Building Executive Relationships Fast as a New PMM

I made a critical mistake in my first executive meeting. The CEO asked what PMM's priorities were for the quarter. I launched into a detailed explanation of our positioning framework, competitive intelligence program, and launch calendar. His eyes glazed over. The CMO jumped in to summarize: "So basically, launches and enablement."

I'd spent 10 minutes explaining what I was doing. I should have spent 30 seconds explaining why it mattered to the business.

That meeting defined how the CEO saw PMM for the next year. Not as strategic. Not as business-critical. As "the team that handles launches and makes decks."

Most new PMMs think they have months to prove themselves. You don't. Executives form opinions about you in the first 30 days, and those opinions are hard to change. If they see you as tactical in month one, you'll fight that perception for your entire tenure.

I've joined companies as a new PMM four times. The first time, I tried to earn respect gradually by doing good work. It took me 18 months to build credibility with executives. The last time, I used a deliberate relationship-building strategy and had exec sponsorship within 60 days.

The difference wasn't the quality of my work. It was how intentionally I built relationships from day one.

Why the First 90 Days Matter More Than You Think

Here's what I learned after failing to build exec credibility my first time: Executives are busier than you. They won't notice your good work unless you make it impossible to miss.

They have hundreds of priorities. They're in back-to-back meetings. They're thinking about board updates, fundraising, competitive threats, revenue targets. Your positioning framework is not top of mind.

If you wait for them to notice your work, they won't. You have to actively build relationships and demonstrate value before their impression of you solidifies.

The brutal truth: In the first 90 days, executives are deciding whether PMM is strategic or tactical, whether you personally are a future leader or a career individual contributor, and whether they should invest in building a relationship with you.

They're making these decisions based on limited data:

• How you show up in meetings
• What problems you choose to solve first
• How you communicate about your work
• Whether you make their lives easier or harder

You don't get unlimited chances to shape that impression.

The Listening Tour That Actually Builds Relationships

Every new PMM does a "listening tour"—meetings with executives to understand their priorities. Most listening tours fail because PMMs treat them like information-gathering sessions instead of relationship-building opportunities.

I used to approach listening tours with questions like:

• "What are your goals for the year?"
• "What do you need from PMM?"
• "What's working well and what's not?"

These questions get you information, but they don't build relationships. The exec answers your questions, you thank them, you leave. They've now checked "meet the new PMM" off their list and won't think about you again until something goes wrong.

Here's what works better. Instead of just gathering information, I now use listening tours to:

1. Demonstrate that I understand their business, not just PMM

Before every listening tour meeting, I research:

• What metrics they're accountable for
• Recent challenges in their area (from Slack, all-hands notes, board updates)
• Strategic initiatives they're driving

Then in the meeting, I don't ask "what are your goals?" I say: "I saw in the last board update that you're focused on reducing CAC by 20% this year. I'm thinking about how PMM can contribute—better messaging could improve campaign conversion, competitive positioning could increase win rates, pricing work could improve deal efficiency. Which of those would have the most impact on your CAC goal?"

Now we're not talking about my listening tour. We're talking about their goal and how I can help them achieve it. That's a relationship-building conversation.

2. Identify a problem I can solve in the next 30 days

Every exec has a current pain point. In listening tours, I ask: "What's the most frustrating problem you're dealing with right now that you think PMM could help with?"

The CRO might say: "Sales keeps losing to Competitor X and we don't understand why."

The CMO might say: "Our message testing shows prospects don't understand our differentiation."

The VP Product might say: "Customer feedback is scattered across Slack, support tickets, and sales calls—we don't have a systematic way to aggregate it."

I pick one problem per exec that I can make visible progress on within 30 days. Then I report back: "Remember you mentioned the Competitor X problem? I analyzed 15 lost deals and found the pattern. Here's what we're losing on and here's what I recommend we do."

Now I'm not just the new PMM who asked questions. I'm the person who solved a problem that was keeping them up at night.

3. Ask for their advice, not just their input

People invest more in people they've advised. When I ask an executive "What would you do in my situation?" or "How would you approach this problem?" they think through my challenge and become invested in my success.

At the end of listening tours, I now ask: "Given what you know about the business and what I've shared about my priorities, what would you focus on first if you were in my shoes?"

This does two things:

• I get genuinely valuable strategic advice
• The exec is now mentally invested in whether I succeed at the thing they recommended

When I report back 30 days later that I took their advice and it worked, they feel ownership of that success. That builds relationship fast.

The Quick Wins That Build Credibility

Most new PMMs try to tackle big strategic initiatives first. Launch a major positioning refresh. Build a comprehensive competitive program. Redesign the entire sales enablement framework.

These are important, but they take months. And executives won't wait months to decide if you're valuable.

The PMMs who build exec credibility fast focus on quick wins—small projects that demonstrate strategic thinking and drive measurable impact within 30-60 days.

Here's what I did at my last company:

Week 1-2: Listening tours (8-10 meetings with execs and their direct reports)

Asked about current pain points. Identified three problems I could solve fast:

1. Sales losing to a specific competitor (CRO's pain)
2. Messaging confusion (CMO's pain)
3. Product launches not generating expected pipeline (CEO's pain)

Week 3-4: Pick one problem and solve it visibly

I chose the competitive problem because it was urgent, measurable, and I could show impact fast.

I interviewed 10 sales reps who'd recently lost to that competitor. I analyzed the competitor's positioning, pricing, and customer reviews. I identified three specific objections we weren't handling well.

I created a one-page battle card addressing those objections and trained the sales team in a 30-minute session.

Week 5-6: Measure and report impact

I tracked competitive deals for two weeks. Win rate against that competitor went from 32% to 48%. Sample size was small (15 deals) but the trend was clear.

I reported this to the CRO in a Slack message: "Update on Competitor X: After the battle card and training, we're seeing 48% win rate vs. 32% before. Early data, but trending well. Will keep tracking and refine as we learn more."

The CRO forwarded my message to the CEO with "This is the kind of impact we hired PMM for."

Result: Within 6 weeks, the CEO and CRO saw PMM as a team that solves revenue problems, not just coordinates launches. That changed how they engaged with me for the rest of my time there.

The pattern:

1. Identify a painful, visible problem
2. Solve it in 30-60 days
3. Measure the impact
4. Report the results in business terms
5. Move to the next quick win

Three quick wins in 90 days and you've built more credibility than most PMMs build in a year.

The Communication Patterns That Build Trust

Most new PMMs communicate with executives reactively. They wait to be asked questions, respond to requests, present when scheduled.

The PMMs who build relationships fast communicate proactively in ways that make executives more successful.

Communication pattern 1: Share insights before being asked

Every week, I send a short update to key executives with one market insight they wouldn't otherwise see:

"Saw an interesting pattern in this week's win/loss interviews: 3 of 5 lost deals mentioned Competitor X's new partnership with [Company Y]. Sales didn't know about it. I've updated battle cards and will brief the team Friday. Wanted to flag in case it comes up in board discussions."

This does three things:

• Keeps me top of mind
• Positions me as a source of valuable market intelligence
• Makes the exec look informed when the topic comes up elsewhere

Communication pattern 2: Make executives look good to their stakeholders

I look for opportunities to help executives succeed in their most important contexts:

The CEO has board meetings monthly. Before each one, I ask: "Anything related to competitive positioning, market trends, or customer feedback that would be useful for your board update?"

Then I create a one-pager synthesizing recent insights. The CEO can use it verbatim or just have the context. Either way, I've made their board prep easier.

The CRO has quarterly business reviews with sales leadership. I proactively send a deck on competitive win/loss trends, messaging effectiveness, and enablement impact.

When you make executives successful in their most visible moments, they remember you.

Communication pattern 3: Bring solutions, not just problems

I never bring a problem to an executive without at least one proposed solution.

Bad: "Our competitive positioning isn't resonating with enterprise buyers."

Good: "Our competitive positioning isn't resonating with enterprise buyers—I've talked to 10 lost deals and they all mention the same gap. I see two options: (1) adjust positioning to address the gap, which takes 2-3 weeks, or (2) build a separate enterprise-specific positioning, which takes 4-6 weeks. I recommend option 1 because it's faster and addresses 80% of the issue. Thoughts?"

Executives are drowning in problems. They appreciate people who bring solutions.

The Relationships You Build Outside Meetings

Most relationship-building advice focuses on meeting time. But you have limited time in meetings with executives. The relationships you build outside meetings matter just as much.

Strategy 1: Become a source they reference

I keep a running document of market intelligence, customer insights, and competitive updates. When executives need information, I'm the person they Slack.

"Anyone know why we lost the [Company X] deal?" → I respond with the win/loss analysis and competitive context.

"What are customers saying about [feature]?" → I share recent customer research quotes.

Over time, I become the go-to source for market context. That builds relationship even when we're not in meetings.

Strategy 2: Connect dots they can't see

Executives see their function but don't always see cross-functional patterns. PMM sits in the middle and sees everything.

When I notice patterns, I connect them:

"Noticed Product is building [feature X] and Sales just told me it's their #1 request in enterprise deals. Want to make sure we're coordinated on messaging when it launches. I'll set up time with both teams to align."

I'm not asking for anything. I'm just connecting dots and creating alignment. That makes me valuable.

Strategy 3: Celebrate their wins publicly

When an exec achieves something significant, I make sure to acknowledge it:

In Slack after a big partnership announcement: "Congrats on the [Partnership] announcement! This is going to give us a huge competitive edge. Already thinking about how to leverage it in positioning and enablement."

Public recognition costs nothing and builds goodwill.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Executive Relationships

Most new PMMs want executives to respect their expertise and listen to their strategic recommendations. They think earning that respect happens gradually as they prove themselves through good work.

That's not how it works.

Executives decide whether to invest in a relationship with you in the first 30 days. If they see you as tactical, they'll treat you as tactical no matter how strategic your work actually is. If they see you as strategic, they'll engage with you strategically even if your work is still developing.

The perception matters more than the reality in those first weeks.

That means you have to be deliberate about shaping perception from day one:

• Show you understand their business, not just PMM
• Solve a painful problem fast and make the impact visible
• Communicate proactively in ways that make them successful
• Position yourself as a source of strategic insight, not just execution

Do this for 90 days and you'll have executive relationships that make the rest of your tenure dramatically easier.

Or don't. Spend your first 90 days quietly doing good work and hoping executives notice. Wonder why they don't engage with you strategically after a year.

The executives who become your champions aren't the ones who noticed your good work organically. They're the ones where you deliberately built a relationship from day one.

That feels transactional. It is. But it's also how organizational dynamics work at every company.

You can wish executives would just recognize good work without you having to actively build relationships. Or you can accept that relationship building is part of the job and be strategic about it.

The PMMs who build executive relationships fast aren't necessarily the best at the craft of product marketing. They're the best at understanding organizational dynamics and positioning themselves for success.

Learn to build relationships deliberately. Start in your first week. Make it a priority equal to learning the product or understanding the market.

Or don't. Spend your first year proving your competence through work quality alone. Watch other PMMs who came in after you build exec relationships faster and get promoted past you.

Your choice.