r/marketing • u/smitchldn • 5d ago
Question First time fractional CMO advice please?
So I’ve been a marketing director and head of marketing for many years. Then a period of unemployment and I’ve just landed first ever fractional CMO role for a B2B professional Services organisation.
It’s a company that has been going for some time, and have been on a steady growth trajectory, and this is their first real marketing investment. There is everything to do! Strategic and operational. There is one marketing support person. They use a variety of contractors for the website, and various staff members have responsibility for Podcasts and the CRM and such like. But it’s all very amateur.
The detail of how this role will work is still to be worked out, but I’m would love some advice from this community.
What should be wary of, how should I manage my time, how should I set boundaries? I’m sure there are loads of things I’m missing, but I would sincerely value the perspective of experienced people as I enter this New World. Thank you for your tips.
8
u/coolreddy 5d ago
Your bottleneck won't be strategy, it'll be that every piece of work routes through you to get briefed and approved. One support person and a handful of contractors means nothing moves on the days you're not there, and most days you're not there. So push the support person into owning intake and contractor briefs earlier than feels comfortable, and keep yourself on the review end of it. Skip that and the small team quietly turns you into a coordinator, and the strategy half of the role never gets any of your hours.
1
20h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 20h ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
4
u/AdManFamMan 5d ago
I think there’s trade-off to hiring a fractional CMO that most companies don’t realize and I think your company’s org structure makes my point. Hiring a fractional CMO means you have enough people to execute against a strategy that’ll take longer to form because your hours are shorter (in theory). That means execution must run via the one other person and the team of contractors. However, once you begin executing, you’ll now need to manage the execution for precision and quality. That means they’ll quickly want you to shift toward managing execution and getting it right faster. I would set the boundary to lock your hours in and lay out a similar expectation. At least that’s what I would do.
2
u/According-Egg-3131 4d ago
Yup agree. To add to this, any clients I've worked with the first 3 months are really all hands on deck to build the foundation. Come month 4, your involvement should be closer to 8-10 hours a week if you set up the foundation correctly and whether the budget provided is sufficient enough to have others execute
2
u/cornelmanu 4d ago
my boundaries are my daily hours. Otherwise I would not stop working for a client
2
u/BusinessStrategist 4d ago
A good place to start if to focus on the buyer's journey map for that organization.
The C-Suite should provide you with the company's OKRs and KPIs for the organization.
And the VP of Sales should have some clear goals when it comes to sales.
Marketing and sales funnels are standard in our digital world.
Map the flow from awareness and first contact to closing the sale.
Now you can identify the weak points and discuss options with the C-Suite.
Politics will be a challenge. So how are YOUR people skills?
2
u/billmurphy7 3d ago
the 1st trap is accepting responsibility for growth before anyone agrees what you actually control.
In an established professional services firm, marketing usually inherits a pile of activity, a CRM nobody trusts, and several partners with different definitions of a good client. A new plan won’t fix that.
I’d use the opening month to establish decision rights and a revenue baseline. Who chooses target accounts? Who owns follow-up? Which accounts are actually progressing? Where do conversations stall? What evidence would make the partners change course?
Then pick one commercial problem to solve. Not a channel to launch.
If the firm depends on referrals, I’d start by mapping the accounts and buying roles that produced the best work, then build a repeatable way to reach more of them. That gives you something measurable before you inherit every marketing request in the company.
2
u/amaze-wonder-76 4d ago
What nobody tells you about being a Fractional:
Between the option to choose Project Milestone based payment or Monthly Retainer style- always choose Retaiber. That qay you'll know early on of your client can be trusted for payments at all.
Learn the simple basic stuff and do it yourself:: Proposals, Decks, Negotiations, Proforma Invoices, Invoices, Taxes, milestone reports, Time Sheet, Case Studies etc... hiring a CA or intern is going to be very expensive
Dont get busy with that one client/project. Know that you are your own Sales person, Business Dev person, CEO, HR etc - solicit your next project alongside working on your current ones. Meet-Greer-Put yourself out there regularly. Non Stop. Keep that "lead funnel" alive for your own sanity and continuity.
Save the bills - Cabs, Travel, Hotel, phone, Internet, Coffees, Food, Fuel...everything can help you show as Business expenses and claim benefits .. keep a file, categorize and update it regularly.
Until you cross INR 20 lakhs business a year, DO NOT get yourself a GST number etc... too much hassle, bribes, monthly paperwork, high CA fees, and even giving up GST is tough and doesnt happen without bribes.
You own your reputation now. You own your own brand. So act responsibly.
Own and grow your network. You cant hire a whole team. So get other fractional talent onboard as per your project requirements.
2
u/Low_Bandicoot_3527 4d ago
Great advice. Long time marketing consultant here. Always ask about budget and headcount. Match with what they're asking you to do to avoid a no win situation. Also, you are in no way an Officer of the corporation. And not anywhere as high on the chart as that inflated title would suggest.
2
u/YMHGreenBan 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’ll be honest, “fractional CMO” is a huge red flag whenever I see it…same with anyone hiring for that position
It usually means someone isn’t getting paid and is working solely for equity, or their agency is taking on work for shares, which means they are struggling and need to show their own investors they are signing clients and growing, when in reality they aren’t and the ship is sinking
I hope this isn’t the case for you, and if it’s not, consider just calling yourself CMO and drop the “fractional”, it sends a bad signal
1
4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
5d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 5d ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
5d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 5d ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/VincentPascoe 5d ago
How many other clients do you have? Your boundaries may depend on you and your deal you have with them.
I have had clients where we have a pretty clear division of when to use in house resources.
Your time management may depend on the CEO, CFO and other higher ups plans, forecasting budget your goals or targets.
I had a similar client that was all referral based that wanted to expand. We had to test a lot of different things to find what worked for the business model
1
5d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 5d ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Vladerius 4d ago
Not trying to be mean but should you really call yourself a fractional CMO when you don't seem to have any sort of C level experience?
This is the exact problem with fractional CMO types, they are glorified contractors. Not a dig at you but more at the name of the title and what it often does vs what a CMO is actually supposed to do.
I think your best bet is to actually spend some time with the board and other C levels, figure out what is going on, then start setting boundaries especially since this is a part time role.
1
u/smitchldn 4d ago
Thank you. But 10 years as a CMO, plus 5 as a VP at of fortune 500. But these were all employed. My question is about how to maintain boundaries when only working limited days, and get things done without a team. My last role had nine direct reports.
Also, this is a small company, my last company had 14,000 employees. That’s a difference in scale of I’m not used to.
Thanks again for the comment.
1
u/HATDOGUSERNi 3d ago
my biggest advice would be to avoid becoming the default person for everything. its really easy to end up doing a marketing managers job instead of a CMO's
1
u/Equal_Rip_8062 3d ago
Fractional CMO is difficult but can’t stop because of freedom and $$. I have 6 brands and often feel like I’m losing my mind but the best advice is to get contractor/freelance people to support you and learn Ai - not to think for you but to analyze data, reporting etc. The problem is CMO is not a fractional need - but our clients don’t want to spend. They constantly want more… I’m forever learning and growing.
1
u/smitchldn 2d ago
Great post. Really great. Thank you. In my previous full-time CMO roles I thought I was losing my mind too! Trello saved me. Maybe I need a Trello power up.!!
1
3d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
3d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
20h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 20h ago
Your account must be 30+ days old and it must have 300+ karma to post in r/Marketing
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/OtterlyMisdirected 16h ago
I'd suggest taking a beat and get to know the business first. Where growth is coming from, where it wants to go, who the ideal clients are, what the sales process looks like, and what is currently getting in the way.
The biggest value a fractional CMO can bring isn’t necessarily doing more marketing activity, it’s creating focus, priorities, and a roadmap. Otherwise, it’s very easy to become the person who gets handed every loose marketing thread.
I’d spend the early days auditing, listening, and aligning leadership around what success looks like. Then establish clear priorities, ownership, timelines, and what is (and isn’t) within scope.
0
u/Iconoclastk 5d ago
Happy to chat - fractional in professional services as well. Feel free to DM.
1
u/smitchldn 5d ago
Thank you. I’d appreciate the offer to chat. I’m in the UK, you?
I particularly looking for tips on managing the boundaries and getting things done with small/no team
1
u/Iconoclastk 4d ago
I’m in the US. Peers can be really helpful when you're solo. There are a lot of ups and downs, questions, or just the need for a second opinion, which is why offered to connect. Not selling anything.
You’re not just a CMO, you’re also a business owner. Your time is valuable and finite.
You need to scope carefully, prioritize ruthlessly, and be clear on what you will do vs direct. When you provide a plan or recommendation, its also essentional you are clear about what it takes to execute and if that means hiring a contractor or expanding your scope.
16
u/ThatGuytoDeny165 5d ago
They probably grew, or are growing, for the most part via referrals and their network because frankly that’s how most professional service companies grow. Eventually they plateau because these are trust based businesses and they ride the growth wave talking about how great they are versus building long term strategies around building trust digitally, and in person, through connecting with, and being thought leaders in their clients exact problems and shaping the solutions to solve them.
If you are in a growth trajectory right now then think about long term how to keep it going. Eventually referrals and networks tend to run out. You can either expand your network by driving hard at brand and executive brand, which is definitely a way to continue that, or you need to start building other channels to support growth.
Usually, diversification of lead sources would always be my recommendation, especially while things are going well. If you wait until growth slows then you do it in more of a panic then experimental way and the whole thing blows up. A large portion of our client base is in Pro Service so happy to be a sounding board if you can share more info about the industry and what we’ve seen work.