A: Consultants often diagnose problems and deliver recommendations but aren’t accountable for execution or results. Agencies are strong at execution but often lack the expertise of a seasoned CMO when it comes to strategic prioritization and alignment with sales and product teams. Ghost CMOs are a flavor of Fractional CMOs, a part-time (read: less expensive) ramp to your first in-house CMO. In our Ghost CMO model we implement three frameworks for a shift from tactical to strategic marketing. A Ghost CMO also trains your team to continue the strategic work with a planned edit at ~12 months.

A: Our clients often have one strong in-house executor. That seems to be the ideal formula from both a budget and outcomes perspective until it’s time to grow and transition to an in-house team. A Ghost CMO and small fractional team (2-3) will work alongside your marketing resource(s) and train as we go.

The ideal option pairs a Ghost CMO and senior team with an in-house marketing associate for the right blend of strategy and execution. We lift, then leave.

A: Ghost CMOs can be ideal for B2B companies in the $5M - $150M revenue range stuck in tactical marketing patterns. If you’re ready to transition to a strategic growth marketing model and have 0-few in house marketing resources, we can help you train and/or hire the in house team that will replace us once we have completed your strategic transition.

A: Filter for those who have served in full-time CMO roles at your growth stage and the one you’re scaling into. Ask for evidence that they know how to strategically execute a step change from flat to accelerated growth and probe on details. Decide if domain expertise is a requirement or if you want a fresh perspective in your industry. Know your exit plan in advance so you’re not locked in to a perpetual retainer fee without a transition plan to an in-house team.

A: Our Ghost CMO often includes a small, curated team designed to integrate with the in-house person/team you have. Like a ghost writer makes someone else the author, a Ghost CMO makes your marketer the strategic leader. We teach three frameworks from the book, Ghost CMO (GameFrame story creation, Orca Plan marketing strategy, Swing Team GTM alignment), guide the implementation, and they get the credit. After ~12 months, they graduate and we’re out.

A: You can DIY with the Ghost CMO book. For added support, we have two ways to work together:

Guided - I coach your marketer(s) through framework deployment. They do the work, I help them avoid mistakes I've already made.

Accelerated - My team works alongside your marketer(s). More intensive, faster execution, same ~12-month exit.

Reach out on the Consult page for a quote.

A: Typically, 12 months is ideal. That gives us enough time to implement our three strategic growth frameworks (story, plan and execution process), train your in house marketer(s) - or help you hire the right person - then leave you in a position to continue strategic growth with a mid-level trained marketer instead of a premature full-time CMO.

A: No, the opposite is true. We take your in-house marketer at any level of experience and train them to operate our strategic frameworks when we leave. We’re a career accelerator for your in-house team. This training often delays your need for an expensive, full-time CMO in house by a few years.

A: Yes, if they are practiced at steep learning curves and adept at extracting knowledge from subject matter experts. Often it’s best to have an industry outsider at the table with fresh ideas if you want to stand out and build your own category.

A: Yes, if you accept the trade-offs. Since a Ghost CMO is part-time, they need to focus. You want them focused more on the work of growth and less on, well… going to a lot of internal meetings. Let them set up an efficient marketing meeting cadence that prioritizes the work you need them to do. Expect them to build strong relationships with sales and product leaders, but be ok that they aren’t in every internal meeting.

A: We specialize in B2B companies who:

- Grew reactively, now need a deliberate growth strategy
- Have a capable marketer who's under-resourced for this transition
- Aren't ready for a full-time CMO hire

Our customers typically have $5M - $150M in ARR (but it varies).

A: Yes, we will do the GameFrame story development process featured in the book, Ghost CMO, for companies of any size. This includes moderating offsite sessions with key stakeholders and collaborative development of your elevated story.