Why Your Dealership Needs a Fractional CMO—And How It Costs Less Than Your Morning Coffee

Running a dealership today means juggling more than just inventory and sales. You’re also expected to master digital ads, social media, branding, lead funnels—and somehow do it all without wasting money. That’s exactly why we created Dollars to Deals, a specialty program designed to bring you expert-level marketing leadership through a Fractional CMO, without the full-time cost.

What Is a Fractional CMO?

A Fractional CMO is a part-time executive-level marketing strategist who provides high-impact guidance—specifically tailored to and with over 15 years of dealership marketing experience. Through our Dollars to Deals program, your dealership gets access to this expertise on a flexible basis. That means you don’t need to commit to a six-figure salary to get the high-level strategy your business needs.

Why Choose Our Dollars to Deals Program?

Our internal Dollars to Deals initiative exists for one reason: to help dealerships like yours navigate complex marketing challenges smarter and more affordably.

Here’s how our program stands out:

1. Lower Cost, Higher Return

Full-time CMOs can cost upwards of $174,000 per year. And a low cost marketing team in house (while still fairly costly) will not have the expertise to produce real results. Through our program, you’ll spend a fraction of that for high-level leadership that drives real growth.

2. Strategic Flexibility

Need full support to manage overall marketing on a monthly basis, and at times just consulting on certain projects at other times? With our Dollars to Deals porogram, we adjust our engagement based on your needs—no locked-in contracts, just responsive support that moves at your pace.

Where Fractional CMOs Make a Big Impact

Through Dollars to Deals, we’ve helped dealerships achieve measurable results in areas that matter most:

Driving Real Showroom Visits

Getting digital traffic is great—but converting that into people walking onto your lot is where our Fractional CMO strategy shines. We help close the gap between clicks and customers.

Consistent Branding Across Channels

Dealerships that dominate their market don’t just advertise more—they brand better. We ensure your messaging is unified across your website, social platforms, email campaigns, and in-store experience.

Generating High-Quality Leads that Convert to Sales

Tired of low-converting leads from third-party sites? Our team focuses on first-party, high-intent lead generation, giving your sales team real opportunities to close.

How the Value Adds Up (Yes, Even Compared to Coffee)

Think about it this way:

• Average cost per vehicle sold? About $600/car or $45,000/month at 75 sales.
  
  

• Strategic marketing leadership with over 15 years of car dealer marketing experience through our Dollars to Deals program? Average dealership savings at around $225 per car sold. That’s SAVINGS of nearly $17,000/month—and proven to drive a real return on that spend.
  
  

The math makes sense when you're investing in the growth of your dealership brand.

Real Results from Real Dealerships

Here’s what we’ve seen with dealerships that take full advantage of Dollars to Deals:

• 🚗 30% increase in sales traffic in the first 60 days.
  
  

• 📈 DOUBLE Website Traffic as well as generated more quality leads setting up the dealership with a pipeline of long term consistent digital leads through smarter, locally targeted campaigns

Signs It’s Time for a Fractional CMO

If any of these apply to your dealership, our program could be the game-changer you’ve been looking for:

• Sales have plateaued or declined.
  

• Marketing efforts feel disjointed or ineffective.
  

• You're spending money online but seeing few real leads.

What to Expect from Our Dollars to Deals Program

We’ve built this program around transparency, results, and fit. Here’s what you’ll get:

• Automotive Expertise – Our CMO team knows the car business inside and out.
  

• Strategic Clarity – No fluff, just clear action plans with measurable KPIs.
  

• Team Integration – We work with your staff, not around them. Our hands on approach helps you cut through all the marketing noise and spend smarter.
  

We Measure Success—So You See It

Every engagement includes benchmark-driven metrics, so you always know what you’re getting:

• Lowering cost per vehicle sold
  
  

• Better conversion rates with more quality traffic
  
  

• Increased margins on sold vehicles by targeting the RIGHT audience
  

Our success is tied to your dealership’s success.

Bottom Line: It's Time to Turn Dollars Into Deals

With our Dollars to Deals program, you can access top-tier marketing leadership without full-time overhead. It’s practical, proven, and built specifically for dealerships ready to take their growth seriously.

Ready to trade those daily marketing headaches for something with way more ROI? Let’s talk about what The Fractional CMO Team can do for your bottom line.