Product marketing sits at the intersection of product, sales, and the market. It shapes messaging, enables go-to-market teams, and defines competitive positioning. But when it comes to the C-suite, none of that matters unless PMM can translate its work into business impact.
If leadership sees product marketing as a content function—responsible for battlecards, launch decks, and email copy—it’s because that’s what they’ve been shown. The C-suite doesn’t care how polished the messaging is or how well-crafted the latest sales enablement materials are. They care about one thing: how PMM drives revenue and market growth.
So when PMMs talk to executives, they need to shift from tactical outputs to strategic impact. And that starts with five words the C-suite actually wants to hear.
1. “We’re accelerating revenue growth.”
Every CEO, CFO, and CRO is thinking about one thing above all else: revenue. PMM that frames its work in terms of pipeline acceleration, win rate improvements, and deal velocity commands attention.
The wrong way to report on PMM’s impact?
🚫 “We created 12 new sales assets this quarter.”
The right way?
✅ “We increased win rates by 7% in key segments by refining competitive positioning.”
PMMs need to tie messaging, positioning, and enablement directly to revenue. Otherwise, they’ll stay stuck in the “nice-to-have” category instead of the business-critical growth driver they should be.
2. “We’re making sales more effective.”
CROs don’t care how many decks or one-pagers PMM creates. They care about whether reps are closing bigger, better deals faster.
PMM should be able to answer:
- Are sales teams actually using the materials provided?
- Does the messaging resonate in real conversations?
- Are we seeing improved conversions from targeted segments?
The wrong way to communicate PMM’s impact?
🚫 “We hosted three enablement sessions last month.”
The right way?
✅ “Our new competitive positioning play helped reps win 30% more late-stage deals against [Competitor X].”
PMM isn’t about creating content—it’s about equipping sales to win. That’s what leadership needs to hear.
3. “We’re expanding our market share.”
CEOs and CMOs think in terms of market leadership, category dominance, and competitive positioning. PMMs who report on activities instead of outcomes lose credibility at the executive level.
Instead of saying:
🚫 “We refined messaging for a product launch.”
Say:
✅ “We repositioned [Product X] to capture a larger share of the mid-market, leading to a 20% increase in inbound demand.”
Product marketing doesn’t just support growth—it should be driving the strategy behind it.
4. “We’re influencing the product roadmap.”
Nothing frustrates a CEO more than a product roadmap that doesn’t align with what customers actually want. PMM should be feeding real market insights into product strategy—not just reacting to whatever product decides to build.
If PMM isn’t influencing roadmap decisions, it’s failing.
🚫 “We’re preparing launch materials for the upcoming release.”
✅ “Our customer research identified a demand gap in [Segment X], leading to a product expansion that will drive an estimated $10M in new revenue.”
PMM should be in the room before product decisions are made—not just showing up when it’s time to launch.
5. “We’re defining how we win.”
The most powerful thing product marketing can do for a business? Give it a clear, unshakable competitive edge.
Every CEO wants to know:
- How are we different from the competition?
- Why do customers choose us?
- How do we build an unfair advantage in the market?
Instead of:
🚫 “We created a new positioning framework.”
Say:
✅ “We’ve shifted our market narrative to highlight [Differentiator X], helping us win against [Competitor Y] in 70% of head-to-head deals.”
Great PMMs don’t just create positioning—they embed it into the company’s DNA.
The Bottom Line
If PMM wants a seat at the executive table, it needs to speak the language of impact.
That means moving from:
🚫 “We built new messaging and assets.”
🚫 “We trained the sales team.”
🚫 “We supported a launch.”
To:
✅ “We’re accelerating revenue growth.”
✅ “We’re making sales more effective.”
✅ “We’re expanding our market share.”
✅ “We’re influencing the product roadmap.”
✅ “We’re defining how we win.”
When PMM leads with business impact, it stops being a support function and starts being a core driver of growth.