Fractional CMO Engagement Planner
Scope a fractional CMO engagement in five minutes.
Pick a shape, set the mix of strategy, execution, and technical hours, and see the monthly retainer, the term pricing, and how it compares with hiring full time. Download a kickoff PDF with the scope and next steps when you are ready.
Rates are my current rate card, not a quote. The kickoff PDF is the starting point for our conversation, and everything in it can move.
Step 1
Pick an engagement shape
Each retainer shape sets hours per month and a starting mix, which you can adjust in the next step. Custom project is for defined work that gets priced to its scope.
Step 2
Set the hours and the mix
Describe the project
What needs to be true when it is done, what exists today, and any dates. This goes on the kickoff PDF and is what the pricing is built from.
Custom projects are quoted as a fixed fee or an hours estimate against the rate card after a scoping call. Workshops in Step 3 are fixed price and can be added now.
Hours and term
Mix of work
Shares total 100%. Adjust one and the other two rebalance.
What the retainer looks like
Hours by lane
| Lane | Share | Hrs/mo | Rate | Monthly |
|---|
Step 3
Add a workshop
Fixed-price work that runs alongside the retainer or stands on its own. Billed once, on the first invoice, and not discounted.
Step 4
Compare it with a full-time hire
The math on your side
Against a full-time CMO
Set the salary you would pay a full-time CMO and the comparison updates, including the retained search fee you would pay to find one.
Retained executive search for a CMO typically runs 25% to 35% of first-year base salary, paid whether or not the hire works out.
Rate card
What goes in each lane
The rate follows the kind of judgment the hour requires, not the seniority of the person doing it.
Strategy and advisory
- Positioning, messaging, and category decisions
- Go-to-market plan, ICP, and segment priorities
- Board and investor preparation
- Budget and headcount planning
- Leadership team participation and hiring decisions
Execution and programs
- Campaign and launch management
- Event strategy and field programs
- Content direction and editorial calendar
- Agency and vendor management
- Team coaching and weekly operating cadence
Technical and systems
- HubSpot, CRM, and automation configuration
- Analytics, dashboards, and attribution setup
- Website and landing page builds
- Martech evaluation and integration
- Data cleanup and reporting pipelines
Half-day and full-day working sessions are priced at the strategy rate. Workshops are fixed price and listed in Step 3.
Step 5
Download the kickoff PDF
Three pages: the scope you built, any workshops, the rate card and term pricing, how the engagement runs, the terms at a glance, and how to start. Send it back and the kickoff conversation begins from a shared number.
A few details for the PDF
No form to fill. The PDF is generated from what you set above and downloads directly.
What happens next
| 1 | Reply to my email with the PDF attached, or send it to christine@christinecastro.com. |
| 2 | A 30-minute conversation to test the shape and mix against what you need done. |
| 3 | A short consulting agreement with the confirmed numbers. Nothing is binding until both of us sign. |
| 4 | Kickoff week: a working session on goals, pipeline, and positioning, and a 30-day priority list before the week ends. |
Questions
How the numbers work
How much does a fractional CMO cost?
On this rate card, an advisory retainer runs about $1,500 a month and two to three days a week runs roughly $10,000 to $15,000 a month before term discounts. The retainer depends on hours per month and how the hours split across strategy, execution, and technical work, which is why the planner asks for both.
How is the blended rate calculated?
Each lane’s share of hours is multiplied by its rate and the three are summed. A 50 / 35 / 15 mix at $225, $150, and $110 blends to about $181 per hour. Change the mix and the blend follows.
Why does strategy cost more than technical work?
You are paying for the decision, not the hour. Strategy hours carry the risk of being wrong about positioning, a market, or a hire. Technical hours are valuable but replaceable, and pricing them lower keeps the retainer credible when you compare it to an agency or a contractor quote.
How does the term discount work?
The discount comes off the monthly retainer for every month of the term: 5% at 3 months, 10% at 6, 15% at 12. Month to month carries no discount. Workshops and fixed-fee work are not discounted.
What does the full-time comparison assume?
Loaded cost is base salary plus the burden %, divided by twelve. Share of schedule is retainer hours over full-time hours per month. First-year cost adds a one-time recruiter fee, defaulting to 30% of base salary, the middle of the 25% to 35% range retained executive search firms charge for a CMO placement.
What is a custom project?
Defined work with a finish line, such as a positioning rebuild, a launch, or a HubSpot cleanup, rather than an ongoing retainer. Describe it in Step 2 and it is priced to the scope after a call, as a fixed fee or an hours estimate against the rate card. Workshops can be added to a project at their fixed prices.
Can I start with just a workshop?
Yes. Choose Custom project, leave the description short or blank, and check the workshop you want. Many engagements start with the GTM Alignment Diagnostic and grow from there.
Is the PDF a quote?
No. It is the published rate card applied to the scope you set, valid for 30 days as a starting point. The kickoff call is where the shape gets tested against what you need, and the numbers are confirmed in the agreement.
What do you do with what I enter?
The planner runs in your browser and keeps your settings in this browser only. Generating the PDF sends the scope to the server once to build the file; the server keeps a count of downloads and the company name you typed, nothing else, and no email address is asked for.