Internal Positioning: Educating Executives on PMM Value

The CFO looked at me across the budget planning table and asked the question every PMM dreads: "What exactly do you do all day?"

I froze. I'd been crushing it for six months—launched three products, rebuilt the competitive program, doubled sales win rates against our main competitor. But in that moment, I couldn't articulate my value in a way that made sense to a finance executive.

I mumbled something about "positioning and messaging" and "cross-functional coordination." His eyes glazed over. Two weeks later, my headcount was cut.

Most PMMs lose budget battles not because their work doesn't matter, but because executives don't understand what PMM does. And honestly, can you blame them? Product builds features. Sales closes deals. Marketing generates leads. What does PMM do? "Strategic stuff." "Enablement." "Launches."

Those words mean nothing to executives who make budget decisions.

I've watched brilliant PMMs get their teams slashed because they couldn't explain their value in terms executives care about. And I've watched mediocre PMMs keep headcount because they knew how to position the function internally.

The difference isn't the quality of work—it's the quality of internal positioning.

Why Executives Don't Understand PMM

Here's what I learned after that budget meeting disaster: Executives understand functions that have clear, measurable outcomes. Sales has quota. Product has roadmap. Marketing has pipeline. Support has ticket resolution time.

PMM has... launches? Enablement? Messaging? These aren't outcomes. They're activities. And activities don't justify headcount.

The first mistake most PMMs make is trying to explain their role through tasks. "I write battle cards." "I create sales decks." "I coordinate launches." An executive hears that and thinks: "Why do we need a dedicated person for that? Can't Product do it? Or Marketing?"

I made this mistake for years. When asked what PMM does, I'd list responsibilities: competitive intelligence, positioning, messaging, launch coordination, sales enablement, analyst relations, pricing input...

The executive's mental response: "That's six different jobs. Which one actually matters?"

Here's the truth: Most executives at most companies have never worked with a strong PMM. They've seen mediocre product marketers who made decks and coordinated launches. They haven't seen PMM drive double-digit increases in win rates or turn a product nobody understood into one customers beg for.

So when you say "I do product marketing," they picture deck creation, not strategic impact. You're fighting their past experience, not your current reality.

That means you can't just explain what you do. You have to re-position the entire function in their minds.

The Moment I Figured Out Internal Positioning

After losing headcount, I joined a new company as their first PMM. I was determined not to repeat the mistake. On day one, I asked the CEO: "What do you think product marketing should do here?"

His answer: "Make decks and help sales."

I knew right then I had three months to change his mental model or I'd be the deck-maker forever.

I didn't write a single sales deck for the first 60 days. Instead, I did three things that completely repositioned PMM in the CEO's mind:

First, I fixed the biggest sales problem they had.

Sales was losing to the same competitor 70% of the time. I interviewed 15 sales reps, analyzed 20 competitive deals, and built a competitive response framework that gave sales a clear strategy for handling that competitor's strengths. Win rate against them went from 30% to 55% in eight weeks.

The CEO asked how we did it. The CRO said, "The PMM fixed it."

Suddenly, PMM wasn't "deck creation." It was "the person who fixes revenue problems."

Second, I connected PMM work directly to revenue metrics in every update.

I stopped saying "I launched a product." I started saying "The launch generated $1.2M in pipeline in 30 days."

I stopped saying "I created competitive battle cards." I started saying "Win rates improved 25% after rolling out the new competitive framework."

I stopped saying "I trained sales on new messaging." I started saying "Reps who completed the training closed deals 18% faster."

Every single update I sent to the CEO connected PMM activity to revenue outcomes. He started to see PMM as a revenue driver, not a cost center.

Third, I made the CEO look smart in front of his board.

The CEO had a board meeting and needed to explain our competitive strategy. I wrote a two-page brief on how we were positioning against competitors and winning deals we used to lose. He presented it verbatim. A board member said, "This is the clearest competitive strategy I've seen from any portfolio company."

After the meeting, the CEO called me. "That brief made me look good. What else can you help with?"

I'd just repositioned PMM from "makes decks" to "makes the CEO successful." That's the positioning that matters.

The Internal Positioning Framework That Works

Most PMMs try to position their function through explanation. "Let me tell you what PMM does." That doesn't work because executives don't care what you do—they care what problems you solve.

The positioning that works is problem-centric, not activity-centric.

Stop positioning PMM as "the team that does positioning and messaging." Start positioning PMM as "the team that solves these specific business problems."

Here are the problems executives actually care about:

Problem 1: Sales doesn't know how to sell

Manifestation: Long sales cycles, low win rates, reps can't articulate differentiation, lost deals to competitors.

How PMM solves it: Competitive intelligence, sales enablement, objection handling, demo frameworks, battle cards.

How to position it: "PMM increases sales effectiveness through competitive strategy and enablement. We've improved win rates by X% and reduced sales cycle time by Y days."

Problem 2: Product launches don't generate revenue

Manifestation: Product ships features, nobody buys them. Marketing can't message new products. Sales doesn't know what to sell.

How PMM solves it: Launch strategy, GTM planning, sales readiness, customer messaging, pricing validation.

How to position it: "PMM ensures launches drive pipeline and adoption. Our last three launches generated $XM in pipeline and Y% product adoption."

Problem 3: Nobody understands what we sell or why it matters

Manifestation: Prospects don't get it. Customers can't explain it. Sales gives different pitches. Website messaging is confusing.

How PMM solves it: Positioning, messaging frameworks, value prop development, customer storytelling.

How to position it: "PMM translates product value into language customers understand and sales can use. We've increased message comprehension by X% (measured through customer research)."

Problem 4: We don't know why we win or lose deals

Manifestation: Product doesn't know what to build. Sales doesn't know what to fix. No one knows if pricing is right.

How PMM solves it: Win/loss analysis, customer research, competitive analysis, market intelligence.

How to position it: "PMM provides market intelligence that informs product roadmap, pricing decisions, and competitive strategy. Our win/loss insights drove X product changes that improved retention by Y%."

Notice the difference? One is a description of activities. The other is a solution to a painful business problem.

Executives fund solutions to problems, not activities.

How to Position PMM When You're Building From Scratch

The hardest positioning challenge is when you're the first PMM. Executives don't know what PMM should do. They have vague expectations like "help with launches" or "make sales more effective."

If you just execute those vague requests, you'll be stuck doing whatever nobody else wants to do. You need to shape their expectations before they calcify into the wrong mental model.

Here's how I did it the last time I joined as the first PMM:

Week 1-2: Listening tour with a purpose

I interviewed the CEO, CRO, CMO, and VP Product. But I didn't ask "What do you want PMM to do?" That question gets you wishlists.

I asked: "What's the biggest GTM problem you're facing right now?"

The CRO said: "Sales loses to Competitor X constantly and we don't know why."

The CMO said: "Our messaging doesn't resonate. Prospects don't understand our differentiation."

The VP Product said: "We ship features nobody buys because we don't understand customer priorities."

The CEO said: "All of the above."

Week 3-4: Fix one high-impact problem

I ignored the wishlist of "help with everything." I picked the CRO's problem—losing to Competitor X—because it was urgent, measurable, and tied directly to revenue.

I spent two weeks on competitive research. I analyzed 25 lost deals. I interviewed 10 sales reps. I talked to 5 customers who chose Competitor X. I built a battle card that gave sales a clear strategy.

Then I ran a training session with sales on how to handle Competitor X. Win rates started improving within weeks.

Week 5-6: Report the impact in terms they care about

I didn't say "I created a competitive battle card."

I said: "We were losing 70% of competitive deals to Competitor X. I analyzed why, built a response strategy, and trained sales. Win rate against them is now 45% and trending higher. If this continues, it's worth $2M ARR this year."

The CEO's response: "This is what PMM should be doing."

I'd just repositioned PMM in his mind from "TBD" to "the person who fixes revenue problems we didn't know how to solve."

Week 7+: Expand from that foundation

Once I'd proven PMM could drive revenue impact, I had credibility to expand scope. I proposed building a launch framework (to solve the "launches don't generate pipeline" problem) and messaging architecture (to solve the "prospects don't understand us" problem).

The CEO approved both because I'd already proven PMM drives measurable outcomes, not just creates deliverables.

The Scripts That Position PMM Effectively

Most PMMs fumble when asked to explain their value because they don't have practiced answers. Here are the scripts I use:

When an executive asks: "What does PMM do?"

Bad answer: "We handle positioning, messaging, launches, competitive intel, and sales enablement."

Good answer: "PMM increases sales effectiveness and launch success. We make sure sales knows how to win deals and new products generate pipeline. Last quarter, our competitive program improved win rates 12% and our launch drove $1.8M in new pipeline."

When asked: "Why do we need a dedicated PMM?"

Bad answer: "Because Product and Marketing don't have time to do PMM work."

Good answer: "Because dedicated PMM focus drives measurable results. Companies with strong PMM teams see 15-20% higher win rates and 2x launch success rates compared to companies where PMM responsibilities are spread across Product and Marketing. We've seen that impact here—our win rates are up X% since establishing the PMM function."

When asked: "Can't Product or Marketing do this?"

Bad answer: "They could, but they don't have the skills."

Good answer: "They could try, but PMM requires different thinking than Product or Marketing. Product focuses inward on building. Marketing focuses on demand generation. PMM is the bridge—translating product value into sales tools and customer language. When companies try to split PMM work across Product and Marketing, critical work like competitive strategy and sales enablement falls through the cracks. That's what was happening here before we had dedicated PMM."

When asked: "What's the ROI of PMM?"

Bad answer: "It's hard to measure."

Good answer: "We measure PMM ROI through sales effectiveness and launch impact. Our competitive program improved win rates X%, which translates to $YM in additional revenue. Our launch programs generate $Z in pipeline per launch. Those are concrete returns on PMM investment."

Notice the pattern? Every answer connects PMM to revenue outcomes and business problems, not tasks.

What to Do When Executives Still Don't Get It

Sometimes, no matter how well you position PMM, an executive won't value the function. I've had CFOs who thought PMM was overhead and CMOs who thought PMM should just be part of Marketing.

When that happens, you have three options:

Option 1: Prove value through results they can't ignore

This is what I did with the CEO who thought PMM was "deck creation." I fixed the competitive problem so dramatically that he couldn't deny PMM's impact.

The risk: Takes time. You might lose headcount before you prove value.

The reward: If it works, you've permanently shifted their mental model.

Option 2: Find an executive sponsor who gets it

I've worked at companies where the CEO didn't value PMM but the CRO did. The CRO fought for PMM headcount because he saw how it improved sales performance.

Your best sponsor is whoever feels the most pain that PMM solves. If sales is struggling with competitive losses, the CRO is your ally. If Product doesn't know what to build, the VP Product is your ally.

Align yourself with that executive. Report your impact in ways that make them look good. When budget discussions happen, they'll fight for you.

Option 3: Leave

Some executives will never value PMM no matter what you do. I've worked at companies where the CEO saw PMM as "nice to have" even after we doubled win rates.

If you're at a company where leadership fundamentally doesn't value strategic product marketing, your career will stall. You'll be treated as support staff, not strategic. You'll lose budget battles. You won't get promoted.

Don't waste years trying to convince someone who doesn't want to be convinced. Go somewhere that values PMM from day one.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Internal Positioning

Most PMMs want to be recognized for the work they do. They want executives to "just understand" PMM value without having to sell it.

That's not how it works.

Every function has to position itself internally. Even Product has to justify headcount. Even Engineering has to prove ROI on infrastructure investments. The difference is, those functions have more obvious metrics.

PMM is harder to position because the work is cross-functional and the impact is indirect. You don't close deals (Sales does). You don't generate leads (Marketing does). You don't build features (Product does). You enable all of them to be more effective.

That's a harder story to tell. So you have to be better at telling it.

The PMMs who succeed at internal positioning aren't necessarily the best at the craft of product marketing. They're the best at connecting their work to outcomes executives care about. They're the best at making executives look good. They're the best at speaking the language of business impact, not task completion.

If you can't explain why PMM matters in 30 seconds to a CFO, you won't keep headcount when budgets get tight.

That's not fair. Your work might be exceptional. But if you can't position it effectively, it won't matter.

The good news? Internal positioning is a skill you can learn. Start connecting every piece of PMM work to revenue outcomes. Start solving high-visibility problems. Start making executives successful. Start measuring impact in ways they care about.

Do that for six months and watch how differently they treat your budget requests.

Or don't. Keep saying "I do positioning and messaging" when asked what you do. Keep wondering why executives don't value PMM.

The choice is yours.