Hiring too early
Before ICP, positioning, and proof are clear, a marketing leader spends the first 60 days figuring out what the company actually sells and to whom. They can't win.
Hiring Readiness Scorecard · 12 questions · Free
Before you hire a Head of Marketing, check what they'd be walking into.
Most failed marketing hires aren't a people problem, they're a readiness problem. Score your GTM foundations in 5 minutes and find out whether you're ready to hire, need fractional leadership first, or need to build the foundations entirely.
Why this matters
The three most common hiring mistakes, and how to avoid all of them.
Hiring at the wrong level
A senior CMO in a channel-execution role will churn in 6 months. A junior generalist asked to own strategy will struggle. Mismatched level = mismatched expectations.
Hiring without a real brief
If you can't say what "good" looks like at 30, 60, and 90 days, the hire will define success themselves. That rarely aligns with what the founder actually needed.
The scorecard
Answer honestly. The result is only as useful as the input.
Score your company across 12 GTM readiness dimensions. Takes around 5 minutes.
Question 1 of 12
The three outcomes
What your score predicts, and what to do next.
Score 18–24
Ready to hire
Your GTM foundations are strong enough for a senior marketing leader to land and execute. Focus on defining the role, the 90-day brief, and the right seniority level.
Score 9–17
Fractional leadership first
Some foundations are in place but the gaps are structural. A fractional CMO can build the missing system in 90–120 days, then hand to a permanent hire who has a real brief to work from.
Score 0–8
Build foundations first
A senior marketing hire would inherit chaos: unclear ICP, weak positioning, no proof system, no rhythm. Build the foundations first, then hire someone into a system that can actually work.
Common questions
Things founders ask before using this scorecard.
How is this different from just posting a job description?
A job description describes who you want. This scorecard tells you whether the company is ready to receive them. Most failed marketing hires aren't a hiring mistake, they're a readiness mistake.
What if I score in the middle zone?
A middle score usually means some GTM foundations are in place but the gaps are structural, unclear ICP, weak proof, no weekly rhythm. A fractional CMO can fill those gaps in 90–120 days and set the hire up to succeed.
Can WSS help us prepare before we hire?
Yes. Role definition, GTM foundations, positioning clarity, proof systems, and weekly rhythm are all within scope. We can make you ready, then help you hire into a real brief.
Want a second opinion?
Bring your score. We'll tell you what it means for your next hire.
20 minutes. We'll look at the scorecard together, identify the real gaps, and recommend whether to hire now, hire fractional first, or build the foundations. No pitch.