Advisory

A martech advisor who works only for you.

I take no commissions or referral fees from martech vendors and sell no implementation work, so what I tell you never depends on 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 job, running 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 opinion before the next big purchase.
What you get each month

2 working sessions, 60 minutes each, at the same time each month.

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.

I promise a reply, not an answer. I won’t promise how long an answer takes before I’ve seen the question.

What you're risking

$3,750 a month, with a 3-month minimum. To stop at the end of the 3 months or any month after, give 30 days’ notice. No reason needed.

$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. Ongoing jobs inside your company, 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 what you’re paying for. More clients would mean slower replies and less of both. If the slots are full, I’ll tell you that instead of taking on more clients than I can serve.
How is this different from the assessment?
The retainer helps you make your case with what you already know. The martech value 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, so in a busy month you never hold back a question. 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. If your whole team could reach me, you’d get less of my time. 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.
How is this different from a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO runs your marketing. I don’t run anything. I advise you on martech decisions you’d otherwise make alone or on a vendor’s advice.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Give 30 days’ notice and you can stop at the end of the 3 months or any month after. No reason needed.
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 on a retainer you share more than a client on a single project does. I don’t repeat any of it.

An honest, confidential conversation about what's in front of you. If a retainer won't solve your problem, I'll tell you that on the call.

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