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// Case_study_03
Building scalable acquisition after Series A
SERIES A–B · COMPLIANCE / OPERATIONS SAAS · $12M ARROver 12 months, we replaced disconnected agency activity with a measurable revenue system.
// Results_at_a_glance
What moved.
// The_shape_of_the_change
CAC payback period.
// Situation
Where it started.
A B2B SaaS company had recently raised capital and needed to show that growth could become more predictable. It had an internal marketing generalist, multiple agencies, paid search spend, content production, and outbound sales, but no senior owner connecting the parts.
Leadership could not answer basic board questions with confidence:
- Which marketing investments produce pipeline?
- What does qualified acquisition cost?
- Which segment has the best payback and expansion potential?
- Where should the next marketing hire go?
- Is marketing helping Sales close, or only creating activity?
// The_objective
Install senior marketing leadership, revenue visibility, and a scalable channel model while helping the company decide what to build internally versus outsource.
// What_I_did
The work, step by step.
Established a revenue-model baseline: ARR target, required new business, average contract value, win rate, sales cycle, required pipeline coverage, and source contribution.
Rebuilt reporting around qualified pipeline, opportunities, CAC/payback, conversion, and source-to-revenue attribution rather than MQL volume.
Defined roles for the internal marketer, demand-generation contractor, paid-media agency, content resource, Sales, and the fractional CMO.
Audited and rationalized agencies, tools, and channel budget.
Built an integrated quarterly campaign structure around a narrow set of industry/use-case plays.
Created customer-proof, sales-enablement, content, SEO, and paid-distribution systems around the same core narrative.
Introduced monthly executive reviews and board-ready reporting.
Designed a 12-month marketing org roadmap and hired or scoped the next highest-leverage capability.
// Results_timeline
How the results built up.
Revenue model, reporting, channel strategy, team roles, and board-reporting cadence established
Clear source-of-truth for pipeline and spend; 10–20% budget redirected from unproductive activity
Integrated programs running; sales and marketing share definitions, targets, and feedback loops
1.5–2.5x marketing-influenced pipeline; 15–30% faster lead-to-opportunity velocity
Channel economics clearer; team structure and budget matched to proven opportunities
20–30% improvement in cost per qualified opportunity or CAC payback trajectory
Marketing organization can execute against a documented growth system
Marketing contributes a reliable share of pipeline; CEO/board receives trusted commercial reporting; clear decision on full-time VP/CMO hire
RANGES SHOW THE EXPECTED OUTCOME AT EACH STAGE. THE OUTCOME BELOW REPORTS THIS ENGAGEMENT.
// The_outcome
Over 12 months, we replaced disconnected agency activity with a measurable revenue system. Marketing-influenced pipeline grew 2.1x, CAC declined 28%, and payback improved from 11 to 6 months. The company finished with an accountable operating cadence, a focused channel mix, and a hiring plan for its first full-time marketing leader.
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