Business Growth Strategies For CEOs: Top CMOs On Marketing Strategy Implementations

Vistage Chairs: The Most Dangerous Sales Answer a CEO Can Accept: “We Lost on Price”

Tue, Oct 13, 2026 | Posted by Karen Hayward

Executive Takeaways

When a buyer says “too expensive,” research shows price is rarely the real reason, especially as deal size grows.
Your CRM loss-reason field reflects your sales team’s view of the decision, not the buyer’s.
“Price” is often a stand-in for unclear value, implementation risk, or low confidence in the outcome.
A few points of win-rate improvement can unlock real revenue from the pipeline you already have.

You Can't See Growth Looking Only Inside the Business

Wed, Sep 30, 2026 — You can run a company from inside the four walls. You can't grow it well from inside the four walls alone. Strong operators tend to know their businesses exceptionally well. They understand their people, processes, customers, financials, sales performance and operational constraints.

The Augmented Revenue Engine

Tue, Aug 18, 2026 — Executive Takeaways Sellers who partner with AI are 3.7x more likely to hit quota. AI doesn't replace sellers. It removes the 75% of work that isn't selling. Win rates climb 30%+ when AI improves every funnel stage, not just one. Waiting doesn't preserve the status quo. It widens the gap to AI-enabled competitors.

Vistage Chairs: Is Your Member’s Marketing Really Working? Ask These 5 Questions.

Tue, Aug 11, 2026 — Executive Takeaways Most CEOs challenge every capital investment but can't say with confidence whether their marketing is working. More leads isn't better marketing. Better customers are. If sales and marketing are blaming each other, the CEO hasn't asked the right question. The real measure isn't what marketing produced. It's what it changed about the future economics of the business.

When the Numbers Still Look Fine, Look Harder

Mon, Jul 6, 2026 — Revenue Can Be Late to Tell the Truth Without a compass, course correction isn't really an adjustment. Too often, a company can drift while the scorecard still looks respectable. But underneath the dashboard, buying behavior may already be changing. Customers take longer to decide. Procurement gets more involved. Good prospects ask harder questions. Deals that used to move cleanly now need another approval, discount, or proof point. Early warning signs rarely show up with a siren attached.

Where Is Growth Coming From? A Playbook for Mid-Market CEOs

Thu, Jul 2, 2026 — The headlines say one thing. The data says something more nuanced. Here's what mid-market CEOs should actually be paying attention to right now. This two-part series from Chief Outsiders Founder & CEO Art Saxby explores what the data actually shows about CEO confidence, why this moment is different from past disruptions, and where mid-market companies are finding real growth opportunities right now.

Uncertainty Is Real. Opportunity Is Too.

Mon, Jun 15, 2026 — The headlines say one thing. The data says something more nuanced. Here's what mid-market CEOs should actually be paying attention to right now. This two-part series from Chief Outsiders Founder & CEO Art Saxby explores what the data actually shows about CEO confidence, why this moment is different from past disruptions, and where mid-market companies are finding real growth opportunities right now.

Building a Cohesive C-Suite: How to Align Your Executive Team for Success

Fri, Jun 12, 2026 — Executive Takeaways A high-performing C-suite that doesn't function as a team is a hidden growth tax. If your executives describe the strategy differently, that gap shows up in your results. Alignment comes from operating rhythm, not offsites. Better-aligned executives. Same team. Very different results. When CEOs talk about growth, they usually focus on markets, products, and funding. What derails them more often is something closer to home: a strong group of executives that never quite functions as a true team. You feel it in slow decisions, mixed messages to the organization, and initiatives that lose momentum once they leave the last executive meeting.

AI Is Already Improving B2B Sales Performance. Here’s the Framework to Make It Work for You

Wed, Jun 10, 2026 — Executive Takeaways AI is already delivering measurable results in B2B sales — this is not hype. Mapping AI capabilities to your prioritized sales performance challenges is the right place to start. Achieving significant ROI requires a diagnosis of your current sales environment, a pilot with defined success metrics, and a plan for deployment and scale. The window to establish a competitive advantage in sales by using AI is open — but not indefinitely.

Vistage Chairs: There's One Buyer Conversation Your CEOs Aren't Having

Wed, Jun 10, 2026 — Executive Takeaways Most CEOs misdiagnose why they lose deals — and it's costing them. Buyers won't tell your salespeople the real reason. They'll tell a neutral third party. The most common loss reasons are fixable — if you know what they actually are. Insight without action is just a good conversation. Win/loss analysis turns it into revenue.

Growth Insights for CEOs