Your Marketing Org is Slow. Here’s a Framework to Move Faster.

Former Gusto marketing leader Jaleh Rezaei shares a six-step framework for how marketers can "get out of the basement" and start thinking speed-first.

TO GO FASTER, START BY UNDERSTANDING WHAT’S SLOWING YOU DOWN

“A common misconception is that speed is associated with sloppiness, lack of thought and low quality. But speed is not the same thing as running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Real speed is moving fast towards impact and learning. It’s moving as fast as possible towards the most important thing, based on clear directives,” says Rezaei.

If speed is the yin, the yang is prioritization. You can’t be fast if you don’t know what’s important.

Rezaei highlights some common indicators of a sluggish marketing team:

You’re not shipping. “If it’s been two weeks since we talked about a program and nothing’s live yet, that’s a bad sign. If we talk about launching an event program, we better have an MVP event within two weeks — something’s got to be live.”
Your goals are all long-term. “If the metrics for your program all say, ‘At the end of the quarter we’ll have this,’ that’s a red flag.”
Your team lacks new learnings. “If you ask, ‘What do we know this week that we didn’t know last week?’ there better be a new answer to that question.”
You’re too dependent on other teams. “Many leaders accept limitations that can actually be removed, especially when it comes to cross-functional dependencies.”

Move faster by getting out of the basement — especially if you don’t feel ready.

“Let’s say you want to create a new partner program. The team members start by doing analysis... I call this going into the basement — you hole up and suddenly three months have gone by before you’ve achieved any important learnings,” says Rezaei.

BORROW THESE SIX STRATEGIES TO SPEED UP YOUR OWN MARKETING TEAM

Put on your black hat to break down large problems. “The first step is a 90-minute meeting... Start with defining one big, inspiring statement.”
Lean into motion goals to get into that “ship it” mindset. “Instead of spending all your time building the perfect plan, the best thing you can do now is to try to ship something within one to two weeks.”
Obsess over weekly targets. “The biggest light-bulb moment for me was switching to weekly goals in every single program, no matter how new it was.”
Establish a biweekly learning meeting. “Every two weeks host a meeting where you try to codify learnings across the team.”
Pick the right tools — not just the shiniest tools. “Technology is a hugely important aspect of being fast — it’s the biggest enabler for speed once you hit scale.”
Make a decision on whether to go forward. “If after one quarter of iterating, you keep missing goals, consider if you should abandon the program.”

TROUBLESHOOTING FROM THE TOP: ANSWERS TO MARKETERS' THREE BURNING QUESTIONS

1. How do you get comfortable with mistakes?

“Mistakes are never going to feel good — but they’re a byproduct of speed, and you have to accept them.”

2. How do you align on speed across silos?

“Marketing has shifted to a point where, without technology... creating a sub-team within product and engineering dedicated to marketing.”

3. How do you hire for speed?

“When sifting through candidates for marketing roles, speed is not necessarily something that leaps out from a pile of resumes.”

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: HOW FOUNDERS CAN KEEP THEIR MARKETING TEAM MOVING QUICKLY

For founders, especially those without a robust marketing background, this function can feel like a black box. It’s okay to light a fire under marketing and expect results — but make sure you’ve given them the backup they need to achieve those goals.

To close us out, Rezaei offers tips on demanding leading indicators and considering off-ramps for programs, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and support for marketing teams.