When most people think about business development, they picture selling directly to CEOs and founders.
That’s important. You do need direct relationships with the people who can eventually write checks.
But there’s another channel that’s been incredibly valuable in my business, and in many others I talk to:
Other fractionals.
Not just marketers. Fractional CFOs, COOs, CHROs, CROs, and so on.
If you design it intentionally, your fractional peers can become one of your most reliable sources of introductions and work.
I think about my networking in three broad categories:
Birds of a feather: other fractional marketers
Non‑marketing fractionals (CFO, COO, HR, etc.)
CEOs and executives in my ICP (5–50M manufacturers)
All three matter, but for the purposes of referrals, the first two are especially important.
Let’s take them one at a time.
On the surface, connecting with other fractional CMOs and marketing leaders might sound counterintuitive.
“Aren’t those the people you’re competing with?”
In practice, here’s what I see:
There are far more opportunities than any one of us can handle.
Millions of small and mid‑sized businesses. A relatively small number of fractional executives.
Marketing is not one thing.
People specialize in:
Brand and positioning
Product marketing
Demand gen and performance
Direct‑to‑consumer
Communications and PR
Product‑led growth
And so on
My own specialty is closer to:
B2B
Industrial and manufacturing
Digital funnels: website, CRM, email, e‑commerce, distribution dynamics
So if a fractional CMO focused on DTC consumer brands runs into a complex B2B distribution problem with a manufacturer, they might bring me in.
If I’m running a marketing engagement where there’s a deep brand or creative problem, I’ll pull in someone whose whole world is brand.
That’s a much better outcome for the client than either of us pretending to be great at everything.
It’s also a much more sustainable way to build a career.
The second group is just as important: fractional executives in other disciplines.
Think about roles like:
Fractional CFOs
Fractional COOs
Fractional CHROs
Fractional CROs or heads of sales
These people already:
Have access to the leadership team at your ideal clients
Are trusted enough to be inside sensitive conversations
Are often the first to hear “we have a problem in marketing” or “we need to grow faster but don’t know how”
From their perspective, it’s helpful to have a trusted marketing counterpart they can bring in when they see a gap.
From yours, it’s almost the perfect introduction:
The client already understands the fractional model
They’ve already seen it work in a different function
You’re entering through a warm, trusted referral
That shortens the education curve significantly.
To be clear, not every introduction leads to work, and not every opportunity is one you’ll want. In my case, I’d estimate:
Roughly 8 out of 10 marketing opportunities I’m introduced to through other fractionals are not in my preferred lane.
Maybe it’s a pure brand overhaul
Or a heavy PR and communications need
Or a very consumer‑oriented business model
In those cases, I’ll still:
Do a light assessment or conversation
Confirm that yes, there is a marketing problem and some opportunity
Then introduce them to 2–3 marketers in my network who are a better fit
I don’t take a cut. I don’t turn it into a complex arrangement. I simply hand the opportunity to someone else.
Which leads to the next point.
There’s a book called The Go‑Giver that you may have run into. Whether you’ve read it or not, the core idea is simple:
Lead with giving.
Trust that value you put into the ecosystem comes back, often from unexpected directions.
In my own business, that looks like:
Passing along roughly one opportunity a month (or every two months) to someone else
Doing assessments for free when a trusted partner brings me into a client as a favor to them
Making introductions without expecting anything in return
Over time, that behavior does a few things:
It builds strong, genuine relationships with other fractionals
It cements your reputation as someone who:
Plays the long game
Cares about fit and outcome, not just revenue
Is safe to introduce to a valued client
And yes, opportunities do come back.
Other fractionals send me work when they see a manufacturer with exactly the “website + CRM + no leads” problem I talk about.
Sometimes they ask if I’d be open to subcontracting under them with a client they already lead.
I don’t structure any of this as a formal quid‑pro‑quo. It’s just how healthy networks behave.
The third group is the obvious one: leaders at companies you’d like to work with.
In my case, that’s:
Presidents
General managers
CEOs
Founders of 5–50M manufacturing and B2B companies
I connect with them (often via LinkedIn first, then email), not to sell them something on the first touch, but to:
Learn how they describe their problems
See whether my value proposition resonates
Plant seeds for future conversations
Those relationships often develop over months or years:
A brief introductory chat today
An email with a useful article six months from now
A coffee when timing is better
A diagnostic down the line
Meanwhile, many of the first concrete opportunities come in via the other two categories: birds of a feather and non‑marketing fractionals.
The engine is all three together.
You don’t need a complex system to begin. Here’s a basic starting point:
Make a short list.
10–20 other fractionals in your own function
10–20 in adjacent functions (finance, ops, HR, sales)
10–20 CEOs/founders in your ICP
Reach out for genuine conversations, not pitches.
For fractionals:
“I’m another fractional [role] working with [ICP]. I’d love to compare notes on what you’re seeing in the market and where you’ve found good fits.”
For CEOs:
“I work with companies like yours on [specific problem]. I’m not selling anything right now, but I’d be curious how you’re thinking about [topic] this year.”
Make it easy for them to remember you.
Tie this back to Article 5:
One ICP
One problem
Clear language
Look for opportunities to give first.
Share a relevant article when you find one
Offer a light assessment or intro when you see a fit
Connect two people in your network who could help each other
Play a long game.
You’re building a flywheel, not pulling a slot machine handle.
Over time:
A CFO you met last year will bring you into a client this year
A marketer you referred work to will send an opportunity back
A CEO you helped informally for free will call you when the timing is right
If you’re used to direct, transactional selling, this approach can feel vague.
But if you look at where my revenue actually comes from, it’s not vague at all:
The majority comes from Group 3: direct relationships with CEOs and founders in my ICP
A meaningful minority comes through Groups 1 and 2: marketers and other fractionals who already have those relationships and bring me in
All of it is underpinned by:
A clear niche and problem
A reputation for fit and integrity
A willingness to give more than you strictly have to
It’s not the fastest way to generate “30 meetings in 30 days.”
It is, however, a very effective way to build a stable, referral‑driven fractional practice that you actually enjoy running.