Case Study:
Strategic Augmentation in Action:
Upskilling a Lean Team
Expanding capacity without adding headcount through side-by-side enablement, playbooks, and coaching
Introduction
A global technology services provider delivering cloud, data modernization, ERP, and Industry 4.0 solutions faced a critical challenge. The company needed to grow demand and build a predictable pipeline with a lean marketing team lacking strategic direction. Junior team members were eager to contribute but needed structure, guidance, and repeatable processes to execute effectively.
Heinz Marketing stepped in as an embedded partner, working side by side with the team to provide coaching, create playbooks and templates, and establish operational discipline. The result was a tactical team transformed into a confident, data-driven marketing engine capable of scaling campaigns across multiple business practices without adding headcount.
Scaling a Lean Team Without Losing Momentum
The client was facing a critical inflection point. Their marketing team was small, mostly junior, and tasked with driving pipeline across multiple complex business practices.
Without strategic direction or standardized processes, the team was stretched thin and reactive, struggling to prioritize initiatives or measure the impact of their work.
- Reactive, fragmented execution: Campaigns were mostly sales-driven, inconsistent, and lacked repeatable processes.
- Limited guidance and structure: Junior marketers needed coaching and frameworks to move from ad-hoc execution to strategic contribution.
- Disconnected sales and marketing: Teams were misaligned on target accounts, personas, campaign workflows, and lead qualification.
- High stakes, lean resources: Multiple business units required predictable, repeatable marketing processes to drive pipeline and revenue.
Without intervention, the team risked remaining reactive, slowing growth, and missing key pipeline opportunities.
Our Approach
Side-by-Side Enablement and Operational Augmentation
We partnered with the client in two integrated phases, first building foundational processes and then executing campaigns while embedding learning and operational discipline. We began by laying the foundation – defining ICPs, messaging frameworks, and content strategy to create standardized, and repeatable processes that the team could adopt immediately.
- Crafting a Tailored Operationalization Plan: We developed an operational plan centered on the client’s goals for regional alignment, scalability, and streamlined workflows. This plan provided both immediate solutions for ongoing projects and long-term strategies for growth and operational alignment.
- Coaching through execution: Developed campaign strategies, flowcharts, and templates to provide strategic direction while having the team shadow real-time campaign execution, turning theory into practice.
- Aligning sales and marketing: Conducted workshops with inside sales to ensure alignment on accounts, personas, and lead qualification, smoothing handoffs and improving lead quality.
- Closing gaps and optimizing workflows: Audited campaigns, content, and workflows and implemented actionable improvements that boosted efficiency and conversion.
This embedded, hands-on approach allowed the team to learn while delivering results, upskilling junior marketers into confident operators capable of driving growth independently.
Results and Conclusion
Empowered Team Driving Measurable Growth
By embedding side-by-side with the team and providing coaching, playbooks, and repeatable processes, we helped the client achieve both immediate impact and long-term operational improvements.
- Predictable Pipeline foundations embedded across campaigns and practices, creating consistency and repeatability.
- Strong marketing and inside sales alignment improved lead quality and campaign execution.
- Messaging, content, and workflow gaps addressed, resulting in higher conversion rates and stronger pipeline.
- Successfully launched and optimized high-impact campaigns, including an AI-enabled Vehicle Inspection and Guided Repair playbook from January to June 2025.
Our team at Heinz Marketing did more than campaign execution. The engagement expanded the client’s team capacity without adding headcount, transformed junior marketers into confident strategic operators, and established durable processes that will drive growth for years to come.
Want to upskill your lean marketing team while scaling impact? Let’s connect and discuss how you can operationalize predictable growth and turn your team into a strategic engine.