A fractional CRO, short for chief revenue officer, is a senior sales and revenue leader who owns a company’s revenue number for 10 to 20 hours a week. The role is shared across a few companies and paid by monthly retainer, sometimes with a bonus tied to new revenue. You will also see it sold as a part-time CRO or a fractional VP of Sales. An interim CRO is a full-time leader placed for a set period, usually to cover a departure.
What the role owns
The core of the job is turning sales from something the founder does into something the company does. At a $1M to $100M company that has five parts.
Pipeline. Where new opportunities come from, how many the company needs each quarter to hit the target and how they move through stages. A common rule of thumb is pipeline worth three times the quarter’s target, adjusted for your actual win rate.
Forecast. A weekly forecast call with each rep, and a number the CEO and board can plan against. Forecast accuracy is the clearest sign a fractional CRO is working.
Process and the CRM. Defined stages with entry and exit criteria, a CRM that reflects reality, and a handoff from sales to delivery or customer success that does not lose the customer.
People. Hiring the first or next reps, setting quotas, writing the commission plan and coaching reps on live deals.
Pricing and packaging input. Discounting rules, deal approval limits and feedback to the CEO on what the market will pay.
Some fractional CROs also cover marketing and customer success, which is what the revenue title implies. Others are sales leaders under a broader title. Ask which you are getting.
Hours and fees
Most fractional CROs work 10 to 20 hours a week, with the weekly pipeline review and forecast call as fixed points. Published retainers start around $6,000 to $7,000 a month and run to $20,000 or more, with $8,000 to $15,000 common. A minority add a bonus on revenue above a baseline. The cost guide breaks it down.
When to hire one
The classic moment is the founder-led sales plateau. The founder still closes most deals, revenue has stalled somewhere between $2M and $10M, and the first rep hires have not reached quota. Other triggers: the forecast has missed three quarters in a row; you are about to hire your first sales team and do not know how to structure it; a VP of Sales has left; or investors want a credible revenue plan before the next round.
Who it is not for
A company without a repeatable sale yet, meaning the founder cannot describe why the last ten customers bought, needs to find that first. A fractional CRO can help with discovery but will struggle to build a process around something that is not repeatable. A company that needs more leads, with a sales team that converts well, probably needs marketing or an outbound agency. And a team of 20 reps across several regions needs a leader who is present every day.
What to check
Ask for numbers: quota attainment, win rates and forecast accuracy at past companies. Ask about the sale they know best, because selling a $5,000 software subscription differs from selling a $500,000 services contract. Some fractional CRO practices belong to sales recruiting firms; ask whether hiring fees are separate.