Coalition Building: Creating PMM Allies Across Functions

I tried to change our competitive positioning alone. I had data showing our current positioning was losing us enterprise deals. I had customer research proving a new positioning would resonate better. I had win/loss analysis quantifying the revenue impact.

I presented it to the CMO. She said no. She liked the current positioning and didn't want to change it.

That should have been the end of it. Her call, her authority.

But six weeks later, we changed the positioning—exactly as I'd recommended. Not because I convinced the CMO. Because I'd built a coalition that made the change inevitable.

I'd gotten the CRO on board by showing him how positioning changes would improve win rates. I'd gotten the VP Product aligned by demonstrating how it better showcased product differentiation. I'd gotten three sales leaders advocating for it because their reps were losing deals with the current messaging.

By the time I circled back to the CMO, I wasn't asking her to approve a PMM recommendation. I was presenting a cross-functional consensus she could either join or be the only executive blocking.

She approved the change.

That's coalition building. You can't always influence through authority or data alone. Sometimes you need allies who benefit from your success and will advocate for your initiatives when you're not in the room.

Most PMMs try to succeed alone. They build great strategies, present solid recommendations, and get frustrated when stakeholders don't immediately align. The PMMs who actually drive change understand that organizational change requires coalitions, not just good ideas.

Why PMM Needs Coalition Building More Than Other Roles

Most functions have natural authority in their domain. Product decides what gets built. Sales decides what gets sold. Marketing decides campaign strategy.

PMM has responsibility but limited authority. You're accountable for launches, positioning, and enablement, but you depend on other teams to execute. You can't force Product to adopt your positioning. You can't mandate that Sales use your messaging. You can't require Marketing to run campaigns your way.

Your influence comes from coalitions—groups of stakeholders who want you to succeed because your success helps them achieve their goals.

I learned this when I tried to implement a win/loss interview program. I pitched it to leadership as "market intelligence that informs strategy." They said it sounded valuable but not urgent. Low priority.

It would have died there. But I didn't give up—I built a coalition:

Sales Operations wanted it because they needed data on why deals were being lost to optimize sales process.

Product wanted it because they needed customer feedback on competitive gaps to inform roadmap.

Marketing wanted it because they needed to understand messaging effectiveness.

Customer Success wanted it because they wanted to learn from churned customers.

I aligned each team separately, showing how win/loss data would help them hit their specific goals. Then I went back to leadership with a different pitch: "Sales Ops, Product, Marketing, and CS are all aligned on implementing a win/loss program. PMM will coordinate it. We just need executive approval to formalize the process."

Suddenly it wasn't a PMM initiative. It was a cross-functional program with multiple stakeholders invested. Leadership approved it immediately.

Same initiative, different coalition, different outcome.

The Coalition-Building Mistakes That Fail

Most PMMs approach coalition building wrong. They try to get everyone to agree with their recommendation. That almost never works because different stakeholders have different priorities.

Mistake 1: Asking for blanket support

Bad coalition building: "I think we should change our positioning. Do you agree?"

If they disagree, you've learned nothing and built no coalition. If they agree passively, they won't actively support you.

Good coalition building: "I'm proposing a positioning change. Here's how it would help you: [specific benefit to their goals]. Would you support this in leadership discussions if the data proves it works?"

Now you're building a transactional alliance. They get something (helps their goals), you get something (their advocacy).

Mistake 2: Building coalitions during the decision

Most PMMs wait until they need support to start building coalitions. They walk into a meeting hoping to convince everyone in real-time.

That rarely works. By the time you're presenting, stakeholders have already formed opinions.

The coalitions that work are built before the decision:

• Individual conversations where you understand their concerns
• Advance alignment on the proposal
• Addressing objections before the group discussion

By the time you're formally presenting, you've already secured support from key stakeholders. The meeting is just formalizing a decision you've already built consensus around.

Mistake 3: Trying to coalition-build with everyone

You don't need everyone's support. You need support from stakeholders whose opinion matters for this specific decision.

For positioning changes: CMO, CRO, and VP Product matter. Finance doesn't.

For launch timing: Product and Sales matter. Legal usually doesn't.

For pricing changes: Finance, Product, and Sales matter. Marketing is often just informed.

Identify whose support you need, and focus coalition-building there. Don't waste energy trying to get every stakeholder aligned.

The Three-Step Coalition Building Process

Here's the process I use now for any initiative that requires cross-functional support:

Step 1: Map stakeholders and their incentives

Before building a coalition, understand who makes the decision and what they care about.

For a recent pricing change initiative, I mapped:

Decision-makers:

• CFO (cares about revenue, margin)
• VP Product (cares about adoption, competitive positioning)
• CRO (cares about sales effectiveness, deal velocity)

Influencers:

• Sales leaders (will implement changes, provide feedback)
• CS leaders (manage customer impact of pricing changes)

Informed:

• Marketing (updates messaging)
• Engineering (not impacted)

I focused coalition-building on the three decision-makers. Influencers got involved for input. Informed stakeholders were looped in after the decision.

Step 2: Align stakeholders individually before group discussions

I never present a major initiative cold in a group meeting. I align stakeholders one-on-one first.

For the pricing change:

Week 1: CFO alignment

I showed revenue modeling: "Current pricing leaves $2M on the table annually. This change captures that revenue with minimal risk. ROI is clear."

CFO bought in but wanted risk analysis. I added that to the proposal.

Week 2: VP Product alignment

I showed competitive analysis: "Our pricing is 30% below competitors for enterprise. We're undercharging and signaling lower value. This change aligns us with market positioning."

VP Product bought in but wanted to ensure it didn't hurt adoption. I showed data that adoption is driven by value, not price at our levels.

Week 3: CRO alignment

I showed sales impact: "Current pricing forces reps to justify low prices. New pricing lets them sell value instead. Early testing with three reps shows 20% faster deal velocity."

CRO bought in but wanted to phase the rollout. I incorporated that into the proposal.

Week 4: Present to leadership as a group

By the time I presented formally, I had:

• CFO approval (with risk analysis addressed)
• VP Product approval (with adoption concerns addressed)
• CRO approval (with phased rollout plan)

The "group discussion" was just formalizing what I'd already aligned individually.

Step 3: Activate your coalition when needed

The value of a coalition isn't just initial approval. It's ongoing advocacy.

After the pricing change was approved, I asked each stakeholder how they'd like to be involved in execution. The CRO wanted to brief sales leaders. The CFO wanted to review success metrics monthly. The VP Product wanted to monitor impact on adoption.

I gave them each a role that aligned with their interests. Now they were invested in making the initiative succeed, not just approving it.

When questions came up later about whether the pricing change was working, my coalition defended it before I had to. The CRO cited improved sales velocity. The CFO cited revenue impact. The VP Product cited stable adoption rates.

That's the power of coalitions. Once stakeholders are invested, they advocate for the initiative without you having to ask.

The Strategic Alliances That Matter Most for PMM

Not all alliances are equal. Some relationships give you far more leverage than others.

Alliance 1: Sales Operations

Sales Ops controls CRM data, sales process, and sales enablement infrastructure. If you want to measure PMM impact, you need Sales Ops as an ally.

I built this alliance by:

• Helping Sales Ops analyze pipeline data for their QBRs
• Giving them early access to competitive intel that affected deal forecasts
• Collaborating on sales enablement measurement

When I needed custom CRM fields to track PMM impact, Sales Ops expedited it. When I needed data for a headcount request, Sales Ops provided analysis. The alliance paid off repeatedly.

Alliance 2: A VP or C-level executive who values PMM

You need at least one executive champion. Ideally the CRO, CMO, or VP Product.

I built this by:

• Solving high-visibility problems for them (competitive losses, messaging confusion, launch failures)
• Making them successful in their most important moments (board meetings, QBRs)
• Positioning PMM work in terms of their goals (revenue, adoption, efficiency)

When budget season came, my executive champion fought for PMM headcount. When I proposed strategic initiatives, they sponsored them. When I needed cross-functional alignment, they helped break ties.

One executive champion is worth ten peer-level supporters.

Alliance 3: Product Managers who see PMM as partners, not overhead

Most PMs see PMM as "the launch team." The ones who see PMM as strategic partners are gold.

I built these alliances by:

• Bringing them customer research insights that informed their roadmap
• Making their launches more successful through better positioning and sales enablement
• Defending their decisions when Sales pushed for different priorities

When I needed Product to adopt new positioning, these PMs championed it internally. When I needed product input for competitive analysis, they prioritized it. When launches ran into issues, they problem-solved with me instead of blaming PMM.

Alliance 4: Top-performing sales reps

Sales leaders matter, but top reps have influence too. If they adopt your messaging, battlecards, or strategies and win more deals, other reps follow.

I built these alliances by:

• Creating competitive strategies specifically for their deals
• Testing new messaging with them before broad rollout
• Featuring their wins in enablement sessions

When I proposed new sales enablement frameworks, top reps vouched for them. When I needed feedback on messaging, they gave detailed input. When sales leadership questioned PMM value, top reps cited specific wins PMM enabled.

When Coalitions Aren't Enough

Sometimes, despite building perfect coalitions, initiatives still fail. Usually because:

Politics overrule logic

You've built cross-functional alignment, but one powerful executive kills the initiative because it threatens their domain or contradicts their past decisions.

In that case, coalition building won't help. You need either an executive champion who can override them, or you need to let the initiative die and focus elsewhere.

Coalition members don't have actual authority

You've built support among directors and VPs, but the C-suite doesn't care what they think.

In that case, you need to rebuild your coalition one level higher. Get C-level support before engaging lower-level stakeholders.

The initiative requires resources nobody has

You've built support for a program that requires budget, headcount, or engineering resources that don't exist.

In that case, coalition building creates consensus but can't create resources. Either find a cheaper version of the initiative or wait until resources are available.

Coalition building amplifies influence, but it doesn't override resource constraints or political realities.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Coalition Building

Most PMMs want to succeed on merit. They think: "If I build great strategy and show clear ROI, stakeholders will support me."

That's rarely enough.

Organizational change requires stakeholder buy-in, which requires building relationships and understanding what others care about.

The PMMs who drive change aren't necessarily the best strategists. They're the ones who understand that:

• No initiative succeeds without stakeholder support
• Stakeholders support things that help them achieve their goals
• Building coalitions before you need them is easier than scrambling during decisions
• Ongoing alliances matter more than one-time approvals

That feels political. It is. But it's also realistic.

You can wish that good ideas succeed on merit alone. Or you can accept that organizational change requires building coalitions and get strategic about it.

The PMMs who build coalitions deliberately are the ones who actually drive change. The ones who go it alone are the ones whose great ideas die in Google Docs.

Start building alliances now:

• Identify whose support you need for your priorities
• Understand what they care about
• Find ways to help them achieve their goals
• Align individually before group decisions
• Activate your coalition when needed

Do that consistently and watch how much more you accomplish.

Or don't. Keep presenting great ideas in meetings and hoping people align on the spot. Wonder why your initiatives never get traction.

Your choice.