OnBase: Smashing Sales and Marketing Misalignments Ep. 564 | Client-led GTM: How CMOs can drive sustainable, aligned growth
In this episode, host Paul Gibson talks with Meta Karagianni about the critical shift toward a client-led go-to-market strategy. Meta shares powerful insights from her recent study of over 100 global CMOs, revealing their top priorities and challenges for 2025. This discussion is a masterclass for any leader looking to move beyond siloed functions and build a truly unified, client-centric organization.
Meta provides a clear, actionable framework for success. The conversation covers everything from defining your North Star to developing the right skills within your team. You will learn why optimizing for audiences is more important than optimizing for channels and how to prove marketing's value as a driver of profitable growth, not just a cost center. This is your playbook for building a GTM strategy that wins.
Key takeaways
- Client-centricity is non-negotiable
The most successful, high-growth companies are the ones that infuse client-centricity across all go-to-market functions—sales, marketing, product, and customer service. It’s the foundation for every other strategic decision. - Growth is about existing customers
The top growth strategies for CMOs are key account growth (67%) and customer expansion (63%). The focus has shifted from "growth at all costs" to sustainable, profitable growth driven by retaining and expanding your current customer base. - Orchestration trumps siloed programs
A critical gap for many organizations is the lack of a connecting tissue between brand, demand, and customer programs. True success comes from orchestrating a unified GTM campaign, not just running separate initiatives. - High-growth companies invest more in marketing
Data shows that high-growth companies invest significantly more—about 35% more—in their marketing budget. Don't cut the budget; make it more effective by aligning marketing with sales and focusing on the right accounts. - Take emotion out of alignment
Achieve true cross-functional alignment by grounding conversations in data, not opinions. Use frameworks to diagnose capability gaps and establish a shared terminology and vision for success across the leadership team.
Quotes
"We are moving away from that mindset that existed a few years back, growth at all costs. No, that's no longer growth at all costs. It is growth that is sustainable, that is profitable."
Resource recommendations
Books:
- Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick.
- Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World by Jacqueline Brassey, Aaron De Smet, and Michiel Kruyt.
Shout-outs
- Elise Finn - Director and Co-founder of NguziChange.com
About the Guest
Meta Karagianni is the Chief Consulting and Growth Officer at MomentumABM. With a rich background that includes pivotal roles at Gartner and SiriusDecisions, Meta is a leading authority on building and executing powerful go-to-market strategies. She specializes in driving cross-functional alignment and helping organizations place the client at the absolute center of their growth engine. Her work is dedicated to helping CMOs and their teams navigate change and achieve sustainable, profitable growth.