Fractional CMO
Owns strategy and funnel math
Exec-level SaaS pattern recognition
Accountable for pipeline
Month-to-month
Fraction of an executive salary
Fractional CMO for SaaS
A fractional CMO
A fractional CMO
for SaaS companies whose
product outran
their pipeline.
The product keeps getting better. The trial and demo numbers don’t. A B2B fractional CMO closes that gap with funnel math, not more features.
The short answer
SaaS marketing
SaaS marketing
is math with a
subscription attached.
Three numbers run the business: what a customer costs to acquire, what they’re worth over time, and how long it takes to earn the acquisition cost back. A SaaS fractional CMO builds the pipeline system those numbers say you can afford, whether your motion is product-led, sales-led, or the hybrid most companies at this stage actually run.
Tom Zandstra, Fractional CMO
15+ years building marketing systems for B2B companies. Adjunct professor at Calvin University. Clients have closed seven-figure Fortune 500 deals.
How it compares
The options at
The options at
$1M–$20M ARR.
Each one solves a different problem. If yours is direction, the B2B fractional CMO column is the one to read first.
Full-time CMO
Owns strategy full-time
$200K+ salary + benefits
Accountable for pipeline
Long-term commitment
Right answer, usually later
Growth agency
Executes someone’s strategy
Deliverables, not outcomes
Contract-based
Needs direction to work
First marketing hire
Tactical execution
$60K+ salary
Full-time hire
Needs strategic direction
Frequently asked
What SaaS founders ask
What SaaS founders ask
before saying yes.
Click any question to expand. If yours isn’t here, the call is free.
What does a fractional CMO do for a SaaS company?
The same job a full-time CMO would do, sized to the stage: set the strategy, own the funnel math, and build the pipeline system. In SaaS terms that means knowing your CAC by channel, your LTV by segment, and your payback period, then building the demand engine those numbers say you can afford.
When should a SaaS company hire a fractional CMO?
When the product is holding up its end and the pipeline isn’t. Typically that’s between $1M and $20M in revenue: the first channel has plateaued, marketing is still a founder’s side job, and nobody can say what a customer costs to acquire. Below $1M, founder-led marketing on one channel is usually the better spend.
How much does it cost?
Our pricing is public. Strategic Direction runs $3,000 a month, Managed Marketing runs $5,000, and Embedded CMO runs $9,000. Most engagements configure between $5,000 and $9,000 a month, month-to-month with no lock-in. See pricing details →
Do you work with product-led and sales-led SaaS?
Both, and the distinction is the first strategic decision we pressure-test. PLG lives or dies on activation and conversion inside the product, so marketing’s job is qualified signups and the nurture that turns free into paid. Sales-led lives on pipeline coverage, so the job is demand generation and handing sales conversations they can close. Many companies at this stage are actually hybrids, and treating one motion as the whole strategy is a common source of stalled growth.
How is this different from hiring a growth agency?
An agency executes a strategy someone else set. A fractional CMO sets it, decides what gets built, and stays accountable for whether pipeline moves. If you already have the right strategy and just need hands, an agency or contractor is cheaper. Most SaaS companies at this stage have the opposite problem. The full comparison is in our article on fractional CMOs versus marketing agencies.
Which metrics does the engagement focus on?
CAC by channel, LTV by segment, payback period, pipeline generated and influenced, and conversion rates at each funnel stage, reported monthly in plain language. If marketing spend can’t be tied to revenue within 90 days, something is wrong and we fix it or say so.
Have a question that’s not here? Let’s talk through it →
“All of these projects were successful, including 1,000+ registrations for our first webinar. Happy to recommend Thomas to any agency looking for a fractional CMO.”Dale · Agency Owner
One call
Let’s look at
Let’s look at
your funnel math.
One call. Bring what you know about your CAC, your conversion rates, and where deals stall. We’ll tell you where we’d start. No pitch deck, no pressure.