Marketing and Sales

Many CTO that I spoke to are actively involved in marketing products and services. These CTOs recognize that some products are so technically sophisticated that explaining them to the trade media requires a technical representative. The technology leaders are constantly involved in sharing their experiences in trade media events. In fact, they become marketing spokespeople for products and services in organizations. CTOs have an inherent ability to sound natural and be recognized as sophisticated technical experts that explain the technical elements. CTO becomes a de facto member of the extended marketing and business development staff. (36)

As the CTO continues to spend more time with sales and marketing departments, it also connects the CTO to the customer's need of the product. This type of mapping requires regular and detailed interactions with customers and the marketplace creates a much more adoptable and robust CTO. Working with the sales and marketing departments also insures that the CTO remains rooted in the customers' need for the product, rather than the technical sophistication of the product. Making this mapping requires regular and detailed interactions with customers and the marketplace.

This perspective is supported by Michael Wolfe of Kana Communications who says that, "Creating a product is mapping what a customer needs to what you can build." (2)

In front of clients, CTOs are "external-facing technologists" who focus his/her efforts on using technology to provide better products and services to external customers or clients. (5)