How does a marketing agency onboard a fractional Chief Revenue Officer?

flowchart TD A[Assess revenue gaps] --> B[Scope fractional CRO mandate] B --> C[Install operating cadence] C --> D[Review pipeline and forecast weekly] flowchart LR A[Diagnose GTM] --> B[Prioritize fixes] B --> C[Coach leaders] C --> D[Hand off system] The fractional CRO should structure their compensation as a flat monthly retainer with no equity or commission, because agency cash flow is lumpy due to client payment terms (net 30-60) and seasonal revenue dips. A commission structure creates misalignment - the fractional CRO might push for short-term deals that are unprofitable just to get paid, while the agency needs long-term retainer relationships. The flat retainer should be paid on the first of the month, and the fractional CRO should have a 30-day out clause for themselves if the agency misses two consecutive payments, to protect against the agency's cash flow problems becoming their own. A question? How does the fractional CRO handle the agency's existing clients who are unhappy with the founder's attention? The fractional CRO must personally call each of the founder's top 5 clients in the first 30 days, not to sell them anything but to conduct a "relationship health check" where they ask: Are you getting the results you expected? Is the founder still the right person to manage your account? What would make you stay for another 12 months? This reveals which clients are at risk of churning because they feel neglected, and which are ready to transition to an account manager. The fractional CRO then creates a "client retention plan" for each at-risk client that includes a dedicated account manager, a quarterly business review, and a written service-level agreement that limits the founder's involvement to strategic oversight only. A question? What happens if the agency's founder refuses to give up control of the sales process? This is the most common reason fractional CRO engagements fail at agencies, and the fractional CRO must address it in the first 30 days by setting a "decision rights" document that clearly states: the fractional CRO owns all new business opportunities over a retainer, the founder can only attend pitches as a subject matter expert not the lead presenter, and the founder must approve all pricing changes in writing before the fractional CRO presents them. If the founder violates these boundaries more than twice in 60 days, the fractional CRO should schedule a hard conversation about whether the founder actually wants to scale the agency or whether they prefer being the sole rainmaker. In the latter case, the fractional CRO should recommend a different model - perhaps a fractional sales coach or a part-time business development person - rather than trying to force a CRO role the founder resists. A question? How does the fractional CRO measure success in the first 90 days when the agency has no baseline data?