Every MarkCMO engagement is governed by these principles. These aren't aspirational values. They're contractual commitments.
MarkCMO's Code of Ethics is a set of contractual commitments that govern every fractional CMO engagement: radical transparency on ROI and performance, no retainer extensions without measurable progress, client data confidentiality, no conflicts of interest, and always acting in the client's best interest over personal gain. These standards exist because fractional CMOs have direct access to revenue strategy, brand positioning, and competitive intelligence.
A fractional CMO sits at the intersection of strategy and execution with access to your financials, your team, and your competitive intelligence. That position demands a higher standard. Here is the exact standard I hold myself to — and how every engagement is structured to enforce it.
Every recommendation I make is evaluated against one standard: does this move your revenue needle? Not does it look impressive, not does it win awards, not does it grow my influence. If a tactic is not demonstrably tied to pipeline, revenue, or retention, I will not propose it.
I will never recommend a channel, tool, or strategy because it is fashionable or because it benefits my reputation. I will recommend it when the data supports it for your specific business model and growth stage.
I do not accept referral fees, commissions, or any form of compensation from agencies, technology vendors, media buyers, or any other third parties I might recommend to clients. Zero. If I recommend an agency or tool, it is because it is right for you, not because I profit from the recommendation.
Any financial relationship I have with a vendor will be disclosed in writing before that vendor is recommended. Full stop.
I serve multiple clients simultaneously. I will never take on a client who is a direct competitor to an existing client without the knowledge and written consent of both parties. Before engaging, I will disclose my current client portfolio at the industry and geographic level so you can make an informed decision.
Your competitive strategies, customer data, financial information, and proprietary processes are protected by NDAs and will never be shared with any other client or third party. Your information is yours.
I will never cherry-pick metrics to make an engagement look better than it is. If a campaign underperforms, you will hear it from me first, with a root cause analysis and a corrective plan — not a reframing of the goal posts.
Every engagement has defined success metrics agreed upon in the first 30 days. Those metrics do not change unless the business strategy changes — and that conversation happens in writing.
Engagements are structured with 30-day exit clauses after the initial commitment period. If you are not seeing value, you should be able to leave. I am not interested in retaining clients who are not getting results. My reputation depends on outcomes, not contract lengths.
I will never push unnecessary scope expansion to increase my retainer. If a recommendation would grow my engagement cost, you will get an explicit acknowledgment of that fact and a non-engagement alternative so you can make a fully informed decision.
My goal is to build your marketing function so it operates without me. I will always be documenting, training, and building systems that your team can own. An engagement that ends with a team unable to function without me is a failure, not a success.
If you reach a stage where a full-time CMO makes more sense than a fractional, I will tell you — and I will help you find and evaluate that hire. My interest is your company's success, not my contract's continuation.
If I don't believe I can materially move your revenue, I will tell you before we sign. I will not take an engagement to get the retainer and figure it out later. The revenue audit phase exists specifically to surface any conditions that would limit impact before significant money is spent.
If your problem is not a marketing problem — if it's a product problem, a pricing problem, or a founder execution problem — I will say so plainly. You deserve an honest advisor, not a yes-man who runs your marketing budget into the ground while the real issue goes unaddressed.
Every engagement starts with the Revenue Audit - a structured diagnostic that surfaces both opportunities and any conditions that would limit results. If I can't add value, we'll know before any money changes hands.
30 minutes. No pitch. Just clarity on your biggest revenue levers.