MARKETING GUIDE
A Fractional CMO Who Turns Being Best Known Into Predictable Revenue
Your Marketing Guide installs the B.E.S.T. Known Framework: more of the right people finding you, better leads coming in, and more of them turning into revenue. CMO-level strategy and oversight without a full-time CMO.
What Is Marketing Guide?
Short answer: Marketing Guide is fractional CMO service. I build your marketing strategy with the B.E.S.T. Known Framework, then hold your team, agency and vendors to one plan and one scorecard. The goal is simple: more leads, better leads, and more of them turned into revenue. You get CMO-level direction for $4,000 a month instead of a full-time executive salary.
Most owner-led companies have three marketing problems at once. Not enough of the right buyers know who they are. The leads that do come in are hit or miss. And good leads slip away because follow-up is slow or inconsistent. Marketing Guide builds the strategy to fix all three, starting with the one costing you the most.
THE FRAMEWORK
The B.E.S.T. Known Framework
Co-created by Jim Ahlin and Brian Niebler, co-authors of The Best Known Roofer. Four steps to becoming the best-known company in your market.
B
Build Your Audience
Gather the people who already know you: website visitors, video viewers and CRM contacts. Segment them by where they stalled.
E
Establish Perfect Messaging
Answer the questions buyers actually ask, matched to where each person is in the buying journey. Educate, educate, educate, then ask.
S
Scale Your Ads
Stay top of mind on the platforms your buyers use, with one consistent message. I set the strategy and the budget guardrails. Your team or agency runs the ads.
T
Turn Leads Into Revenue
Speed to lead, persistent follow-up across calls, texts and email, and clear expectations after the appointment is booked.
WHO IT'S FOR
This Is Built For
- Owner-led companies that need more leads, and better ones
- Owners spending on marketing without a clear picture of what works
- Companies with a CRM full of leads that never closed
- Companies with an agency or marketing hire who needs direction
- Teams that want a scorecard, not a monthly report full of vanity metrics
WHO IT'S NOT FOR
Skip It If
- You want someone to run your ads hands-on
- You have no leads, no CRM and no budget for ads yet
- You won't let anyone see your sales numbers
- Your leadership team can't agree on a plan (start with Pinnacle Guide)
What Do You Get?
Launch Sprint ($7,500, one time)
- Marketing and CRM audit: where leads come from, where they stall, what follow-up actually happens
- Audience plan: which audiences to build from website visitors, video viewers and CRM contacts, segmented by stage, from never reached to estimate sent but not closed
- Messaging map built from the questions your sales team hears most: cost, financing, process and red flags
- A 90-day marketing plan and a scorecard your leadership team reviews every week
Monthly Fractional CMO ($4,000 a month)
- Monthly CMO session with you and whoever owns marketing and sales
- Direction of your team, agency and vendors so everyone runs the same plan
- Campaign and message reviews before money is spent
- Scorecard tracking: lead volume, cost per lead, speed to lead, appointments and close rate
- Quarterly plan reset
What Marketing Guide Does Not Do
Marketing Guide is leadership, not marketing services. I don't run Google or Facebook ads, build websites, or do SEO or AEO. Your team, your agency or the vendors you hire do the execution, and I hold them to the plan and the scorecard. Ad spend, production and software are billed by whoever does the work.
How Much Does It Cost?
$7,500 for the Launch Sprint, then $4,000 a month. Year one is $55,500. No long-term contract. Cancel anytime. See all pricing.
Marketing Guide or Pinnacle Guide: Which Do You Need?
Short answer: Pinnacle Guide fixes how your leadership team runs the company. Marketing Guide builds the strategy that brings in more and better leads and turns them into revenue. If your team is misaligned and everything runs through you, start with Pinnacle. If the team runs well but marketing isn't producing enough of the right leads, start with Marketing Guide.
| Pinnacle Guide | Marketing Guide | |
|---|---|---|
| Fixes | Leadership alignment, accountability, planning | Lead flow, lead quality, messaging, follow-up |
| Framework | Five Pinnacle Principles | B.E.S.T. Known Framework |
| Who is in the room | Your leadership team | You plus whoever owns marketing and sales |
| Rhythm | Base Camp, Quarterly Lookouts, Annual Summit | Launch Sprint, monthly CMO session, quarterly plan reset |
| Starts at | $1,875 a month (Group) | $4,000 a month |
They work best together. Pinnacle gives marketing a seat on a leadership team that actually executes, and Marketing Guide gives that team a scorecard full of real numbers.
Fractional CMO vs Full-Time CMO vs Agency
| Fractional CMO (Marketing Guide) | Full-time CMO | Marketing agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $4,000 a month | Full salary, benefits and equity | Retainer plus ad spend |
| Role | Strategy, accountability, vendor direction | Strategy and team leadership | Execution |
| Vendor-neutral | Yes | Yes | No, it sells its own services |
| Commitment | Cancel anytime | Long hiring process | Often locked into longer contracts |
Already have an agency you like? Keep it. Marketing Guide makes a good agency better by giving it a plan, a message and a scorecard to hit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Marketing Guide?
Marketing Guide is fractional CMO service from Your Business Guide. Jim Ahlin builds your marketing strategy with the B.E.S.T. Known Framework to grow lead flow, raise lead quality and turn more leads into revenue, without the cost of a full-time CMO.
How much does Marketing Guide cost?
$7,500 for the Launch Sprint, then $4,000 a month. Year one is $55,500. Ad spend, production and software are billed separately by whoever does the work. No long-term contract. Cancel anytime.
What is the B.E.S.T. Known Framework?
A four-part marketing system co-created by Jim Ahlin and Brian Niebler: Build your audience, Establish perfect messaging, Scale your ads, and Turn leads into revenue.
Do you run ads, build websites or do SEO?
No. Marketing Guide does not include any marketing services. I don't run Google or Facebook ads, build websites, or do SEO or AEO. I lead the strategy and hold your team, your agency or your vendors accountable to one plan and one scorecard.
Do I need Pinnacle Guide to use Marketing Guide?
No. Marketing Guide stands on its own. Some owners will want both: Pinnacle runs the leadership team, Marketing Guide runs the marketing engine.
Can I cancel?
Yes. No long-term contract. Cancel anytime.
Ready to Become the Best-Known Company in Your Market?
30 minutes. We'll look at your pipeline and I'll tell you honestly whether Marketing Guide fits.