3 Breakthrough Strategies for Fractional Execs to Land High-Value Clients

About the Author: Shantanu Verma is a Fractional CMO for consultants, helping them sell over $2.5 million in services & $5 million in digital products. He went fractional back in 2018, cracked the client acquisition code in 2022 and today, is passionate about helping other fractionals on their journey to get fully booked.

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I’m going to reveal 3 strategies that I & other fractional executives have personally used to land high-value clients.

Here they are:

• The Micro-Offer: Using this, a Fractional CMO gets hired by B2B Services companies with $1-$2.5 million ARR.

• B2B Shortcasts: This helped a Fractional CDO get hired by  $50-100 million ARR financial services companies.

• The Hiring Swap: Within 60 days, a Fractional CRO for B2B SaaS companies landed 7 enquiries & 3 new clients.

These strategies have transformed my fractional executive career and helped so many others along the way. Today, I'm excited to share them with you.

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But first, let me take you back to where it all began...

It’s the year 2021, I’m in my home-office and I have a decision to make: to keep going or end my journey as a fractional executive and get a job.

I’d gone from being an unhappy, frustrated and burnt out CMO to starting out on my own. Why? I wanted to be in the driver's seat of my life, not a passenger. Maybe, that resonates with you.

There was also a brewing restlessness, deep inside I knew I was meant for more, more wealth, more freedom and more impact. 

So I jumped in. 

My belief was very simple - If I get client results, I will always have new clients.

That’s exactly what I did:

• Tapped into my network.
• Got new sales in the door. 
• Delivered above & beyond.

Honestly, I thought I’d arrived, that there’s now going to be a line of new clients waiting to work with me.

But…

When I looked behind my shoulder - there was no one.

The truth of my business was that - it was largely dependent on repeats, a few referrals and the one-off new clients.

The worst part? The boom & bust cycles. One quarter, I’m flying high and money is pouring in - next, I’m anxious because the pipeline is dry. If a big client suddenly pulls back - then what?

More than money, it was the uncertainty, the anxiety, the feeling of not being able to figure it out, when so many others around me seemed to have cracked it.

One night, I was tossing & turning around in bed, looking at the ceiling and thinking about my business. Out of nowhere, I remember a quote from my high school Economics textbook…

The objective of business is profit. 

It dawned on me, client results are not the most important, they are actually the second most important.

The first one? Client acquisition. 

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Hoping for clients? No. 

Praying for clients? No.

Hustling for clients? No.

The most important action you can take for your business is a system for client acquisition.

Today, I know exactly where my next client, the client after that and the client after that will come from. Most importantly, I’m experiencing the success and freedom as a Fractional executive that I always dreamed of. 

Today, I’d like to share 3 strategies that have personally helped me land clients outside my existing network.

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The Micro-Offer

Let’s assume you are a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer for B2B Services companies with an ARR of $1-$2.5 million. Your ideal client has 25-50 employees and business development is largely driven by the founder. 

How do you make yourself the obvious choice in front of the CEOs of such businesses? Show them you are the real deal?

Enter the Micro-Offer. 

You connect with them and make an irresistible invitation. 

“Hi FIRSTNAME, 
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I took the liberty to review how you are positioning yourself on LinkedIn. A few tweaks to your messaging will make it easier for the right clients to approach you.
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Can I send it across?

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It’s a no-brainer offer. 

You can dazzle them with your brilliance and now they will ask for a link to your calendar. 

The essence here is, what micro-experience can you create that attracts ideal prospects, in a way that they are excited to work with you? 

An irresistible offer to the right decision-makers which requires no or minimal time and energy investment from them.

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B2B Shortcasts.

Let’s assume you are a Fractional Chief Data Officer for financial services companies with an ARR of $50-100 million.

So how do you cultivate deeper relationships with decision-makers so you become first-in-line if & when they have a requirement? 

Enter the B2B Shortcast.

Podcasts are great, but let’s be honest - they take a lot of time investment and it’s a challenge to bring senior decision-makers as guests because they have a packed schedule. 

But what if you made them into just 5 minutes? And, instead of shop talk, what if you brought out the personal, candid side of your guests? 

Fun, insightful questions like, 

• So how do you explain what you do to your kids? 
• What’s the favourite metaphor you use when talking about your work? 
• What advice would you give to you younger self on their first day at work?

Instead of ‘just another interview’, guests and listeners are now excited to participate. 

Every guest you invite is a potential client and once you finish the interview, you can gently pivot by asking - so what are you working on nowadays?. 

This gives you context on their priorities and an opportunity to offer genuine advice. Thus, opening the value loop.

You have to establish a relationship before potential clients have a requirement, that’s how you become the top choice.

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The Hiring Swap

Let’s assume you are a Fractional Chief Revenue Officer for B2B SaaS companies with a $5 - $10 million ARR. 

How do you get in front of CEOs who are actively looking for help? 

Enter the Hiring Swap. (Stacked with a Micro-Offer)

• Create a list of target SaaS accounts.
• Filter it to those who are actively hiring for a CRO/CGO/CMO.
• To CEOs of that segment, you can DM a micro-offer like:

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I’ve helped SaaS companies like [Example 1, 2 and 3] drive over $XYZ million in revenue.
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Just took your free trial/demo process for a spin and identified a few friction points that can cause people to drop off.

‍‍Okay if I share them here? I see you’re hiring a CRO, so I’m guessing growth your your #1 priority. 

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Isn’t that such a powerful way to qualify your value and resourcefulness? 

The essence here is, if they are hiring for the exact position you can deliver, get in front of them and offer your services to a Fractional executive. 

This is how you show up at the right place, at the right time. 

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+ 1 More Bonus Strategy

In the fractional world, you eat what you kill. But how great would it be if the food came to you instead? 

Fractional Jobs, the site you’re reading this on, delivers leads to your inbox every week, across 10+ different function areas. You can subscribe here.

If it’s not already, consider making it part of your diet.

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Wrap-up

With that, we come to the end of our time together. 

How do you feel after going through these 3 strategies? Which one are you most excited to implement?

All I wish for you is that you embrace your role in the driver's seat of your business. 

The future is Fractional and we get to create it together.