Elissa Fink on Growing from $5M to $1B, Her Journey as Tableau CMO

Elissa Fink, the former Chief Marketing Officer at Tableau Software, is now a CMO Advisor to several companies including, Outreach, Exasol, and Intellimize. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Pantheon Platform and Concora, granting them insight into how to drive marketing campaigns and convert leads to sales. 

In her 11 years at Tableau, Elissa was a key driver in expanding its marketing from ~$5 million to over $1 billion in revenue. She is also credited for developing the Tableau brand and cultivating the loyal and enthusiastic Tableau fanbase from 2,000 to 65,000 customers in addition to millions of users. 

Elissa is an adjunct professor teaching B2B Marketing at the University of Washington - Michael G. Foster School of Business and was selected as MBA Professor of the Quarter in Spring 2020.

In this episode…

Marketing is a delicate balance between maintaining your authenticity and creating a product that will generate revenue. Whether you can connect with your target audience on a miniature scale or globally, one thing remains at the forefront of every encounter: relationships. Elissa Fink, CMO Advisor and Adjunct Professor at the University of Washington - Michael G. Foster School of Business, emphasizes the importance of content design, delegation, and the connection with the mission of your company. 

In this week's episode, Brendan Dell joins Elissa Fink, CMO Advisor and Adjunct Professor at the University of Washington - Michael G. Foster School of Business, in a conversation on marketing originality and the power of a simple message. Elissa talks about her time at Tableau and how she grew their marketing brand from $5 million to $1 billion in revenue. She also discusses logic versus emotional marketing and the importance of building a team with different types of expertise.