Marketing Skills Every Founder Needs

Ever feel like you’re in a constant tug-of-war?

You’re pulling your ideas forward, but stakeholders dig in their heels.

It’s a familiar struggle in marketing—where balancing creativity with influence is key.

Because here’s the truth: getting others on board isn’t about pushing your “big idea.”

It’s about understanding what people really want—and using that to steer the conversation.

That’s where the real power lies.

For marketers, creatives, founders—anyone who needs buy-in—mastering persuasion is essential.

It’s the difference between a campaign that flies… and one that flatlines.

Creativity + Persuasion = Power.

Let’s be clear: you don’t have to sacrifice bold ideas to be persuasive.

I’m not saying give up your love for storytelling, strategy, or originality in favour of safe metrics or polite consensus.

As Steve Jobs said, “the crazy ones” add depth and colour to the world.

Creativity is what makes marketing memorable.

But learning to communicate that value in a way that resonates?

That’s the unlock.

The best ideas die in boardrooms every day—not because they’re bad—but because the pitch didn’t land.

And that’s a shame, because the world needs bold, visionary thinking.

What’s the point of marketing, anyway?”

With more noise and more marketers flooding every channel, good marketing risks becoming a commodity.

Clients often see it as tactical—campaigns, ads, content.

Not strategic. Not transformational.

To stand out, marketers need to go beyond execution. They need to:

• Engage stakeholders

• Communicate clearly

• Align with business goals

The ability to persuade is no longer a bonus—it’s a core skill.

When you combine clarity with experimentation, your ideas don’t just sound good.

They get chosen.

“Make it pop?”

F* the Pop.**

When you present your strategy or campaign, it’s not just about the deliverables.

It’s about value.

How do you frame that value to clients or internal teams?

You make it about them.

When I shifted from art director to agency owner, I went from slow-burn pitches to needing to close deals—fast.

Presentations that used to take weeks? Now had to win trust in 48 hours.

And I quickly learned: slides and sizzle weren’t enough.

It became a high-pressure focus group.

Feedback was fast, unfiltered—and failure meant I was getting broker by the day.

So what do you do when you have to win?

You adapt. Fast.

My solution: Speed.

I heard a quote from the founder of Netflix:

“Speed to market beats perfection.”

So I stopped obsessing over perfect ads and started testing rough drafts—live.

Instead of one polished idea, I brought three rough ones.

One call would end, I’d tweak the format, and try a new pitch the next meeting.

It became real-time A/B testing.

But for ideas.

And it worked.

A/B Testing IRL (Yes, Really)

As marketers, we trust A/B testing for landing pages, CTAs, subject lines…

But what if we used that same thinking when we pitched ideas?

Here’s what happens:

1. You create a framework for persuasion.

You test different ways of telling the story.

You adapt. You refine. And you close.

2. You prove your thinking with evidence.

When you link your idea to impact—“this will grow your revenue”—

you move from pretty slides to real strategy.

This is like building a sales script.

It’s testable. Replicable. And eventually… unstoppable.

Try This Right Now

You already know how to read an audience.

Use that same lens in your conversations, not just campaigns.

Start here:

1. How you speak

Tone matters. Be clear. Be confident. Be human.

2. What you say

Frame your message in their language, not yours.

3. Focus on outcomes

Not what you love. What they gain—or avoid losing.

4. Emphasise value

How will this idea solve a problem? Hit a target? Make money?

5. Back it up

Use real numbers, case studies, or stories. Proof sells.

From this:

To this:

The Takeaway

When you master the art of persuasion, you’re no longer “just” the marketer.

You become the closer. The strategist.

The one who leads from insight and instinct.

When you can say:

“Here’s what you need. Here’s what it does. Here’s why it works.”

You don’t just get buy-in.

You get results.

This blog was the summary of a fireside chat Crash had with the Human Centred Design group in Dubai.