[Carl]

Hello and welcome to the SaaS Growth Podcast. This week we’re here with Rolly Keenan, the Chief Revenue Officer at Tegrita, a middle-of-funnel consultancy. Tegrita seems to specialize in optimizing the middle of the funnel, which isn’t something you often hear about in the SaaS world. How are you today, Rolly?

[Rolly]

Great. How are you?

[Carl]

I’m great. Winter is coming full force in Finland, which is scary, but we’ll get through it.

[Rolly]

I’m in Colorado, which has some winter, but not like Finland.

[Carl]

Yeah, at least you can stay indoors and relax. Let’s jump right in. Can you explain how Tegrita started and why it exists?

[Rolly]

Sure. We started back in 2009, initially as a white-label service provider. In 2011, we incorporated as Tegrita. Our founder, who’s still with us as CTO and president, started the company as an Eloqua consulting firm focused on that marketing automation platform.

I joined six and a half years ago as CRO, with the goal of expanding the company. Pretty quickly, we shifted from being tech-focused to outcome-focused. That’s when we realized we were actually middle-of-the-funnel consultants all along. Recently, we’ve refined our branding to reflect that.

[Carl]

So what exactly does "middle of the funnel" mean, and what does Tegrita do in that space?

[Rolly]

Middle of the funnel is everything between getting people’s attention at the top and closing deals at the bottom. It’s about nurturing and educating prospects—converting their interest into actionable leads.

The main channel for this is email, but it’s also about sales and marketing alignment, tech integrations, and data management. A lot of organizations avoid this stage because it’s hard, requires patience, and often doesn’t fit into the short timelines that investor-led organizations work under.

Instead of educating prospects, they just throw them directly to sales and hope for conversions. That’s where we come in.

[Carl]

It sounds like you focus on turning interested prospects into actual leads, which is often overlooked. So, what impact do you have when you work with a client?

[Rolly]

One of the first things we do is create a revenue funnel to align the entire organization around it. This aligns sales, marketing, customer success—any client-facing team—so everyone is focused on the same goals.

Over time, clients see real results. For example, we had a client who reduced top-of-funnel spend by 15% but doubled their revenue because they optimized the middle. They learned more about their customers in the middle, which improved both the top and bottom of their funnel. That’s what happens when you pay attention to the middle.

[Carl]

That makes a lot of sense. I’ve seen how small improvements in one part of the funnel can have massive downstream effects. I hadn’t considered using middle-of-funnel insights to inform the top of the funnel, though. That’s fascinating. Do you have any other techniques that work well?

[Rolly]

Sure. One technique is using the middle of the funnel as a testing ground. For example, we worked with a gaming company that used machine learning to test five different email messages. Two didn’t work and were cut immediately. The other three were sent to larger segments.

One of those emails resonated with a very technical audience, which we hadn’t considered before. This small test uncovered a new, highly profitable segment for the company. That segment now represents a significant portion of their revenue.

[Carl]

That’s a great example of how experimentation can uncover hidden opportunities. What would you recommend to someone who wants to start experimenting with their funnel but doesn’t know where to begin?

[Rolly]

Start by understanding your current customers. Sit in the middle of the funnel and ask: “Why are people engaging with us? Why are they buying?” Use that data to refine your strategy for both the top and bottom of the funnel.

Segment your audience based on what you learn. Not everyone in your funnel has the same needs, so create personalized paths for them. Finally, test different approaches and see what resonates.

[Carl]

That makes sense—identify your customers’ needs and tailor your messaging accordingly. Are there any red flags that indicate someone has a poor middle of funnel?

[Rolly]

Yes, definitely. If there’s no collaboration between your sales and marketing teams, that’s a huge red flag. Another is if you have outdated campaigns running that no one knows about.

Lastly, if you think one person can manage your middle of funnel or you’re relying on basic email blasts, you probably have a problem. Middle of funnel requires real strategy, effort, and collaboration.

[Carl]

That’s great advice. Before we wrap up, can you tell us a bit about your book CMO to CRO?

[Rolly]

Sure. The book is about creating a modern revenue organization. It covers how to align marketing, sales, and customer success around a single revenue funnel.

We argue for the need for a Chief Revenue Officer—someone who oversees all client-facing activities—to break down silos and improve efficiency. The book also includes step-by-step guidance for implementing these changes.

[Carl]

That sounds like a must-read for anyone in revenue leadership. Where can people find you and learn more about Tegrita?

[Rolly]

You can find me on LinkedIn—just search for Rolly Keenan. You can also visit our website, tegrita.com, or check out our podcast, Revenue Rehab, at revenuerehab.com.

[Carl]

Thank you so much for coming on, Rolly. This was an excellent conversation.

[Rolly]

Thank you, Carl. I enjoyed it!

[Carl]

And for everyone else, we’ll see you next week.