How We Helped Harland Advisory Win 6 Clients and Support an Eight-Figure Transaction with Discreet, Signal-Based Outreach
Industry
Financial Advisory
Company Size
11–25 Employees
28
Leadership Meetings Booked
$650K
Total Contract Value
3
New Clients Acquired
95%
Reply Qualification Rate
About Harland Advisory
Harland Advisory provides fractional CFO services and succession planning for founder-led businesses. Growth depended on referrals, which made pipeline uneven. Prior cold outreach hadn’t landed with owners who value discretion and only engage when the timing is right.
Highlights
- 25 executive appointments with founders and finance leaders
- 6 new clients closed
- $300–$400K in first-year fees (retainers + success fees)
- Supported one eight-figure transaction under NDA
The Challenge
- Founders ignore flashy finance pitches; they engage around expansion, refinancing, or exit moments
- No reliable way to spot those inflection points early
- Messages weren’t in board-level language, so conversations didn’t start
What We Did
Play 1 — Real inflection signals
Targeted founder-led companies showing momentum or transition: facility expansions, multi-location growth, recent funding, founder tenure suggesting succession timing, and active hiring for Controller/VP Finance. Cross-checked bios, founding dates, and local news for sensitivity
Play 2 — CFO-level message and discreet offer
Short, plain-spoken emails opened with a grounded observation (e.g., working-capital pressure during expansion) and offered a confidential Financial Health Snapshot covering cash runway, margin trend, working-capital position, and exit readiness gaps.
Play 3 — High-touch, trust-first process
Limited to three thoughtful touches via email. On interest, honored NDAs, built the Snapshot using public data plus client inputs, then proposed next steps aligned to need: 12-week modeling, bank pack prep, or diligence support.
Results
Early Period (first 10 weeks)
→ 10 executive appointments
→ 2 clients signed
By Month 6
→ 25 total appointments
→ 6 clients closed
→ $300–$400K in first-year fees
→ Supported an eight-figure transaction under NDA
Why It Worked
We showed up at real decision points, spoke in board-ready language, and made the first step low-risk and useful—so founders engaged without pressure.
Table of Contents
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