Pipeline & demand generation
Demand programmes measured in qualified pipeline and revenue, not MQL volume.
Fractional CMO for SaaS
SaaS leadership that speaks in ARR, not impressions.
Hands-on fractional CMO for B2B SaaS (MRR, CAC payback, trial-to-paid, and lifecycle) working inside your business every month.
This is for you if
SaaS teams between early traction and a full marketing function.
- You have product-market fit and revenue, but marketing is founder-led or junior-led
- Trials or demos are coming in, but conversion to paid is unpredictable
- CAC is rising and nobody owns the answer to why
- Sales wants more pipeline; marketing reports on traffic
- You are not ready for a £120k+ full-time CMO, but need one's judgement now
- Investors are asking growth questions your reporting cannot answer
What I actually work on
The full SaaS funnel, owned end to end.
SaaS economics decide where marketing effort goes. Every engagement starts from your numbers (MRR, CAC, payback, conversion by stage) and works back to the levers that move them.
Trial & demo conversion
Activation analysis, onboarding email flows, sales handoff, and the offer itself: the leaks between signup and paid.
CAC & payback modelling
Channel-level CAC, payback periods, and budget sequencing so spend scales only where the economics work.
Positioning & pricing input
ICP definition, competitive positioning, and messaging that survives contact with a sales call.
HubSpot & lifecycle architecture
Lifecycle stages, lead scoring, attribution, and reporting rebuilt so the funnel is measurable end to end.
Retention & expansion
Churn signals, expansion plays, and customer marketing, because SaaS growth compounds after the sale.
How it works
From diagnostic to owned growth plan.
01
Diagnostic
A structured review of your funnel economics: acquisition efficiency, conversion by stage, CAC payback, retention, and measurement gaps.
02
Growth architecture
A prioritised plan tied to your revenue model: what to fix first, what to scale, what to stop. Agreed with founders and, where relevant, the board.
03
Embedded execution
Ongoing fractional leadership: running the plan, building in HubSpot and Ads directly, managing any internal team or contractors, and reporting commercially.
Related
Other ways in.
Not sure you need a CMO yet? These engagements solve narrower problems and often grow into fractional leadership.
- 01Fractional CMOThe broader engagement for B2B businesses outside SaaS.
- 02B2B SaaS marketing consultantHands-on marketing help without the leadership remit.
- 03Demand generation consultantFocused purely on pipeline: traffic to leads to qualified opportunities.
- 04PricingFocus at £1,000, Growth Partner at £2,000 or Fractional CMO from £4,000 a month.
Related writing
Usually asked first.
01Leadership
Fractional CMO for startups and scale-ups
How £500k–£10m ARR startups use a fractional CMO: what the role owns, what it costs, when it beats a first marketing hire, and what to demand.
Read02SaaS
Marketing for SaaS companies without a CMO
How SaaS companies run credible marketing before a CMO exists: what founders should own, delegate, and refuse to buy too early.
Read03Leadership
What is a fractional CMO?
What a fractional CMO actually does, when a B2B company needs one, and how the role differs from consultants, agencies, and a full-time hire.
ReadFAQ
Common questions.
How is a fractional CMO for SaaS different from a generic fractional CMO?
SaaS growth is governed by a specific set of economics: MRR, ARR, CAC payback, trial and demo conversion, activation, net revenue retention. A SaaS-experienced fractional CMO starts from those numbers rather than applying a generic B2B playbook, which changes what gets prioritised: usually conversion and lifecycle before more top-of-funnel spend.
How many days per month does the engagement involve?
Fractional CMO is priced on remit, not by the day, from £4,000 a month. If 4 delivery days a month is enough, Growth Partner covers it for £2,000. Scope is agreed after the diagnostic.
Do you execute, or just advise?
Both. Strategy is set at leadership level, but the work is hands-on: campaign builds in Google Ads, lifecycle and scoring in HubSpot, landing page and conversion changes, attribution and dashboard rebuilds. For smaller SaaS companies this removes the need to hire specialists for every discipline.
When should a SaaS company hire a fractional CMO instead of a full-time one?
Typically between roughly £500k and £10m ARR: enough revenue that marketing decisions carry real cost, not enough to justify a full-time CMO salary plus the team they would expect. A fractional engagement provides the judgement now and helps you hire the right full-time person later.
Talk through your funnel.
A 30-minute call: where your SaaS funnel is leaking, what I would prioritise, and whether a fractional engagement makes sense.