Free buyer’s guide · 8 pages
Agency, first marketing hire or fractional CMO: which one should a B2B founder choose first?
Get the free guide ↓This guide helps B2B founders decide what to bring in first when founder-led sales stops scaling: a first marketing hire, an agency or a fractional CMO. It compares what each is good at, the risks, the time it takes you, and the combinations that usually work at each stage, with a one-page decision tree.
- What each option is good at, and where it fails
- A one-page decision tree by stage
- The combinations that usually work
- How to brief whoever you choose in the first two weeks
Written by the PlanConversion Strategy Team, from programs run for ABB, KNIME and Nakisa. For b2B founders and CEOs.
What’s inside
Everything in the guide
Practical and specific: questions, checks and decisions you can use in your next meeting, not theory.
A one-page decision tree by stage
The combinations that usually work
How to brief whoever you choose in the first two weeks
A 90-day scorecard to judge the choice
Free preview
Three questions that decide most cases
- Do you know which buyers and message work? If not, you need strategy first: a fractional CMO or a senior agency lead, not a junior hire.
- Is there a channel that already works and needs more volume? Then execution capacity matters: an agency or a hire who knows that channel.
- Will you have time to manage a junior marketer every week? If not, do not make that your first hire.
The full guide
Agency, first marketing hire or fractional CMO: a decision guide for founders
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Fractional CMO
Senior B2B marketing leadership, part time: strategy, budget, team and a plan the board can follow.
Questions
About this guide
Is a fractional CMO worth it for an early-stage company?
When positioning and the plan are unclear, yes: senior strategy for a fraction of a full-time salary. When the plan is clear and you need execution, an agency or a hire is usually better value.
Do you offer all three?
We offer fractional CMO and agency programs, and help clients hire their first marketer. The guide is written to work for any choice.
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