Become the leader of a category you define.

Companies I've worked with: Skedulo, UpKeep, Sendoso, Northspyre, Apttus (now Conga), LoadIt, Redlist

The shortlist gets built before sales gets the call.

More buyers now do their early research in AI tools: which category to look in, which vendors fit, how they compare. By the time someone books a demo, a lot of the shortlist is already set.

If your category story is sharp and the same everywhere buyers look, AI tends to describe you the way you'd describe yourself. If it's fuzzy, you get lumped in with the generic tools in your space.

8 in 10 B2B buyers got software recommendations from an AI chatbot in the last two years. Nearly half say AI mattered most when they were building the shortlist. (Source: G2, 2026 Buyer Behavior Report)

Three ways to work together

Every engagement starts with the Category Diagnostic: one week to find what's holding growth back. It tells us which of these fits.

Lead your team

I step in as the marketing or go-to-market leader. I set the direction, run the team, own the plan and the numbers, and report to the CEO and board.

Work with what you have

I plug into your existing team, tools and agencies, and fix what's holding pipeline back without starting over.

Build what's missing

When the engine doesn't exist yet, for a first go-to-market build or a reset, I stand it up and hand it to your team to run.

Who I work with

Two kinds of people bring me in.

CEOs and founders from early revenue to $75M ARR

PE or VC-backed. Usually growth has stalled, the board wants a plan, or real money is about to go behind go-to-market for the first time.

Operating partners and value-creation teams

You bring me into the portfolio companies that need it. Each one gets the same Category Diagnostic and the same scorecard definitions, so you can compare them side by side and see where each one needs help.

What changes when we work together

We agree on what to measure in week one, and every call after that runs against it.

Set the position

The category you can lead, why you win it, and a story buyers can repeat back to you. It shows up the same way in your pages, your sales deck and your outreach.

Agree on the playbooks

With your team, we write down how you find, reach and win the accounts that fit, and get your programs across paid, search, content and the website running on them.

Put the money where it's working

Every week we look at what's turning into pipeline and revenue, move budget toward it, and stop what isn't working.

Report one set of numbers

Spend tied to pipeline and revenue in your CRM. The CEO sees one scorecard every week, and the board sees the same numbers every month.

Who you'll work with

I'm Dan Frohnen. I've led go-to-market at B2B SaaS companies for more than 15 years, with teams from 2 to 70, and I'm a GTM OS Certified Implementation Partner with GTM Partners. I stay in the work after the strategy is set, so the plan and the execution come from the same person.

I write on LinkedIn about how AI is changing the way buyers build a shortlist.

Results from go-to-market I've led in-house

+73% ARR growth, after a year of negative growth

3.4x Average deal size as the motion moved upmarket

20% to 75% Marketing-sourced revenue, rebuilt around ABM

3.3x Transactions on a rebuilt demand engine

Frequently asked questions

What does the Category Diagnostic look at?

Your positioning, how you reach buyers, and what happens from first visit to pipeline. I score it against the GTM Operating System and my Category Momentum Model, and I check what buyers find about you in search and AI tools. You get what I'd fix first, why, and what the work would involve. If you want a first read on your own, score your category momentum with the free tool.

What do we keep when the work is done?

Everything that gets built: the position and story, the playbooks, the account lists, the content, the pages and the reporting. It's built inside your company, on your accounts, and it stays with you.

Who does the work?

It depends on what you have. If you have a team, I lead it. If you have agencies and tools, I work through them. If something's missing, I build it and hand it to your team. We agree up front what I own and what your team owns.

How do you use AI?

Across the work: research, campaigns, content, the website and reporting. Your team moves faster, knows what's working, and spends its time on judgment calls instead of pulling numbers together.

Why start with the category?

Because the category sets the comparison. A maintenance buyer looking for a work-order tool expects something different from one looking for an operations platform, and AI tools now help buyers make that call early. If you haven't decided which comparison you want, every channel pays to say something fuzzy. Get the category right first, and every channel has the same thing to say.

How is this different from a fractional CMO or an agency?

A fractional CMO usually brings judgment and leaves execution to your team. An agency usually executes and waits on you for direction. I own the positioning decisions and get the agreed work built, with your team.

Ready to lead a category?

If growth has stalled, the story has drifted, or the board wants a plan, start with the Category Diagnostic. Or book a call: 30 minutes, no pitch deck.