Five years ago the term 'fractional CMO' barely existed in London. Today every second LinkedIn profile carries it. The market has flooded — and most of what's on offer is a freelance marketer with a new title, not a senior operator who has actually owned a P&L. Here's how to tell the difference before you sign anything.
01The senior-operator test
A real fractional CMO has run marketing for at least one business doing £5M+ in revenue. They have hired and fired agencies. They have sat in front of a board and defended a budget that didn't perform. They have killed campaigns they personally launched.
If the person opposite you talks fluently about strategy frameworks but cannot tell you the specific cost-per-acquisition they walked into and what they walked out at, you are interviewing a strategist, not an operator.
02What it actually costs in London
The honest London rate band for a senior fractional CMO sits between £6,000 and £14,000 per month for four to eight days of work, depending on seniority and remit.
Anything under £4,000 is either a part-time freelancer or someone using your business as their training ground. Anything above £18,000 is a former agency principal selling consultancy hours, not an embedded operator.
What the retainer should cover
- Direct ownership of marketing strategy and quarterly planning.
- Agency oversight and renegotiation.
- CRM, tracking and reporting integrity.
- Monthly board-ready performance review.
03Six questions to ask in the first call
- What was the cost per acquisition in the last business you ran marketing for, before and after?
- Name the last campaign you killed. Why?
- How do you report to founders monthly? Show me a redacted example.
- What's your stance on platform-side conversion data?
- How many clients do you currently hold?
- What's the smallest result you've ever been proud of, and why?
The answers tell you within ten minutes whether you're hiring a senior operator or a generalist with a polished deck.