AI Empowers B2B Marketers to Prove ROI and Speak the CFO’s Language

From Clicks to Closures: How AI is Helping B2B Marketers Prove ROI to CFOs

In a recent episode of CNBCTV18-Storyboard18’s Decoding B2B: Marketing That Means Business, Sachin Sharma, Head of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions India, and Krishnan Chatterjee, Head of Marketing at Google Cloud India, discussed the growing role of AI in helping B2B marketers demonstrate clear ROI amid increasing demands for accountability.

The conversation highlighted a shift in marketing focus—from chasing new customers to driving sustained growth from existing accounts. Marketing strategies today must go beyond boosting brand visibility and deliver measurable business impact, especially as CFOs scrutinize budgets more closely.

Recasting Marketing’s Role in the P&L

Chatterjee pointed out that marketing has traditionally been seen as a cost center in the lower half of the profit and loss statement. Yet, nearly 90% of incremental revenue often comes from existing customers, while most marketing budgets target the 10% of new acquisitions. This imbalance means marketers must prove their impact on the larger revenue segment or face tough questions from CFOs.

Sharma added that proving long-term value is even more urgent now due to economic pressures and shifting buyer behaviors. Before jumping into AI-powered tools, he emphasized the importance of having clean, accurate data as the foundation.

AI – an Enabler of Smarter Measurement

AI is helping marketers move beyond traditional metrics by enabling smarter targeting, predictive analytics, and more meaningful measurement. From identifying ideal customer profiles across diverse datasets to personalizing content for micro-segments, AI supports efficient, scalable value creation aligned with CFO expectations.

However, Sharma identified three key barriers marketers must overcome to demonstrate value:

• Attribution challenges
• Weak industry benchmarks
• Siloed data

Without integrated datasets, marketers can’t present a unified value story to executives. Chatterjee stressed the importance of breaking down internal silos and investing in customer data platforms to treat each buyer as a unified entity rather than disconnected touchpoints.

Measuring What Truly Matters

Both leaders agreed that marketing must move away from vanity metrics like clicks and raw lead counts. Instead, focus should be on value-driven metrics such as customer lifetime value, account expansion, and pipeline predictability.

Chatterjee explained, “It’s not about generating 10,000 leads and closing 50. CFOs want efficiency—they want 100 high-quality leads that deliver 50 closures.” Sharma added that technology alone isn’t enough; philosophical alignment around customer-centric business models and accurate first-party data is essential.

LinkedIn supports this approach with tools like CRM-integrated APIs and revenue attribution features that track how marketing investments translate into offline and online revenue.

Speaking the CFO’s Language

With AI enabling predictive measurement and tighter alignment between marketing and sales, B2B marketers can now communicate in terms CFOs understand: efficiency, impact, and long-term value. The era of vanity metrics is fading, and CMOs must demonstrate measurable contributions to growth to secure trust and future budgets.

For marketers interested in expanding their AI skills to better prove marketing ROI, exploring courses on AI-driven marketing analytics can be worthwhile. For example, check out Complete AI Training’s latest AI courses to build practical expertise.

Don’t miss the next episode of Decoding B2B: Marketing That Means Business on 31st August at 11:30 a.m. on CNBC-TV18.