How to Hire a Fractional CMO: Process, Contract and Cost
Hiring a fractional CMO takes two weeks if you do it properly: write the outcome, not the job spec, interview for a plan rather than a portfolio, agree the authority in writing, and start with a paid diagnostic instead of a twelve-month commitment.
Step 1: write the outcome, not the job spec
One sentence: what has to be different in nine months. Pipeline that supports a stated revenue number, a repositioning that lets you raise price, or a marketing function that runs without the founder. Candidates who cannot engage with that sentence in the first meeting are selling capacity, not leadership.
Step 2: decide independent or agency-supplied
Step 3: interview for a plan
- What would you look at in the first two weeks, and in what order?
- What would you stop funding here, based on what you already see?
- Tell me about a marketing decision of yours that failed, and what it cost
- Which number would you sign up to, and by when?
- What do you need from me in terms of authority to make that possible?
Step 4: agree authority in writing
The single largest cause of failed fractional engagements is a leader without decision rights. Write down the budget they control, the agencies and hires they can change, who they report to, and what still requires the founder's approval. Half a page is enough, and it prevents six months of friction.
Step 5: structure the contract
- Paid diagnostic of four to six weeks first, with a written output and a decision point
- Then a rolling monthly retainer with a fixed number of days
- Thirty to sixty days notice on both sides, no long lock-in
- A defined review point at ninety days against the outcome sentence
- IP, confidentiality, and a non-conflict clause covering direct competitors
What to pay
https://niklaslindahl.com/guides/hire-a-fractional-cmo