Fractional CMO for SaaS Companies
Senior growth leadership for small SaaS companies, from a founder who has sold two companies
At a glance: Provider: Dalai Group. Offer: Fractional Growth Leadership for SaaS. Led by: Pilar Lazzati, 4X founder with two exits. Audience: small B2B and SaaS companies of roughly 10 to 200 people.
A fractional CMO for a SaaS company is a senior marketing and revenue leader who works with you part time, owning positioning, pipeline and the numbers behind them. Dalai Group's Fractional Growth Leadership gives small SaaS companies a four-time founder in charge of go-to-market, without a full-time CMO hire.
Pipeline is thin, or it does not convert
SaaS founders usually come to us with a business problem: pipeline is stale, trial-to-paid is low, churn is up, or the sales team and the marketing team disagree about what a good lead is. Those are leadership problems. They are solved with one plan and one person accountable for it.
What a fractional CMO does for a SaaS company
- Builds and fixes the path from first touch to signed customer, including the handoff to sales
- Chooses channels for your sales motion, whether it is self-serve, sales-led or a mix
- Owns the website, pricing and packaging pages, so more of your traffic converts
- Builds search and content that brings in buyers without paying for each click
- Connects retention and expansion to the marketing plan, not only new logos
- Leads your team, freelancers and agencies against pipeline and payback, not activity
- Brings in AI and automation where they save real work, such as lead scoring, follow-up and reporting
Where Dalai Group works in software
- B2B SaaS and software
- Martech and adtech
- Fintech and other software sold into regulated industries
- Vertical SaaS
- SaaS companies owned by private equity firms
Companies are typically small, roughly 10 to 200 people.
The systems behind the numbers
Pilar has led HubSpot and Salesforce migrations and, for the last three years, has built AI revenue systems and agents. For a SaaS company that means the CRM, the reporting and the follow-up are part of the plan, not an afterthought.
Her software and platform clients include Microsoft, Oracle, eBay and PayPal.
Private equity and SaaS portfolio companies
Private equity firms bring in a fractional CMO to lift a portfolio company's revenue ahead of a raise, a hold-period target or an exit. The work is scoped to the value-creation plan: a 30-day revenue and go-to-market review, fixes that show up in numbers an operating partner tracks, and reporting built for a board.
How an engagement works
01Fit conversation, 20 minutes, free
02Revenue Audit, paid, fixed scope, with a ranked list of fixes
03AI Revenue System Sprint, if you want a specific system built
04Fractional Growth Leadership, ongoing, scoped to your needs
Fractional CMO vs agency vs full-time CMO for SaaS companies
| Fractional CMO | Agency | Full-time CMO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | Senior leadership and a plan | Execution of channels | A dedicated executive on payroll |
| Best when | You need leadership now and cannot yet justify a full-time seat | You have a strategy and need hands | You have scale, a team and a long runway |
| Cost | Scoped to need | Retainer plus media | Salary, benefits and equity |
| Risk | Short commitment | Retainer | Salary, equity and severance |
Why Pilar
Pilar Lazzati is a 4X founder with two exits. She co-built MailCreations and sold it to Livedoor, a public company, for more than $6 million. She grew 1001 Consejos from under $1,000 to 20 million visitors a month with no ads, pure SEO. She ran Dalai Group for 21 years serving brands and companies across technology, media, consumer goods, financial services and health, and has led HubSpot and Salesforce migrations. For the last three years she has built AI revenue systems and agents: pipeline follow-up, editorial and HR engines, an AI Chief of Staff, an AI CMO, an AI marketing brain and a GTM engine.
Questions founders ask
What does a fractional CMO do for a SaaS company?
Owns marketing strategy and the revenue plan part time: positioning, pipeline, conversion and reporting, with accountability for results.
Is this for B2B SaaS only?
It fits small B2B and SaaS companies, including martech, adtech and vertical software.
Do you work with our sales team and CRM?
Yes. The handoff from marketing to sales and the data behind it are part of the work.
How many hours a week?
It depends on need. Engagements are scoped to the problem, not sold as a fixed package.
What does it cost?
It is scoped to your needs. For market context, see our fractional CMO cost guide.
Where do we start?
Most engagements begin with the Revenue Audit, so you know the first fix before you commit to ongoing leadership.