Industry: SaaS search solutions
Role: Global Head of Marketing (foundation for fractional CMO work)
Duration: 2017–2021
The Challenge
When Jesse joined Funnelback, marketing barely existed. A partner had once helped to craft a core brand and some collateral, but the effort was brief and dated. Sales carried most of the weight. A talented salesperson moonlighted as a copywriter, but without design or marketing support her work had no chance to scale.
Leadership was skeptical that marketing could drive revenue. In fact, it was seen as a cost center or a nice-to-have. Yet the mandate was clear: Australia was increasingly saturated, the UK team was faltering, and North America was the big bet. Success meant proving that marketing could create focus, credibility, and growth.
The Approach
Jesse stepped into a hybrid role: strategist, operator, and team builder. He was the first US-based marketing hire, joining a tiny Seattle office filled with brilliant but mismatched ideas shipped over from Australia. The product positioning, sales collateral, and partner approach all needed rethinking for a very different market.
Key moves:
- North America first: Emphasized higher ed as the breakout vertical. The team pitched the product team in Canberra on creating a higher ed “template,” cutting implementation time and giving sales a head start.
- Scrappy ABM: Built targeted campaigns that made Funnelback look far bigger than it was. One sales engineer returned from a prospect meeting convinced we had “billboards in Minnesota.” In reality, the account was being hyper-targeted with ads, email, and content everywhere they turned.
- Community-first credibility: Instead of spending heavily, Funnelback invested in trust with higher ed associations like HighEdWeb. Showing up every year, even on small budgets, earned the credibility to outlast better-funded competitors.
- Right-sized systems: Migrated from clunky SugarCRM + Mailchimp + spreadsheets to Salesforce + Marketo, unlocking visibility for both sales and marketing. No more blind spots heading into prospect calls.
- Team building: Hired generalists who could execute across strategy and tactics, then added specialists only when needed. Built a culture of shared ownership where designers, copywriters, and even martech staff learned from, and covered for, one another.
- Pandemic pivot: Positioned our technology as a crisis communication channel. Helped customers shift to all-digital, supported industry partners, and doubled down on community even as others pulled back.
The Results
By combining strategy with hands-on execution, Jesse turned Funnelback’s marketing from an afterthought into a growth lever.
Key outcomes:
- 150% year-over-year attributable growth, driven largely by North America.
- Higher ed template became the repeatable engine for new wins.
- ABM campaigns gave a small company outsized visibility and credibility.
- Customers and partners remained loyal through pandemic turbulence.
- Led marketing through acquisition/merger with Squiz, carrying Funnelback’s practices and product into the larger company.
The Merger Reality
The merger with Squiz was both validation and trial. It proved Funnelback’s value, but it also meant colliding with a very different culture and system. Teammates were anxious, leaders were stretched, and pandemic uncertainty made everything harder.
As de facto senior leader during the transition, Jesse kept communication open, steadied morale, and ensured that Funnelback’s DNA carried into Squiz. Best practices in marketing and product enriched Squiz’s North American success, even as the integration was messy.
Lessons for SaaS Leaders
- Scrappy ABM works: Smart targeting can make a small brand look much larger.
- Right-size systems: Avoid tool sprawl. Build stacks that scale with you.
- Balance leadership with ground game: Credibility comes from steering strategy and joining prospects on the conference floor.
- Invest in community: Customers and partners remember who shows up when resources are thin.
- Stability first, then growth: In crisis or inflection, retention and credibility buy you time.
Fractional CMO Relevance
Funnelback was Jesse’s training ground for what he now brings to Cedar Collab clients: the ability to create marketing where none exists, build nimble systems under pressure, craft ABM that punches above its weight, and guide both leaders and teams through turbulence.