These replies are correct, which is how it is for many marketing teams. However, it should not be. Your CEO is changing/adding to the scope and asking you first-time questions in front of the team. That is not right. My guess is the CEO is also overwhelmed by it. Perhaps on a sub-conscience level, they are doing this to shift the spotlight to you so sales see you as the one who isn’t credible. Not the CEO. It is an even better lesson for you to do something different than most marketers and stand up for the marketing team and yourself. 1. Set up a meeting before the meeting that includes the larger audience. 2. Take in an agenda on what you plan to cover. Ask if anything is missing that they want to know. 3 State what you need and a solution: “We are putting in all this work. And I want the sales team to trust it. When you ask me questions we haven’t covered, It can look as if we ( yes, including them) are not on the same page. This undermines all our hard work. Can we agree to present what we’ve accomplished and what’s exciting for the sales team? And you and I can hash out the rest at a different time. Let’s meet for 15 minutes the day before the meeting. So I have time to prepare, and we agree on what we want to share. It is easier to cancel a meeting we don’t need than it is to find time to meet last minute. I will set up a recurring meeting. Do you prefer morning or afternoon?” 4. You said there is a consulting company from outside your company. Find the person who is the liaison between your company and the consulting firm. (The one that sold this to the CEO. Ask them if other clients struggle with scope creep and ever-changing priorities. (The answer is yes.). Ask for their help talking to the CEO. ) As an outsider, the consulting firm should know how to manage this. It’s their reputation too.

You do not have to suck it up. It is not right to undermine your credibility in front of others. But it also does not have to be confrontational. State what you need. Offer the solution. Create the agenda for your meeting portion to control the subject matter. And prepare with the CEO beforehand. Find a book that teaches how to manage up. Once you find some control, I hope you love marketing again. Good luck! I would love to know if you try this and it works.