Four Essential Sales Strategies for Fractional Executives

For many fractional executives, stepping into the world of sales can feel incredibly daunting. You might be a pro in your function of marketing, operations, finance, or tech, but as a fractional executive, you're also a business owner. Sales drive every aspect of your business, from assembling your ideal team to securing loyal clients. 

If the thought of sales leaves you feeling nervous, overwhelmed, or uncertain, you're not alone—and it doesn't have to be this way. You can sell without selling at all!

In this blog, we’ll unveil four powerful strategies that will transform sales from a daunting challenge into a manageable part of your business toolkit.

1. Present solutions, don’t pitch

Nobody likes being sold to, and the word "selling" often conjures images of aggressive pitches and high-pressure tactics. But here’s a game-changer: selling isn't about pitching your services. Instead, it’s about presenting a solution to somebody else’s problem. This perspective shift can significantly reduce the pressure associated with sales, especially if the idea of "selling" makes you uncomfortable.

To successfully present a solution, you first need to fully understand the problem in granular detail. This requires asking thoughtful questions and being genuinely curious about your potential client's situation. For example, during my consulting days in the operations niche, specifically helping freight logistics companies scale without adding headcount, my approach involved asking detailed questions like, “How are you enabling this business to grow?” and “What are the levers you can pull?” These questions often led to deeper discussions about their use of technology and process improvements. Often, clients might stumble over questions that come from these conversations, revealing gaps in their current strategies. I’d continue probing with questions like, “How important is this to you?” “How are you measuring it?” and “Why is this a priority for the company?” This method helps you gain a deep understanding of their needs and challenges.

Sharing relevant anecdotes can further establish your credibility. For instance, I might say, “When I led the automations team at Uber Freight, we approached it this way and measured success like this.” Such stories not only legitimize your expertise but also build trust. Ultimately, this approach encourages clients to ask, “How would you approach this if you were us?” This opens the door for you to offer a high-level, yet detailed response that showcases your expertise without overwhelming them with a hard pitch.

During scoping calls, start with quick introductions and then dive into the client's business. Ask high-level questions like, “What are your top priorities right now?” “What keeps you up at night?” and “What specific tangible goals are you striving toward in the next three to six months?” Use the responses you get as anchor points to explore their challenges further. For example, if a $7 million business aims to reach $10 million in six months, ask, “How are you planning to achieve this?” and “What obstacles are you facing?”

Avoid using a sales deck. Instead, engage in a human conversation by asking thoughtful questions and understanding their problems. This approach helps identify if there’s a significant problem you can solve and if you’re the right person to solve it.

2. Consistent outreach is key

Maintaining regular engagement is essential when it comes to sales. You have to put yourself out there consistently, and there are numerous ways to do this. While there's no one-size-fits-all approach to sales, finding the right strategy that works for you is important.

If you’ve been following my podcast, “Six-Figure Secrets of Fractional Experts,” (available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify), you’ll know that our preferred method involves LinkedIn outbound campaigns combined with daily thought leadership content. Spending just 30 minutes a day on these activities, or hiring a service like ours to handle it for you, can lead to significant success. However, LinkedIn isn’t the only platform where you can make an impact. Other effective methods include:

• Attending in-person events: networking at industry conferences and meetups can help you make valuable connections.
  
  
• Posting in Slack communities: engaging with decision-makers in niche Slack groups can boost your visibility.
  
  
• Being active on social media: platforms like X (formerly Twitter), and even TikTok, can be powerful tools for reaching your audience.

Even when your schedule is packed, regular outreach keeps you top of mind and helps create a steady pipeline of opportunities. Engage in activities you believe are the right needle movers for your business at least three times a week, if not daily. You don’t need to create new content every day; instead, dedicate one day a week to produce content and schedule it out. This consistent effort builds momentum, creating a snowball effect where people see your content regularly, leading to more opportunities and engagement.

3. Differentiate yourself as a fractional marketing expert

Standing out in a crowded marketplace can be challenging, but it's important for distinguishing yourself as a fractional marketing expert. While your primary function is marketing, remember that there are millions of marketers out there. To truly set yourself apart, you need to focus on two key aspects: who you serve and the specific value you offer within the marketing realm.

Marketing is a vast field encompassing various specialties such as paid advertising, branding strategy, content creation on LinkedIn, newsletters, partnerships, and events. Additionally, the marketing needs of a business-to-business (B2B) SaaS company with 10 employees are vastly different from those of a Shopify store or a business-to-consumer (B2C) protein cookie company with 100 employees.

To differentiate yourself, consider the following strategies:

• Identify your target audience: determine who you serve. Are your clients small B2B SaaS companies, e-commerce stores, or large B2C brands? Knowing your audience helps you tailor your marketing efforts to their specific needs.
  
  
• Highlight your unique value proposition: what makes you different within the marketing sphere? Perhaps you have an analytics background, allowing you to offer data-driven insights and strategies. Or maybe you have a design background, enabling you to incorporate strong visual elements into your marketing strategy. You might specialize in early-stage B2B SaaS companies with five to 15 employees, helping them find their first 10 enterprise customers through LinkedIn campaigns. Your value proposition could include creating dashboards and analyzing A/B tests to optimize messaging and campaigns. This focused niche is advantageous, reducing competition.

By clearly defining your unique value and specific audience, you can effectively differentiate yourself. This clarity will reflect in your content, client calls, and overall strategy, ensuring you engage with the right prospects and provide tailored solutions.

4. Be persistent in your follow-ups‍

Following up is a critical component of successful sales, and you shouldn’t be afraid to be persistent to get the job done. Whether you’re in the initial outreach phase, sending a proposal, or waiting for a contract to be signed, consistent follow-up is critical. Always be closing, and remember, if you don’t follow up, you risk losing clients and missing valuable opportunities.

Don’t fear being seen as annoying; instead, think of the worst-case scenario—someone tells you to stop. It might not feel great, but you’ll survive, and it’s a small price to pay for the potential benefits. In sales outreach, trying to close new business will inevitably rub some people the wrong way. Persistent follow-up creates opportunities. Studies show that most responses come on the second, third, or even fourth follow-up. 

Final thoughts

Transforming your approach to sales with these four strategies can make a significant difference. Shift your focus to problem-solving, stay consistent with your outreach, highlight what sets you apart, and follow up diligently. These steps will help you build meaningful client relationships and secure more opportunities, ultimately leading to greater success as a fractional executive.

Mylance

This value-added article was written by Mylance. Mylance takes your marketing completely off your hands. We build the marketing machine that your Fractional Business needs, but you don't have time to run. So it operates daily, growing your brand, completely done for you.

Instead of dangling numbers in front of you, our approach focuses on precise and thoughtful input: targeted outreach to the right decision makers, compelling messaging that resonates, and content creation that establishes trust and legitimacy.

To apply for access, submit an application and we'll evaluate your fit for the service. If you’re not ready for lead generation, we also have a free, vetted community for top fractional talent that includes workshops, a rates database, networking, and a lot of free resources to support your fractional business.

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