How to Build a Pipeline of Clients as a Fractional CMO

Being available for fractional work is one thing. Making it obvious why a business should hire you is another.

The rise of the fractional CMO has opened up some really interesting opportunities for experienced marketing leaders.

Businesses can access senior marketing expertise without necessarily making a permanent CMO appointment. For an experienced marketer, it can offer more variety, flexibility and the opportunity to work with businesses where your experience can genuinely make a difference.

But there is one part of fractional work that tends to get underestimated.

You need to build your own pipeline.

If I were a fractional CMO today and wanted to build a steady flow of clients, I wouldn’t start by posting on LinkedIn every day and hoping someone got in touch.

I’d get very clear on where I can add the most value, who I want to work with and why they should choose me.

Start with your specialist market

The biggest mistake I see is positioning yourself as someone who can do everything for everyone.

Of course, a senior marketing leader probably can turn their hand to a lot of things. But that doesn’t mean you should market yourself that way.

If you have spent 15 or 20 years working in particular industries, business models or areas of marketing, that experience is an asset. Use it.

I would start by creating a very targeted prospect list.

Think CEOs, founders, Managing Directors and other senior decision-makers within the industries where you have genuine expertise.

Not hundreds of names.

Perhaps 50 businesses that you know well enough to have a meaningful conversation with.

Look at the size of the business, its growth stage, its marketing maturity and the challenges it appears to be facing. Think about where your experience would be particularly relevant.

The aim isn't to find anyone who could hire you.

It is to find the businesses where your experience makes the most sense.

Your capability statement is not your CV

Once you know who you want to work with, you need something that makes your proposition easy to understand.

This is where I would create a strong capability statement.

And I mean capability statement, not a CV with a different heading.

A CV is designed to tell someone about your career history.

A capability statement should tell a potential client why they should have a conversation with you.

I would include things such as:

• The types of businesses and industries you specialise in
• The brands you have worked with
• Your areas of expertise
• Examples of commercial or strategic outcomes you have delivered
• The types of situations where you can make the biggest difference
• The type of fractional engagement you are looking for

Keep it concise.

A busy CEO isn't going to work their way through 12 pages of career history to figure out whether you might be useful to them.

Make the relevance obvious.

Be really clear about the problem you solve

This is probably the most important part.

Businesses don't engage a fractional CMO because they wake up one morning and think, 'We really need some marketing help'.

There is usually something behind it.

• Perhaps the business has grown quickly, and the marketing function hasn't kept pace.
• Perhaps the brand needs repositioning.
• Perhaps they are entering a new market and need a go-to-market strategy.
• Perhaps lead generation isn't working as it should.
• Perhaps the existing marketing team needs senior leadership, structure and direction.
• Or perhaps the business is simply at the point where it needs CMO-level thinking but isn't ready for, or doesn't need, a permanent CMO.

Those are very different situations.

So don't just tell people you're a fractional CMO.

Tell them what you can help them solve.

If someone can look at your profile or capability statement and immediately think, That's exactly where we're at, you've done a much better job of positioning yourself.

Start conversations, not sales pitches

Once you've identified the right businesses, start building relationships with the people behind them.

LinkedIn is obviously useful here, but I wouldn't fall into the trap of sending hundreds of connection requests followed immediately by a long message explaining how brilliant you are.

Nobody enjoys that.

I'd connect with the relevant decision-makers, follow what their businesses are doing and take an interest in their world.

Then, where there is a genuine reason to start a conversation, start one.

Share your capability statement if it's relevant. Suggest a coffee. Have a short conversation.

And don't make every interaction about whether they have a job for you.

Some of the best opportunities will come from people who aren't looking for a fractional CMO today.

That doesn't mean the relationship isn't worth having.

Keep adding value

This is where patience comes in.

A fractional pipeline isn't generally built from one LinkedIn post or five introductory messages.

People need to know you, understand what you do and trust that you know your stuff.

So stay visible.

Share something useful you've seen in their industry. Send through a relevant report. Recommend a podcast episode. Invite them to an event. Share an observation about a challenge that businesses in their sector are facing.

It doesn't have to be complicated.

If you're genuinely interested in the businesses you're targeting, this becomes much more natural.

And when the time comes that they need someone with your particular experience, you're much more likely to be the person they think of.

Specialisation makes you easier to buy

This is something I've seen throughout my recruitment career.

The strongest candidates aren't always the ones with the longest list of skills.

They're often the people who can clearly articulate where they're particularly good and where they can make a difference.

The same applies to fractional marketing leadership.

Being able to say, "I'm a CMO, and I can help with pretty much anything" doesn't give a prospective client much to work with.

Being able to say, "I work with growing businesses in this sector that need senior marketing leadership, particularly around brand, go-to-market and building a high-performing marketing function" is much more compelling.

It gives the right person a reason to start a conversation.

Your network is an asset. Treat it like one.

If you're considering fractional work, don't wait until you need a client to start building your network.

This is something I talk about regularly with senior marketers through the Marketing Collective Club and our broader marketing community.

Your relationships matter.

The people you've worked with, hired, reported to, partnered with and met along the way can become an incredibly valuable part of your future pipeline.

That doesn't mean constantly asking them for work.

It means staying connected.

And if you're between permanent roles, don't disappear from the market while you decide what you're going to do next. Keep having conversations. Keep meeting people. Keep sharing what you know.

You never quite know where the next conversation will lead.

Fractional doesn't mean you have to do it alone

This is also where I think recruitment partners can play a useful role.

At New Chapter Talent, I work with senior marketing leaders across Australia and New Zealand, including people considering fractional, contract and permanent opportunities.

Because I've spent more than 20 years specialising in marketing recruitment, I have a pretty good understanding of how businesses are thinking about senior marketing capability, what they're prepared to invest in and where they may need support.

The fractional CMO model is evolving, and I think we'll continue to see more businesses consider it as a way of bringing experienced marketing leadership into the business at the right time.

For experienced CMOs, that creates some great opportunities.

But the people who do well won't necessarily be the people shouting the loudest.

They'll be the ones who know their market, understand the problems they solve, communicate their value clearly and build genuine relationships over time.

If you're considering a move into fractional marketing leadership and would like to talk through where the market is heading, I'd be very happy to have a chat.

Sometimes a coffee and an honest conversation is a pretty good place to start.