A fractional CRO and your VP of Sales
A fractional CRO is not a replacement for a VP of Sales; it is the layer above one — the strategy, system and forecast — and often the person who defines, hires and coaches that VP, then hands the seat over.
If you have no sales leader yet. The fractional CRO builds the foundation and closes the founding deals, then writes the job description for the first sales leader from inside the seat, runs the search with you, and coaches the hire through the first two quarters. The hand-off is planned from day one.
If you have a VP of Sales already. The VP runs the team and the quarter; the fractional CRO owns ICP, positioning, pricing, the forecast model, the cadence and the board conversation. This works when the VP is a strong operator who has never built the system, and it fails when the two disagree about who owns the number — so that is settled in writing before the start.
If the VP of Sales is the problem. Sometimes the diagnostic says the leader in the seat is wrong for the stage. A fractional or interim CRO can hold the function while that is resolved, and will say so plainly rather than manage around it.
The full-time CRO question. The seat converts to a full-time CRO when the team, the pipeline and the plan justify the cost — usually past $5M–$10M ARR with a team of eight or more. Before that, a fractional CRO and a VP of Sales is the more capital-efficient pair. When it is time, here is how the hand-off works.
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