How to say no, no, no, no, no (Exit Five Newsletter #137)

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🥈Focus On These Two Things in Your Next QBR

Your next QBR is an opportunity to show exactly how marketing is driving business growth.

Before you get started, remember your CEO and CFO don’t need more data. They need the right data.

Instead of packing as much positive data as possible or spending time getting the perfect design, focus on answering these two key questions:

1. How did marketing contribute to the business last quarter?
2. How will it contribute next quarter?

After running his own QBRs with the C-suite and board members, Pranav Piyush from Paramark created this QBR template helps you cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters to leadership:

• The metrics that directly impact revenue and business health
• A clear narrative that connects marketing’s work to measurable outcomes
• Actionable insights that set the stage for next quarter’s success

Download the free template now and get a head start on your next QBR.

😬 What to Say When Your CEO Asks You to Go Viral

“Let’s start a TikTok. I want to go viral.”

“Why don’t we rank for this keyword?”

Part of being a marketer is fielding ideas…constantly.

But you can’t say yes to everything and keep up with what’s already on your plate or you’ll end up on the verge of a panic attack.

Just ask Natalie Marcotullio, Head of Growth at Navattic – that’s exactly why she created a framework for saying no. And it’s been life changing because:

• Her CEO and team use it on their own before making asks.
• She doesn’t have to decide if an idea is "good or bad," just whether or not it fits the framework.
• She uses it to figure out what to focus on daily, weekly, and quarterly.

Her marketing framework is: Unique and Valuable (but can and should be different!).

Anything she and the team work on must be both. For example, posting about their G2 badge isn’t unique or valuable.

But a 60-word newsletter? It’s unique because most newsletters are ~450 words and valuable because subscribers learn tactical ways to make their websites more appealing to their buyers.

So whenever her CEO (or anyone else on the team) comes to her with an idea, she goes through 3 steps to make sure she stays on track:

Step 1: Ask Why

Before reacting, dig deeper. You want to understand what they’re actually trying to do and why it’s urgent.

If the goal is already being addressed elsewhere, show them how. If it’s a new goal, push to align on whether it’s actually a top priority.

Example:

Step 2: Swap It Out

This forces leadership to make trade-offs instead of just piling more on your plate.

To do this effectively, you have to:

• Align on 2-3 core priorities every quarter.
• When a new request comes in, ask: “Is this higher priority than our existing initiatives?”
• Explain the budget or bandwidth it would take to do that new initiative.
• Suggest a timeline for the new initiative

Example:

Step 3: “Let’s Experiment with it.”

There are cases where the framework may not be enough, or the thing someone is suggesting fits into the framework but you don't have bandwidth for it.

In those cases, figure out exactly what they’re trying to validate and if you must test a new idea, keep it small.

Be sure to define success criteria up front so later, there’s no debate on whether it “worked.” This makes it super clear whether you should dig deeper or call it quits.

Example:

There are other small ways to say no, too. Try:

• Time-blocking: It's much easier to say no when you can physically see on your calendar you don't have time to add another major project with your current time allotted.
  
  
• Asking “When do you need that by?”: Often, it’s not ASAP so don’t jump straight to, “Yes! I’ll get right on that.”
  
  
• Create a 1:1 Idea Doc: Instead of reacting in Slack, park their ideas in a shared doc and review them in your next meeting.

At the end of the day though, your CEO will be more ok with no if you give them a yes when it really matters.

If you can solve what they're really stressed about, they'll trust your ability to prioritize.

📺 UPCOMING EVENTS

☠️ [TODAY] How To Measure Your Marketing Efforts (And Why Click Attribution Is Dead)

B2B marketing is getting harder to measure. Less click and cookie tracking means traditional attribution models are breaking down.

So how are the best teams adapting?

Join us this afternoon (February 11, 2025) for an Exit Five Live session with Pranav Piyush (Co-Founder & CEO, Paramark) to learn:

• The gaps in the old way of doing attribution
• What the best B2B marketing teams are doing now for attribution
• The key questions CMOs face from boards and execs about measurement
• Three things you can do this quarter to improve your measurement

It’s like a live podcast – but with chat, Q&A, and real talk. Open to all, even if you're not an Exit Five member.

Join Us Live!

🏢 OPEN ROLES

Who's hiring right now?

🔥 HOT JOB OF THE WEEK: Great Question is hiring a Senior Demand Generation Specialist. The role is fully remote and open to people living in one of their hubs; Denver CO, Boulder CO, or the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Great Question tripled revenue last year, and is looking to do it again in 2025. You'll be their first Demand Gen specialist, owning paid advertising, SEO, and all things demand generation. It's a great opportunity to get in early.

Interested? Apply here.

Other open roles on the Exit Five job board this week:

• CardFlight is hiring a Head of Growth Marketing
• Ceros is hiring a Senior Product Marketing Manager
• Neuron7 is hiring a Content Marketing Director. Fully remote, US Only.
• Databox is hiring a Lifecycle Marketing Manager
• Mutiny is hiring a Content Lead
• Drivepoint is hiring a Content Marketing Manager
• Global Payments is hiring a Principal Content Strategist, SMB Professional Services
• Global Payments is hiring a Principal Content Strategist, Higher Education
• Opus Training is hiring a B2B Growth Marketing Manager

See all open roles

Have an open role and want to make sure the best B2B marketing talent sees it?

Just reply to this email and we'll send over more info on how you can post it on our job board + get it in front of 25k+ marketers.

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