Private equity firms push hard for growth.
They should.
Revenue targets are aggressive. Timelines are tight. Leadership teams are expected to create value fast. But one area often gets less scrutiny than it deserves.
Marketing.
That is a mistake.
A weak marketing function does not only affect lead generation. It affects pipeline quality, sales efficiency, market visibility, pricing power, and commercial maturity. If private equity firms want a clearer view of value creation potential, they need a better way to evaluate portfolio company marketing.
The question is not whether the company has marketing.
Most do.
The real question is whether marketing is structured to support growth.
That means evaluating more than headcount, agency spend, or brand visuals. It means looking at whether the business has a repeatable commercial engine.
Many portfolio companies have activity, but not strategy.
They attend trade shows.
They send emails.
They update the website.
They use agencies.
They generate some leads.
But none of this means the function is driving growth in a disciplined way.
A private equity firm should ask:
If the answer is vague, marketing is likely reactive.
This is one of the best indicators of commercial maturity.
If sales and marketing operate in different worlds, growth slows down.
Look for:
Misalignment creates waste. Marketing sends volume. Sales ignores it. Leadership loses patience. The company blames execution when the real issue is structure.
Private equity firms should push past surface-level reports.
A dashboard full of impressions, traffic, and email activity does not prove commercial value. Better questions include:
The goal is not more reporting. The goal is better reporting.
A company website should do more than look credible.
It should support growth.
Many portfolio company websites fail in predictable ways:
For many businesses, the website is the center of digital demand generation. If it is weak, the company is limiting growth before campaigns even start.
This area often reveals whether the company is built for scale.
A PE firm should assess:
Too many businesses buy tools before they build process. The result is clutter, weak reporting, and low confidence in the data.
Technology should support commercial discipline, not hide the lack of it.
Some portfolio companies have marketers, but no real marketing leadership.
That creates drift.
Work gets done, but priorities stay unclear. Agencies run disconnected programs. Sales creates its own materials. Messaging varies by channel. Budget decisions lack rigor.
PE firms should assess whether the company has:
In some cases, the issue is not talent. It is the absence of direction.
This matters a lot in private equity environments.
Not every marketing issue requires a long rebuild. Some of the highest-impact improvements are operational:
A good evaluation should separate long-term transformation from short-term gains. Both matter, but speed to impact matters more in PE-backed businesses.
Private equity firms often look hard at finance, operations, and leadership.
They should do the same with marketing.
Marketing maturity affects growth quality. It affects efficiency. It affects how fast the company can scale after acquisition. It also affects how well leadership can see problems before they become expensive.
A weak marketing system often signals broader commercial issues.
A strong one creates leverage.
Private equity firms do not need more marketing noise from portfolio companies.
They need better visibility into whether the function is structured to support growth.
That means evaluating strategy, alignment, process, pipeline contribution, team leadership, and speed to improvement.
When marketing is assessed properly, it becomes easier to spot risk, prioritize action, and accelerate value creation.
I help private equity firms and portfolio companies evaluate marketing maturity, improve commercial alignment, and build stronger growth systems.