In a fractional world, here's how part-time CMOs establish trust on day 1
Feb 2, 2025
Paramark News Desk
Credit: fauxels
Key Points
Fractional CMOs face challenges in building trust and understanding team dynamics without prior company history.
Three part-time marketing leaders offer their outlook on 2025 and establishing trust from day one.
Being an outsider can introduce uncertainty, so trust is a crucial metric I prioritize within the initial 30 days. By leveraging this trust to reassure the team of your presence, support, mentorship, growth, and guidance, you can earn their respect.
Michael Larmon
Fractional CMO
,
White City Consulting
Walking into the top of an organization as a new fractional CMO without the history or rapport built over time in a company is daunting. Knowing what success looks like in the role can be unclear, leaving the growing number of fractional C-Suite roles in need of a place to talk about what's really working on a day to day basis.
Creating Trust: Systems, interpersonal connections, and understanding team building are all facets of executive leadership that make or break a new hire in a fractional role. Three fractional and in-house CMOs weigh in on their experiences and discuss how they build trust and systems that really work from day one:
Ritika Mehta, Founder of By Default and marketer emphasizes being a great listener from the start: "Instead of immediately offering advice or solutions, I take the time to listen carefully because founders and senior leaders typically approach me with unresolved problems or challenges they haven’t been able to solve. They need someone who truly understands their concerns." By Default creates comprehensive marketing audit systems designed for B2B SaaS small companies, where Mehta helps company clients turn their online presence into revenue generating pipelines.
Michael Larmon, Fractional CMO of White City Consulting Group says: "Being an outsider can introduce uncertainty, so trust is a crucial metric I prioritize within the initial 30 days. By leveraging this trust to reassure the team of your presence, support, mentorship, growth, and guidance, you can earn their respect." Larmon leads a team of experienced "business architects" with comprehensive marketing automation, CRM implementation, and strategic campaign services.
"I like to immediately meet one-on-one with key team members at multiple levels of the organization," shares Brandon Cobb, Fractional CMO of Marketingexec.us. "This helps me understand the organization's current situation with less bias than the possible herding mentality that can occur at team meetings." Cobb leverages his 18 years of marketing consultant experience to help clients like Amazon, Linkedin, and Bain & Co. create innovative marketing strategies.
Instead of immediately offering advice or solutions, I take the time to listen carefully because founders and senior leaders typically approach me with unresolved problems or challenges they haven’t been able to solve. They need someone who truly understands their concerns.
Ritika Mehta
Founder, Fractional CMO
,
By Default
Mehta on establishing comfort: "I prioritize connecting one-on-one with the team members who will report to me. Understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and perspectives is crucial for building a productive working relationship." Mehta says the key to establishing comfort and trust with new team members comes down to open-ended conversations, especially when the team is remote. Ultimately, he tries to remain approachable and available whenever someone needs guidance or support.
Larmon on breaking down obstacles: Larmon starts his team building efforts with "open and honest conversations." He shares that most leaders inadvertently create obstacles, and that by “serving as the voice that facilitates the breakdown of barriers and removal of roadblocks, you can earn [a team’s] respect."
Cobb on building rapport: Cobb starts by meeting all team members, focusing on rapport building with people across the company. "From there, I will build a unique strategy that fits their needs and then come back to present, make final tweaks, and implement."
The role of fractional CMOs in 2025: When asked about what the future might look like for fractional CMOs, Cobb asserted they would grow to be even more important: "They offer more flexibility and leanness for companies, but also they bring a unique knowledge and skill set that can spark innovation. It's a very unique role that creates value for companies in multiple ways."
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© 2024 Paramark, Inc.
In a fractional world, here's how part-time CMOs establish trust on day 1
Feb 2, 2025
Paramark News Desk
Credit: fauxels
Key Points
Fractional CMOs face challenges in building trust and understanding team dynamics without prior company history.
Three part-time marketing leaders offer their outlook on 2025 and establishing trust from day one.
Being an outsider can introduce uncertainty, so trust is a crucial metric I prioritize within the initial 30 days. By leveraging this trust to reassure the team of your presence, support, mentorship, growth, and guidance, you can earn their respect.
Michael Larmon
Fractional CMO
,
White City Consulting
Walking into the top of an organization as a new fractional CMO without the history or rapport built over time in a company is daunting. Knowing what success looks like in the role can be unclear, leaving the growing number of fractional C-Suite roles in need of a place to talk about what's really working on a day to day basis.
Creating Trust: Systems, interpersonal connections, and understanding team building are all facets of executive leadership that make or break a new hire in a fractional role. Three fractional and in-house CMOs weigh in on their experiences and discuss how they build trust and systems that really work from day one:
Ritika Mehta, Founder of By Default and marketer emphasizes being a great listener from the start: "Instead of immediately offering advice or solutions, I take the time to listen carefully because founders and senior leaders typically approach me with unresolved problems or challenges they haven’t been able to solve. They need someone who truly understands their concerns." By Default creates comprehensive marketing audit systems designed for B2B SaaS small companies, where Mehta helps company clients turn their online presence into revenue generating pipelines.
Michael Larmon, Fractional CMO of White City Consulting Group says: "Being an outsider can introduce uncertainty, so trust is a crucial metric I prioritize within the initial 30 days. By leveraging this trust to reassure the team of your presence, support, mentorship, growth, and guidance, you can earn their respect." Larmon leads a team of experienced "business architects" with comprehensive marketing automation, CRM implementation, and strategic campaign services.
"I like to immediately meet one-on-one with key team members at multiple levels of the organization," shares Brandon Cobb, Fractional CMO of Marketingexec.us. "This helps me understand the organization's current situation with less bias than the possible herding mentality that can occur at team meetings." Cobb leverages his 18 years of marketing consultant experience to help clients like Amazon, Linkedin, and Bain & Co. create innovative marketing strategies.
Instead of immediately offering advice or solutions, I take the time to listen carefully because founders and senior leaders typically approach me with unresolved problems or challenges they haven’t been able to solve. They need someone who truly understands their concerns.
Ritika Mehta
Founder, Fractional CMO
,
By Default
Mehta on establishing comfort: "I prioritize connecting one-on-one with the team members who will report to me. Understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and perspectives is crucial for building a productive working relationship." Mehta says the key to establishing comfort and trust with new team members comes down to open-ended conversations, especially when the team is remote. Ultimately, he tries to remain approachable and available whenever someone needs guidance or support.
Larmon on breaking down obstacles: Larmon starts his team building efforts with "open and honest conversations." He shares that most leaders inadvertently create obstacles, and that by “serving as the voice that facilitates the breakdown of barriers and removal of roadblocks, you can earn [a team’s] respect."
Cobb on building rapport: Cobb starts by meeting all team members, focusing on rapport building with people across the company. "From there, I will build a unique strategy that fits their needs and then come back to present, make final tweaks, and implement."
The role of fractional CMOs in 2025: When asked about what the future might look like for fractional CMOs, Cobb asserted they would grow to be even more important: "They offer more flexibility and leanness for companies, but also they bring a unique knowledge and skill set that can spark innovation. It's a very unique role that creates value for companies in multiple ways."
Related articles
Solutions