Industry: Wholesale ordering SaaS
Project Duration: Ongoing partnership
Engagement Type: Fractional CMO
The Context
When the client was acquired, the new ownership faced a daunting reality. There was no website, customer data lived in Word docs, and marketing had been largely untouched. At the same time, the company was under pressure from aggressive, well-funded competitors entering the wholesale ordering space. The new CEO needed to stabilize the business quickly: protect existing customers, stop churn, and create a credible brand presence.
There was no room for bloated teams or slow experimentation. Every move had to count.
The Cedar Collab. Approach
We approached the engagement as both strategist and operator. My role as fractional CMO meant standing alongside the CEO as a trusted advisor while also putting systems in place that the team could use right away.
How we built stability:
- Balanced quick wins (customer newsletter, sales collateral, HubSpot cleanup) with foundational systems (CRM setup, retention workflows, competitor positioning).
- Applied smart Outbound 3.0 principles:
- Signals over spam: competitor counter-content based on real market moves.
- Buyer-led context: newsletters that served both customers and prospects.
- Systems thinking: every deliverable laid groundwork for future growth.
- Trust over volume: content designed to build credibility, not noise.
- Supported CEO directly with strategic counsel in the high-pressure post-acquisition period.
The Breakthrough
The real turning point came when we realized retention and acquisition didn’t need to live in separate silos. By creating dual-use content, like newsletters that retained existing customers while doubling as technical prospect material, we unlocked leverage. Every effort had multiple payoffs.
From there, stability started to compound. HubSpot cleanup and contract renegotiation reduced costs while giving the sales team better visibility. Competitor landing pages helped sales fend off challenges from new entrants. A blog and SEO program put the client on the map for the first time. All of it fed the same engine: protect the base, then grow with confidence.
Results
By focusing on clarity and credibility first, the client bought the breathing room it needed to prepare for its next chapter.
Key outcomes:
- Zero churn during engagement, despite heavy competitor activity.
- Stronger brand credibility in prospect conversations and at trade shows.
- Weekly new prospect conversations driven by collateral and web presence.
- HubSpot costs cut by ~$350/month through contract optimization.
- 3,200+ new users to the website since April, largely from new email campaigns.
- Early SEO traction: 100+ organic search hits and 30+ organic social hits within months of launch.
Forward Look
With tariffs shaking customer budgets across the industry, the client made the tough call to pause a full-scale growth sprint and invest strategically in product improvements that help clients save money. Throughout, marketing never stopped: it shifted to hold ground and build credibility while the foundation strengthened.
When the engagement resumes in November, we’ll lean harder into acquisition across industries less affected by tariffs, leveraging the systems now in place: HubSpot, CRM, content engine, and SEO. The stability is built. Growth is next.
Lessons for Leaders
- Post-acquisition, stability comes before scale.
- Dual-use content multiplies ROI when resources are thin.
- Outbound 3.0 principles still work in SaaS: signals, systems, and trust drive results.
- CEOs under pressure need partners who can toggle between strategy and execution.