Two retainers at the same price can buy very different jobs. The scope, not the title, tells you which one you’re getting.
What should a fractional CMO own?
Strategy and roadmap
Builds a 12-month roadmap tied to revenue targets and keeps it current. You get a prioritized plan with owners and dates.
Positioning and messaging
Sharpens the ICP, positioning, and core messages, so sales, the website, and campaigns all tell one story.
Team and vendor leadership
Briefs and directs marketers, agencies, and freelancers, so all the work adds up to one plan.
Budget and channel mix
Puts spend where it produces pipeline and reallocates quarterly. A budget tied to results, not habit.
Sales and marketing alignment
Defines lead stages, handoffs, and enablement, so leads do not stall between teams.
Reporting and KPIs
Reports monthly against KPIs agreed at the start, in the language your board already uses.
What isn’t usually included?
- Execution. Writing, design, ad management, and development come from your team, freelancers, or an agency, unless the engagement adds them.
- Media spend. Ad budgets, sponsorships, and placements are your costs.
- Software. CRM, automation, analytics, and other tools are licensed by your company.
- Recruiting. An fCMO can write role profiles and interview candidates, but search fees are separate.
At Deep Quiver, when you want execution under the same leadership, we add Full-Service Execution on top of your tier, from $5,000 per month: campaigns, content, HubSpot, and sequences, run by a bench of specialists we manage.
How does the scope change by tier?
The six areas stay the same. What changes is cadence and depth.
| Tier | Cadence | Depth | Monthly retainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | Weekly check-ins | Clear direction and positioning; light-touch executive support to set priorities | From $7,500 |
| Growth Track | Bi-weekly strategy sessions | One plan across every channel; coordination across marketing, sales, and product; quarterly planning | From $10,000 |
| Embedded Executive | Weekly executive syncs and team mentorship | Marketing leadership at the organization level; alignment with board-level priorities | From $15,000 |
Every tier runs month to month, with no minimum term. See pricing for the full ladder.
How do you read a retainer scope before signing?
Named decisions
Which decisions does the fCMO make, and which need your sign-off? Write them down before anything else.
Cadence
How often you meet, who attends, and how fast the fCMO responds between meetings.
KPIs
Two or three metrics the engagement is judged on, agreed before work starts.
Deliverables in month one
At minimum, an audit and a prioritized roadmap. If month one has no deliverable, ask what it does have.
Exit terms
The minimum term, the notice period, and what you keep when it ends.
Marketing results can be measured and managed. They can’t be guaranteed.
Bottom line
A retainer should buy ownership of the plan, the budget, the team, and the results, with a cadence and KPIs written into the scope. Execution, media, and software sit outside it unless you add them. How that ownership plays out month to month is the DRIVE method.
