What is a Fractional VP Sales?
Fractional executives are senior leaders filling part-time roles, typically at C-suite or VP levels. Here's how they help startups access experienced leadership without full-time salary investments.
The fractional executive movement has expanded significantly in recent years, particularly in the post-COVID era. At its core, a fractional executive “fills a senior executive position in a part-time or short-term capacity, usually 5-25 hours per week.” These professionals typically hold C-suite or VP-level positions across various functions including sales, product, marketing, and revenue operations.
For emerging companies, this approach offers particular value. Rather than committing substantial capital to a full-time senior hire, startups can access experienced leadership without consuming disproportionate portions of their funding rounds. This enables teams to build robust executive capacity while preserving runway for other critical investments.
Three major factors are fueling this trend. First, “in this current downturn there are a large number of experienced folk who have been affected by layoffs.” Second, profitability has become paramount, replacing the previous growth-at-all-costs mentality. Third, many professionals now prioritize flexible arrangements over demanding corporate schedules.
Fractional Versus Consulting
The distinction matters significantly. Unlike traditional consultants who provide recommendations, fractional executives engage operationally—functioning more as part-time employees. They handle both strategic and hands-on work, including system implementation, team management, hiring, business development, and tactical execution.
Core Responsibilities
Strategic focus areas include: Go-to-market strategy development, sales process design, value proposition refinement, sales playbook creation, revenue mapping, team structure design, technology stack development, and cross-functional alignment.
Operational responsibilities encompass: team management with pipeline analysis and coaching, business development activities, hiring support, sales forecasting, skills training, and strategic account planning.
When This Model Makes Sense
Organizations requiring sales and GTM expertise without the capacity for a $350k+ compensation package benefit most. This includes funded startups reluctant to allocate 40% of resources to a single position, or companies where internal leadership has reached bandwidth constraints and sales performance needs improvement.