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Fractional Marketing Executive

Hire a Fractional CMO Who Turns Marketing Spend Into Pipeline

The campaigns are running, the dashboards look busy, and growth is flat. A fractional CMO owns the positioning, decides what gets funded, and holds marketing to pipeline instead of impressions, so you stop being the one editing the landing page.

Book Your Free Discovery Call →

15 minutes. Free. You'll leave knowing your next step either way.

In seat in about 2 weeks●$4.5K one-time success fee●Lifetime Second Match Free Guarantee™

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100+
Companies Transformed
95%
Success Rate
450+
Vetted Experts

Trusted clients who love our fractional executives

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What you're actually hiring

Busy Marketing and Working Marketing Are Not the Same

Most CEOs come to us with output, not a strategy problem. There are posts going out, an agency invoicing monthly, and a funnel filling with leads sales won't call back. Here's what a fractional CMO actually takes ownership of, so you can tell which part is broken.

Every channel tells a different story

Positioning and Messaging

One argument for why you win, said the same way everywhere, so buyers stop having to work it out.

  • ✓ A defined ideal customer and the buyers inside it
  • ✓ Positioning that separates you from the obvious alternative
  • ✓ Messaging your sales team will actually use
  • ✓ Website and collateral brought into line with it

You need this when your site, your deck, and your reps each describe the company slightly differently.

Leads arrive, sales calls them junk

Demand and Pipeline

A demand engine pointed at revenue, so marketing and sales stop arguing about lead quality.

  • ✓ Channel mix decided on cost per opportunity, not habit
  • ✓ Lead definitions sales and marketing both signed off on
  • ✓ Campaigns tied to pipeline stages, not to impressions
  • ✓ Reporting that shows what to fund next and what to cut

You need this when the funnel is filling but nothing downstream of it is moving.

You're the one editing the landing page

Team and Agency Ownership

Senior leadership over the people already doing the work, so the function runs without you in it.

  • ✓ Agencies and freelancers managed to a single direction
  • ✓ In-house marketers given priorities and a standard
  • ✓ An honest read on which relationships are worth keeping
  • ✓ Budget owned and defended, quarter by quarter

You need this when marketing decisions still queue behind you and nothing ships until you look at it.

Not sure which of the three is actually your problem? That's the first thing we sort out on the discovery call, and plenty of CEOs find they need less than they thought. Fifteen minutes, no cost, and you'll know either way.

What changes

From Busy Marketing to a Number Sales Will Stand Behind

Nobody hires marketing leadership because they want more content. They hire it because spend keeps going up, the pipeline doesn't, and nobody in the building can say which of those two facts caused the other.

Fractional CMO Demand Generation Positioning

What the first 90 days actually produce

Your fractional CMO starts by working out what you're actually selling and to whom, then cuts the channels that can't be tied to pipeline. There's no rebrand and no six-month strategy project. They work with the team and agencies you already have.

By the end of the first quarter, marketing reports on opportunities rather than impressions, your reps use the same words as your website, and the weekly decisions that used to route through you get made without you.

What most CEOs ask for: Someone to run the campaigns properly.
What they end up with: A marketing function that argues for its own budget with numbers.

In the first 90 days

  • ✓ A written positioning and messaging platform the whole team works from
  • ✓ Channels ranked by cost per opportunity, with the weak ones cut
  • ✓ A lead definition sales has agreed to in writing
  • ✓ A demand plan tied to your pipeline target, not to last year's calendar
  • ✓ A monthly marketing report you can take straight into a board meeting
Every engagement is backed by the Lifetime Second Match Free Guarantee™, so the risk of getting the person wrong sits with us, not with you.
Mike Malloy, CEO of Malloy Industries
Mike MalloyCEO, Malloy Industries
The math

CMO-Level Marketing Leadership Without the CMO Salary

A full-time CMO costs $200K to $400K+ once you add salary, bonus, benefits, and a 4 to 6 month search. A fractional CMO gives you the same seniority for the hours you actually need.

The full-time hire
$200K–$400K+
per year, loaded
  • ✕ 4 to 6 month executive search before day one of value.
  • ✕ Equity dilution and full payroll burden for one function.
  • ✕ A mis-hire costs 6 to 12 months of momentum.
The smarter bet
The fractional CMO
4k-15k
per month, scaled to your scope
  • ✓ In seat in about two weeks.
  • ✓ No equity. No payroll. No long-term lock-in.
  • ✓ Scale up for the launch, scale back down once it is running.
  • ✓ One 4.5k success fee when we place your match.

Want numbers for your exact situation? Run them on our fractional executive ROI calculator.

Mike Malloy, right, in the Hawaiian shirt, sealing a match with a client and their new fractional executive
Lifetime Second Match Free Guarantee™

Wrong hires burn cash and kill momentum.

If the first match isn't right, the second one is on us.

If your fractional CMO isn't hitting the agreed-upon outcomes, we deploy a better fit at no additional cost, for as long as you're an active client. In more than 150 engagements, it's been used twice.

Zero additional fees No expiration date Forever
What CEOs Are Saying

Real Results. Real CEOs.

★★★★★

"Fear of the unknown. Fear of not knowing Mike Malloy or Malloy Industries and having to trust that they were good at their jobs. That's why we almost didn't invest...The Malloy Industries team built trust very quickly with their transparency and consistency."

Leora DavalosLeora DavalosCo-Founder & CEO, Thrive Digital Health
★★★★★

"It became clear in the first 2 weeks of the onboarding process that Malloy Industries was actually dedicated to understanding the root causes of our problems. I was impressed with the thoroughness, diligence, and well documented process. They were clear in how it works and helped me feel confident that they know what they're doing."

Alex EstepAlex EstepCo-Founder & COO, Little Arms Studios
★★★★★

"Honestly, I was concerned about the upfront cost and risk associated with making the 7.5k investment...Working with Malloy definitely made finding a good fit to lead our sales team a lot easier. Unlike competitor firms or individual fractionals, who might rush to figure out the quickest thing they can start working on to make money ASAP without understanding all the variables, the Malloy Industries team invested a lot of time to deep dive into the business."

Kyle BishopKyle BishopCo-Founder & CEO, Little Arms Studios
Lifetime Second Match Free Guarantee™ ·
Ready to move fast?

You've Waited Long Enough.

One call. That's all it takes to find out if we're the right fit.

Book Your Free Discovery Call →

15 minutes. Free. You'll leave with a clear next step either way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Got Questions? We've Got Answers.

The most common questions growth-stage CEOs and Founders ask before working with Malloy Industries.

I'm the bottleneck. Everything runs through me. How does a fractional get things off my plate?

A fractional executive owns a function end to end, turning what lives in your head into systems your team can run, so you stop being the single point of failure.

  • They take what lives in your head and turn it into systems your team can run.
  • They train the team to own it.
  • They report back so you keep visibility without doing the work yourself.

The goal is to remove you as the single point of failure in the part of the business that is eating your time, so you get back to the work only you can do.

I've been burned before. Why should I trust you?

We have 150+ clients who trust us with their businesses, and we're happy to connect you directly with CEOs we've helped. Just book a discovery call and ask.

If you've hired a consultant who delivered a beautiful deck and disappeared, or a "fractional CMO" who talked a big game and produced nothing, your guard should be up.

  • My name is on the door: I'm Mike Malloy, the CEO. The buck stops with me. If something isn't working, you talk directly to me, and I make it right.
  • We prove our value first: Throughout our process, especially Express Match™, we introduce you to candidates and provide strategic recommendations before you invest a dollar.
  • Lifetime Second Match Free Guarantee™: For as long as you're an active client, if your fractional executive isn't the right fit, we find a better one at no additional fee.
  • We never disappear: Weekly TPS Reports™, monthly check-ins, and quarterly Strategic Business Reviews with me.
Our sales are unpredictable and we have no repeatable process. Can a fractional build that?

Yes, a fractional sales executive builds the pipeline, the process, the playbook, the cadence, and the coaching, so your team can close without you in every deal.

A fractional sales executive can help you if you have:

  • No defined pipeline: Deals live in inboxes and memory, not stages.
  • No consistent process: Every deal is run differently.
  • Haphazard outreach: Materials and messaging that are haphazard.
  • CEO-dependent deals: Opportunities hover for months by CEO bottleneck.
I'm not even sure what role I need to fill first. Can you help me figure that out?

Yes, the free Scalability Audit pinpoints where the gaps are, how severe they are, and what to fix first.

You will know:

  • The role you need to fill first.
  • The scope of work that role will own.
  • The working-style fits your team needs.
  • Your Prioritized Action Plan for the next 12 months.
When does hiring a fractional executive make more sense than hiring full-time?

A fractional executive makes more sense when you need the expertise now, but not 40 hours a week and not as a $300k+ bet on one person.

  • Immediate coverage: A key team member quit and you need someone now.
  • Stuck in the weeds: You're wearing too many hats.
  • Raising capital: You need to look investor-ready fast.
  • Underperforming department: A function needs an expert turnaround.
  • Budget reality: You can't afford a full-time executive but need the expertise.

Most growth-stage companies aren't ready for a full C-suite. Paying $300k+ to one person is a huge bet you're not ready for yet.

Fractional is the bridge that gets you enterprise-level leadership without enterprise-level risk.

How much do fractional executives cost per month, and how does that compare to a full-time hire?

Most fractional executives run between 4k and 15k per month, depending on seniority, scope, and how much of their time you need. That is the blended monthly investment, and it is the number you plan around.

  • Full-time executive: 150k to 300k in salary, plus 25k to 60k in overhead, plus 30k to 90k in recruiter fees. 205k to 450k total, with no guarantee and 17 weeks to hire on average.
  • Fractional engagement: Your monthly investment plus a flat 4.5k one-time success fee, backed by our Lifetime Second Match Free Guarantee. Live in as fast as two weeks, and you can increase, decrease, or cancel anytime.
We're only a $2M company. Are we too small for this?

No, at your stage you probably already have a CEO bottleneck, and the problem is far cheaper to fix now than after it compounds.

the sweet spot is usually above 3 million, but the decision sums up to:

  • Your margins: Whether the investment pencils out for your business.
  • The time you need: How much of an executive's week your constraint requires.
Will my team respect and follow someone who's only here part-time?

Yes, we design the onboarding and introduction process to set your fractional executive up for credibility from day one.

In our experience, teams respect competence, clarity, and follow-through, and they will be relieved. They've been waiting for someone to bring structure, accountability, and expertise to a function that's been held together with duct tape.

What happens if the fractional executive isn't the right fit?

We activate the Lifetime Second Match Free Guarantee™. Our Client Service team and CEO step in first to understand what's not working, because sometimes the issue is fixable through coaching or a scope adjustment.

If a replacement is the right call:

  • New match: We replace your fractional executive from our network of 750+ at no additional matchmaking cost.
  • Interim coverage: Provided if needed.
  • Timeline: A replacement is typically ready within 1–4 weeks.
What does the process look like from the first call to having someone start?

The process is three steps, everything up to the match is free, and a fractional executive can be working in your business in as fast as two weeks.

  • Day 1: Scalability Audit. 30 minutes. Free. Tell us what's slowing your growth, with no prep and no pressure. We pinpoint the biggest constraint holding your growth back and show you how fractional leadership can fix it. You decide whether you want to see a draft Statement of Work.
  • Day 3 to 7: SOW Alignment Meeting. 30 minutes. Free. We review your draft Statement of Work live on screen, adding, cutting, and adjusting in real time to fit your needs. You walk away with a clear scope, timeline, and investment range, and you keep the SOW to review with your team before anything is signed.
  • Day 7 to 14: Interview 2 Vetted Fractional Executives. 2 hours. Free. You meet operators one and two before you commit to anything, with no obligation to hire either one. Your Client Service Manager facilitates, so it's your interview to run while she keeps the conversation on track. You debrief with her right after and either schedule the kickoff or ask to see who's behind door number three, on a 4k to 15k per month engagement with a flat 4.5k one-time success fee.

Still have a question? Read all FAQs or talk to the team.