A CMO/Without the hire.
You get a chief marketing officer who owns the plan, runs the budget, and holds every agency to a number. Part-time hours, flat monthly fee, full accountability for results.
What a fractional CMO is
A fractional CMO is a senior marketing executive you share with a few other companies. You get the judgment of someone who has run budgets, teams, and agencies, for a fraction of a full-time salary.
Most companies at your size already pay for marketing. They pay an agency, a few tools, and maybe a coordinator. What they don't have is someone on their side of the table who can tell whether any of it works. That's the seat I fill.
I've spent 17 years in marketing and communications, most recently as Chief Operating Officer of a San Antonio marketing agency. I know what a client can reasonably ask an agency for, and how to tell a real plan from a padded one, because I spent years on the agency side of that table. Now I sit on yours.
What I do every week
The plan
Budget, channels, and priorities, set with you and owned by me. Every line has a target tied to revenue.
Your agencies
I set their targets, review their work, and run the monthly review. If they miss, I tell you and we fix it or replace them.
The weekly score
One page: what you spent, what it produced, and what came back. Clicks and impressions stay in the appendix.
Tracking
Calls, forms, and bookings tied back to the campaign that produced them, so the score is real.
Three games/
One scoreboard.
The discipline is the same everywhere: spend has to answer to revenue. The number changes by industry.
Home services
HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and energy. The score is booked jobs and cost per job.
Home services →Higher education
Colleges and universities. The score is applications, deposits, and cost per enrolled student.
Higher education →Sports
Teams, leagues, events, and foundations. The score is tickets, renewals, and sponsorship revenue.
Sports →Your three options
| AYOTTE fractional CMO | Marketing agency | Full-time CMO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works for | You and your P&L | Its retainer | You |
| Monthly cost | From $5,000, flat | Retainer, often plus a share of spend | Salary, bonus and benefits |
| Grades its own work | No. Grades the agency's | Yes | Sometimes |
| Time to start | This month | A few weeks | A months-long search |
| Easy to exit | 30 days' notice after 90 days | Contract terms vary | Severance |
Questions about fractional CMOs
What does a fractional CMO do?
A fractional CMO owns your marketing strategy and budget part time. I set the plan, manage your agencies and vendors, fix tracking, and report results against revenue every week.
Is a fractional CMO the same as a marketing consultant?
Close, with one difference. A consultant advises; a fractional CMO owns the outcome and runs the work each week. If you want advice without the ongoing role, see marketing consulting.
How many hours does a fractional CMO work?
It varies by month. I price by the job, not the hour, so you're never billed for time spent on a slow week, and a busy week doesn't cost extra.
Do you work with companies outside Texas?
Yes. I work with clients across the United States, remotely, with on-site visits when the work calls for one. Travel is billed separately, at cost, and only with your written approval.
How much does it cost?
From $5,000 a month, flat, for companies spending $25,000 to $60,000 a month on marketing. Full details are on the pricing page.
It either is/
Or it isn't.
Send me your last agency report. I'll tell you which.