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 invited to staff events and team retreats
However you position yourself, your primary job is to be a guide. To sell access to your brain, not your hands.
Unless you decide otherwise, your job is not to become a part-time employee, freelancer, or project manager. Execution work is a slippery slope and it must be managed judiciously if you want to avoid setting irreversible expectations.
You can choose to manage projects or do light execution work if you want. And sometimes, that’s a great way to get started as an advisor.
But if you do, you’re not being paid for your head. You’re being paid for your hands. Your advice will be a bonus.
And bonus features usually don’t command the highest premiums.
