Tools · Fractional CMO, agency or in-house

What one client covers

Put in what one of your clients is worth and a monthly fee you've been quoted by any of the options on this page.

I use the same math to decide who we take on. My filter on a first call: "If they don't want to talk about acquisition costs or they don't know what their lifetime value is, or they can't compare that to our fees, ... we're just not even speaking the same language." Acquisition cost is what you spend to win a client. Lifetime value is what that client is worth to you over all the years they stay. A founder who can't put a number on either isn't ready to hire anyone yet, us included, because he has no way to judge whether the work paid off.

Run your numbers

What one client covers

Put in what one of your clients is worth and a monthly fee you've been quoted by any of the options on this page.

Gross profit from one client, per year $100K

The $100K is an example. Use your own gross profit.

Years a client stays 5

Monthly fee you've been quoted (enter yours)

Best-fit clients the help lands 3

–months of fees one client's first-year gross profit covers

–new clients a year to cover a year of fees from first-year gross profit

–return on a year of fees in the first year if the help lands 3 best-fit clients

–months of fees one client covers over the years they stay

–return on a year of fees over the years those clients stay

Enter a real quote from any option on this page. The tool counts gross profit per client, with year one first and the full years a client stays second, against one year of fees, and leaves out the referrals they send.

Fractional CMO, agency or in-house