Senior marketers say the most important quality/ability of a successful CMO is to be the voice of the customer at the leadership table, according to recent research from The CMO Survey.

The report was based on data from a survey conducted in July and August 2017 among 349 senior marketers (92% VP-level or higher) in the United States.

Some 16.5% of respondents rank being the voice of the customer as a quality/ability that makes a CMO most effective (participants were allowed to pick their top three choices).

Other qualities/abilities seen as being important include having an enterprisewide business mindset/understanding, being able to demonstrate the quantitative impact of marketing efforts, and playing a key role in company growth initiatives.