Your First 90 Days as a Marketing Leader: A Playbook That Won’t Let You Drown

One of the most common questions I get from clients is: “When you come in as a fractional GTM leader, what do the first 90 days look like?”

It’s a fair question. The first three months are where you either set the foundation for growth…or you flail around trying to look busy.

So, I built a simple tool. It’s not perfect, it’s not comprehensive, but it’s the same framework I’ve used personally as a CMO and now with clients. Whether you’re a first-time CMO, a VP, or just stepping into your first Director of Marketing seat, this will help you get your bearings fast.

Let’s break it down.

👉 Download the template here

1. Audit the Stack (a.k.a. “Find Free Money”)

Step one is running a full audit of the marketing stack.

• Are you paying for tools no one is actually using?

• Do you have multiple platforms that overlap in functionality?

• Are the tools you do have being fully utilized?

This is the fastest way to look like a hero. If you can walk into the CFO’s office and say, “Hey, I just found $100K in annual savings by cutting three platforms no one’s touched in six months”, you immediately build credibility.

2. Establish a Performance Baseline

Next, you’ve got to know your numbers. High-level metrics are fine at first:

• Leads (or signups, or trials…whatever you measure against)

• Spend by channel

• Cost per lead / cost per closed-won

• Pipeline generated and qualified

• Conversion rates at each stage

The key here isn’t perfection—it’s clarity. Find out what ROI metric matters most to the company (CAC payback? LTV? Cosed/Won?) and align your reporting around that.

3. Assess the Team (Without Firing Everyone)

This isn’t a witch hunt. It’s about understanding:

• What resources do they have?

• Where are the skill gaps?

• Can they be leveled up with training, or do you truly need someone more senior in the role?

Sometimes the right call is coaching. Other times it’s hiring. Occasionally, it’s making the hard call to move someone out. But the point is to build a team capable of running a real demand gen engine.

4. Align on the ICP (For Real This Time)

Almost every company thinks they know their ideal customer profile. Ask sales, marketing, and product separately—you’ll usually get three different answers.

If you get the same answer across the board, congratulations. You’re a unicorn. For everyone else, this is the time to drive alignment. Just as important: define who is not your ICP. Otherwise, you’ll burn budget bringing in leads that clog the funnel and never convert.

5. Prioritize Channels

I built a prioritization matrix into the tool because this is where most teams get scattered. The questions are simple:

• What’s working today that we should double down on?

• What’s worth testing next?

• How much lift does each channel require?

• What’s the growth potential?

At the end, pick your top three priorities. Rank them. Time-box them. If everything is “priority 1A,” nothing’s a priority.

6. Track Implementation (and Make It a Team Sport)

I also included a tracker for initiatives and objectives. The goal here isn’t micromanagement—it’s visibility. Who owns what? What’s the target date? Are we ahead, behind, or at risk?

Don’t fill this out alone. Each owner should update their line. That way you can spend your time focusing on blockers instead of chasing status updates.

7. Measure Performance, Pacing, and Economics

Finally, track results. Keep a running view of:

• Spend vs. plan

• Leads, MQLs, SQLs, closed-won vs. projection

• Unit economics (CPL, CAC, ROI, etc.)

At any point, you should be able to see if you’re on pace or falling behind—and whether you need to course-correct.

Wrapping It Up

The first 90 days aren’t about solving every problem. They’re about establishing a clear foundation—understanding the stack, aligning on ICP, knowing your numbers, setting priorities, and building a team that can execute.

This framework isn’t perfect, but it’s proven. It’ll keep you from drowning, give you a quick win or two, and set you up for bigger wins in months 4–12.