A fractional CMO costs $3,000 to $10,000 a month. That's what I charge, and it isn't set in stone.
The fee comes from my hourly rate, $175 to $225, and the hours we agree on. A lighter engagement sits near the bottom of the monthly range, a heavier one near the top. You pay for the time you need.
I'm Peter Falk, a fractional CMO based in Vancouver. I work with SMBs and owner-led businesses across North America, and I take on a small number of clients at a time. Cost is the first question, so it comes first.
One rate, three ways to pay
My rate is $175 to $225 an hour. The work is the same however you pay for it. What changes is how the hours are bought and billed. There's no long-term lock-in on any of them.
| How you pay | How it works | What it costs | Good when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | You pay for the hours I work, as I work them. | $175 to $225 an hour | You're not sure how much help you need, or you want to start small. |
| Monthly retainer | An agreed number of hours each month for one fixed fee. | $3,000 to $10,000 a month | You want a predictable cost and a senior person who owns the plan, the execution, the team and the agencies, week in, week out. |
| By the project | One fixed price for a defined piece of work, worked out from my estimate of the hours. | Depends on the project. For example, a 40-hour project comes to $7,000 to $9,000. | There's a clear piece of work with a start and a finish. |
At about $200 an hour, $3,000 a month is roughly 15 hours and $10,000 a month is roughly 50.
What makes it $3,000 or $10,000?
Mostly one thing: how much of my time you need. The rate stays the same. The hours change.
These move the hours:
- How many hours a week you want me in the business.
- How much I lead and how much I advise. Running the weekly marketing rhythm and managing the team and the agencies takes more time than a monthly strategy check-in.
- How many moving parts there are. One product through one channel is a different job from several product lines, a distributor network and an e-commerce site.
- What's going on in the business. A launch or an acquisition takes more of my time than a steady quarter.
An example of what that looks like.
A $5,000 month. A family-owned industrial business with a small team and no one senior owning marketing. I built the marketing strategy and an action plan the team can run. Now we meet on a regular rhythm: I look at what's working, keep the plan pointed at the customers who matter most, and help the team with the next few moves. About 25 hours a month. By month three, the team had a plan they believed in and were running it themselves.
How does it compare with a full-time CMO?
A senior full-time CMO costs $250,000 a year or more in base salary alone—before benefits, taxes, equity, and bonuses are factored in. At $3,000 to $10,000 a month, a fractional CMO comes to $36,000 to $120,000 a year.
They're different jobs, though. A full-time CMO is in the building every day. I give you senior judgment on the decisions that matter, and a plan your team can run without me.
An agency is the other comparison. An agency executes. A fractional CMO sits on your side of the table and decides what the agency should be doing. If you're weighing the two, I wrote about fractional CMO vs marketing agency.
Is a fractional CMO worth it?
It's worth it when marketing feels scattered. Campaigns are running, agencies are billing, someone's posting, and none of it connects to growth. What's missing is a senior voice who owns the whole picture.
It isn't worth it when you only need execution. If you need someone to run ads or write content, a freelancer or an agency is the right answer.
If $3,000 a month sounds like a lot for part-time, I'd look at what you're spending on marketing now and who's steering it. Agencies, freelancers and ads cost money whether or not someone senior is pointing them at the right thing. Part-time is the point: you pay for the hours that matter.
After 90 days, you should be able to say what marketing is for, what you've stopped doing, and who's accountable. The team and the agencies work from one plan, and decisions get made faster.
The signs are in 5 signs your business needs a fractional CMO.
What do buyers get wrong about the cost?
A few things owners get wrong about the cost:
- They compare the fee with a marketing manager's salary. A manager does the work. I decide what the work should be, so the better comparison is what marketing spend that isn't pointed at anything costs you.
- They forget the rest of the budget. The fee pays for my time. Ad spend, software and outside agencies or freelancers are separate, so the real budget is bigger than the fee.
- They pick the lowest number. A lower fee usually means fewer hours or a narrower job, and the work you wanted isn't in it. Ask what you get for the hours, not only what they cost.
- They shop by the hour. A lower rate often means less experience, and experience is most of what you're paying for. Ask how long they've run marketing, in how many kinds of business, and whether they'll own the plan and answer for the results. I've spent more than 20 years as a VP of Marketing, across many industries.
How it starts
The first step is a 30-minute call. No pitch. We talk through what your business needs and whether I'm the right fit. If I am, we settle the number together and choose how you want to pay: retainer, hourly, or by the project.
Questions people ask
How much does a fractional CMO cost per month?
$3,000 to $10,000 a month. The fee is built from my hourly rate, $175 to $225, and the hours we agree on.
What's a fractional CMO's hourly rate?
$175 to $225 an hour. The retainer and the project price are built from the same rate.
Is a fractional CMO cheaper than a full-time CMO?
Yes. A senior full-time CMO costs $250,000 a year or more. A fractional CMO at $3,000 to $10,000 a month comes to $36,000 to $120,000 a year.
Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
No. It's a retainer, hourly, or by the project, with no long-term lock-in.
How many hours a month do I get?
It depends on the fee. At about $200 an hour, $3,000 a month is roughly 15 hours and $10,000 a month is roughly 50. We agree the number up front.
Does the fee include ad spend or software?
No. The fee is for my time. Ad spend, software and outside agency or freelancer fees are separate.
Who do you work with?
SMBs and owner-led businesses across North America. I'm based in Vancouver and take on a small number of clients at a time.
What does a fractional CMO actually do?
A senior marketing executive who steps into your business part-time to own the direction and the results. What does a fractional CMO actually do for an SMB? goes through it day to day.
