Case Study: NovaVentures

How we aligned marketing metrics with C-suite expectations in a B2B tech firm

Company Overview

Industry & Size:

  • B2B technology firm with ~400 employees
  • Known for SaaS-based solutions targeting mid-market clients

Leadership Team:

CEO

Tech-savvy but with minimal marketing background

CMO

Oversees brand awareness, digital campaigns, and lead generation (with a 10-person marketing department)

CFO & Other C-Suite

Typically product/finance-driven, with less involvement in marketing specifics

The Challenge

CEO & CMO Talking Past Each Other

The CEO views marketing as "simple lead generation" while the CMO deals with complex marketing metrics (open rates, click-through rates, brand awareness) that the CEO finds unhelpful.

Misaligned Definitions of "Success"

Marketing's conversion rate excludes certain leads, whereas finance lumps all leads together – resulting in conflicting figures.

Low Cross-Department Understanding

Only 20% of employees could articulate how marketing metrics tie to revenue goals, leading to a disconnect between the CMO and the rest of the C-suite.

Why NovaVentures Called Metric Harmony

With a strategic alignment at stake, the rift between the CEO and CMO was undermining board presentations and delaying decisions. NovaVentures needed a short, high-impact engagement to unify key marketing metrics with finance's reporting.

Metric Harmony's 2–3 week approach—centered on human-centric interviews and plain-language documentation—resonated with their need for simpler, more effective executive communication.

Engagement Scope

Main Goals:

  1. Identify 5–7 marketing metrics that matter to the C-suite (e.g., Qualified Leads, Conversion Rate, Brand Awareness Index, ROI on Ad Spend).
  2. Clarify which metrics drive executive decisions and tie them directly to business outcomes.
  3. Assign ownership and define each metric's formula in a shared document.

Duration & Deliverables:

A 2–3 week engagement resulting in a short wiki (using Notion or Confluence) capturing plain-English definitions and usage guidelines, plus a mini workshop with marketing leads and the CFO/CEO to finalize the metrics.

Process & Key Activities

1

Interviews & Discovery

  • Conducted interviews with the CEO, CMO, CFO, and two marketing leads to understand perspectives on "conversion rate," "lead quality," "brand metrics," etc.
  • Uncovered why marketing excludes certain leads (e.g., low-quality sign-ups) while the CFO's view includes them.
2

Conflict Resolution

  • Held a short alignment meeting with the CEO, CMO, and CFO to compare side-by-side definitions – highlighting the difference between marketing's narrower conversion rate and finance's blended figure.
  • Agreed to maintain both figures but label them differently: "Blended Conversion Rate" for board reports and "Marketing-Specific CR" (excluding partner leads) with appropriate disclaimers.
3

Defining & Documenting

  • Drafted each metric in Notion, including the formula, source data, and designated owner.
  • Shifted the focus from vanity metrics (open rates, click-throughs) to outcomes the C-suite values (e.g., average revenue per user, new logos acquired).
  • Final sign-off from the CFO and CMO ensured clarity on which metrics appear in board meetings.

Results & Insights

  • Reconnected CEO & CMO: The CEO now understands the rationale behind marketing's metrics, and the CMO feels recognized as her complex metrics are better documented.
  • Stronger Cross-Department Collaboration: Finance updated its "board-level" dashboards to reference the new "Blended Conversion Rate," bridging the gap between marketing and finance.
  • More Impactful Communication: The final document ties marketing updates directly to revenue outcomes, preventing reversion to old, conflicting definitions.

Reflection & Takeaways

Bridging Gaps

A short alignment sprint can resolve deep rifts between marketing metrics and C-suite expectations.

Less Jargon, More Outcomes

Focusing on plain-English definitions and linking metrics to revenue helps the board see marketing's true impact.

Sustainable Maintenance

The final document remains a reference point, updated quarterly to prevent slipping back into confusion.

Struggling with marketing metrics that don’t speak to your CEO or CFO?

See how a quick 2–3 week sprint can unify your data and bridge the gap between marketing and finance.

Book a Free 15-Minute Discovery Call