“My CFO just asked what I could do with an incremental million dollars,” shared a surprised CMO from a $125 million tech firm. Yes, this did happen.

When CMOs Get the Million-Dollar Question

Let’s start by acknowledging the moment. This wasn’t a cost-cutting directive or a request to justify your brand budget. This was an investment question and an opportunity to accelerate growth. A question every CMO should be prepared to answer.

The problem? Many CMOs aren’t.

They hesitate. They go back to their teams. They start pulling together a deck. By the time they respond, the million has either vanished or been rerouted to Sales or Product.

Here’s the thing: the best CMOs already know how they’d spend it. They’ve got a short list of experiments already in market. They’ve tested a new vertical audience, piloted a post-sale nurture, or explored programmatic in new markets. They've soft-launched a CAB and are ready to expand it. They've seen what moves the needle and where the ROI starts to compound.

So when the CFO asks, they don’t speculate. They say, “Here’s what we’ve done, here’s what we’ve learned, and here’s how we’d scale it with a million-dollar boost.”

This is the CMO as investment strategist.

Choosing the Right Growth Bet With New Budget

But don’t just say yes. Start by understanding the ask. What’s the real goal? Why did they ask this question at this point? Is it about expansion revenue or net-new logos? What is their time horizon for spending the money and seeing the results?

Get clarity before you commit. Ask, “What outcome are you hoping to drive with this spend and by when?” Then tailor your recommendation to those expectations.

And don’t forget your CRO, even if you fear they'll want the money for more salespeople. You might co-develop a campaign to re-engage dormant accounts, launch a new product to existing customers, or generate opportunities in a segment Sales is eager to crack. To turn a $1 million into $10 million, you'll need complete alignment.

Also worth considering: you might not need the incremental dollars.

You read that right.

Sometimes the smarter move is to say, “Not now.” If your campaigns are performing but the sales team is at capacity, more leads won’t help. Maybe that money should go to hiring three new quota-carrying reps. Or accelerating a product enhancement that’s been stuck in backlog. The point is, you don’t always need to say yes to prove your value.

Saying no can be just as powerful as saying yes. You can say no strategically, confidently, and with the business in mind.

Because this isn’t about grabbing budget. It’s about showing the CFO that you think like they do. That you see marketing not just as a cost, but as a growth lever. That you can allocate capital with discipline and adjust based on outcomes.

Thinking Like a CFO Without Losing the CMO Lens

The next time your CFO asks, “What would you do with an extra million?” don’t get caught flat-footed.

Be ready. Be specific. Be aligned.

And most of all, be the kind of CMO who knows how to turn one million into many more.

Written by Drew Neisser