thinking:
"How many MQLs became customers?"
"Did content influence buying decisions?"
"Is our CAC improving?"
The gap: You're reporting marketing activity. They care about business outcomes and competitive positioning.
What Investors Actually Care About
1. Efficiency Metrics: CAC, payback period, LTV:CAC ratio. If your lead volume is up 225% but CAC is flat or increasing, you're not scaling efficiently.
2. Sales Velocity: Deal speed, win rate, competitive losses. If marketing activity is up but velocity hasn't improved, marketing isn't helping.
3. Market Position: Are you known for something specific, or are you generic?
4. Scalability: Can new sales reps close deals, or only your founding team? If new reps struggle, your sales enablement (which marketing should drive) is broken.
The Brutal Truth Investors See
The company that's winning:
Lower marketing spend
Targeted campaigns to specific customer profiles
High sales adoption of marketing materials
Improving win rates and shorter sales cycles
Clear, specific positioning
Your company:
Higher marketing spend
Broad campaigns trying to reach everyone
Sales creating their own materials
Flat or declining win rates
Generic positioning
They won't fire you for missing MQL targets. They'll question your role when marketing spend isn't translating to business outcomes.
The Investment Decision Your CEO Is Making
Option A: Spend $100K on marketing that generates 200 MQLs
Uncertain conversion rate
Unknown impact on sales velocity
No idea if it's building lasting value
Risk: Money spent, nothing changes
Option B: Spend $100K on marketing that:
Positions us clearly against our main competitor
Builds credibility with regional bank CISOs (our highest-converting audience)
Gives sales ammunition to win deals stalled on "fit" concerns
Expected outcome: 4-6 closed deals, foundation for long-term market position
Which one would you fund?
Your CEO evaluates marketing as an investment: What's the expected return, and what's the risk of waste?
Right now, most marketing spend looks like Option A.
The Runway Reality for Emerging Markets
If you're in an emerging market (AI security, supply chain security, quantum-safe crypto), the calculation gets more complex.
Your CEO is thinking: "We have 18 months of runway. This market is emerging—buyers might not have budget allocated yet, might not be ready to buy for 6-12 months. How do I invest when I don't know:
Who's actually ready to buy right now?
When will they have budget?
How do I test whether my positioning works before I scale it?"
This is why "generate 500 MQLs" is a terrible answer. Because in emerging markets:
400 of those leads might be "interesting but no budget"
50 might be "won't be ready until next year"
25 might be "exploring but not our ICP"
25 might actually be ready to buy
You just spent $100K to find 25 real opportunities.
The "Test Small, Scale What Works" Approach
Phase 1: Small-Scale Testing ($15K, Months 1-3) Test positioning with 20 hand-picked accounts showing buying signals. If 8+ take meetings and 2+ become opportunities, we've validated our ready-now segment.
Phase 2: Refined Scale ($35K, Months 4-6) Scale the approach that worked. We're spending on proven methods, not guessing.
Phase 3: Systematic Scale ($80K, Months 7-12) Build the repeatable system. Now we're scaling with confidence.
Total: $130K across 12 months with validation at each stage
Compare to: Spend $100K month one on broad awareness, learn nothing, burn runway.
What This Means for Budget Requests
Don't ask by saying:
"We need to increase content production"
"We should run more webinars"
These are tactics without outcomes.
Ask by saying: "We're losing to Competitor X on procurement concerns. I need $30K to test targeted content with 15 stalled deals and 10 new prospects. If it moves 3+ deals forward, we scale it. If not, we pivot. We'll know in 60 days."
Your CEO will fund the second one.
What's Coming
In the rest of this series:
Why CISOs actually buy (not features)
How to measure marketing by business impact
Why sales calls contain all the intelligence you need
How to build targeted campaigns based on who converts
Why trust matters more than content volume
If you're struggling with measuring the right things, building trust instead of activity, or figuring out where to invest your limited budget—Studio C60 specializes in helping cybersecurity startups solve exactly these challenges. We work across branding, marketing, and go-to-market strategy to ensure everything works together to build trust and reputation that closes deals.
Coming up: Your lead numbers look great (or terrible). Either way, here's why that might not be the real problem—and what CISOs are actually evaluating when they consider buying from you.
About Studio C60: We help cybersecurity and technology startups build trust-based marketing and go-to-market strategies grounded in deep product understanding and real buyer insights. With hundreds of products brought to market and deep, meaningful connections in the CISO and tech communities, we know what security leaders value in vendors. Learn more at studioc60.com# The CEO's Question: Where Should I Spend My Marketing Dollar?
Your CEO has approved marketing budget for next quarter. It's not unlimited—it's the difference between hiring another engineer or investing in growth. Before they sign off, they ask:
"If I give you this money, what exactly will I get back? Not 'increased awareness.' What business outcome will this dollar produce?"
Can you answer that question?
The Executive Reality Check
Your CEO doesn't care that you published 30 blog posts. They care whether those posts helped close deals.
Your board doesn't care that you hit your MQL target. They care whether marketing spend is driving revenue efficiently.
Your investors don't care that you're using AI tools. They care whether you're building a scalable, repeatable go-to-market motion that drives predictable growth.
And right now, you're probably reporting the wrong metrics to all of them.
The CEO's Brutal Question (That They May Not Be Asking Out Loud)
Every startup CEO is thinking some version of this:
"I have one dollar to spend on marketing. Maybe it's $50K this quarter, maybe it's $500K. But it's finite. If I give it to you, what exactly will I get back? Not 'increased awareness' or '500 MQLs.' What business outcome will that dollar produce?"
"Will it help us close the three deals currently stuck in pipeline?"
"Will it help us win against Competitor X who keeps beating us?"
"Will it make next quarter's pipeline easier to fill because we built credibility in our target market?"
"Will it reduce our CAC over time because we're building brand value?"
Or will it just produce more content, more leads, and more activity—with the same win rates, same sales cycles, and same competitive losses?
This is the question haunting every conversation about marketing budget. And most marketing leaders can't answer it.
The Leadership Disconnect
Here's what's happening in rooms you're not in:
Your CEO is asking your VP of Sales:
"With all this marketing activity, why aren't we closing more deals?"
"Are we getting ROI on marketing spend?"
"Why is our competitor gaining market share when we're producing more content?"
Your board is reviewing the metrics:
Marketing spend: ↑ 40%
Lead volume: ↑ 225%
Revenue growth: ↑ 12%
Board member asks: "Where's the leverage? Why isn't marketing scaling with the business?"
Your investors are comparing you to portfolio companies:
Company A: Lower marketing spend, higher win rates, faster sales cycles
Company B: Less content, more targeted, better pipeline conversion
You: More activity, more spend, same (or worse) efficiency metrics
They're not asking "Is marketing busy?" They're asking "Is marketing working?"
What You're Reporting vs. What They Actually Care About
In your board deck, you show:
"Generated 650 MQLs (225% YoY growth)"
"Published 30 blog posts, 8 webinars, 15 whitepapers"
"Increased web traffic 180%"
"Social engagement up 90%"
What the board is thinking but not saying:
"How many of those 650 MQLs became customers?"
"Did any of that content actually influence a buying decision?"
"Is our CAC improving or getting worse?"
"Why are we spending more to generate leads that sales says don't convert?"
In your exec meeting, you report:
"Hit all our marketing KPIs this quarter"
"Scaled content production with new AI tools"
"Increased brand awareness metrics"
What your CEO is thinking:
"Our competitor just closed three deals we should have won. What is marketing doing about that?"
"We hired a VP of Sales who says our positioning is confusing. Why are we just hearing this now?"
"Our best customers came from referrals, not marketing. What does that tell us?"
The Gap
You're reporting on marketing activity and marketing metrics.
They care about business outcomes and competitive positioning.
You're telling them: "Look how busy we are, look how much we're producing."
They need to hear: "Here's how we're building trust with our target customers. Here's how we're helping sales close deals faster. Here's why customers choose us over competitors."
But you can't tell them that—because you don't know it.
What Investors Actually Care About
Your investors aren't evaluating you on content volume. They're evaluating you on:
1. Efficiency Metrics:
CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): Is it going down or up?
Payback period: How long to recover acquisition costs?
LTV:CAC ratio: Are we spending efficiently to acquire valuable customers?
If your lead volume is up 225% but your CAC is flat or increasing, you're not scaling efficiently.
2. Sales Velocity:
Are deals closing faster or slower?
Is win rate improving?
Are you losing to the same competitors repeatedly?
If marketing activity is up but sales velocity hasn't improved, marketing isn't helping.
3. Market Position:
Are you gaining or losing share in your target segment?
What do customers say about you vs. competitors?
Are you known for something specific, or are you generic?
If you can't articulate why customers choose you, you don't have a positioning problem, you have an identity problem.
4. Scalability:
Can new sales reps close deals, or only your founding team?
Do you have repeatable playbooks, or is every deal custom?
Can marketing support growth without linear headcount increases?
If new reps struggle while veteran reps succeed, your sales enablement (which marketing should drive) is broken.
The Brutal Truth Investors See
Investors compare you to their other portfolio companies. They see:
The company that's winning:
Lower marketing spend
Targeted campaigns to specific customer profiles
High sales adoption of marketing materials
Improving win rates and shorter sales cycles
Sales and marketing working from the same intelligence
Clear, specific positioning that differentiates
Your company:
Higher marketing spend
Broad campaigns trying to reach everyone
Sales creating their own materials
Flat or declining win rates and longer sales cycles
Sales and marketing pointing fingers at each other
Generic positioning that sounds like every competitor
They're not going to fire you for missing MQL targets. They're going to question your role when marketing spend isn't translating to business outcomes.
The Investment Decision Your CEO Is Actually Making
When your CEO approves marketing spend, they're not buying marketing activities. They're making an investment decision:
Option A: Spend $100K on marketing that generates 200 MQLs
Uncertain conversion rate
Unknown impact on sales velocity
Unclear competitive advantage
No idea if it's building lasting value
Risk: Money spent, nothing changes
Option B: Spend $100K on marketing that:
Positions us clearly against our main competitor in our target segment
Builds credibility with regional bank CISOs (our highest-converting audience)
Gives sales the ammunition to win deals currently stalled on "fit" concerns
Creates referenceable expertise that compounds over time
Expected outcome: 4-6 additional closed deals this quarter, foundation for long-term market position
Which one would you fund?
Your CEO is evaluating marketing the same way they evaluate every investment: What's the expected return, and what's the risk of waste?
Right now, most marketing spend looks like Option A. High risk of waste, uncertain return.
The Runway Reality for Emerging Markets
If you're in a new or emerging market (AI security, supply chain security, quantum-safe crypto, etc.), the calculation gets even more complex:
Your CEO is thinking:
"We have 18 months of runway. This market is emerging—meaning our buyers might not have budget allocated yet, might not understand they have this problem, might not be ready to buy for 6-12 months. How do I invest in marketing when I don't know:
- Who's actually ready to buy right now vs. just curious? - When will they have budget? (Q4? Next fiscal year? After their audit?) - Where do I reach the ones who are ready without wasting money on the ones who won't buy for a year? - How do I test whether my positioning works before I scale it?"
This is why "generate 500 MQLs" is a terrible answer. Because in emerging markets:
400 of those leads might be "interesting but no budget"
50 might be "won't be ready until next year"
25 might be "exploring but not our ICP"
25 might actually be ready to buy
You just spent $100K to find 25 real opportunities—and you didn't know how to identify them upfront. This assumes the leads are actually connected to real people with real budgets.
The "Test Small, Scale What Works" Approach
Smart CEOs want marketing that looks like this:
Phase 1: Small-Scale Testing ($15K, Months 1-3)
Test positioning with 20 hand-picked accounts showing buying signals
Hypothesis: If 8+ take meetings and 2+ become opportunities, we've found our ready-now segment
Learn if we're ready to scale or need to adjust
Phase 2: Refined Scale ($35K, Months 4-6)
"Phase 1 validated post-breach companies are ready now, others are 6+ months out"
Scale the post-breach playbook to 50 companies
Spending on what we know works, not guessing
Phase 3: Systematic Scale ($80K, Months 7-12)
Proven playbook becomes repeatable system
Scaling with confidence, not hope
Total: $130K across 12 months with validation at each stage
Compare to: Spend $100K month one on broad awareness, learn nothing, burn runway.
What This Means for Budget Requests
Don't ask by saying:
"We need to increase content production"
"We should run more webinars"
Ask by saying:
"We're losing to Competitor X on procurement concerns. I need $30K to test targeted content with 15 stalled deals and 10 new prospects. If it moves 3+ deals forward, we scale it. If not, we pivot. We'll know in 60 days."
Your CEO will fund the second one. They'll question the first.
What's Coming
In the rest of this series:
Why CISOs actually buy (and it's not features)
How to measure marketing by business impact
Why your sales calls contain all the intelligence you need
How to build targeted campaigns based on who converts
Why trust matters more than content volume
If you're struggling with measuring the right things, building trust instead of activity, or figuring out where to invest your limited budget—Studio C60 specializes in helping cybersecurity startups solve exactly these challenges. We work across branding, marketing, and go-to-market strategy to ensure everything works together to build the trust and reputation that actually closes deals.
Coming up: Your lead numbers look great (or terrible). Either way, here's why that might not be the real problem—and what CISOs are actually evaluating when they consider buying from you.
About Studio C60: We help cybersecurity and technology startups build trust-based marketing and go-to-market strategies grounded in deep product understanding and real buyer insights. With hundreds of products brought to market and deep and meaningful connections in the CISO and tech communities, we know what security leaders actually value in vendors.
Learn more at studioc60.com
About Sean Martin: Sean Martin is a technology and cybersecurity professional with over 30 years of experience in engineering, product development, marketing, journalism, and media. A seven-time CISSP-certified professional, he has led the engineering and delivery efforts for hundreds of cybersecurity products at some of the largest organizations and startups.
Learn more at seanmartin.com.
**Related Topics:** Marketing Budget Planning, CEO Communication, Marketing ROI, B2B Marketing Strategy, Customer Acquisition Cost, Test-and-Scale Approach, Startup Marketing, Marketing Investment, Budget Allocation, Marketing Accountability
