How to Communicate Like an Executive: What Varonis CMO Rob Sobers Learned the Hard Way

Most marketers get promoted for doing great work, but they move up the ladder by learning how to communicate.

Rob Sobers, now CMO at Varonis, had to learn that skill from scratch. He started as a shy software engineer who avoided meetings, then spent years figuring out how to sound credible in rooms full of executives.

“Executive communication is the difference between being noticed and being overlooked,” Sobers said.

On Cyber CMO Confidential, Rob joined Gianna Whitver and Charles Gold to share the lessons that changed how he leads and how others listen.

The Hard Lesson: Context Beats Confidence

Early in his career, Rob walked into meetings proud of numbers like “75 demo requests.”

The CEO’s “Is that good or bad?” stopped him cold.

“Never present a number without context. Always compare it to a goal, a trend, or last year,” he realized. That single principle separates marketers who report activity from those who communicate results.

Lead with the Answer

Rob’s mantra is simple: “Answer the f*cking question.”

If someone asks, “What’s the forecast?” start with the answer: “Twenty million.” Then add context. Short, direct answers show command. Long explanations sound unsure.

If you don’t know, say so clearly: “Last I checked, it was 20 million. I’ll confirm and get back to you.”

Know Your Audience

Team meetings thrive on detail. Board meetings die from it.

“Too much detail makes you look junior.” — Carilu Dietrich

Rob breaks it down like this:

• Teams: talk inputs
• Executives: talk outcomes
• Board: talk direction

Being strategic isn’t about saying more; it’s about choosing the right altitude.

Structure Builds Trust

When everything looks different, people debate slides instead of progress.

“Templates build trust.” — Dave Kellogg

Rob uses the same QBR format every time, so conversations stay focused. Upward communication follows a similar rhythm:

“Say what you’re going to do → Do it → Tell them you’re doing it → Tell them you did it.”

Silence erodes confidence faster than bad news.

Anticipate the MOO

Every executive has a predictable concern, the Most Obvious Objection, a concept from Wes Kao.

You’ll never be caught off guard if you practice it before meetings.

• The CFO will ask about the business impact.
• The CRO will ask about pipeline.
• The CEO will ask if it’s big enough to matter.

Preparation builds credibility.

Set Values, Not Rules

When Rob’s team rebuilt SDR training, he didn’t dictate a playbook. He set three values:

1. Short and sharp
2. Feature top performers
3. Mixed medium

That gave the team freedom to build while staying aligned.

“If you set values up front, you don’t have to micromanage later,” he says. Values make autonomy safe.

Presence Comes from Preparation

Rob still preps for high-stakes meetings like a performance, rehearsing until the message holds under pressure.

Because when your name shows up on your boss’s calendar, the thought should be “This will be useful,” not “This will drain me.”

Some executives are forgiving. Others “flip the bozo bit,” and once that happens, trust is hard to rebuild. Preparation is how you prevent it.

The Buzzword Graveyard

Asked which phrase he’d erase from cybersecurity marketing, Rob didn’t hesitate: Zero Trust.

After a decade of overuse, it has lost meaning, and “AI-powered,” he warns, might be next.

That’s why Andrew Stiefel of Endor Labs is leading a CyberMarketingCon 2025 workshop on how to use AI credibly in messaging. Because hype is easy; credibility isn’t.

Why It Matters

Communication isn’t a soft skill; it’s a signal of leadership. It shapes how people judge your clarity, confidence, and readiness.

“You can learn data, demand gen, or product strategy in a quarter. Communication takes a career, and it pays off in every meeting.” Rob learned that through repetition and discomfort. The rest of us can start faster.

Further Reading

Varonis: varonis.com

Dave Kellogg’s Blog (Kellblog): kellblog.com

Carilu Dietrich’s Post on Executive Communication: LinkedIn article 

Elevate Your Marketing Dashboard: How to Impress the CEO, CRO, and CFO — Carilu Dietrich (Substack)

Wes Kao’s “15 Principles for Managing Up”: weskao.com

Listen to the Full Conversation

You can hear the full episode of Cyber CMO Confidential with Rob Sobers, co-hosted by Gianna Whitver and Charles Gold, wherever you get your podcasts.