At B2B Marketing, we know that becoming the commercial marketer is more essential than ever – aka driving ROI and proving marketing’s impact to the board. With that being said, there are six essential skills to achieving this – with one of them being agile-decision making. This is the ability to leverage real-time analytics and market insights, in order to make rapid adjustment and improvements instinctively where and when needed. And in this blog, Hannah Stringer, Marketing Director, Moneypenny talks about its importance.
In today’s business world, agility has become a defining leadership skill. Markets evolve faster than ever, customer expectations shift overnight, and technology continues to rewrite the rules of engagement. For marketing leaders, the challenge isn’t just keeping up, it’s knowing when to pivot, when to push forward, and how to bring creativity and commercial focus together in every decision.
At Moneypenny, agility is part of our DNA. We’ve built our success by blending technology with human brilliance, adapting to new client needs while staying true to our purpose: delivering exceptional customer experiences. That same philosophy applies to how we lead our marketing; creative, flexible, and driven by data, but always rooted in human connection.
From order-taker to business partner
For too long, marketing has battled the perception of being a support function and the department you brief after decisions are made. But in fast-moving markets, that old model simply doesn’t work. Agile marketing leadership means stepping up as a strategic partner: shaping direction, not just delivering it.
Agility doesn’t mean constant motion for the sake of it. It’s about focus, clarity, and the confidence to make decisions quickly. At Moneypenny, that might mean adjusting our campaigns in real time based on what we’re hearing from our clients, or using data from our own CRM systems to identify emerging business challenges before they hit the mainstream.
The difference between being reactive and being responsive lies in intent. Reactivity is about pressure; responsiveness is about purpose. True agility comes from being close enough to the customer and the business to make informed, confident choices at pace.
Balancing creativity with agility
Creativity remains marketing’s superpower. But without direction, creativity risks becoming disconnected from business reality. The agile marketer knows how to balance inspiration with impact.
At Moneypenny, we embrace what I call “empowered accountablity.” Our teams are empowered to experiment and innovate within clear strategic frameworks. We set the outcomes like improving brand awareness in new sectors or driving lead quality and then trust our people to find the best ways to get there.
This blend of structure and freedom encourages curiosity, risk taking and accountability. It allows marketing to move fast while staying aligned to business goals and, importantly, keeps creativity connected to commercial outcomes.
Using data as a compass, not a cage
Fast decisions rely on clear insight. That’s why real-time feedback loops are essential. Whether it’s campaign performance metrics, customer sentiment, or sales intelligence, data provides the foundation for agile marketing.
At Moneypenny, our technology gives us a unique advantage. We see communication patterns across thousands of businesses, giving us a living view of how the market is shifting and what customers are asking, when demand peaks, and where friction points lie. This intelligence helps us not only optimise our own strategy but also support clients in improving theirs.
Still, data alone isn’t the answer. The agile Director of Marketing treats data as a compass, not a cage. It points us in the right direction, but it’s creativity, empathy, and experience that determine how we get there.
Cross-functional agility
Agility is most powerful when it extends beyond marketing. Our teams work hand-in-hand with sales, operations, and our dev and product teams to turn insight into action. Marketing can’t exist in a silo, not when decisions need to be made at speed.
By collaborating closely across the business, we ensure that marketing isn’t just amplifying messages but is shaping them and drawing on client conversations, frontline feedback, and real-time analytics. This partnership approach helps Moneypenny stay one step ahead of shifting market needs, while reinforcing marketing’s role as a growth driver, not just a comms channel.
Making peace with imperfection
In agile decision-making, perfection is the enemy of progress. To move fast, you have to accept that not every initiative will land exactly as planned. What matters most is learning agility and how quickly you can reflect, refine, and improve.
Our mantra at Moneypenny is simple: decide, act, reflect, refine. Each cycle makes us smarter and more confident. It’s not about avoiding mistakes – it’s about turning them into momentum.
The human side of agility
Ultimately, agility isn’t just a process — it’s a mindset. It’s about leading with openness, empowering people to think creatively, and making decisions with empathy as well as evidence.
As marketers, our role has evolved. We’re not here to “take orders”, we’re here to guide, challenge, and co-create. In a world where change is constant, that makes marketing one of the most valuable business partners in the room.
At Moneypenny, agility has helped us grow from a small start-up back in 2000, to a global leader in customer conversations, because we’ve learned that the best decisions come from balancing creativity with clarity, and speed with substance.
Agile marketing leadership isn’t just about reacting to change. It’s about shaping it.
