If you’re thinking about doing fractional CMO work, I created a video that will help you spot and mitigate some of the downsides you’re likely to experience. In this 9-minute video, we’ll explore the downsides of the model, who it might be ideal for, and what I recommend you consider doing instead. Give it a …
Mistakes I learned as a new fractional CMO
My entry to marketing consulting work began with two fractional CMO gigs. I think I charged $3,500 and $4,000/month respectively. My intent was to advise on and manage my clients’ marketing. The reality looked much more like actual production work. I was an order-taker, not really a trusted advisor. There’s a big difference. Instead of …
The Right Way to Sell Fractional CMO Services [Workshop]
On Wednesday, May 24th at 11am EST, I’m hosting a 90-minute workshop for Mindshare members on how to package and deliver fractional CMO services. This is a big one because I get asked a LOT of questions about this and have a TON of nuanced thoughts about how and when to do it successfully. I’ve …
Is it okay to call yourself a fractional CMO if you’ve never been an actual CMO?
I’ve heard it said a few times that fractional CMOs who have never been a CMO for a company shouldn’t call themselves fractional CMOs. I get the point—but that assumes people naturally graduate from an in-house career as a senior marketer into self-employment. The reality is, a lot of us begin our independent marketing career …
203. Mark Evans on the unique challenges and methodologies of fractional CMO and advisory work
A few weeks ago, I invited Mindshare member and long-time marketing consultant, Mark Evans, to talk shop with me about the business of marketing consulting and fractional CMO work. This was a really fun episode. We went deep into the nerdy nuances of fractional/interim CMO and advisory work. Some topics we explored include: Mark’s transition …
Why I don’t position myself as a fractional CMO
I don’t position myself as a fractional CMO. I might have a fractional CMO service. Or in a sales conversation, I may say that I’m like having a part-time CMO on your team. But I don’t call myself a fractional CMO as my top-level positioning. I’m a consultant. I’m an advisor. I help companies with their marketing …
Why I don’t love the term “Fractional CMO”
I’m not actually against the term ‘Fractional CMO’. I just don’t love it. You may or may not recall, but there’s been a lot of terms for what we as marketing experts do—especially since the digital era. Digital strategists, e-marketing specialists, growth hackers… the list goes on and on. As one new term rises, another …
The constraints being a fractional CMO (audio)
This is a preview episode of the private podcast that comes with a free Mindshare Community membership. Join today for more members-only content and community. If you’ve done any fractional CMO/freelance head of growth/managed advisory work (as I like to call it), you’ll quickly notice how much it limits your time to work with multiple …
Fractional CMOs may be generalists—but they should also be specialists
Yesterday, I wrote about how fractional CMOs and marketing advisors are generalists by nature. We have to be. We need to be able to combine business acumen with marketing skills across a wide range of channels and disciplines. And that’s precisely why it’s so important to build your business for a specific niche as soon …
Fractional CMOs are generalists and that’s okay
Some number of years after going to university, I studied ‘Small Business Entrepreneurship’ in a post-graduate college program. In the one-year program, I learned the fundamentals of most core areas of business, including finance, tax, law, management, marketing, accounting, HR, and a variety of other disciplines. And while I learned plenty about the various aspects …