Advisory

A martech advisor who works only for you.

I hold no vendor partnerships and sell no implementation work, so the answer you get is never shaped by what I’d be paid to build next.

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Who hires this
A CMO who needs someone who understands martech, works only for them, and has nothing to sell them. Some are new in the seat, holding a stack they didn’t pick, with a plan due before they know what they own. Others chose the stack, have run it for years, and want an independent read before the next big commitment.
What you get each month

2 working sessions, 60 minutes each, on a standing slot in the calendar.

4 questions. Send me one thing at a time: a vendor proposal, a decision you’re about to make, something you can’t put in front of your own team.

A short written summary after each session, and once a quarter, help shaping what you tell your CEO or your board.

Unused sessions and questions don’t carry into the next month.

What I promise on speed

Within 1 business day you hear back with the answer, the date you’ll have it, or that it’s too big to be a question.

The promise is a reply, not an answer. I can’t know what’s coming, so I won’t pretend to a turnaround on work I haven’t seen.

What you're risking

$3,750 a month. 3 months to start, then you’re out on 30 days’ notice, for any reason, without explaining it to me.

$500 if you want a fifth question in a month. No other charges, ever.

On the record

Gene took a very complex project and helped the team to break it down into manageable pieces, which could not have been achieved without the knowledge of the space.

Kristie Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer, Biscuitville Fresh Southern®, a regional restaurant chain
The detail, if you want it
What counts as one question?

Three things have to be true. It’s one thing, not a batch. I can answer it from what you send plus what I already know about your situation, with no research and no interviews. And what comes back is my judgment, written in a paragraph or two.

If a request fails any one of those, it’s project work. It gets scoped and priced on its own, and it doesn’t use up one of your 4.

What's not included?
Project work of any kind: no assessment, no audit, no vendor selection, no implementation. Documents, beyond the session summary. Standing internal obligations, because I’m not an interim hire. Access for your team, because the retainer is with you. Weekends and evenings.
Why do you take so few clients?
Because a 1-day reply and real familiarity with your situation are the product. More clients would mean slower replies and less familiarity with each situation. If the slots are full, I’ll tell you that instead of taking your money and stretching.
How is this different from the assessment?
This retainer helps you shape an argument out of what you already know. The martech stack assessment produces the evidence when you don’t have it yet. If someone wants to replace a martech tool and nobody has proven where the problem is, you want the assessment, and I’ll say so on the first call.
What happens if I have a quiet month?
You pay the same and nothing carries forward. That’s the trade in both directions: the quiet months subsidize the loud ones, and in a loud month you’re not rationing your questions. If you have 3 quiet months in a row, cancel. I’d rather you came back later than paid me out of habit.
Can my team reach you directly?
No, and that limit is what keeps the retainer worth having. If something needs your team involved, bring them into a session.
What if my question turns out to be a project?
I tell you inside a business day, and it doesn’t cost you one of your 4. Then we decide separately whether it’s worth scoping. You should never spend a question to be told no.
How is this different from a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO runs your marketing. I don’t run anything. I’m one seat, on martech specifically, for decisions you’d otherwise make alone or on a vendor’s advice.
Can I cancel?
After the first 3 months, with 30 days’ notice, for any reason and without explaining.
Why are there no client names on this page?
You wouldn’t post what’s broken in your stack on LinkedIn where your competitors can read it. My clients feel the same way, and a retainer sees more of that material than any single engagement does. Nothing you tell me leaves the conversation.

An honest, confidential conversation about what's in front of you. If a retainer is the wrong shape for your problem, I'll tell you that on the call.

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