Fractional CMO Show

Fractional CMO Show

Why You Need to Shut Up More Often

Jun 10, 2026 · 16 min · 9 segments

The best fractional CMOs in the room aren't the ones talking the most. This episode makes the case that silence, in negotiations, in pricing conversations, and especially around how you get your work…

The best fractional CMOs in the room aren't the ones talking the most. This episode makes the case that silence, in negotiations, in pricing conversations, and especially around how you get your work done, might be the sharpest tool in your practice right now. What gets unpacked is a real situation: a CMO who cut their rate, earned their upside, and then watched it potentially slip away because nothing was in writing and the instinct to act fast overrode the wisdom to wait. From there, the argument expands into something bigger about AI, efficiency, and who actually gets to enjoy the gains when your output doubles but your hours don't. **Key Topics Covered:** - Why verbal agreements with clients will cost you, every time - The case for waiting before sending that invoice - Stating your price and saying nothing after - How AI efficiency changes the value equation for fractional CMOs - Why you should never volunteer how fast or easy something was - The HVAC tech and the dentist: getting paid for discernment, not duration - Increasing your usefulness without expanding your scope **Take the First Step Toward Growth with CMOx** Booking a call with our team is super easy, stress-free, and all about YOU. Whether you're exploring options or ready to scale, this no-pressure consultation is designed to understand your needs and guide you in the right direction. **👉 CMOx.com/call** **Join the Fractional CMO Community** Want to continue the conversation and get access to exclusive resources? Join our free Facebook group for fractional CMOs and marketing leaders! Inside, you'll find discussions, insights, and tools to help you grow your business and maximize your impact. **👉 CMOx.com/community**

The best fractional CMOs in the room aren't the ones talking the most. This episode makes the case that silence, in negotiations, in pricing conversations, and especially around how you get your work…

Speakers: Casey StantonHost

Pricing, Upside Deals & The Power of Silence1:08 – 4:46

Casey StantonHost

1:08

Hey, welcome back.

Casey StantonHost

1:08

And I was talking to a CMO last week, and they have this deal where they were working with a client, and they had this upside, and the upside was related to some work that they had to do.

Casey StantonHost

1:20

And there's two things at play.

Casey StantonHost

1:22

There was their base fee, and then there was their upside.

Casey StantonHost

1:25

And in the conversation, they were asking me my thoughts on it.

Casey StantonHost

1:28

What they had done was they had stated their base fee.

Casey StantonHost

1:31

The client couldn't afford it.

Casey StantonHost

1:32

They wanted to work with the client, so they cut their base fee down and said, "But when I hit this outcome for you, I wanna be paid for that outcome, and then I want my base fee to increase." And the CEO said, "Great.

Casey StantonHost

1:41

Sounds cool." So there they go, and they start moving forward, and they thought they'd hit that target by December, and it was late May when they finally hit it.

Casey StantonHost

1:50

So it took them a full five months more than they thought it would take.

Casey StantonHost

1:53

Yet the CMO did what they said they would do, which is work at that lower rate, and then they wanna get this upside for achieving that outcome.

Casey StantonHost

2:01

And a couple things happened.

Casey StantonHost

2:03

One was they told me that they have no formal agreement around any of this stuff, no agreement that their rate should be this, and at a certain point it will become that.

Casey StantonHost

2:14

They're just in a month-to-month open-ended, not even in a contract.

Casey StantonHost

2:18

The only thing that was stipulated was if they hit a certain outcome, they would receive a certain capital a- award for that.

Casey StantonHost

2:24

So just so much is wrong with that, right? The first thing is, yeah, it's nice that they have that financial incentive, but they should also have written it on a document that says, "When we hit this," and it's photographable, and there's no room for interpretation, "we move forward, and I get paid this." Because at this point, the CEO can just turn around and say, "We never had that conversation, dude.

Casey StantonHost

2:41

Here's the offer for us to continue working together.

Casey StantonHost

2:43

I've really enjoyed working with you, and I'm fine doing it at the continued cost and capacity, but I'm not gonna pay you more for the work that you've already been doing." That makes sense if they really don't remember it.

Casey StantonHost

2:52

And then do they not remember it, or are they being manipulative, right? You have to have that consideration yourself, and you gotta figure out where you land on it.

Casey StantonHost

2:58

It's a whole emotional thing.

Casey StantonHost

3:00

We wanna do things unemotionally.

Casey StantonHost

3:02

We want them just documented and detailed in data.

Casey StantonHost

3:04

So to add to that, the next level of this is over the weekend, this CMO was, "I'm thinking before June 1st," when they're supposed to tell me our ongoing agreement and all this stuff, this weird vibe I'm getting from this CMO.

Casey StantonHost

3:17

They say, "I'm thinking about just sending the invoice for what they owe me." It's like, "You wanna send an invoice to someone?" And the CEO's on vacation.

Casey StantonHost

3:23

"You wanna send an invoice to the CEO while they're on vacation? For what purpose?" To get what you're owed, sure, but could it wait two days or three days before you send the invoice, and can you just wait? And I think the answer is yes, just shut up.