Why your marketing is not working (and what a Fractional CMO can actually do about it)
It’s a pattern I see all the time; you’re a smart operator. You have built something real. The product is solid, the team is capable, and you know the market opportunity is there. But the marketing is not converting. You are spending money, you are busy, but the pipeline is not what it should be. Sound familiar?
I have worked with businesses across 62 industries and counting, in New Zealand and internationally. The symptoms looks different - but the root cause is almost always the same: there is no one at the table who owns the ‘full-funnel’ marketing picture. Not just one channel such as search, or social, or PR… the whole thing, from the first time someone hears about you through to the moment they sign – and deliver a measurable marketing ROI.
That is the gap a fractional CMO can fill for many businesses. Not a consultant who hands over a report. Not an agency that manages specialist disciplines or portions of your investment. Someone who sits inside the business, thinks about simple, holistic results (money-in the top of funnel vs. money out the bottom), and is accountable for that overall result.
But here’s the rub: when most growing or early-stage businesses most dearly need discipline around their precious and finite marketing investment – is when they can least afford the senior thinking and skills of a full-time CMO.
That’s when a fractional CMO can really help. So what does that look like?
A fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who works with your business on a part-time or project basis. You get the strategy, the experience, and the commercial accountability of a Chief Marketing Officer, without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive hire.
In practical terms, it means someone who:
Sets the overall marketing strategy and makes sure every dollar and every channel is working toward simple, easy to measure business objectives.
Manages your marketing team, agency, and / or contractor relationships on your behalf.
Is in the room when the business decisions are made, not just executing briefs from the sidelines.
Is accountable for results. Not just ‘inputs’ and activity, not just ‘impressions’ or vanity metrics. Results.
It is worth being clear about what a fractional CMO is not. It is not an agency. Agencies execute within a brief. A fractional CMO writes the brief. It is not a freelance consultant. A consultant analyses and recommends. A fractional CMO acts and owns the outcome. And it is not a marketing manager. Marketing managers handle day-to-day execution. A fractional CMO sets direction.
Here are three situations where I think a fractional CMO is the right call:
1. You are growing, but your marketing has not caught up with the business.
You started out doing marketing yourself, or you handed it to someone junior, and for a while that was fine. But the business has grown, the competitive landscape has changed, and the approach that got you here is not going to get you to the next level. You need strategic leadership, not just execution.
2. You tried the agency route and it did not deliver what you expected.
Agencies are usually good at running specific channels. They are not built to own your overall marketing strategy. If you have found yourself confused about where and how your money is working, or frustrated that you cannot get a straight answer about ROI, that is usually a focus and objectve-setting problem, not an agency problem. You need someone in your corner who is looking at the full picture. Not analysis-paralysis. Simple ROI-based metrics that are proven growth drivers for your business - and will directly help achieve the business objectives you’ve set.
3. You are about to make a significant marketing investment and you want it to land right.
A new product launch, a move into a new market, a repositioning of the brand. These are the moments where getting the strategy right matters most. Bringing in a fractional CMO before you spend, rather than after things have gone sideways, is almost always the smarter call.
What the first 90 days actually looks like?
I offer a 90-day guarantee. If we do not deliver agreed measurable progress within 90 days, you do not pay. That is not a gimmick. It is a commitment to a structured, accountable way of working. Here is what those 90 days look like.
Weeks 1-2: Full audit
Before anything is changed, I need to understand where things stand. That means looking at your current marketing activity, your spend, your team, your pipeline, your analytics. What is working? What is not? Where is the money leaking?
Weeks 3-4: Strategy and priorities
Based on the audit, I build a clear picture of the highest-priority actions. Not a list of 40 things. A clear view of the three to five ‘growth drivers’ that will move the needle most. I’ll then frame those drivers around a proven 10-step full-funnel plan. We agree on that together, and then we move.
Weeks 5-12: Execution and iteration
This is where the actual work happens. Depending on what the audit and top-line funnel plan surfaces, this might mean doing some foundational positioning or re-positioning thinking, helping establish a new ROI measurement framework, picking a test campaign to get initial revenue wins, testing new channels, offers or audiences, looking at organic, SEO/GEO and thought leadership opportunities, restructuring agency relationships, investigating AI marketing opportunities - or all of the above. I track what is happening as we meet regularly. If something is not working, we adjust.
The 90-day guarantee: what it covers and what it does not
The guarantee is simple: measurable progress in 90 days or no fee. That forces both of us to be clear about what success looks like before we start (which is honestly where most marketing engagements go wrong).
The guarantee covers the monthly engagement fee. If we define success criteria together at the start, and those criteria are not met in any month during the 90-day period, you simply flag that, and I’ll forgo the fee. What it does not cover is media spend, production costs, or third-party tools. Those are costs the business incurs regardless.
It also assumes both parties hold up their end. I need access, I need timely feedback, and I need the business to be willing to make the changes the strategy calls for. If the business is not ready to move, that is a conversation we should have before we start.
Frequently asked questions
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A consultant typically delivers a recommendation and leaves. A fractional CMO stays in the room, is part of the team, and is accountable for whether the strategy actually works. The accountability is the difference.
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Description text goes To be frank, hours are an outdated measure of consultant ‘make-work’ models and inputs. I structure fees around the things that really matter; outputs and ROI results. In that endeavour I will invest whatever time it takes to get the job done. The fee structure will be designed to help me cover basic costs – and reduce your monthly overhead – but have a payment by results component to create a mutual partnership based on shared risk and mutual success. But if you are looking for broad yardstick of time input? It varies depending on the business and the stage of the engagement. Typically somewhere between one and three days per week. The first 90 days usually requires more time, depending on how much foundational thinking is required. here
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Not necessarily. Some businesses bring me in to help build the function from scratch. Others have an existing team or agency and need strategic direction. I work with whatever structure you have, and help you figure out what you need.
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Primarily growth-stage New Zealand or Australian businesses with a real commercial ambition. Businesses that have proven the product or service, and need marketing leadership to accelerate. I have worked across more than 62 industries including retail, professional services, financial services, FMCG, and technology.
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It means we agree on specific, measurable outcomes at the start of the engagement. Not vague goals like "improve brand awareness". Actual metrics: leads, conversion rates, pipeline value, new positioning - whatever is most relevant for your business. If we do not hit our agreed objectives, you do not need to pay.
If any of this sounds relevant to where your business is right now, the best next step is a straightforward 30-minute conversation. No pitch, no proposal. Just a clear-headed look at your situation and whether this is the right fit.