10 Questions Every B2B Services Leader Should Ask Before Hiring a Fractional CMO
You know your business isn’t being held back by lack of effort — it’s being held back by directionless marketing. You’ve burned cash on agencies that talk a good game and tactics that feel busy but deliver little. You may even have a junior team doing their best, but they’re stuck trying to build strategy out of hope and good intentions.
Stop.
If you’re considering a Fractional CMO, make these 10 questions your checklist. Your next hire should be a strategic growth lever, not another nice person with a PowerPoint.
1. What results have you actually delivered for B2B services firms like ours?
Not “we increased web traffic.”
Not “we ran campaigns.”
We’re talking measurable commercial outcomes; pipeline value, win rates, sales cycle compression, CAC improvement. If they can’t point to real business results, move on.
2. How will you assess our situation in the first 30–60 days?
A good Fractional CMO doesn’t guess. They audit fast, identify revenue leaks and mis-aligned priorities, and hand you a clear plan of action. No vague diagnostics. No endless “listening tours.”
3. What part of this will you do yourself, and what will you farm out?
You’re not hiring a rainmaker and then letting them hand everything off. You want strategic leadership in-the-room, not someone delegating their authority to others.
4. How will you integrate marketing with our sales process?
Marketing in B2B services doesn’t live in a silo. It must work hand-in-glove with sales; shared targets, shared accountability, shared pipeline. If someone talks only about channels and tactics, that’s a red flag.
5. What metrics do you hold yourself accountable for?
If the answer starts with MQLs, stop them.
This is B2B services. You want:
pipeline influence
qualified lead progression
conversion quality
revenue impact
Metric vanity is for content factories, not growth engines.
6. How will you uplift our current team and external partners?
A Fractional CMO elevates capability, not just issues directions. They coach, sharpen skills, enforce priorities and make everyone around them better.
7. Where would you cut spending if you were in our shoes?
Smart leaders don’t add tractors when what you need is a plough. They know where the noise is, and what actually moves revenue. If all you get is “we should do LinkedIn ads,” you haven’t found your strategist.
8. What does success look like in 6–12 months?
And importantly: how will we measure it?
You want clarity, not vague hope and feel-good metrics. A good Fractional CMO will lay out milestones, KPIs and expected impact.
9. How do you communicate with founders and exec teams?
Clarity beats complexity. Frequent check-ins, honest feedback, data-backed recommendations, and the courage to put real priorities over busywork.
10. What types of engagements don’t work for you?
Here’s the litmus test: if they can’t tell you what they won’t do, they’re selling you services, not strategy. The best Fractional CMOs know their sweet spot and where they won’t add value.
Why This Matters, Especially in B2B Services
B2B services aren’t impulse buys. They’re complex decisions driven by trust, credibility and clarity. Too many “marketing leaders” get stuck in activity loops: publishing blogs because “it’s good for SEO,” or posting on LinkedIn because “it drives engagement.”
That’s not strategy. That’s busywork.
A Fractional CMO should help you:
Define distinct positioning that cuts through sameness
Build consistent pipeline systems that sales can rely on
Turn senior expertise into thought leadership that actually opens doors
Align every pound you spend with commercial goals
If they can’t answer the questions above with confidence and evidence, they’re not the leader you need.
Bottom Line
Hiring a Fractional CMO isn’t about outsourcing marketing, it’s about unlocking strategic clarity and commercial focus. Ask the right questions, and you’ll separate the talkers from the growth drivers.
No fluff. No smoke. Just impact.