[FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS]
The questions I get asked before I begin .
Frank answers – including to uncomfortable questions about price and results. If your question isn't answered here, that's exactly what the diagnostic consultation is for.
[THE MODEL]
/01
A senior marketing director who works for your company on a part-time basis—a few days a month instead of full-time. They do the same as a full-time director: define the strategy, manage the team and agencies, control the budget, and report on results to management. The difference is the cost: they only pay for the days they need.
The agency executes—creates campaigns, posts, websites. I decide what's worth executing, choose who executes it, negotiate the fee, and am responsible for the results. I don't sell execution, so I have no incentive to recommend services you don't need. I sit on your side of the table.
The real question is: are you already generating enough revenue to invest seriously in marketing? If so, but a full-time director isn't yet justified, the fractional ownership model was designed exactly for you. For specific challenges, consulting projects have a fixed scope and cost.
It does—probably even more. Teams and agencies perform better when they have a senior interlocutor setting priorities and demanding results. I move on to leading what already exists; in practice, your current investment starts to yield more.
The consultant analyzes, recommends, and delivers a report—implementation is up to you. The Fractional CMO stays: implements, manages the team, adjusts the plan when reality changes, and is accountable for the results month after month. At Made, both formats exist for different situations: consulting when the challenge is defined, and fractional management when continuous leadership is lacking.
Few, by definition — the fractional model only works with real dedication, and you can't just invent days on your schedule.
I limit the number of retainers I can work with simultaneously to 3 companies and I don't work with direct competitors at the same time.
When the schedule is full, you go on a waiting list — I tell you this transparently during the diagnostic conversation.
[THE INVESTMENT]
/02
It depends on the arrangement: Fractional CMO retainers come in three formats (2, 4, or 8 days/month), and consulting projects have a fixed price, defined in the proposal. In any case, you always receive a written proposal outlining the scope, deliverables, and investment before deciding—no surprises. As a reference: a fraction of the total cost of hiring a full-time marketing director.
In retainers, 3 months is the minimum time for diagnosis, the 90-day plan, and the first results.
After that, cancellation requires 30 days' notice.
Consulting projects don't have an ongoing commitment: they start and end.
We define the indicators before we begin—it's the first thing I do.
You receive monthly reports against these indicators, so you always know if it's working or not, long before I tell you.
And if I find that I'm not the right person for your case, I'll tell you during the diagnostic consultation, before making any proposals.
[ SERVICES ]
/03
Your in-house team and/or the right agencies — chosen, hired, and managed by me.
If they don't already exist, I conduct the hiring process using a competitive process and objective criteria.
What I can guarantee is that those who execute work with a clear strategy, defined deadlines, and indicators — which is what is usually lacking.
Four areas of expertise: I define the specifications and conduct agency tenders; I negotiate contracts and fees with real market benchmarks; I audit existing contracts and invoices looking for anything that is above market value, duplicated, or renegotiable; and I periodically evaluate supplier performance. As a rule, a single well-conducted renegotiation pays for the cost of the service.
Yes — it's a one-off second opinion format: I analyze the proposal, compare it with market values, and tell you what to negotiate before signing.
It is often the gateway to ongoing procurement, because the results speak for themselves.
Yes, tailor-made in-person workshops — from strategy to planning and agency management — for marketing and sales teams.
They can operate as a standalone service or be integrated into a retainer, so the capacity remains with your company even after I leave.
[COLLABORATION]
/04
In person, in Luanda, on the agreed days — on-site presence at the company is part of the model. This includes visits, video call follow-up, and emails. For companies outside Luanda, the hybrid model is defined in the proposal.
Clarity and quick wins: within the first 90 days. Structural marketing results — gaining ground in positioning, converting leads, and reducing acquisition costs — are built in cycles of 6 to 12 months.
Be wary of anyone who promises you otherwise: either they are selling individual executions, or they are selling illusions.
I work with the information technology and telecommunications, retail, restaurant, architecture, oil & gas, and financial services sectors. But the real criterion isn't the sector: it's the attitude. I work with companies that want to treat marketing as an investment with a return—not as a superficial expense.
My field of expertise is the Angolan market — that's where local knowledge makes all the difference.
For foreign companies entering Angola, this knowledge is precisely the service: go-to-market strategy, selection of local partners, and negotiation of contracts in a market that I know intimately.
I am also working in Portuguese-speaking markets in Africa with some partners.Retainers: monthly invoicing, at the beginning of each month. Projects: phased, as per the proposal — typically a portion upon award and the remainder upon delivery. Values in kwanzas, with conditions defined in writing before commencement.
Yes. All information shared is treated as confidential, and I sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) whenever the client requests it — even before the diagnostic consultation, if necessary.
It's always the same: a 30-minute diagnostic conversation. I analyze the situation, tell you frankly which of the three paths makes sense—and if none of them do, that's fine too. You leave the conversation with clarity, with me or without me.