A good team, a funded agency, and average results
This was not a company short of effort. The marketing team executed well. The agency was well funded and spent consistently. The monthly reports looked reasonable. The results were consistently average, and nothing in the reports said why.
Why nobody had caught it
The agency was accountable for its own deliverables, not for the whole picture. The internal team was doing what marketing teams do: executing within the brief it had been given. A strategic brief has to come from somewhere, and in this company no one with senior marketing judgment owned it. So the agency kept optimising for outputs that reported well and had no clear link to revenue.
What we changed
We joined as Fractional CMO. In the first quarter we identified the misalignment between what the agency was measured on and what the business needed. We redirected the agency’s brief. We reset the measurement framework around two numbers that matter commercially: qualified lead volume and sales cycle length.
Nothing about the agency relationship or the budget changed. What changed was what the agency was asked to produce and how it was judged.
What happened
Within six months, the same agency relationship and the same budget were producing three times the qualified leads.
Why this matters if your agency reports look fine
A monthly report can be accurate and still point at the wrong target. If you cannot connect what your agency reports to qualified leads and sales cycle length, the brief may need resetting before the budget does.
Why this case study exists
Sancoale Technologies provides Fractional CMO engagements for Indian mid-market companies. Lalit Saraswat leads each one personally, and we hold a maximum of three at any time, because the work depends on enough senior attention to own a client’s strategic situation.
Worth thinking about for your own business
Ask your agency which of the numbers it reports to you would still be there if you took away everything except qualified leads and sales cycle length.
If you would like to talk it through, email solutions@sancoale.net and we will tell you honestly whether a Fractional CMO fits.
Frequently asked questions
Can an agency optimise for the wrong outcome without anyone noticing?
Yes. If the brief names outputs such as impressions or traffic rather than qualified leads, the agency can hit every target and the business still stalls.
What does a Fractional CMO do about an agency that is underperforming?
A Fractional CMO checks whether the agency is doing the right things with the budget, then sets the strategic brief and the measurement framework it is held to.
How long did it take to see a difference?
The misalignment was identified in the first quarter, and within six months the same budget was producing three times the qualified leads.
Did the company change agency or increase its budget?
No. The same agency and the same budget produced the improvement.
What kind of company is this for?
Indian mid-market companies with revenue of roughly ₹25-500 crore, where the founder is carrying marketing strategy, or where the senior marketing person is strong on operations but not on strategy.
