The next move / leadership folio

A fractional CMO proposal for a company that needs senior marketing leadership before hiring a full-time CMO. It covers where marketing stands, how the role works, what is and is not included, the first 90 days, the CMO’s background, a similar client’s results and three plans by days a week.

Fractional CMO Proposal

<h1 style="font-family:Bodoni Moda;font-weight:500;line-height:1;text-align:center;color:#FAEED7"><span style="font-size:clamp(42px,9cqw,100px)">Fractional CMO<br>Proposal</span></h1>

<p style="font-family:Inter;color:#FAEED7;text-align:center;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5">Prepared for {{CLIENT_COMPANY}}<br>by {{SELLER_COMPANY}}</p>

Overview

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-heading);line-height:1.16;font-weight:600"><span style="font-size:clamp(28px,4.2cqw,44px)">Thank you for the conversation</span></h2><p style="font-size:clamp(20px,2.1cqw,23px);line-height:1.5">You asked for senior marketing leadership without hiring a full-time CMO yet. This is how that would work.</p>

<p>Hello {{CLIENT_NAME}},</p>
<p>Your marketing team works hard, but without a senior marketing leader, priorities change often, your agencies take direction from several people and nobody can say which spend produces pipeline.</p>
<p>I would join your leadership team as fractional CMO two days a week. In the first 90 days I would write a plan your board can follow, give the team and agencies one owner, and report pipeline and cost per opportunity every month.</p>
<p><strong>{{SELLER_NAME}}</strong><br>Fractional CMO, {{SELLER_COMPANY}}</p>

The same days each week, on site or remote

Pipeline, cost per opportunity, conversion and spend

Introduction

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-heading);line-height:1.16;font-weight:600"><span style="font-size:clamp(28px,4.2cqw,44px)">Where marketing stands today</span></h2><p style="font-size:clamp(20px,2.1cqw,23px);line-height:1.5">What we heard in our conversations. I will check each point in the first two weeks.</p>

<p>Your marketing manager, two agencies and a freelancer each take direction from different people, so priorities change from week to week.</p>

No single owner for marketing

<p>Paid media spend rose by about a third this year, while marketing-sourced pipeline stayed close to $400k a quarter.</p>

Spend is up, pipeline is flat

<p>Each channel reports its own numbers. Nobody can say what a sales opportunity costs or which channel brings the best ones.</p>

No shared view of results

<p>You know marketing needs more people, but not whether the next hire should be in demand generation, content or product marketing.</p>

The next hire is on hold

Marketing-sourced pipeline per quarter

Your situation

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-accent);font-weight:500;line-height:1.14"><span style="font-size:clamp(30px,4.2cqw,52px)">I recommend two days a week as your fractional CMO for the first six months.</span></h2><p style="font-size:clamp(20px,2.1cqw,23px);line-height:1.5">That is enough time to lead the team and agencies every week, and to decide with you which full-time role marketing needs next.</p>

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-heading);line-height:1.16;font-weight:600"><span style="font-size:clamp(28px,4.2cqw,44px)">How the role works</span></h2><p style="font-size:clamp(20px,2.1cqw,23px);line-height:1.5">Four areas I would be responsible for.</p>

<p>A written marketing plan for the next four quarters, tied to your revenue target.</p><ul><li>Target customers and the main message for each</li><li>Channel plan and budget split</li><li>Three priorities a quarter, each with one owner</li></ul>

Strategy

<p>One person setting direction for everyone who works on marketing.</p><ul><li>A weekly meeting with your marketing team</li><li>Clear briefs and monthly reviews for each agency</li><li>A hiring plan for your next marketing role, and help with interviews</li></ul>

Team and agencies

<p>Spend moved to the channels that produce pipeline.</p><ul><li>A monthly review of spend by channel</li><li>Cost per opportunity for every channel</li><li>Agency and software contracts reviewed before renewal</li></ul>

Budget

<p>One set of numbers for the leadership team.</p><ul><li>A dashboard with pipeline, conversion and cost per opportunity</li><li>A monthly review with you</li><li>A one-page board update every month</li></ul>

Reporting

How the role works

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-heading);line-height:1.16;font-weight:600"><span style="font-size:clamp(28px,4.2cqw,44px)">What you get each month</span></h2><p style="font-size:clamp(20px,2.1cqw,23px);line-height:1.5">Everything the monthly fee covers, and what it does not.</p>

What you get

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-heading);line-height:1.16;font-weight:600"><span style="font-size:clamp(28px,4.2cqw,44px)">The first 90 days</span></h2><p style="font-size:clamp(20px,2.1cqw,23px);line-height:1.5">Work starts on {{START_DATE}}. Each month ends with a review with you.</p>

<p>Interviews with your leadership team, sales and a few customers. A review of spend, channels, software and agency contracts.</p>

Listen and review

<p>Agree the plan and the three priorities for the quarter. Set up the dashboard and the weekly team meeting, and brief the agencies.</p>

Plan and reset

<p>Run the plan with the team, move budget to the channels that perform and write the hiring plan.</p>

Run and report

The first 90 days

Who you will work with

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-heading);line-height:1.16;font-weight:600"><span style="font-size:clamp(28px,4.2cqw,44px)">Results for a similar client</span></h2><p style="font-size:clamp(20px,2.1cqw,23px);line-height:1.5">A company at a similar stage, and what changed in two quarters.</p>

Results for a similar client

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-heading);line-height:1.16;font-weight:600"><span style="font-size:clamp(28px,4.2cqw,44px)">Monthly fee</span></h2><p style="font-size:clamp(20px,2.1cqw,23px);line-height:1.5">Three levels of involvement. I recommend two days a week for the first six months.</p>

For steady direction and a monthly plan review.

1 day a week

For leading the team and agencies through the year.

2 days a week

For a hands-on lead while you hire a full-time head of marketing.

3 days a week

<p>Fees are in USD, exclude tax and are invoiced monthly in advance. Extra days are $1,000 each. Travel for on-site days outside your city is charged at cost. This proposal is valid until {{VALID_UNTIL}}.</p>

Monthly fee

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-heading);line-height:1.16;font-weight:600"><span style="font-size:clamp(28px,4.2cqw,44px)">Common questions</span></h2>

<p>You get senior leadership for a share of the cost of a full-time hire, and we can start in weeks rather than months. Many clients use the first six months to decide which full-time role they need, and I help them hire it.</p>

How is this different from hiring a full-time CMO?

<p>Yes. I review each agency’s work and contract in the first month, give each one a clear brief and target, and recommend changes only where the numbers support them.</p>

Will you work with our current agencies?

<p>We agree four numbers in the first month: marketing-sourced pipeline, cost per opportunity, conversion from lead to opportunity and spend against budget. You see them every month on one page.</p>

How will we know it is working?

<p>Access to your CRM, analytics and ad accounts, an hour a week with your marketing team, an hour a month with you and the agenda for each board meeting.</p>

What do you need from us?

<p>Yes. You can move between one, two and three days a week with 30 days’ notice, and add extra days in a busy month at the day rate.</p>

Can we change the number of days later?

<p>After the three-month minimum, either of us can end the agreement with 30 days’ notice. You keep the plan, the dashboard and every document I have written.</p>

What if it is not working?

Questions

<p style="font-size:18px;letter-spacing:.08em;text-transform:uppercase">{{SELLER_COMPANY}}</p>

<h2 style="font-family:var(--proposal-font-heading);line-height:1.16;font-weight:600"><span style="font-size:clamp(28px,4.2cqw,44px)">Next steps</span></h2><p style="font-size:clamp(20px,2.1cqw,23px);line-height:1.5">How we start.</p>

Fractional CMO Proposal - Preview