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 …
Four benefits of fractional CMO positioning
Yesterday, I wrote about the risk of fractional CMO positioning. As with many things, there is another side to the coin. In fact, there are several benefits of fractional CMO positioning. Here are just a few. 1. It positions you as a senior leader, which you are People with high stakes and high-value projects are …
The risk of fractional CMO positioning
One of the big risks of positioning yourself as a fractional CMO is, if you’re not careful, you’ll be treated like a part-time employee. The signs of this include: Becoming an order-taker instead of a sounding board Being asked for deliverables and execution work instead of advice Being expected to manage and drive projects forward Getting …
Should you position yourself as a fractional CMO?
I was at a BBQ last year and my extended in-laws were asking what I do. The easiest thing that came to mind was telling them that I’m like a fractional or part-time CMO (chief marketing officer). I told them how companies too small to justify one full-time could work with me and get the …
194. How to avoid the “employee” trap as a fractional CXO
It’s incredibly easy to get sucked into being an employee-like figure when you do fractional leadership work. When I first got started as a fractional CMO, I basically had two part-time jobs. The money was good but I worked HARD. I knew I needed to create better parameters. In this episode of Mindshare Radio, I’ll …