Our current Accountability Chart combines Sales and Marketing into a single seat held by a long-term leader who is excellent at Sales but completely out of their depth with modern digital Marketing. How do we split this seat and bring in a specialist without making our loyal leader feel demoted or driving them to quit?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Combining Sales and Marketing into one seat is common in early-stage businesses, but as you scale, they inevitably become two distinct, highly specialized functions. Keeping them merged under a leader who only GWCs the Sales portion is holding your business back and keeping your marketing efforts stagnant.

To split the seat without losing your loyal leader, you must frame the decision around organizational capacity, not personal failure. Use your Accountability Chart to visually show the evolution of the business. Map out the new, distinct roles and responsibilities for both Sales and Marketing.

Explain to your leader that the combined workload has grown too large for one person to manage effectively. Highlight that by splitting the seat, they can focus entirely on what they do best, which is driving Sales revenue and leading the sales team.

Assure them that their compensation and standing on the leadership team will remain intact. By framing the change as a strategic expansion rather than a demotion, you preserve their dignity while bringing in the specialized marketing expertise your business needs to scale.