Product-led growth stalled. You ran out of referrals.
The first customers came for free. The second wave needs proactive sales.
Fractional CSO for
startups
For startups with product-led growth that need to close enterprise deals. Or to build a first sales team.
We have worked with
The pain
Referrals got you to 1M ARR. But enterprise deals do not close themselves.
Many startups go through a "product sells itself" phase - the first customers come from the network, referrals or product-led growth. But once you try to target larger companies or enterprise deals, you hit reality: these deals need a sales process, not a SaaS landing page.
The founder closes every deal. That does not work long term.
The team cannot do what the founder does. And the founder has no time to run the company.
Enterprise deals move slowly or fall through.
An 8-month sales cycle, conversion below 10%, an inaccurate forecast.
Hiring a VP Sales is unrealistic pre-Series A.
But a junior sales force will not close enterprise.
The solution
A sales director for a startup moving from PLG to sales-led growth.
A Fractional CSO for startups means a senior partner who builds your sales motion from the ground up. Discovery framework, qualification, work on live deals, a sales playbook. No corporate "sales academy", no process for the sake of process.
The first sales playbook
Discovery framework, qualification criteria, objection handling, follow-up cadence. A concrete document anyone can run a sales call from.
Hand-off from founder to sales team
Gradually taking deals over from the founder. First quarter: shadowing. Second: co-selling. Third: the team closes on its own.
Enterprise sales motion
Multi-stakeholder deals, security review, procurement, contract negotiation. A skill set early startups usually do not have.
If you have transactional B2B sales (a sales cycle under 2 weeks) - a fractional CSO is overkill. Hire a salesperson.
How it works
What the first engagement looks like
Phase 0
We go for lunch (or online)
We talk through where you are, where you want to go and whether fractional CSO makes sense for you. If not, we tell you.
Phase 1
Workshop at your place
4 hours at the company. We define where it grinds, what the priority is, and build a plan for 3-6 months.
Phase 2
Implementation
If we shake on it, we go into action. Regular meetings, aligned expectations, clear reporting.
Phase 3
Reporting
We hide nothing. Clear reporting on the goals we agreed on - as automated as possible, as clear as possible. Every week you see concrete steps.
Phase 4
Partnership
After the project ends we can extend the engagement either in a similar spirit, or within the Partnership program, which is long-term strategic advisory.
After Implementation the engagement typically continues as Partnership for CEOs and founders. Meanwhile we develop the people on your team through 1:1 mentoring.
References
What clients say
"We have been working with Honza and Richard for several months now. Marketing and sales finally understand each other, something we could not pull off for years. I recommend them both without hesitation."
"Thanks to Richard we built an entire sales team from scratch, and he helped us scale the company abroad with the right go-to-market strategy. I really value that."
"We were looking for someone to help us get our marketing in order. With Honza it works mainly because he keeps the team on track, so I can finally focus on developing our platform."
"Working with Honza was easy. He picks things up fast and things start moving. What stood out was how he got to the results. He knows how to use technology to do more with less. He works smart, and you can see it. He also pours into the project like it's his own."
FAQ
What clients ask most often
What if we do not have product-market fit yet?
A fractional CSO is not the answer. If you are still looking for who to sell to and what to sell, you need founder reps and feedback instead. A CSO makes sense once you have 20+ paying customers and a repeatable sales pattern.
Can you be paid in equity?
In selected cases yes. It requires strong VC backing and a clear thesis. By default we prefer cash + a performance bonus for hitting the ARR target.
Will you help us hire our first AE?
Yes. It is a standard part of the engagement - JD, screening, interview rounds, an onboarding plan. Goal: the AE reaches 70% of the founder's conversion rate within 6 months.
What if we only have a self-serve / PLG model?
A fractional CSO fits when you move from PLG to sales-assisted or sales-led in larger segments. If you stay purely self-serve, you do not need a sales lead.
Will you help us prepare a sales presentation for an investor?
Yes. A sales motion deck for a Series A pitch is a standard deliverable in the pre-Series A phase.
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Find out whether fractional CSO makes sense for you
Let us have lunch together. We find out where you are, where you want to go and whether we can help. If not, we recommend someone who can.