The smartest CMOs plan for uncertainty

Agility is the fastest way to stay ahead when capacity drops

Across the UK software market, marketing teams are shifting faster and faster. Restructures, budget reviews and headcount freezes have left many CMOs facing the same challenge: how to keep delivering when your commitments to partners, campaigns and budgets don’t disappear - but your resources do.

Balancing day-to-day activity with high-value projects that drive real ROI has become a constant juggling act. The result? Teams running on empty and having to work harder instead of smarter. Pair that with the perpetual challenge of prioritising day-to-day activities with bigger projects that deliver value, and you’ve got a slippery slope towards burnout for the team at the top.

Now imagine having on-demand access to a team of experienced marketing specialists who can plug straight into your plans, understand your pressures, and deliver quickly and tactfully - without lengthy onboarding or learning curves.That’s exactly where Next Call comes in. We’re a team of on tap skilled experts, quick to onboard because we’ve been in CMO roles with household name enterprise companies. 

Outsourcing - not replacing

Outsourcing isn’t about replacing your team - it’s about empowering them. By bringing in skilled, pre-approved support when it’s needed most, CMOs can keep their momentum and control costs.

The benefits speak for themselves:

• Pre-emptive planning: Build flexibility into your marketing calendar with partners who can activate quickly.

• Agency flexibility: Scale activity up or down depending on workload and budget cycles.

• Cherry-picked expertise: Select only the skills and experience you need for each campaign.

• Better value than FTEs: Access senior-level talent for focused, high-impact projects that deliver measurable ROI.

At Next Call, we combine marketing and business development experience to strengthen both the strategy and execution sides of your campaign - giving CMOs the freedom to act fast and stay strategic.

Expert insight - and real agility

“Teams talk about being agile, but in reality internal processes, governance and BAU work make true agility very hard. One of the most effective ways to stay responsive is to have external resource already in place - people who know what they’re doing and can switch on quickly.

If you get your partners set up now, you can take fast advantage of opportunities, unexpected budget or urgent issues because the support is already there. 

It’s one of the only practical ways large organisations can be genuinely agile, not just in theory.”

 — Rachel Hughes, Senior Consultant, Next Call

What it looks like in practice

For Next Call, agility means responding fast, working collaboratively, and delivering results without compromise. Our consultants act as an embedded extension of your team, working seamlessly with sales, BDRs and partner leads to keep campaigns moving.

Because we understand your world - and we’ve been in your role - we know how to adapt quickly without losing alignment. Every project is designed to drive measurable ROI through clear processes, strong communication and commercial focus.

When you work with Next Call, you’re not buying time - you’re investing in outcomes. Our end-to-end model means you can rely on us to:

• Define the process – align goals and success metrics.

• Design the process – plan campaigns and engagement sequences.

• Run the process – execute multi-channel outreach and nurture.

• Manage the process – track progress and optimise performance.

• Follow up – ensure momentum converts to measurable ROI.

Every stage is designed to reduce complexity, keep campaigns moving and prove the value of marketing investment.

What do our marketing projects offer?

Here are a couple of example projects we’ve recently scoped for enterprise tech clients:

Go-to-market project

• Ready to begin two weeks after budget approval

• GTM strategy and playbook

• Messaging guidance and high-level campaign framework

• Campaign setup and launch

• Digital channel optimisation and interim handover support

Strategy workshop project

• Review of target audience and digital presence

• LinkedIn and brand review

• Case study and pipeline review

• Content campaign structure

• Comms schedule and KPI alignment

Experience you can rely on

Our consultants bring a blend of strategic oversight and hands-on delivery that senior marketing leaders value.

Our senior marketing consultants Rachel Hughes and Susannah Homan have run marketing and partner campaigns across Oracle, Salesforce, Microsoft and several UK consultancies. They understand how to keep complex programmes on track, work across teams and operate at pace when required.

Their work spans industries from financial services to healthcare, which means they bring fresh ideas and practical experience that transfers across sectors.

As one client put it:

“Rachel has a rare ability to connect strategy and execution. She sees the bigger picture, but also makes it practical and measurable. She brings clarity, positivity and impact wherever she goes.” — Sabrina Rodríguez, UKI Corporate Marketing Director

Client feedback from a project Susannah delivered: “Working with Next Call allows our marketing teams to focus on planning, executing and delivering amazing campaigns, with the confidence that the activities required “behind the scenes” to make the campaigns successful are being managed by the trusted and experienced Next Call team. They are such an important part of the marketing engine!” 

Why Next Call is the right partner for senior CMOs

When pressure increases and resources shrink, CMOs need support that strengthens their strategy rather than distracts from it. Next Call provides senior-level marketing expertise that integrates quickly, works collaboratively and delivers reliably.

We help you stay agile without sacrificing quality. We give your team breathing room. And we keep campaigns moving so you can focus on leading, not firefighting.

If you’d like to explore how agility on demand can support your plans this year, we’d love to talk. 

PS: We’re starting a CMO lunchtime briefings series - get in touch if you’re a senior marketer and would like to take part!