Ways to work together · fractional CMO
An external marketing strategist or director for your business
Someone who names the direction, leads your people and suppliers and watches whether marketing shows up in the money. Three levels depending on how much you already have in place. No in-house hire, no lock-in.
from €490 / monthThree levels, €490 to €2,400. Scope and price agreed up front, month by month.
When a retainer makes sense
It makes sense if
- marketing runs, but nobody watches whether it brings money,
- you have a junior team or an agency and they lack senior direction,
- you do not want to pay a senior marketer full time,
- you want the numbers watched continuously, not once a year at budgeting.
Probably not if
- you need a one-off deliverable with a deadline. That is a project.
- you are only looking for hands to produce banners and posts without being able to move the direction.
- you want me to take responsibility for sales and the sales team.
A retainer is not a subscription to hours. It is an agreement about accountability for the direction of your marketing, and that it shows in the numbers. When you also need hands, I have people, and you know exactly who invoices them.
Not an agency. Not another employee.
An agency earns from production hours and media. That is why it will always propose more production and more media. I have a fixed fee. I earn nothing on campaigns, production or media. I do not care whether your money goes into ads, the website or the price list. I care that it comes back.
An in-house senior marketer costs a company from €4,000 a month all-in and hiring takes three to six months. You get one person and one point of view. An external director costs a fraction, starts next week and brings experience from dozens of companies plus my own projects, where I test it with my own money.
I sit on your side of the table. I write the brief for agencies, freelancers and suppliers and check what they deliver. I am not one of them.
Three levels depending on how much you have in place
In all three you get the same thing: someone who decides on direction and is accountable for it. They differ in how much deciding and how much leading I take on.
01
External marketing strategist
€490 / month
I decide with you.
- Two calls a month, 60 to 90 minutes
- Written briefs for your team or agency
- Review of what suppliers delivered
- Questions between calls, answered within 24 hours
- Quarterly review of priorities
For a company that has people to do the work, but nobody to decide with.
Not included: execution, reporting, attending your meetings.
02
External marketing director
€1,200 / month
I decide and I am accountable for it.
- Everything from External marketing strategist
- Leading your team, agency or suppliers: briefs, review, priorities
- Selecting and contracting suppliers for campaigns, content or web when they are missing
- Setting up measurement and a monthly review of what earned
- A steering call with the owner once a month
- A quarterly plan with priorities and budget
For a company that already spends on marketing and wants to know whether it comes back.
Suppliers invoice you directly, media is paid from your own account. I have no margin on any of it.
03
External marketing director with a team
€2,400 / month
Direction and hands under one accountability.
- Everything from External marketing director
- More channels and campaigns in parallel, including production coordination
- Attending your internal meetings
- Continuous optimisation instead of a monthly rhythm
- One point of accountability for all of marketing
For a company with a bigger budget that does not want to manage five suppliers.
Execution is done by a team of people I have worked with for years. They invoice you directly, or on request through me at cost, no markup.
If you already have an agency doing it well, I let them do it and give them a better brief. I do not step on their toes and I am not trying to replace them.
The first month
- 01I go through the numbers: revenue, margins, cost per customer, what you actually measure.
- 02I go through people and suppliers: who does what, who is accountable, what it costs.
- 03I name three things with the biggest impact on money, and one that has to stop.
- 04The first corrections usually land in this month already. I do not wait for a plan when I see a leak.
What a retainer solves
Depending on what your marketing should change. Behind every number is a long-term engagement.
01 · Earn more
Continuously looking for the next source of growth. New segments, offer, price and channels that get tested and evaluated, not guessed.
From a real engagement
Garden design: from a one-person business to a company booked a year ahead. Eighth year of 30 %+ growth.
02 · Waste less
Someone who asks month after month what actually earned. Campaigns, channels and budget tuned against the numbers.
From a real engagement
Business services: a loss-making division turned to +62 % profitability year over year.
03 · Move faster
The team stops waiting for decisions. Briefs are clear, priorities named and the agency knows what to do.
From a real engagement
Tools for craftsmen: online revenue +48 %, brand search +86 % year over year.
In a long-term engagement the acquisition system is not built all at once. We take it part by part, from acquisition through follow-up to loyalty, and open the next one only once the previous one works.
What a retainer is and is not
In every level
- Accountability for direction: what to do, what not to do and in which order
- Continuous tracking of the numbers and evaluating what brings money
- Written briefs and review of what the team or suppliers delivered
- A regular rhythm of calls and availability in between
- A scope agreed up front that holds
It is not
- A subscription to hours. It is an agreement about accountability for direction.
- An agency. I do not sell production or media and I have no margin on them.
- An in-house employee. I do not run day-to-day operations and production.
- A sales department. Closing deals stays with you.
How it works
- 01
A no-strings call
30 minutes
You say where it hurts. I say whether I am the right fit and what I would do first.
- 02
Scope proposal
within 3 working days
You get in writing which level fits you, what I cover monthly, how often we talk and what it costs. If unsure, start lower. You can move up from the next month.
- 03
First month
right after we agree
I get to know the numbers, the people and what runs. The first corrections usually land in this month already.
- 04
Then month by month
no lock-in
A regular rhythm of calls and evaluation. The level can go up or down depending on what is needed.
Price
from €490 / month
- Three levels: €490, €1,200 and €2,400 a month. We confirm the price before we start.
- Invoiced monthly in arrears. You pay for the month that has already passed.
- Suppliers and media sit outside my fee and go directly to you. On request I re-invoice at cost.
- No lock-in. One month notice.
- You never pay twice. The consultation fee is credited against your first month.
- Prices are exclusive of VAT.
What people ask about retainers
01Which level should I pick?
If you have a team or an agency and lack someone to decide with, External marketing strategist. If you want someone accountable for direction who leads your people, External marketing director. If you want one point of accountability for the hands as well, External marketing director with a team. When unsure, start lower. Moving up is from the next month.
02Who talks to the suppliers?
I do. I brief, review and approve. You get the result and a monthly review. Your contract and invoice are with the supplier directly, so you know everything about them and can take them over at any time.
03Why do you not invoice campaigns through yourself?
Because the moment I earned on them, I would have a reason to recommend more campaigns. This way I have a reason to recommend what earns.
04What if the scope is exceeded in a given month?
I say so up front, not on the invoice. Either we agree on a higher level for that month, or we postpone part of the work. You never get an invoice you did not expect.
05How quickly can I stop?
There is no lock-in. We agree the notice period up front so neither of us ends up in a corner, a month is usually enough. I do not want a client who stays out of obligation.
06What if there is nothing to solve in a given month?
I will say so and we will not invent work to fill an invoice. Either we scale the scope down for that month, or we use it on something that keeps getting postponed.
Contact
Let us find the level that fits you
Tell me what runs today and where it grinds. I reply within 24 hours with a proposed slot.