When do CMOs, CEOs, and Heads of Growth realize they need to invest in marketing? What sparks that “eureka moment” where they go from delaying decisions to actively searching for an agency? And what if you could get there first, before the competition?
From my running a CMO networking group for five years—as the only non-CMO in the room—I’ve heard firsthand what drives marketing investments and client priorities.
While the specific situations vary, three common “trigger events” consistently push companies to act:
- A new CMO wants to make their mark.
- A CEO demands results, often in response to declining sales or job pressure.
- Investors push for marketing expansion, frequently tied to a rebrand or growth initiative.
Most of these situations are reactive, not proactive—which means agencies that know how to monitor for these signals can position themselves for high-value opportunities. You tend to hear more if you’re the incumbent agency, which means non-incumbent agencies need to be on the ball.
If your agency wants to generate more leads from clients who are ready to buy, you need to track these trigger events and tailor your outreach accordingly. Let’s break down each event, how to recognize them, and how to turn them into new business.
1. A new CMO wants to make their mark
A newly hired CMO typically has a 6-12-month window to prove their impact. They want quick wins, and they often bring in new agencies to help them hit the ground running.
As the joke goes, they have three priorities: “hire someone, fire someone, and rearrange the furniture.” If you aren’t the incumbent, this can work to your advantage.
How to spot this
- Use Google Alerts for terms like “new CMO” combined with industries you serve.
- Follow industry press—public companies, startups, and funded scale-ups frequently announce executive hires. For instance, Christian Banach’s Next Big Win newsletter shares a weekly roundup of marketing executive hires.
- Monitor “new job” announcements on LinkedIn.
How to position your agency
- Congratulate them on their new role. A warm LinkedIn message or email can start a relationship before they even start seeking agency partners. Look for a way to deliver value, instead of getting lost in the flood of “congrats” messages.
- Highlight quick wins. Many CMOs will be reluctant to dive into a long-term, multi-million-dollar engagement right away. Offer a phased approach that delivers results fast.
- Position yourself as a strategic ally. New CMOs often need to navigate internal politics. Can your agency provide industry insights or benchmark data that help them build internal buy-in? This is especially helpful if the CMO is new to your industry.
2. The CEO is demanding results
Sometimes, a marketing leader is doing their best, but the CEO is growing impatient. Maybe sales are down, competition is increasing, or board members are asking tough questions. This came up during COVID—where CEOs were pressing the CMOs in my networking group, even when their customers weren’t interested.
A CEO’s pressure can turn a hesitant marketing leader into an urgent buyer of agency services—especially if they fear their own job security.
How to spot this
- Earnings reports & investor calls: Public companies often reveal weak sales or growth concerns in quarterly reports—signals that marketing investments may be on the horizon. You can read articles from investment analysts—or use generative AI to analyze financial reports.
- CEO transitions: A new CEO often means a shakeup in strategy, which can lead to agency hiring.
- Industry downturns: When an industry faces disruption, many companies scramble to improve their marketing to stay competitive.
How to position your agency
- Frame your agency as a solution to their pain. If sales are declining, highlight case studies where your agency helped turn things around.
- Be a resource, not just a vendor. Sometimes, a CMO needs external validation to convince their CEO to invest in marketing. Offer helpful insights they can pass along internally. Even if they take credit for “finding” the information, they know where it came from.
- Speed matters. If a CEO is pressuring a CMO, they don’t have time for a slow, exploratory sales process. Make it easy to start with a pilot project or quick assessment. Ideally, your Paid Discovery offering can fit on their corporate credit card.
3. Investors are pushing for better marketing
Private equity firms, venture capitalists, and other investors often play a behind-the-scenes role in marketing decisions. They may push for a rebrand, demand a stronger lead-gen strategy, or expect the company to scale faster.
For example, one CMO shared how their P.E. investor dictated that it was “time for a rebrand.” The investor provided a list of potential agencies—all of which quoted $1 million+ for the rebrand. One agency assumed nearly six figures just for their team to fly from London to the U.S. for meetings.
Rather than blindly following investor pressure, the CMO took a phased approach—outsourcing research and strategy but keeping production in-house—ultimately getting the project done for $300K plus salaried staff time. They awarded the deal to a local agency, but the P.E. firm was still happy—the company had taken action.
How to spot this
- Follow investment news: When a company raises a new funding round, they often have marketing budget increases tied to growth goals. If you work with fundraising-oriented clients, consider a subscription to CrunchBase.
- Track M&A activity: After an acquisition, the parent company often restructures branding and marketing. Leadership may be too afraid to take action—or eager to grab the life preserver your agency offers at just the right time.
- Monitor investor portfolios: Private equity firms often push multiple portfolio companies to expand their marketing efforts. If one company in a P.E. portfolio rebrands, others might follow. And if a client is happy with the results, the investor tends to tell other PortCo firms about the agency.
How to position your agency
- Understand investor priorities. Years ago, a client grumbled that their outside investor “only cares about money.” Indeed… that’s what investors do. Investors tend to focus on growth, scalability, and ROI. Tailor your messaging to show how your agency supports these goals.
- Offer strategic flexibility. Many companies face investor pressure but need to be smart with budgets. If you can propose modular solutions (e.g., starting with strategy before committing to a full campaign), you’ll gain trust.
- Build relationships with investors. If you can become a trusted partner to P.E. firms or VCs, they may refer you to multiple companies in their portfolio.
How to turn trigger events into new business
Knowing about these trigger events is one thing—acting on them is what leads to new clients. Here’s how you can systematize this in your agency:
1. Set up tracking tools
New CMOs and CEOs tend to get a lot of messages (I warn my clients about this, when they promote a key employee to become President or CEO of the agency). But… sometimes it’s someone you know already, or where you can get an intro.
- Use Google Alerts for key terms like “new CMO,” “CEO resignation,” “company rebrand,” and “Series B funding.”
- Subscribe to tools like Crunchbase Pro to track funding rounds and executive hires.
- Export your LinkedIn connections every few months and check for role changes.
2. Develop a proactive outreach plan
- When you spot a trigger event, reach out within a week or two—before competitors flood their inbox. But you might wait a day or so; emailing someone within minutes will seem desperate.
- Keep outreach warm and helpful, not salesy. A simple “Congrats on the new role! Our new research on <industry name> identified new growth opportunities in <intriguing area>. If you’d like a complimentary copy, what’s the best email address?” can open doors. If you need research, check out the training from Databox.
- If they show interest, offer a low-friction way to start—such as a short strategy workshop, audit, or other paid discovery.
3. Diversify your lead-gen strategy
These trigger-event tactics are powerful, but they work best as part of a diversified lead-gen strategy. Relying on just one approach puts your agency at risk of dry spells.
That’s why I created Diversify Your Lead-Gen Strategy—a training designed to help agencies build a more resilient pipeline. If you want to avoid feast-or-famine sales cycles, check it out!
Final thoughts on lead-gen via client changes
Client-side marketing investments tend to be reactionary, not proactive. But if your agency knows how to identify these “trigger moments” before the client starts actively searching, you can get ahead of competitors and win more deals.
Start tracking these signals, develop a system for outreach, and make sure your agency has a diversified lead-gen strategy—because when opportunity knocks, you want to be the first one at the door.
Question: How do you track major changes at clients in your target market, to spot opportunities before your competitors?
