Canadian company · headquartered in Vancouver, BC (604) 632-4959 Text us Ali@Sedighi.ca
Menu

Services

Fractional CMO leadership

A fractional CMO is your head of marketing for a set number of days a month. We own the plan, the budget and the results, and we report to you the way any senior manager would.

Written by Ali Sedighi, MBALast updated:

Fractional CMO leadership means one senior person is accountable for your marketing, every month, without you hiring a full-time executive. We set direction, approve spending, direct the people doing the work and tell you plainly what is and isn't paying off. You stay in charge of the business; we take marketing off your list.

What the role covers

A fractional CMO does what a full-time marketing head does, compressed into the days you need. The difference is scope, not seniority.

Each month the role includes:

  • Direction. Choosing the two or three priorities that matter this quarter and stopping work that doesn't serve them.
  • Budget control. Deciding where each marketing dollar goes, and moving money from channels that underperform to channels that earn their keep.
  • People. Briefing your staff, freelancers and agencies, reviewing their work and holding them to deadlines, as described under team and agency management.
  • Management seat. Joining your leadership discussions so marketing plans line up with sales capacity, hiring and cash flow.
  • Reporting. A monthly owner scorecard and a quarterly reset of the plan.

Who it is for

This service fits owner-led businesses that spend real money on marketing but have nobody senior steering it. Typical signs:

  • annual revenue large enough that marketing decisions matter, but not large enough to justify a full-time executive
  • one to five people touching marketing, inside the business or outside it
  • an owner who is making marketing calls in the evenings and knows it isn't working
  • a growth goal (a new location, a new service line, a new region) that needs a plan behind it

It is not a fit if you need someone on site full-time, or if what you really want is cheap hands to post on social media. In those cases we will say so in the first conversation.

How the first quarter runs

The first 90 days follow a set pattern, so you can judge the engagement early.

  1. Weeks 1–2: listen and audit. We review your numbers, tools, vendors, past campaigns and customer feedback. We talk to whoever handles enquiries, because that is where marketing meets reality.
  2. Weeks 3–4: the plan. You receive a written 90-day plan with priorities, a monthly budget and the measures we will report.
  3. Weeks 5–12: run it. Weekly check-ins with the people doing the work, a monthly review with you, and adjustments as evidence comes in.
  4. Week 13: the reset. We compare results with the plan, decide what to keep, cut or scale, and write the next quarter.

Our guide to the first 90 days with a fractional CMO goes through each stage in detail.

How results are measured

We measure the role by business outcomes, not activity. The scorecard tracks:

  • qualified enquiries, by source
  • customers won, and the revenue attached to them
  • cost per new customer, by channel and overall
  • marketing spend against the approved budget
  • progress on the quarter's two or three priorities

If a number can't be tracked yet, fixing that becomes part of the work under marketing operations. We won't report a figure we can't defend.

Mistakes to avoid when hiring a fractional CMO

Owners who have tried this before and been disappointed usually made one of these mistakes:

  • Hiring for tactics. A fractional CMO who spends all month running your ads is an expensive ad manager. The value is in direction and accountability.
  • No decision rights. If the CMO can't approve spending or brief vendors, they become an adviser nobody listens to. Agree authority in writing.
  • No baseline. Without last year's numbers, nobody can show improvement. Even rough figures are better than none.
  • Expecting results in week two. Some fixes are quick, but most channels need weeks of data before a fair judgement.
  • Keeping it secret from the team. Staff and vendors need to know who is directing marketing, or they will keep taking instructions from whoever shouts loudest.

Proof from our HVAC work

The approach behind this service comes from our HVAC work, where Ali Sedighi has built 150+ live websites. CombiBoiler.ca reached 300% ROI and 300+ monthly leads, and Roma Heating & Cooling saw 400% organic traffic growth in 12 months. These are results from our HVAC work and show what consistent management can produce; they are not a forecast for your business. More on the results page.

Retainer pricing is on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

How many days a month does a fractional CMO work?

It depends on the size of the job. A business with one coordinator and a modest ad budget might need a couple of days a month; a business running several channels and vendors needs more. The time commitment is written into your retainer so both sides know what to expect.

Will a fractional CMO attend our management meetings?

Yes, in person or by video call. Marketing should have a seat at the table when you discuss sales targets, hiring and cash flow, and the fractional CMO fills that seat.

What happens if we later hire a full-time marketing leader?

That is often a good outcome. We help write the role, hand over the plan, tools and vendor relationships, and step back. Everything we build belongs to you.

Can a fractional CMO work across more than one of our locations?

Yes. Multi-location businesses often benefit most, because someone has to keep each location's marketing consistent while allowing for local differences.