What is a Fractional CCO or Head of Sales (and when do you choose one?)
- Mark Evert Zoet
- Apr 16
- 13 min read
Updated: May 4
A fractional CCO or Head of Sales is an experienced leader who takes commercial responsibility 1-3 days a week in scale-ups that are not yet ready for a full-time role. This approach is ideal for companies where growth is stagnating, commercial focus is lacking or founders are too operationally involved. In a period of 6-9 months, the fractional leader builds a scalable commercial foundation, resulting in more structure, focus and predictable growth - without the costs of a full-time hire.
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You have a solution that sells. A team that grows. Leads that come in. But growth is stagnating. You know it is somewhere in your commercial process: too many separate initiatives, no structure, too little conversion. And there is a lack of someone who really takes ownership of commerce. You as a founder are now managing it - in addition to everything you already do - and that is a problem. A full-time CCO, VP Sales, Head of Sales or Sales Manager (name the beast 😉) feels like a big step. But doing nothing means that you are missing out on growth opportunities. In this blog you can read what a fractional commercial leader can do for you - when it fits, what it solves, and what such a collaboration looks like.
Do you recognize this as a founder or CEO?
You started building. First the product, then the team. And now… the commercial side.
Many founders of SaaS and tech companies reach a point where the commercial team is growing, but there is no real ultimate responsibility. And then it starts to chafe.
Marketing delivers leads, but sales complains about the quality. Or the other way around: sales hardly closes deals, and marketing feels responsible for turnover that they cannot directly influence. There is no lack of initiatives - but there is a lot more focus and results.
You know you need someone to take ownership of the whole thing – from strategy to execution. But a permanent CCO feels like a big step. And an interim? They come, solve something, and then they go away.
In the meantime, you as a founder continue to help out. You join in on deals, consult on campaigns, try to provide direction. But you don't really have time for that. And if you're honest: it's not your expertise either. While you try to manage, structural commercial growth remains absent. The ceiling you're hitting remains firmly in place.
Sound familiar? Then it is good to know that there is an intermediate solution. One that does provide direction, but does not immediately turn everything upside down.
What is a Fractional CCO or Head of Sales?
A fractional commercial manager is an experienced professional who you employ part-time to give direction to your commercial organization. The job title varies – Fractional CCO, VP Sales, Head of Sales, Sales Leader, sometimes even Sales Manager – but the core is always the same: someone with operational responsibility, leadership over the commercial domain and a team target.
“Fractional” refers to the size of the commitment: it is not a full-time role, but someone who works 1, 2 or 3 days a week, for example.
Temporary, but not fleeting: often the collaboration starts with a minimum commitment of 3 months. In practice, impact is often visible quickly – think of sharper focus, better management, coaching of the team and clear priorities.
At the same time, if you want that change to land permanently in your organization, and your team to grow in structure and working method, then a period of 6 to 9 months is usually realistic. In some cases, the collaboration lasts longer, with a decreasing commitment as the internal team can continue independently.
A fractional leader:
Thinks strategically , but also actually executes.
Actively manages your commercial team , with clear priorities and mandate.
Provides structure, rhythm and focus within marketing, sales and customer success.
Creates peace of mind for you as a founder , because you no longer have to constantly step in.
Instead of hiring a permanent CCO, VP Sales or Head of Sales too early or continuing to muddle through without commercial leadership, a fractional role gives you exactly what you need now: experienced management, scalable and goal-oriented – tailored to your situation.
When do you choose a fractional commercial leader?
Not every company needs a fractional CCO. But in a certain growth phase – which many scale-ups go through – it is exactly what you need to get going. There are a number of clear signs that your commercial operation is ready for experienced leadership, but not (yet) for a full-time role.
Typical situations where a factional leader is of great value:
You lack commercial focus. There is a lot going on – campaigns, customer conversations, new propositions – but no one is guarding the red line or dares to set priorities.
Your marketing and sales are running, but not together. There are enough leads, but the conversion is lagging. Teams point fingers at each other. No one has responsibility for the entire commercial process.
You don't grow to the next level. The first million(s) of turnover are there, but you're up against a ceiling. Structure and scalability are lacking. You feel: "continuing to muddle through like this won't get us any further."
Your team needs direction. The people are there, but there is no manager to coach them, help them prioritize, keep them focused and bring them together. You notice that motivation or energy is leaking away.
You as a founder are too operationally involved. You are still in demos, join customer meetings, review presentations, sometimes even do the negotiations. In the meantime, you feel that your commercial team can do more - but you lack the experience to really take it to the next level.
You are unsure whether a full-time CCO is necessary or feasible. You do need leadership, but the investment, timing or organization is not yet ready for a permanent role.
You want to raise capital, but commerce is your weak spot. You realize that your commercial foundation is shaky – and that this weighs on your valuation during an investment round. A fractional leader can help to quickly get your commercial story, structure and performance in order.
You are thinking about an exit – but commerce still depends on you. You know that the value of your company increases if the commercial performance is independent of you as a founder. A fractional leader helps to prepare your organization for transferable success.
Do you recognize one or more of these situations? Then there is a good chance that a fractional leader can help you to reach the next growth phase in a structured and manageable way.
Fractional vs interim vs permanent – what's the difference?
As soon as you as a founder notice that commercial leadership is needed, the question automatically arises: what type of leader fits our phase? Often the options fall into three flavors: interim , permanent or fractional . They may seem similar, but differ in purpose, duration, impact and timing.
Role type | Goal | Typical deployment | What it is good for |
Interim | Temporary filling of the gap, minding the shop | 3–6 months full-time | Bridging in case of failure, solving acute issues |
Fixed | Long-term build & growth | Full-time, structural | Building a commercial vision + managing a team for the long term |
Fractional | Bringing structure & accelerating (without full-time pressure on organization) | 1–3 days per week, 3–9 months | Providing direction, professionalizing, involving the team in a growth movement |
An interim leader is often reactive: someone drops out, you need someone now. It is usually about “minding the shop” – making sure everything keeps going until there is a permanent solution. Interim professionals are often not set up for sustainable change or team development.
A permanent CCO is suitable for companies with sufficient size, rhythm and financial space to bring commercial leadership in-house full-time. But in scale-ups, this is often a step too early - or simply not feasible in terms of budget or organization.
A factional leader sits right in between:
Goes for results, not just temporary 'occupation'.
Takes responsibility for commercial direction and implementation.
Brings seniority that you simply wouldn't otherwise be able to attract – because full-time CCOs with that experience often don't (yet) opt for a role within smaller growth companies.
In short:
Interim keeps things going. Fixed builds structurally. Fractional brings acceleration, experience and direction – exactly at the moment your organization needs it, but is not yet ready for it full-time.
What does a Fractional CCO (or Head of Sales) deliver?
A fractional commercial leader provides more than just “temporary help”. It is about providing commercial direction, rhythm and results – in a way that suits your growth phase and team. It is not an extra layer of management, but an accelerator that helps your organization reach the next level.
What you can expect in concrete terms:
More focus and clarity
Finally, a clear plan is created. Your commercial goals are made concrete, priorities are set, and everyone knows where to focus.
Consider tools and methods that can contribute to this focus, such as setting up and executing a go-to-market strategy, introducing and implementing OKRs, and clearly defining sales processes, playbooks, roles and responsibilities.
Structure in your commercial processes
Your funnel will be redesigned – for example based on the Bowtie model from Winning by Design – with clear definitions for each phase in your customer process.
Finally it is clear what you mean by an MQL, SQL or SAL
Your organization gets one language and one rhythm
You work data-driven on your pipeline, predictability and growth
LeapLogic works with certified revenue architects and follows industry best practices – so your team is not dependent on assumptions, but works according to proven methods.
Better performing teams
Your people know what they are working towards, are coached on the right things, and work together more as one commercial team.
“There was new energy in the team.”
“More job satisfaction and therefore higher retention of colleagues.”
Faster execution
Our fractional leaders have over 15 years of experience and have completed dozens of assignments.
So you don't pay tuition and skip the well-known beginner's mistakes. That saves time and ensures that you can scale up much faster to what works - without months of trial & error.
Relief for you as a founder
You no longer have to control or monitor everything.
Think about: no longer having to attend every customer meeting, no more separate 1:1s with sales, no more weekly marketing meetings where you have to take the lead.
This alone will quickly earn you one or more days off per week.
Concrete growth acceleration
The result of structure and focus is measurable. Examples of what we have achieved in previous projects:
25% ARR growth year-over-year despite smaller sales team and understaffing in marketing
60% growth in MRR with the same sales & marketing staffing
More predictable growth and control over the commercial process
Increased valuation upon funding or exit
Your commercial operation becomes detached from you as a person.
This increases the confidence of investors or buyers – and therefore also your appreciation.
A fractional leader not only delivers commercial results, but also gives you as a CEO or founder something even more valuable: time, space and focus. So that you can focus on where you make the most impact in your company.
This is what a collaboration with a Fractional CCO (or Head of Sales) from LeapLogic looks like
At LeapLogic we do not believe in generic trajectories. We build a commercial foundation that fits the phase your company is in, your team and ambitions. No big plans without action, but a concrete approach that leads directly to change. We always start with an intake, followed by clear choices in focus, pace and collaboration.
We know two starting forms:
1. FunnelCamp™: The GTM Strategy Workshop
A workshop (series) – intensive, goal-oriented and supported by the FunnelPlan™ software – in which we work with you and your (senior) stakeholders in a short period of time, depending on your organization and situation, for 2 to 6 half days on a clear, supported commercial plan.
We map, among other things:
The commercial objectives of your organization
The extent to which the commercial foundations are in order (“growth readiness”)
The current commercial strategy (or lack thereof)
We then develop or sharpen the go-to-market strategy and sales objectives together. These workshops are designed not only to provide insights, but also to create alignment between all stakeholders. That is not a by-catch, but a guaranteed result of these sessions.
The result:
A clear GTM strategy 1-pager – to make visible in the office what everyone is working towards
An extensive strategy presentation (±30 slides) with substantiation, choices and logic to involve stakeholders
Fully developed briefings per tactic, ready for execution – by LeapLogic, your own team or external agencies/freelancers
A 100-day sprint, powered by the FunnelPlan™ software and guided by your fractional leader, that immediately translates strategy into focused action
2. Inventory phase by the fractional leader
In case your GTM strategy is sufficiently determined, we start with a validation. The fractional commercial manager starts hands-on in the organization.
This phase includes:
Conversations with team members
Analysis of current processes, documents and tools
Insight into commercial objectives
Review of the existing (or missing) go-to-market strategy
CRM audit and data analysis
On this basis, we determine together the right course and where the initial focus should be to achieve commercial acceleration.
Then : getting started with the team
Once the strategy is in place, we get to work on achieving results. We work with your team, take the lead in priorities and ensure that the plans come to life in daily work. No advice from a distance, but leadership from within.
Rhythm & Collaboration
How often we are present – physically, remotely or hybrid – depends on your phase and needs.
The commitment varies from 1 to 3 days per week
We start with a minimum commitment of 3 months
We can make an impact quickly, but to make it land sustainably (in processes, behavior and structure) a period of 6 to 9 months is often realistic
In some cases, the collaboration continues for a longer period of time, with a decreasing level of involvement as your internal team becomes more independent
Deliverables (in addition to the GTM strategy) may include:
New funnel structure (e.g. Bowtie) with clear definitions per phase
Development and implementation of a sales methodology such as SPICED (our favorite), or alternatives such as MEDDICC, SPIN, BANT
Prospecting playbooks and outreach guidelines
Clear roles, responsibilities and KPIs
Compensation plan / bonus model for commercial roles
Coaching and development of commercial team members
Improving CRM structure, adoption and usage
Guidance in implementing or optimizing sales technology
Implementation of dashboards, reporting and data-driven management
And after that? Then it will continue to work – even without us
We are consciously building a process-centric commercial organization instead of a people-centric commercial organization, in line with the philosophy of Winning by Design.
That means:
No more dependency on individual talents, founders or external leaders
But a scalable foundation in which processes, rhythm and structure are leading
Teams know what to do – and how, why, when and for what purpose
And if you are ready to transfer leadership internally? Then we can help you:
When finding a permanent successor
Or when guiding and coaching someone who wants to grow internally – with minimal use of a fractional leader over a longer period
This way, not only does the structure remain – but also the leadership to take it further.
Frequently Asked Questions about Working with a Fractional CCO or Head of Sales
“Isn't a fractional CCO or Head of Sales just a fancy consultant for startups with too much money?”
Definitely not. A fractional leader takes responsibility , directs your team and makes things workable and scalable – from within. The difference with a consultant? We do not advise from the sidelines, but lead the operation and build the team, together with you.
“Can you really make an impact with a Fractional CCO or Head of Sales who only works 1-3 days a week?”
“Is a Fractional CCO or Head of Sales also suitable for smaller companies or scale-ups?”
“How does a Fractional Sales Leader work with my current sales or marketing team?”
“How much does a Fractional CCO or Head of Sales cost?”
“What is smarter: a fractional commercial manager or hiring someone permanently right away?”
“What about ownership? Is a fractional really involved?”
“What makes LeapLogic different from other fractional providers?”
Ready to take your commercial organization to the next level?
A fractional commercial leader can be exactly the acceleration you need right now: experience, direction and results – without having to immediately expand a full-time team.
Curious if it suits your organization?
👉 Schedule a no-obligation meeting with LeapLogic – and we'll look together at what you need to grow commercially.
Or start with a FunnelCamp™ : an intensive workshop (or series) that will give you insight, alignment and a concrete GTM plan in a short time.
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