Service — The Scaling Retainer
What makes the scaling retainer (fractional cmo) different from a free consultation
The scaling retainer is paid work with a written output; a free consultation is a sales call with a proposal at the end. That is the whole difference and it decides everything else.
7 min read · Reviewed by both partners
A free session is priced at zero because its purpose is to sell you something. That is not dishonest, it is just what it is for.
The scaling retainer costs from $5,000/mo because the output is the product: a fractional CMO function with both partners, governed monthly against one number.
Step by step
Who the session is for
A free consultation serves the seller’s pipeline. A paid engagement serves the buyer’s decision. The agendas differ accordingly.
What you leave with
A fractional cmo function with both partners, governed monthly against one number — yours, in writing, whether or not anything else is purchased.
Who is in the room
Both founding partners. Free consultations are usually staffed by whoever is available and incentivised to close.
What happens if the answer is no
A paid engagement can conclude that you should not buy anything else. A free one structurally cannot.
What it costs to find out
from $5,000/mo. Against the cost of a wrong twelve-month commitment, that is the cheap end of the decision.
Common mistakes
Collecting free consultations
Four sales calls produce four proposals and no diagnosis. It feels like research and produces nothing usable.
Assuming paid means better
It means the incentive is aligned. Ask what the written output is; if there is not one, price is not the issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the scaling retainer (fractional cmo) different from a free consultation?
A free session is priced at zero because its purpose is to sell you something. That is not dishonest, it is just what it is for.
How does Growth-Scaling turn this into a concrete next step?
It sits under The Scaling Retainer in the Growth Scaling Method. The next step for an owner is the $1,500 Assessment, which reads your own numbers against everything described above.
What does working with Growth-Scaling cost?
Four thousand five hundred dollars for the Foundation, split evenly across three deliverables. Recurring work is quoted afterward and never starts below five thousand a month.
Who works on the account?
The two founders, directly. David Mitroff, Ph.D., handles strategy; Steven Lockhart handles systems and measurement. Nothing is passed to a junior team.
References
- www.ftc.gov — primary source
- www.dol.gov — primary source
- www.irs.gov — primary source
Buy the diagnosis, not the pitch
The scaling retainer is from $5,000/mo and the document is yours either way.
Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm. It is not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical and does not provide medical, legal, financial, or contracting services; all industry content on this site is marketing and growth guidance for owners in those fields. Figures describing past engagements refer to specific businesses under specific conditions and are not a prediction of any future result. No outcome is promised.
Written by Steven Lockhart, reviewed by David Mitroff, Ph.D. Figures and regulatory details reflect the cited public sources; requirements vary by state and situation. Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm, not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical.