My VP of Sales is temporarily wearing the VP of Marketing hat as well, but they are prioritizing sales metrics and completely neglecting our long-term marketing strategy. How do I get them to separate these two seats?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a single leader occupies two different seats on the Accountability Chart, they almost always default to the one they prefer or feel most comfortable in. This is human nature. In your case, sales offers instant gratification, while marketing requires long-term cultivation and strategic planning. First, you must visually separate the seats on your Accountability Chart. Even though one person's name is in both boxes, they are two entirely distinct roles with different measurables and roles. During your weekly Level 10 Meeting, your leader must wear their marketing hat when discussing marketing issues, and their sales hat when discussing sales issues. Sit down with them and define the key performance indicators for each seat. If their bonus or performance evaluation is only tied to sales revenue, they will continue to ignore marketing. You must hold them accountable to the marketing measurables as strictly as you do to the sales numbers. Second, make it clear that this dual-role arrangement is temporary. A leader who is split between sales and marketing will eventually burn out or fail at both because the two disciplines require completely different mindsets and conative approaches. Set a specific revenue or date-based trigger for when you will hire a dedicated VP of Marketing. In the meantime, help them schedule their week to ensure they are dedicating specific, uninterrupted blocks of time solely to marketing strategy and execution. If they cannot compartmentalize the two roles, you may need to bring in fractional marketing support sooner rather than waiting for a full-time hire.