Guides · Sales
What is a Fractional CRO and Does Your Business Need One?
A fractional CRO is a part-time head of sales. This guide covers what they do, how the cost compares with a full-time hire, and how to tell if your business is ready for one.
What does CRO mean?
CRO stands for Chief Revenue Officer. It’s the person in charge of everything that brings money into a business: sales, and often customer success and marketing too.
A fractional CRO does the same job, but only part time. You get an experienced sales leader for a “fraction” of the week, and a fraction of the cost.
What does a fractional CRO actually do?
Every business is different, but most fractional CROs will:
- Build a sales process. Clear steps from first enquiry to signed deal, so anyone on the team can follow them.
- Set targets and forecasts. Realistic numbers you can plan around and show investors.
- Run the pipeline. Weekly reviews of every live deal, so nothing stalls without anyone noticing.
- Coach the team. Help founders and salespeople get better at discovery, demos and closing.
- Set up the tools. A CRM that’s actually used, with reports that mean something.
- Hire and hand over. Help recruit your first full-time sales leader when the time is right.
Signs you might need one
- The founder is still doing all of the selling, and it’s eating into everything else
- Sales go up and down and you can’t predict next month
- You’ve hired salespeople, but they aren’t hitting their numbers
- Investors or your board keep asking about the sales plan
- You know there’s more demand out there but don’t know how to reach it
Fractional or full-time?
| Fractional CRO | Full-time CRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | A few days a month | Full time |
| Cost | A monthly fee, a fraction of a salary | Large salary, bonus and often shares |
| Start date | Within weeks | Months of recruiting |
| Best for | Start-ups and small businesses building their first sales engine | Larger businesses with an established sales team |
For many small businesses a fractional CRO is the sensible first step. You get the experience now, and hire full time later when the sales engine is proven.
What results should you expect?
In the first month, a clear picture of where deals are being lost. In three months, a working process and a pipeline you can trust. In six to twelve months, steadier growth. Across our clients, pipelines have grown by an average of three times in the first year.
Want to find out if it’s right for you?
Book a free chat and we’ll tell you whether it makes sense for you yet. You can also read more about our sales help.
