What level of involvement does the fractional CMO have in overseeing agency partners and vendors engaged in marketing execution?

A fractional CMO typically owns strategic oversight and performance accountability for agencies and vendors, while delegating day-to-day production management to an internal lead or the agency itself. In practice, that means setting briefs and KPIs, approving plans and budgets, running recurring performance reviews, and stepping in for escalations or vendor changes. A common operating cadence is a weekly 30–60 minute agency check-in plus a monthly KPI and budget review tied to pipeline and revenue targets. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy (25+ years in B2B marketing), “A fractional CMO should be the single throat to choke for vendor outcomes, not the person chasing every task in Asana.”