When Marketing Feels Off: A Strategic Framework for Diagnosing What's Really Broken
Marketing misalignment often signals deeper structural issues, not just tactical missteps. Whether the challenge lies in product positioning, messaging, or demand generation, diagnosing the true source is essential for unlocking sustainable growth. Strategic clarity enables teams to shift from reactive fixes to commercially grounded transformation.
The Instinct That Something Isn't Working
Every business leader has experienced that nagging feeling - growth has plateaued, campaigns aren't converting and something fundamental feels misaligned in the marketing function. Yet pinpointing the actual problem proves remarkably difficult. Is it messaging? Demand generation? Product-market fit? Or something deeper in the business model itself?
The real challenge lies in telling the difference between symptoms and root causes. Too often, organisations apply small fixes to issues that actually demand fundamental transformation. At the same time, some attempt large-scale change when more focused improvements would be enough.
Dani Smallbone, who recently appeared on an episode of the Spotlight on B2B Marketing podcast, brings a diagnostic lens honed through years of transforming marketing functions at scale-ups from early stage through to £40 million ARR. Her approach centres on identifying the precise intervention point that will unlock genuine growth rather than merely treating surface symptoms.
The Three-Spike Diagnostic Framework
Marketing dysfunction rarely announces itself clearly. Instead, it manifests through missed targets, misaligned teams and strategies that somehow never quite gain traction. Dani's diagnostic framework examines three critical areas where problems typically originate.
The first spike explores product marketing fundamentals - whether the organisation truly understands who they're selling to, what problems they're solving` and how they're differentiated. Many stalled marketing functions trace back to unclear positioning or products that aren't genuinely scalable beyond initial markets.
The second examines brand messaging and whether it resonates with the intended audience. Even strong products fail when messaging doesn't connect with buyer needs or when different teams tell inconsistent stories about value.
The third investigates demand generation mechanics - the systems, processes and capabilities required to create predictable pipeline. This encompasses everything from channel strategy to lead qualification approaches to sales and marketing alignment.
Karen Lloyd, host of the Spotlight on B2B Marketing podcast, notes the importance of this systematic approach in her work with marketing leaders who often struggle to articulate precisely where their challenges originate.
When Products Aren't Actually Scalable
One of the toughest diagnostic outcomes is realising that marketing alone cannot fix the problem because the business model itself has limits. Dani's climate tech case study illustrates this perfectly - initial diagnostics revealed that the target market would be too constrained by regulatory barriers to support long-term growth ambitions.
The solution required pivoting the entire business strategy rather than improving marketing tactics. The company repositioned to target a very small number of global customers with extraordinarily high annual contract values - a completely different business model that marketing insights informed but marketing alone couldn't implement.
As Dani explains in the Spotlight on B2B Marketing podcast, “Growth is a team sport. You’ve got to have the right product and a market that can scale.” Karen reinforces this point: “That’s why a systematic lens matters, it helps leaders see when the issue is deeper than marketing tactics.”
These examples underscore a critical principle: marketing cannot be the sole engine of growth. Growth is fundamentally a team sport requiring alignment across product, sales, marketing and executive leadership.
From Service Provider to Strategic Partner
A clear signal that marketing needs transformation is when it’s treated as a service provider rather than a strategic partner. As Dani explains in the Spotlight on B2B Marketing podcast, “You can be great at marketing, but unless you’re aligned with the commercial aims of the business, it’s not impactful.”
Her med tech example illustrates this shift. The team delivered strong engagement metrics, but they were not connected to revenue outcomes. The transformation came from reframing success around commercial metrics such as retention, churn, lifetime value and acquisition cost rather than vanity metrics. As Karen notes, “That is the moment marketing stops being a campaign engine and starts driving business strategy.”
This evolution requires CMOs to act as diplomats and educators, building shared objectives with product and revenue leaders. Only then does marketing move from execution to shaping growth.
The Diagnostic Questions for Business Leaders
When CEOs sense something isn't right with marketing, three practical questions provide starting points for diagnosis. First, acknowledge the instinct itself - if something feels misaligned, that intuition deserves exploration rather than dismissal. Second, look for evidence beyond the feeling - specific indicators that narrow down which area needs attention.
Third, assess fundamental alignment across the organisation. Does strategy align throughout the business? Do teams share the same objectives and key results? Can leadership articulate precisely how the commercial funnel operates at each stage? Are C-suite leaders collaborating effectively rather than operating in silos?
Gaps in these foundational areas signal transformation needs rather than tactical fixes. Early-stage companies face different challenges than established businesses - the former often struggle with establishing repeatable processes whilst the latter may need to disrupt entrenched patterns that no longer serve growth objectives.
Marketing transformation ultimately enables teams to move from executing campaigns to driving business strategy - positioning the function as essential to sustainable growth rather than a cost centre producing vanity metrics.
What Can Marketing Leaders Implement for Their Teams?
The diagnostic frameworks and transformation insights present significant opportunities for marketing leaders to strengthen team performance and position the function strategically. Here are key implementations for building more effective marketing organisations:
Establish clear connections between marketing activities and commercial outcomes by building comprehensive funnel metrics that track how each stage impacts revenue, retention and customer lifetime value. This requires marketing operations specialists who can translate campaign performance into business impact, working closely with finance and sales operations to ensure consistent measurement approaches. Consider whether your team has the analytical capabilities needed or if upskilling or strategic hires would accelerate this transformation.
Develop diagnostic capabilities within the marketing function to regularly assess whether challenges stem from positioning, messaging or demand generation mechanics. Create quarterly review processes that examine these three spikes systematically, involving cross-functional stakeholders from product and sales. This diagnostic mindset helps marketing leaders move from reactive problem-solving to proactive strategy development, positioning them as business partners rather than service providers.
Build strategic alignment mechanisms with product and revenue leaders through shared objectives, collaborative planning processes and regular strategic reviews that go beyond tactical campaign updates. The most effective growth engines emerge when CMOs, Chief Product Officers and Chief Revenue Officers operate as a cohesive strategic trio, each bringing distinct perspectives to business challenges. This may require restructuring meeting cadences, establishing new communication forums, or even bringing in facilitation support to build these relationships.
Invest in continuous learning and mentoring structures that keep marketing teams connected to evolving best practices whilst developing the commercial acumen required for strategic contribution. Whether through formal mentoring relationships, peer learning groups, or bringing in fractional expertise during transformation periods, the most effective marketing teams commit to ongoing capability development. This becomes particularly crucial when scaling teams rapidly or entering new markets where fresh perspectives and specialised knowledge accelerate learning curves.
Marketing transformation ultimately enables teams to move from executing campaigns to driving business strategy - positioning the function as essential to sustainable growth rather than a cost centre producing vanity metrics.
Karen Lloyd, February 2026
About Karen Lloyd
As the founder and director behind our recruitment approach, I bring almost 30 years of unique expertise spanning both recruitment and marketing. Having placed my first candidate in 1996, I've since built 5 start-ups, served as a Board Director for 25 years and developed recruitment strategies that work in competitive talent markets.
I'm also the host of "Spotlight on B2B Marketing", where I explore B2B marketing trends with industry leaders. My passion lies in helping global businesses grow their revenue-generating teams through strategic hiring and fractional CMO services.
About Armstrong Lloyd
Armstrong Lloyd goes above and beyond being a pure search firm - we partner with your business because we have all stood in your shoes as experienced hiring managers, marketing and operational business leaders. We have a hidden network that goes beyond LinkedIn searches, adverts, or referrals from ex-colleagues to ensure you're getting the top 1% of talent.
Whether you need interim leadership, marketing team building, or executive search across the UK and beyond, the team at Armstrong Lloyd are here to ensure you reach your commercial business goals by building the best marketing team and strategy to give you a competitive advantage.
Ready to transform your marketing team? Let's talk about how we can help you hire the right talent at the right time.
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