Can I expect full commitment from a Fractional CMO?

Tan asked a key question in this week’s CMO Chat:

“When I hire a Fractional CMO who works with other clients, is my company still # 1 in their heart?”

The “commitment” question is something we’re asked a lot.

I say this: The old way of working is task-based. The new way of working is outcome-based. You might not get 100% of their time and attention, because they work with other clients as well. Yet, you get their 100% commitment for bringing you the outcome you want.

A contract-based CMO doesn’t have the luxury of job security. They have to earn their keep, day in and day out.

They are committed, because they have to.

More on that, in this week’s episode of the CMO CHAT. Thanks for watching.

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Can’t watch it right now? No problem, there is a full transcript of the video below.

Tan

All right, welcome to the CMO Chat. I'm Tan.

Tanja

And I'm Tanja.

Tan

Okay, Tanja. One of my worries if I'm hiring a Fractional CMO would be; this person has lots of other clients they're serving, lots of other customers. They're not going to have time for me. I'm not number one in their heart. Do you think that's a valid concern?

Tanja

I understand where it's coming from, but you don't need to worry about that, because you have to think that usually people who do Fractional CMO kind of work, they are motivated by having several balls in the air. They love to work with several companies at the same time. It gives them energy, gives them fuel, they can benefit from synergies and so on.

Tanja

And another reason why you should not worry is that, they are committed, because they have to. As an employee, you have a certain job security, you cannot just get fired like that. As a Fractional CMO, you work on a monthly flat fee. You're an external person coming in. You can get rid of a Fractional CMO any time.

Like if you don't like what they're doing - you can get rid of them. If you feel like they're not a cultural fit - you can get rid of them. So, they really have to commit to deliver the outcomes that you're looking for, because they can be gone any day.

Tan

Yeah. And I would argue that this is a much better model of working because both people want to be there, and both people have a stake. They have motivation to do well, whereas a full time employee has no motivation to go the extra mile.

Tanja

No, because it doesn't matter what they do, they still get paid.

Tan

I mean, especially in these parts of the world where everything is so secure I notice not a lot of people are motivated.

Tanja

Yeah. I mean, that's that's sometimes the case. But as a Fractional CMO, you don't focus on the hours that you spend on the clients, but you really focus on delivering an outcome.

That's all what a company is looking for.

Tan

Yeah. Because it shouldn't be about the time you put in. It should be about the tangible results.

Tanja Yes. And you shouldn't get punished for being good at your job. For a newbie in a certain area, it might take longer to get things done or to come up with a strategy. But if you've been doing Fractional CMO work for ten years, 15 years, you're a quicker. A 30% engagement is more than enough because you have the experience.

Tan

Excellent. Great point. So if you're interested in having somebody just to fill a certain amount of time, like 8 hours per day, then get an employee. But if you're interested in getting real results quickly and you don't want to count how many hours they work on it, then Fractional CMO might be a good way to go.

Tanja

Absolutely.