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Best fractional CMO, CRO and sales leader firms (2026): who to hire part time, and what they charge

A fractional executive is a senior leader who works part of the week on a retainer: a CMO for positioning and pipeline, a CRO or VP of Sales for the sales team, forecast and process. Companies hire them when the founder can no longer own the function and a full-time executive salary is still too much.

The longer comparison of fractional CMO firms, with the fees Chief Outsiders, Marketri, CMOx and others publish, is on the fractional CMO page. This list keeps a short set of CMO firms and adds the sales and revenue side. OneGTM is not a fractional executive firm. We build the outbound and CRM systems these leaders usually hand off. Full-time searches are on executive search firms and tech recruiting agencies.

By Garrett Wolfe, founder of OneGTM (Clay Artisan Solutions Partner) and former GTM engineer at Unify. Updated .

Key takeaways

  • Chief Outsiders places fractional CMOs, chief sales officers and VPs of Sales, and says its bench is more than 130 sales and marketing leaders. Fees are custom.
  • Sales Xceleration places fractional sales leaders with small and mid-sized companies, including technology and private equity. Fees are not published.
  • Go Fractional matches fractional CROs, CMOs and heads of sales. There is no deposit, replacement is free, and a standard monthly price is not on the homepage.
  • Bolster runs executive search on a flat fee and keeps a network for full-time, fractional and board roles. The fee amount is not on the homepage.
  • A fractional leader sets direction. Someone still has to run campaigns, calls and the CRM.

Fractional sales and revenue leaders

These firms put a sales leader on the team for part of the week. Chief Outsiders also places CMOs, so it covers both seats.

Chief Outsiders

Network of fractional marketing and sales executives. It places fractional CMOs, fractional chief sales officers and fractional VPs of Sales who work with the leadership team on strategy, pipeline discipline and team structure. Its VP of Sales page says the bench is more than 130 sales and marketing leaders. Engagements can scale up or down.

Best for: Mid-sized and PE-backed companies that want a vetted CMO or sales leader

Fees: Custom retainers; pricing on a call.

Sales Xceleration

Network of fractional sales leaders for small and mid-sized businesses, including technology, private equity, manufacturing and professional services. Advisors work part time on sales strategy, infrastructure, management, recruiting and leadership training, using the firm's sales operating system. Sales Xceleration says the network has worked with 8,000+ clients.

Best for: Smaller companies that need a part-time VP of Sales and a sales process

Fees: Fees not published; contact the firm.

Marketplaces for a CRO, VP of Sales or CMO

Marketplaces match you with one person. You manage them directly. Go Fractional and Bolster both list sales and revenue leaders alongside CMOs.

Go Fractional

Marketplace for fractional, interim and contract-to-hire executives. Listed roles include CRO, CMO and head of sales, plus finance, product and engineering. A recruiter screens candidates before you meet them. Go Fractional says the first match takes about 3 days and the network has 20,000+ operators. Month to month, with free replacement if the match is wrong.

Best for: Hiring one part-time CRO, CMO or head of sales quickly

Fees: No deposit. You pay for the time you use. A standard monthly retainer is not published on the homepage. Open roles list hourly rates that vary by engagement.

Bolster

Executive search firm with a talent network for full-time, fractional and board roles. Recruiters run the search and the site says pricing is a flat fee known up front. Bolster says first interviews happen in 5 days and that completed searches land in under 75 days. Those are the firm's figures.

Best for: Startups that want a flat-fee search, including fractional executives

Fees: Flat fee. The amount is not published on the homepage.

MarketerHire

Marketplace of vetted freelance marketers, including CMO-level leaders and channel specialists. Month-to-month terms, with a two-week trial and no recruiting or termination fees.

Best for: Startups that want a part-time CMO and channel freelancers from one place

Fees: Typically $5,000 to $20,000+ per month depending on role and scope, quoted after a free consultation.

GTM 80/20

Network of senior go-to-market operators, including fractional marketing leaders, growth, product marketing and RevOps specialists. It says it matches a vetted operator within about 48 hours, on a monthly engagement with the operator.

Best for: B2B startups that want a former in-house operator

Fees: Custom pricing; set per operator.

Toptal

Talent network with marketing experts available hourly, part time or full time. Several profiles list fractional CMO work for B2B companies. You interview candidates the network sends.

Best for: Companies that want to interview several part-time marketing leaders

Fees: Custom pricing; rates vary by expert.

Fractional CMO firms

A short set. The full CMO comparison, including Marketri, CMOx and Chief Outsiders' marketing practice in more detail, is on the fractional CMO page.

Kalungi

B2B SaaS marketing firm selling CMO-as-a-service, CMO coaching for very early companies, and a team that runs paid, ABM, HubSpot, content and web for companies roughly in the $1M to $10M ARR range.

Best for: B2B SaaS companies that need a CMO and people to do the work

Fees: Custom retainers; contact the firm.

yorCMO

Fractional CMO firm whose embedded CMOs own the marketing function and lead the team. Aimed at companies with roughly $5M to $50M in revenue.

Best for: Founder-led companies that want one person to own marketing

Fees: Custom retainers.

Right Side Up

Growth marketing firm that supplies fractional marketers, flexible teams, full-time hires and executive strategy advisors to startups. It says engagements have no long-term contract.

Best for: Venture-backed startups that need growth specialists under a strategy lead

Fees: Custom pricing; hours scale up or down.

Fees are from each firm's own site as of November 2026. Where a firm does not publish a number, the card says so. This is an opinionated list, not a paid ranking, and nobody paid to be on it.

Fractional executive firms compared

FirmBest forFee
Chief OutsidersMid-sized and PE-backed companies that want a vetted CMO or sales leaderCustom retainers
Sales XcelerationSmaller companies that need a part-time VP of Sales and a sales processNot published
Go FractionalHiring one part-time CRO, CMO or head of sales quicklyNo deposit; rate per engagement
BolsterStartups that want a flat-fee search, including fractional executivesFlat fee, amount not published
MarketerHireStartups that want a part-time CMO and channel freelancers from one place$5,000 to $20,000+/month
GTM 80/20B2B startups that want a former in-house operatorCustom pricing
ToptalCompanies that want to interview several part-time marketing leadersCustom pricing
KalungiB2B SaaS companies that need a CMO and people to do the workCustom retainers
yorCMOFounder-led companies that want one person to own marketingCustom retainers
Right Side UpVenture-backed startups that need growth specialists under a strategy leadCustom pricing

Fees as published on each firm's own site in November 2026. "Not published" means the firm does not list a number.

Fractional CMO, CRO and VP of Sales

A fractional CMO owns positioning, channels and the marketing plan. A fractional CRO usually owns the revenue number across sales, marketing and customer success. A fractional VP of Sales owns the sales team, the process and the forecast. Chief Outsiders sells all three titles. Sales Xceleration is the sales-leader network. Go Fractional lists CRO, CMO and head of sales as separate roles you can request.

Hours are the other decision. Marketplaces such as Go Fractional describe fractional work as part of the week, and interim work as full time for a few months. Ask how many other clients the person carries before you sign.

How to choose

Match the person to the motion. A sales leader who built an enterprise team will run a different week from one who hired the first two account executives at a seed-stage company.

  • Ask for two companies at your stage and price point, and call them.
  • Ask whether they execute or only advise, and who does the work underneath.
  • Get hours per week, the notice period and the replacement terms in writing.
  • Ask how they will report pipeline from your CRM.
  • If you need a full-time hire later, ask whether the firm will run that search or refer it.

Where OneGTM fits next to a fractional leader

A fractional CMO or CRO decides who to sell to, what to say and how the team should work. Somebody then has to build the account list, the CRM and the outbound sequences. That is the part OneGTM builds.

We are a GTM engineering firm, and we often work next to these leaders. See outbound and RevOps.

  • The fractional leader has a plan and nobody to run outbound.
  • Marketing and sales are working two different account lists.
  • The CRM cannot report pipeline by channel.
  • You want signals and website visitors followed up by email and LinkedIn.

Book a call

Fractional executive firms FAQ

What is a fractional CRO or fractional VP of Sales?
A fractional CRO or VP of Sales is a senior sales leader who works part time, usually on a monthly retainer. They own sales strategy, the team, pipeline process and the forecast for part of the week. Chief Outsiders places fractional chief sales officers and VPs of Sales. Sales Xceleration places fractional sales leaders. Go Fractional matches CROs and heads of sales from its marketplace.
How much does a fractional CMO or sales leader cost?
Chief Outsiders, Sales Xceleration, Kalungi and yorCMO quote custom retainers. MarketerHire typically quotes $5,000 to $20,000 or more per month depending on role. Go Fractional charges no deposit and prices each engagement; it does not publish one monthly rate on its homepage. Bolster uses a flat search fee and does not list the amount on its homepage.
What are the best fractional sales leadership firms?
Chief Outsiders for a vetted fractional CSO or VP of Sales at a mid-sized or PE-backed company. Sales Xceleration for a part-time sales leader at a smaller company. Go Fractional and Bolster when you want a marketplace or a flat-fee search that includes fractional roles. For a SaaS CMO with a team behind them, look at Kalungi, and see the fractional CMO page for a longer marketing list.
Fractional executive or a full-time hire?
Use a fractional leader when you need senior judgment for part of the week and you are not ready for a full executive salary. Move to a full-time VP or C-level hire when the function needs someone every day. The full-time route is an executive search or a sales recruiting agency, linked from this page.
Does a fractional CRO run outbound?
Usually they set the motion, the team and the numbers. Building lists, enrichment, sequences and CRM automation is a separate job. Teams often pair the fractional leader with a GTM engineering firm such as OneGTM for that build.
Is OneGTM a fractional CMO or CRO firm?
No. OneGTM is a GTM engineering firm. We build outbound, signal and CRM systems, and we work alongside fractional CMOs and CROs. We do not place fractional executives.
How fast can you start with a fractional executive?
Go Fractional says the first screened match takes about 3 days. GTM 80/20 says about 48 hours. Bolster says first interviews in 5 days for its searches. A firm such as Chief Outsiders or Sales Xceleration matches you to someone on its bench, and the start date depends on that person's other clients.

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