From $5K Retainers to $413K Contracts: How Fractional Executives Can Capture the True Value They Provide

You're probably leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table. Not because you lack expertise - but because you haven't learned how to package, position, and price it properly.

This blog post is a detailed account of a recent podcast episode featuring Ann Carden, an elite strategic growth advisor and founder of Expert In U Brand Programs Media and Marketing. Ann works with experienced fractionals and professional service providers who are ready to stop playing small and start landing the clients - and contracts - they actually deserve.

Her mantra? Simplify so you can multiply.

Let's break down exactly how to do that.

The Million Dollar Offer: Why Focus Beats Flexibility

Here's what Ann sees time and time again: fractionals trying to be everything to everyone. They list 40 different services, work with any client who'll pay them, and wonder why they're stuck at $5K-$10K monthly retainers.

The fastest path to scaling isn't adding more offerings - it's ruthless simplification.

A "million dollar offer" isn't necessarily a single seven-figure contract. It's a focused, streamlined offer you can repeat and scale. Maybe it's a $100K offer you sell to 10 clients. Maybe it's a $50K offer for 20 clients. The math works either way.

The key is cutting away what isn't working so you can double down on what is. When you work with the same type of company repeatedly, you systematize your frameworks, simplify delivery, and actually build something sustainable.

Stop Selling Time - Start Selling Value

Most fractionals massively undervalue themselves. Ann shared a story about someone who landed a $250,000 contract with a recognizable brand - and lost money because the offer was so poorly structured.

Here's the mindset shift: you're not selling hours. You're selling outcomes.

If you help a company add $1 million to their bottom line, that's easily a six-figure offer. If you drive $200K in profit, charging $100K is a no-brainer for them - they're doubling their money.

The problem? Most fractionals sell "a little bit" of their expertise instead of pulling in all their brilliance, skills, knowledge, and proven results into one premium package.

When you're in B2B, you're helping people grow and make money. That's what they're buying. Make your offer quantifiable, build the value around the outcome, and price accordingly.

And here's a counterintuitive truth: high-level buyers don't care how much time it takes you. They buy results. Would they rather you take 12 months or deliver in two? Exactly.

The Strategic Advisory Offer: Your Gateway to Six-Figure Deals

One of Ann's most powerful frameworks is what she calls the "Expert Gateway Offer" - a strategic advisory engagement that opens doors to much bigger contracts.

Here's a real example: One of Ann's clients was making a few thousand dollars monthly from a client. She could see gaps in their business but didn't know how to pitch a solution. Together, they structured a $52,000 strategic advisory offer with a clear framework and deliverables.

The client pitched it to her existing customer. The result? A $413,000 contract.

The strategic advisory offer worked as a gateway - it got her in the door, allowed her to uncover additional opportunities, and led to a massive backend sale.

Stop giving away your strategic thinking for free. That assessment, that gap analysis, that roadmap? That's often your highest value. Package it, price it, and use it to open doors.

Positioning: You Can't Pitch Premium if You Look Budget

You can have the best offer in the world, but if your positioning is weak, you'll keep attracting low-value clients.

Ann described reviewing a fractional CMO's LinkedIn profile. The headline listed "fractional CMO" alongside about 40 other things she did. The result? A diluted brand that screams confusion, not expertise.

When you're establishing yourself as an expert, it needs to be crystal clear what you do, who you help, and how you help them. Most people try to cram everything in, thinking more services equals more appeal. The opposite is true.

Your outside perception determines the level of client you attract. If your brand looks "used car," you'll get used car clients. If it looks "Lamborghini," you'll get Lamborghini clients.

Here's the nuance: you don't have to cut all those capabilities. You just don't lead with them. Structure your offer into three to four main "buckets." Each bucket should sell itself - different pieces will attract different clients - but the positioning stays singular and clear.

Create something proprietary. Name it. Make it a signature system. Now you have something nobody else has.

Breaking the Business Bottleneck

Here's the hard truth: if you're working more than 10 hours a week on client delivery, you're losing money.

Why? Because nobody's driving the business. Nobody's building relationships, doing business development, or creating sustainability. You don't have a business - you have a job. And probably a job with worse hours and less pay than you'd accept from an employer.

The solution starts with better offers and positioning. When you can bring in a client for 3x or 10x more money, you've just multiplied your revenue doing the same work. Now you can afford to bring in help. Now you can build systems.

And about that "nobody can do it as good as me" mindset? Ann's been in business 35 years. She's sold five companies. She'll tell you straight: that's a myth. Often, someone focused solely on one area of your business will do it better than you juggling everything.

Create SOPs. Build systems. Train people. Clone yourself through process, then get out of the way.

The Bottom Line

You got into business to build something - not to trap yourself in a never-ending hustle. If you're on the revenue roller coaster, constantly chasing the next client while delivering for current ones, something has to change.

Think bigger. Price for value. Simplify ruthlessly. Position like the expert you are.

The difference between wanting income and building a business? The decisions you make and the actions you take. Choose to build.

Want to connect with Ann Carden? Visit annlcarden.com to book a call and explore how to level up your business.

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