Written by: Vickie Sullivan | September 11, 2025
Performance Metrics That Drive CEO Decisions
According to consulting giant McKinsey, CEOs and their CMOs aren’t exactly singing kumbaya. An Adweek article not only explains why, but also reveals how CEOs measure success. This insight is gold for anyone selling into large organizations.
Here’s the core issue: Performance metrics aren’t aligned with CEO expectations. For CMOs, brand awareness, web traffic, and engagement can look like wins. But for CEOs, those results don’t cut it. They want to see impact tied directly to financial outcomes like sales, market share, and margin. In fact, 70% of CEOs in the McKinsey survey measure marketing’s effectiveness by year-over-year revenue growth and profitability.
This expectation also applies to operational initiatives such as leadership and change management. Sure, being agile and dealing with uncertainty is laudable. But if that isn’t tied to financial performance metrics, you’re in the same boat as the beleaguered CMOs.
This is great direction for your next pitch. For upcoming sales conversations, ask about financial goals. Brainstorm the connection, then draw a bright line connecting what you do to that mission. When you position your contribution to criteria your buyer agreed to, you already stand out from the other options.
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