Interim support isn’t a sticking plaster. Sometimes it’s the smartest strategic decision you’ll make all year.
Say the word “interim” and most people picture the same thing: someone filling a gap until a permanent hire turns up.
Maybe your someone has resigned. Maybe your head of business development is on maternity leave, or off sick, and the work has started to pile up.
Those are all good reasons to bring in interim support. But they’re a long way from being the only ones.
More and more, the firms I speak to are treating interim marketing and business development support as a deliberate strategic choice, not just a reaction to a crisis. Here’s why that shift is happening, and how to make it work for you.
You need senior experience now, not in three months
Senior recruitment is slow. Even when you find the right person, you’re often looking at a notice period of three months or more before they walk through the door.
Meanwhile, nothing pauses. Campaigns still need delivering. Partners still need support. Your business plan still needs to move forward, and your team still needs direction.
An experienced interim can pick all of that up quickly, either while you recruit or to lead a specific project that doesn’t warrant a permanent role. You keep momentum instead of losing a quarter to a vacancy.
If you’re weighing this up, ask yourself one question: what will it cost you to leave this work sitting still for the next few months? Often the answer makes the decision for you.
Expertise from day one
Speed is one of the biggest advantages you get from an interim.
A good one has worked across multiple firms, sectors and teams. They’ve seen what works and what doesn’t, they understand the pressures professional services firms face, and they know how to build credibility fast. There’s no long learning curve to fund.
To get the most from that, be clear from the start about your priorities. Give them what they need on day one: your goals, your key relationships, the projects that matter, and the things that have stalled. The quicker you hand that over, the quicker they can get moving.
Fresh eyes you can’t get internally
It’s surprisingly easy to get too close to your own business.
When you’ve been somewhere for years, certain things become accepted simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it”. You stop noticing them.
An interim doesn’t carry that history. They’ll spot the opportunities, inefficiencies and quick wins your team has stopped seeing, and they’ll ask the questions nobody internally thinks to ask any more. Sometimes that’s worth as much as the delivery itself.
To make the most of it, give your interim permission to challenge how things are done in their first few weeks. That outside view has a short shelf life, so use it while it’s still fresh.
Keeping momentum while you recruit
Recruiting doesn’t have to mean pressing pause on everything else.
Some of the most valuable interim work I’ve been involved in has happened while a firm recruited permanently. That might mean:
- developing marketing and business development plans
- leading a strategic campaign from start to finish
- managing a website project
- supporting a sector or practice group initiative
- coaching and mentoring the team you already have
When your permanent hire finally arrives, they inherit a function that’s been moving forward, not one that’s been treading water for six months. That’s a far better position to start from, and it makes onboarding easier for everyone.
Protecting your team through change
Periods of change put real pressure on marketing and BD teams.
When a role sits empty, the work doesn’t disappear. It gets absorbed by whoever’s left, on top of everything they’re already doing. Before long you’ve got stretched people, slipping deadlines and the early signs of burnout.
Interim support adds capacity exactly where you need it. It lets your team focus on what they do best, while your strategic priorities keep getting the attention they deserve. Look after your existing people here, because they’re the ones your permanent hire will lean on later.
It’s not always about replacing someone
Here’s the biggest misconception about interim support: that it only exists to cover an empty chair.
In practice, firms also bring in interim expertise to:
- deliver a major strategic project
- support a period of business transformation
- introduce new ways of working
- mentor a developing marketing leader
- add senior expertise without a long-term commitment
Sometimes the right answer isn’t another permanent employee at all. Sometimes it’s the right expertise, brought in at exactly the right moment, for exactly as long as you need it.
How to know if it’s right for you
If you’re not sure whether interim support fits your situation, a few honest questions usually make it clear:
- Is important work stalling because there’s no one senior to lead it?
- Are you about to recruit, but can’t afford to lose momentum while you do?
- Have you got a one-off project that doesn’t justify a permanent hire?
- Is your team stretched to the point where quality is slipping?
If you’re nodding along to any of those, it’s worth a conversation.
A different way of thinking
Interim support isn’t a last resort, and it shouldn’t feel like one.
Used well, it’s one of the quickest and most effective ways to inject experience, keep things moving and give your team the backing it needs, without waiting months for recruitment to run its course.
The smartest hire you make this year might not be a permanent one. It might simply be the right person, at the right time, for exactly the right reason.
Need help?
If you would like help with your marketing and business development, bringing on a marketing consultant with a fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference. I work with B2B businesses and professional service firms in London, Kent, the UK, and Europe, specialising as a legal marketing consultant. Please get in touch or book a free 30-minute consultation.
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