Answers
Everything people ask before they get in touch
Costs, commitment, scope, timelines and fit — answered here rather than saved for a sales call.
Getting started
Working together
What happens on a discovery call?
One hour, no pitch. We go through what you sell, who buys it, what marketing exists today and what the numbers look like. You leave with an opinion on where the constraint actually is, whether or not you engage me. Any proposal follows afterwards in writing.
How quickly can we start?
Usually two to three weeks from the discovery call. The first month is diagnosis and plan: I would rather spend the first four weeks working out what is true than launching activity we later reverse.
Do you work with our existing team and agencies?
Yes, and that is normally the fastest route to results. Part of the job is briefing suppliers properly and holding them to a commercial target. Replacing anyone is a conclusion reached with evidence, not a starting position.
Do you work remotely or on site?
Both. Most retainers combine on-site days across Cheshire, Manchester and Staffordshire with remote work in between, so you are paying for thinking rather than travel.
Money
Cost and commitment
How much does a Fractional CMO cost?
It is priced by the day and quoted after a discovery call, because the right number of days depends on whether you need advice on a capable team or someone running the function. The pricing page sets out every engagement, and the Fractional CMO page has a calculator that compares it to a full-time hire on your own numbers.
Is there a minimum contract?
No. Retainers run month to month and fractional engagements are reviewed quarterly, where the day count goes up, down or stops. Fixed-scope work such as a strategy or health check ends when it is delivered.
Do you take a percentage of ad spend?
No. Percentage-of-spend pricing rewards spending more. Everything is priced in days or as fixed scope, so advising you to spend less costs me nothing.
What is the smallest sensible first engagement?
A marketing health check or a written strategy. Both are fixed scope, both end with a prioritised plan you own outright, and neither requires an ongoing retainer to be worth doing.
Websites
The £999 website build
What does £999 actually include?
Positioning and structure, page copy, design and build of up to 40 pages, technical SEO and schema, analytics, migration from your existing site, testing and launch. It is a complete site rather than a template drop.
How long does the build take?
The site can be built and live in four weeks from brief, provided content decisions and approvals come back promptly. Priority slots run in two to three weeks where the schedule allows.
What is the £100 a month for?
Amendments, new pages, software and security upkeep, performance monitoring and ongoing conversion improvements. It is optional, has no minimum term, and exists because sites decay when nobody owns them.
What is excluded from the fixed price?
Third-party costs: hosting and domains, software licences, stock imagery, and specialist production such as video or photography. Ecommerce, membership systems and custom application work are quoted separately.
Fit
Is this right for us?
Are we too small for a Fractional CMO?
If you have marketing spend and no one senior deciding where it goes, you are the right size. If there is no spend and no team yet, the honest starting point is usually a strategy or a website rather than a leadership retainer.
Should we hire an agency, a freelancer or you?
It depends on whether you need decisions or delivery. There are three comparison pages that set this out plainly, including the cases where an agency, a freelancer or a permanent Marketing Director is the better buy.
Which sectors do you work in?
Mostly B2B services, property and lettings, professional services, manufacturing, SaaS and consumer platforms. The industry hubs on the case studies pages show the recurring pattern in each and the live work behind it.
What are your credentials?
Chartered Marketer status with the CIM (MCIM) and an MSc in Digital Marketing Management, alongside thirteen years leading B2B, industrial and retail growth. The about page covers the detail.
Not answered here
Where the detail lives
Each page goes deeper than a FAQ answer can.
Pricing
Every engagement, what is fixed and what is quoted.
Compare options
Fractional CMO against agencies, hires and freelancers.
Case studies
Live client work, the decisions behind it and the outcomes.
Keep reading
Where to go next
A few things worth reading — and the pages most people move to from here.
Related insights
- SME GrowthWhen an SME Should Hire a Fractional CMO Instead of a Marketing DirectorThe revenue, team and complexity signals that decide between part-time and full-time leadership.
- Marketing StrategyWhy Your Marketing Isn't Working (And It Probably Isn't the Tactics)The positioning and priority problems that make good execution look like bad marketing.
Related services
- All servicesEvery marketing leadership, strategy and growth service on one page.
- Fractional CMOSenior marketing leadership on a retained, part-time basis.
- Case studiesFeatured UK businesses and products launched or grown, with client quotes.
- Book a callA 30-minute call to size up the opportunity.
Next step
Ask the question that is not on this page
Book a call, or email me directly. Either way you get a straight answer rather than a proposal.