#128: Marketing Leadership | The Role of CMO, Taking a New Job, Making Changes in the Marketing Org (with Peter Mahoney, CMO, GoTo)
Dave is joined by Peter Mahoney, CMO of GoTo. Prior to that, he was the CMO at Nuance Communications and later founded Plannuh, which was acquired by Planful. Peter is the author of The Next CMO: A Guide to Operational Marketing Excellence, a book that teaches you how to form marketing goals, create a strategy, build a plan, craft impactful campaigns, optimize budgetary spending, and measure true ROI.In this episode, they discuss:Why Peter got back into the game as CMO after being CEO at PlannuhHow he landed his role at GoToWhat his strategy has been coming into a new company as CMO (and a company that has been around for a while)How do you make changes in a marketing org?What does his team look like at GoTo? What are they focused on?Peter is a master at marketing strategy and execution, and this episode will teach you a lot of that. Enjoy.Timestamps(00:00) - - Intro & balancing business and personal aspirations (09:45) - - Journey to being a CMO (15:17) - - Navigating company restructuring (16:35) - - Streamlining marketing operations (21:29) - - Expectations for rapid change in marketing leadership (23:05) - - The importance of role transition (31:00) - - Navigating layoffs and leadership (34:33) - - Past mistakes in hiring practices (35:25) - - Embracing diversity for better problem-solving (40:25) - - Strategy: Navigating resources, blind spots, and team dynamics (43:47) - - How to balance strategy and execution (47:20) - - How to build long-term vision and short-term plans in marketing (48:50) - - Brand strategy Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***Today's episode is brought to you by Customer.io.You know that feeling when you open your inbox, and it’s just… noise? Bad marketing. Spam. Most companies are out here just talking at customers, not talking to them.Marketing messages should do more than just land in an inbox – they should create impact and drive real engagement.Customer.io helps companies send smarter, more personalized messages using first-party data. Their platform enables brands to reach customers at the right time, in the right place, on the right channel—whether that’s email, SMS, push notifications, or beyond.And the best part is that it’s all automated, so you’re not just blasting campaigns and hoping for the best. You’re running a machine that delivers real, human engagement at scale.7,000+ brands already trust Customer.io to make their marketing feel less like noise and more like connection. Join them by visiting Customer.io to get started. ***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more