Short answer: a fractional CRO in Australia typically costs A$10,000–A$18,000 a month for one to two days a week, with day rates averaging about A$2,150 (Fractionus). My own fractional CRO/CMO seat starts from A$12,000 + GST a month for about one day a week, and a two-week go-to-market diagnostic from A$15,000 + GST.
If you’re searching for a part-time sales director, an outsourced head of sales or interim revenue leadership, you’re in the right place. Below is what sits behind the price, how it compares with a full-time hire, and what you should get for the money.
Typical Australian rates
| Benchmark | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional CRO, monthly retainer | A$10,000–A$18,000 | Fractionus |
| Fractional CRO, day rate | About A$2,150 average (13 verified rates) | Fractionus, State of Fractional Work in Australia |
| Senior fractional executives, day rate | A$1,200–A$2,500 | Fractionus |
All figures exclude GST. The sample of verified Australian CRO rates is small, so treat them as a guide rather than a price list.
Revenue leadership sits at the top of the fractional range, alongside the CMO, because the role carries direct responsibility for the number. Expert360, Australia’s largest talent marketplace, doesn’t have a CRO category at all, which tells you how new the title still is here.
My pricing
| Engagement | What it covers | Price (AUD, ex GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Go-to-market diagnostic | About two weeks. Pipeline, pricing, channels and conversion reviewed, with board-ready findings and a 90-day plan | From A$15,000 |
| Fractional CRO/CMO | About one day a week, typically 6–12 months. I own the go-to-market strategy and the revenue engine with your team | From A$12,000 a month |
| Advisory retainer | One to two days a month of senior counsel for the CEO and board | From A$5,000 a month |
More days a week, several regions or channels, or a raise or exit on the horizon will move the price up. I always agree a fixed monthly figure before we start, with no commission or success fee.
Fractional versus a full-time CRO
A full-time Chief Revenue Officer is one of the more expensive executive hires, because most packages include variable pay on top of salary.
- Base salary. Estimates range from an average of about A$201,000 (Payscale, a small sample of 13 profiles) to A$200,000–A$280,000 (Fractionus).
- Bonus or commission. Typically A$26,000–A$90,000 a year on top (Payscale).
- On-costs. Super, payroll tax, leave and benefits add 25–35% to base (Fractionus).
A worked example: year one
| Cost line | Full-time CRO | Fractional CRO (1 day a week) |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary or fees | A$240,000 | A$144,000 (12 × A$12,000) |
| Bonus or commission | A$58,000 | Nil |
| On-costs (~30% of base) | A$72,000 | Nil if invoiced through a company |
| Recruitment | Recruiter fee plus a 3–6 month search | Nil; typically starts within weeks |
| Year-one cost (ex GST) | About A$370,000 plus recruitment | About A$144,000 |
Full-time figures use the midpoints of the ranges above.
The full-time CRO gives you five days a week. For many mid-market companies the honest question is whether the revenue engine needs five days of a senior leader, or one day of someone who has done it before, plus a strong sales lead to run the team day to day. You can test your own numbers with the fractional vs full-time cost calculator.
Fractional CRO, sales director or sales consultant?
| Option | What they own | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time sales director or VP of Sales | The sales team and its targets | A strategy that works, but you need more selling capacity |
| Sales consultant or agency | A project: a sales process, training, a CRM build or lead generation | A specific fix you’ve already diagnosed |
| Fractional CRO | The whole revenue engine: strategy, pricing, channels, sales and marketing alignment, and the forecast | Growth has stalled, the model needs fixing, or a step change is coming |
If you’re weighing up the first two, I wrote about when to hire a fractional CRO versus a VP of Sales.
What drives the price
- Time. One day a week is the usual starting point. Two or three days, or full-time interim cover, scale the cost.
- Scope. Advising a sales leader costs less than owning the revenue number, a team and a pricing reset.
- Channels and markets. Direct, partner and carrier channels, or several countries, add complexity. So does international expansion.
- Stakes. A raise, IPO or exit in the next year raises the bar for the go-to-market story and the revenue reporting behind it.
- Track record. CROs who have held the seat at scale and can show the numbers charge more, and usually get there faster.
What you should get for the money
By the end of the first 90 days, a fractional CRO should have delivered:
- A board-ready go-to-market plan with clear targets, owners and measures
- One pipeline everyone trusts, with sales and marketing agreeing on the numbers
- The biggest revenue leak fixed first, whether that’s pricing and discounting, conversion or a channel conflict
- A weekly revenue rhythm that keeps working on the days I’m not there
What else to budget for
The fractional CRO’s fee isn’t your whole revenue budget. Plan for the CRM and revenue operations tools, any sales hires the plan calls for, marketing spend, and training for the team. A good CRO helps you spend that money in the right order, and stops spend that isn’t working.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Have you held the CRO seat, at our scale, in a business like ours?
- What will be different after 90 days, and how will we measure it?
- Are you paid on commission, and if so, on what?
- How do you split your time across clients?
- What happens at the end, and will you help hire your successor?
The bottom line
Budget about A$10,000–A$18,000 a month for a fractional CRO one to two days a week. Against a full-time CRO at around A$370,000 in year one, it’s the faster, lower-risk way to put senior revenue leadership in place, especially when the strategy itself needs fixing.
If revenue has stalled and you can’t say why, that’s exactly what a short conversation can sort out. Book a 30-minute call, or read more about how I work as a fractional CRO.
Common questions
How much does a fractional CRO cost in Australia?
Typically A$10,000–A$18,000 a month for one to two days a week, according to published Australian market data, with day rates averaging about A$2,150. My own fractional CRO/CMO seat starts from A$12,000 + GST a month for about one day a week.
What does a full-time Chief Revenue Officer cost in Australia?
Published estimates put CRO base salaries at roughly A$200,000–A$280,000, plus bonuses or commission that commonly add A$26,000–A$90,000. With 25–35% on-costs, a full-time CRO costs roughly A$280,000–A$470,000 a year, about A$370,000 at the midpoint, before recruitment fees or equity.
Is a part-time sales director the same as a fractional CRO?
Not quite. A part-time sales director usually runs the sales team. A fractional CRO owns the whole revenue engine, including pricing, channels, marketing alignment and the forecast, and reports to the CEO and board.
Do fractional CROs take commission?
Some do. I don't. I work to a fixed monthly retainer agreed before we start, and we set two or three measurable results for the first 90 days so you can judge the engagement on outcomes.
How long does a fractional CRO engagement last?
Typically six to twelve months. That's long enough to set the strategy, fix the revenue engine and see the results in the numbers, and to hire or grow the leader who takes over.
