Why Most Martech Transformations Fail and What These 3 CMOs Know That You Don’t
You’ve got a dozen tools in your martech stack and no clue which ones are actually helping. Your CFO wants ROI proof. Sales is still asking for better leads. And leadership is wondering why marketing can’t “just make it work.”
This is where many companies find themselves today. Martech was supposed to streamline, unify, and scale. But more often, it leaves teams stuck with bloated stacks, siloed data, and mismatched priorities.
At a recent Martechify panel, three marketing leaders, Asmita Singh (CMO at BARBRI), Catherine Solazzo (consulting CMO), and Bernie Griesbach (fractional CMO), shared what they’ve learned from the trenches of digital transformation.
Hosted by Tina Schweiger, the conversation focused on what actually moves the needle during martech overhauls: not just the tech itself, but the strategy, leadership alignment, and culture behind it.
Check out the full interview with Asmita Singh, Catherine Solazzo, and Bernie Griesbach, where they share what they’ve learned from taking companies from siloed data and bloated stacks to streamlined, unified systems.
Why martech projects go sideways
Every martech transformation starts with good intentions. But good intentions don’t fix misaligned systems or messy data.
When Asmita Singh joined BARBRI, she faced numerous separate marketing systems, each serving a different part of the customer journey. “The data was sitting in many different places,” she said, including multiple email and CMS platforms such as HubSpot, Drip, Mailchimp, WordPress, and custom solutions.
BARBRI’s vision is to empower every step of the legal learning journey, following learners’ progress from student to practicing attorney, giving the insights we need to personalize their experience with BARBRI. “We need to understand this persona from the moment they begin dreaming about becoming a lawyer (or solicitor) through law school admission and licensure success, and then throughout into their professional legal career. We need to meet our learners where they are, nurture them through each phase,” Asmita added.
Catherine Solazzo echoed that challenge. At her previous role, she stepped in after five acquisitions, with no previous CMO and no consistent systems. “Performance is going to look like a very different movie from different companies,” she said. The histories, data definitions, and platforms were all misaligned.
What causes these problems?
— Tech decisions driven by short-term needs, not long-term vision.
— No shared definition of success across teams.
— Redundant tools left over from acquisitions.
— Change under-scoped by leadership.
Bernie Griesbach framed the challenge as a matter of priority. “My biggest question… what data actually matters?” he said. Trying to connect everything at once is tempting, but it usually creates more noise. Instead, Bernie advised starting with business outcomes and working backward.
Leadership often expects transformation to happen quickly. But Catherine made it clear: “You need to give this… two years in market to really understand if this is working.” Martech overhauls aren’t fast wins. They’re strategic investments.
And they require more than tools. They require clarity.
When Asmita Singh joined BARBRI, she faced numerous separate marketing systems, each serving a different part of the customer journey. “The data was sitting in many different places,” she said, including multiple email and CMS platforms such as HubSpot, Drip, Mailchimp, WordPress, and custom solutions.
BARBRI’s vision is to empower every step of the legal learning journey, following learners’ progress from student to practicing attorney, giving the insights we need to personalize their experience with BARBRI. “We need to understand this persona from the moment they begin dreaming about becoming a lawyer (or solicitor) through law school admission and licensure success, and then throughout into their professional legal career. We need to meet our learners where they are, nurture them through each phase,” Asmita added.
Catherine Solazzo echoed that challenge. At her previous role, she stepped in after five acquisitions, with no previous CMO and no consistent systems. “Performance is going to look like a very different movie from different companies,” she said. The histories, data definitions, and platforms were all misaligned.
What causes these problems?
— Tech decisions driven by short-term needs, not long-term vision.
— No shared definition of success across teams.
— Redundant tools left over from acquisitions.
— Change under-scoped by leadership.
Bernie Griesbach framed the challenge as a matter of priority. “My biggest question… what data actually matters?” he said. Trying to connect everything at once is tempting, but it usually creates more noise. Instead, Bernie advised starting with business outcomes and working backward.
Leadership often expects transformation to happen quickly. But Catherine made it clear: “You need to give this… two years in market to really understand if this is working.” Martech overhauls aren’t fast wins. They’re strategic investments.
And they require more than tools. They require clarity.
How Asmita Singh created a customer-centric marketing stack
At BARBRI, Asmita Singh took on what many CMOs dread: a complete overhaul of martech ecosystem.
Over the years, the company has expanded rapidly through acquisitions to provide solutions across the legal learner journey. Each new unit brought its own tools, platforms, and data practices. When Asmita arrived, the customer journey was spread across multiple disconnected systems.
“It sounds like a nightmare project to bring so many different systems together,” she admitted. But instead of running from it, she took it head-on.
Her first move wasn’t technical; it was vision alignment. “If you’re investing in eight or nine different tools, it is a cost which can be easily avoided,” she told the panel. (According to a 2018 McKinsey report, about 70% of digital transformation projects fail.) She knew the CFO wouldn’t greenlight a long-term rebuild without a business case. So, she positioned the project not just as a tech clean-up, but as a cost-savings growth enabler and essential for delivering on BARBRI’s vision.
Then came the real work.
“Because you’re not just changing the stack… you’re also trying to align people,” Asmita said. Consolidating tools meant changing processes. It meant change management. And it meant communicating a long-term vision that teams could believe in, even before the final system was ready.
To do that, she started showing progress early. She didn’t wait until the two-year project was completed to prove value. She used leading indicators: metrics that demonstrated momentum even while systems were still being integrated.
Asmita’s story offers a blueprint for marketers in similar situations:
— Build a business case that resonates with finance and leadership.
— Frame the transformation as both a process and cultural shift.
— Use small wins to build momentum before full implementation.
Most importantly, she never lost sight of the goal: a unified stack that delivers visibility across the entire legal education journey.
Over the years, the company has expanded rapidly through acquisitions to provide solutions across the legal learner journey. Each new unit brought its own tools, platforms, and data practices. When Asmita arrived, the customer journey was spread across multiple disconnected systems.
“It sounds like a nightmare project to bring so many different systems together,” she admitted. But instead of running from it, she took it head-on.
Her first move wasn’t technical; it was vision alignment. “If you’re investing in eight or nine different tools, it is a cost which can be easily avoided,” she told the panel. (According to a 2018 McKinsey report, about 70% of digital transformation projects fail.) She knew the CFO wouldn’t greenlight a long-term rebuild without a business case. So, she positioned the project not just as a tech clean-up, but as a cost-savings growth enabler and essential for delivering on BARBRI’s vision.
Then came the real work.
“Because you’re not just changing the stack… you’re also trying to align people,” Asmita said. Consolidating tools meant changing processes. It meant change management. And it meant communicating a long-term vision that teams could believe in, even before the final system was ready.
To do that, she started showing progress early. She didn’t wait until the two-year project was completed to prove value. She used leading indicators: metrics that demonstrated momentum even while systems were still being integrated.
Asmita’s story offers a blueprint for marketers in similar situations:
— Build a business case that resonates with finance and leadership.
— Frame the transformation as both a process and cultural shift.
— Use small wins to build momentum before full implementation.
Most importantly, she never lost sight of the goal: a unified stack that delivers visibility across the entire legal education journey.
Catherine Solazzo on marketing alignment post-acquisition
If Asmita dealt with tool fragmentation, Catherine Solazzo dealt with structural fragmentation.
As the first CMO at her company, she walked into a landscape shaped by five acquisitions and no unified marketing organization. No shared strategy. No shared KPIs. Just five different systems and a patchwork of agency relationships.
Step one? Get alignment.
“I was the first person to sit down and ask, ‘What does success look like for marketing here?’” she said. That question kicked off conversations with leadership, sales, and operations—discussions that helped build a shared vision before choosing tools or metrics.
Once that foundation was set, she tackled the martech stack. But instead of enforcing a one-size-fits-all solution, Catherine approached it with flexibility.
“Sometimes those acquisition teams have elements where they may be stronger than you in a certain area, and you should choose to adopt that,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of matching tools to your actual marketing strategy. “If you’re event-heavy, you need to invest in a Cvent or an event tool,” she said. “If you’re more sophisticated in understanding predictive models and using AI, you need to look at a tool like 6sense.” Catherine’s advice: Don’t start with tools. Start with your marketing mix and your people. Then let your martech decisions follow.
As the first CMO at her company, she walked into a landscape shaped by five acquisitions and no unified marketing organization. No shared strategy. No shared KPIs. Just five different systems and a patchwork of agency relationships.
Step one? Get alignment.
“I was the first person to sit down and ask, ‘What does success look like for marketing here?’” she said. That question kicked off conversations with leadership, sales, and operations—discussions that helped build a shared vision before choosing tools or metrics.
Once that foundation was set, she tackled the martech stack. But instead of enforcing a one-size-fits-all solution, Catherine approached it with flexibility.
“Sometimes those acquisition teams have elements where they may be stronger than you in a certain area, and you should choose to adopt that,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of matching tools to your actual marketing strategy. “If you’re event-heavy, you need to invest in a Cvent or an event tool,” she said. “If you’re more sophisticated in understanding predictive models and using AI, you need to look at a tool like 6sense.” Catherine’s advice: Don’t start with tools. Start with your marketing mix and your people. Then let your martech decisions follow.
Bernie Griesbach’s lessons from the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) trenches
For Bernie Griesbach, martech transformation doesn’t start with tools. It starts with asking sharper questions.
As a fractional CMO, he often works with companies in the middle of mergers or acquisitions. The temptation is always the same; connect everything as fast as possible. But Bernie takes a different approach.
“My biggest question has always been: What data actually matters?” he said. In the rush to unify tech, teams often forget to evaluate what insights they really need. That leads to bloated systems, shallow KPIs, and marketing strategies driven more by what’s measurable than what’s meaningful.
Instead, Bernie emphasizes KPIs that guide behavior. “We built KPIs that are not only trackable across systems, but also tied into real business outcomes,” he said. A good KPI isn’t just a report. It’s a signal that prompts action across teams.
Another core principle for Bernie? Simplify before you integrate.
When two organizations merge, it’s easy to end up with duplicate systems and conflicting data structures. That’s when teams get stuck. Bernie sees M&A not as a technical problem to solve, but a strategic opportunity to reset. “We’re trying to align everybody and make everybody accountable across the entire original organization and now across the new organization as well.”
But no martech transformation is purely technical. Like Catherine and Asmita, Bernie underscored the cultural side of change.
“People want to bring their old process to the new systems,” he said. That resistance can slow down even the best-planned integrations. His advice? Don’t just train people on new platforms. Show them how the changes make their jobs easier and help them succeed.
As a fractional CMO, he often works with companies in the middle of mergers or acquisitions. The temptation is always the same; connect everything as fast as possible. But Bernie takes a different approach.
“My biggest question has always been: What data actually matters?” he said. In the rush to unify tech, teams often forget to evaluate what insights they really need. That leads to bloated systems, shallow KPIs, and marketing strategies driven more by what’s measurable than what’s meaningful.
Instead, Bernie emphasizes KPIs that guide behavior. “We built KPIs that are not only trackable across systems, but also tied into real business outcomes,” he said. A good KPI isn’t just a report. It’s a signal that prompts action across teams.
Another core principle for Bernie? Simplify before you integrate.
When two organizations merge, it’s easy to end up with duplicate systems and conflicting data structures. That’s when teams get stuck. Bernie sees M&A not as a technical problem to solve, but a strategic opportunity to reset. “We’re trying to align everybody and make everybody accountable across the entire original organization and now across the new organization as well.”
But no martech transformation is purely technical. Like Catherine and Asmita, Bernie underscored the cultural side of change.
“People want to bring their old process to the new systems,” he said. That resistance can slow down even the best-planned integrations. His advice? Don’t just train people on new platforms. Show them how the changes make their jobs easier and help them succeed.
Closing advice from the panelists
To wrap the panel, Tina Schweiger asked each guest, “What’s one piece of advice you’d give to CMOs leading martech transformation?”
Asmita Singh: Start with the business case
Asmita emphasized clarity around the value of the transformation. “Start showing progress over the period of time,” she said. Don’t wait until the final rollout to prove ROI.
Catherine Solazzo: Align your tech with your strategy
“You really need to look at what your marketing mix is,” she advised. Use that to guide your tech decisions. And don’t be afraid to adopt better tools from acquired teams.
Bernie Griesbach: Make your KPIs drive behavior
“It’s not just about tracking,” Bernie said. “It’s about what actions those metrics encourage.” The right KPIs don’t just inform. They move teams toward shared goals.
Asmita Singh: Start with the business case
Asmita emphasized clarity around the value of the transformation. “Start showing progress over the period of time,” she said. Don’t wait until the final rollout to prove ROI.
Catherine Solazzo: Align your tech with your strategy
“You really need to look at what your marketing mix is,” she advised. Use that to guide your tech decisions. And don’t be afraid to adopt better tools from acquired teams.
Bernie Griesbach: Make your KPIs drive behavior
“It’s not just about tracking,” Bernie said. “It’s about what actions those metrics encourage.” The right KPIs don’t just inform. They move teams toward shared goals.
Final thoughts
Martech projects don’t fail because of bad technology. They fail because teams lose sight of what they’re trying to achieve.
Whether you’re dealing with a tech tangle from years of growth or trying to unify post-acquisition chaos, the formula is the same: Align your people, clarify your goals, and focus on progress over perfection.
As this panel showed, the best martech leaders don’t start with tools. They start with trust, purpose, and the courage to rethink how their teams work.
Whether you’re dealing with a tech tangle from years of growth or trying to unify post-acquisition chaos, the formula is the same: Align your people, clarify your goals, and focus on progress over perfection.
As this panel showed, the best martech leaders don’t start with tools. They start with trust, purpose, and the courage to rethink how their teams work.
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