Setting the stage for scalable growth
Coghlan is a seasoned Australian thirdparty logistics (3PL) provider, delivering warehousing, fulfilment, and distribution solutions tailored to the evolving needs of B2C and B2B businesses. With more than 35 years of industry experience, Coghlan has built a reputation for reliability, adaptability, and putting the customer first.
Over the decades, the business has evolved from its roots in direct marketing fulfilment to become a full suite third-party logistics partner. This ability to adapt, has allowed Coghlan to remain competitive in a rapidly shifting and mature landscape.
But as the business looked to accelerate its next phase of growth, one thing became clear: sales and marketing needed to evolve too.
SNAPSHOT:
The challenge
Like many growing businesses, Coghlan initially relied on a single salesperson to juggle both sales and marketing responsibilities. It was a practical solution for the time, but one that left little room for depth in either discipline.
When the team focused on sales, marketing activity dried up, leading to a thinner pipeline. But when they tried to concentrate on marketing, sales enquiries were left waiting. It was a classic bandwidth issue.
When that dual-role team member moved on, Coghlan found itself without a dedicated resource for either sales or marketing. Coghlan CEO, Rolf Kater, knew that the past ad-hoc structure wasn’t delivering the sort of growth acceleration the business was ready for.
That realisation marked a turning point.
Coghlan explored various options for outsourced marketing support, from sole traders to boutique agencies. But neither extreme felt right. A small operation risked being too dependent on a couple of people. On the other end, they felt they would become just another account with a large agency.
What they were looking for was a partner in the middle: a business with the right scale, strong B2B expertise, broad range of skills, and a proven methodology. That’s when they found align.me.
The strategy
Coghlan and align.me have worked together over the last 12-months to reshape Coghlan’s approach to sales and marketing, starting with two clear objectives:
The work
Together, the teams launched several high-impact initiatives:
“We have had no doubts throughout the journey that we made the right decision to partner with align.me.”
– Rolf Kater, CEO, Coghlan
The result
Twelve months into the partnership, Coghlan is firmly on track. Key wins include:
“If things keep going in the current direction, we’ll reach capacity within the next 12–18 months.”
– Rolf Kater, CEO, Coghlan
Final thoughts
For Coghlan, the success of the past 12 months hasn’t come from any one campaign or silver bullet – it’s come from a holistic, integrated approach. Every component, from ads to outbound, from CRM to website, worked together to drive meaningful business outcomes.
One of the biggest strategic shifts was embracing outsourcing, not as a cost-saving measure, but as a long-term growth enabler. “Outsourcing means that you’re creating a business where you are less dependent on individuals. When done with the right party, you get a strategic business advantage,” Rolf said. Coghlan now has a marketing engine that scales with the business. Staffing changes, upskilling, and people management are handled by the align.me, freeing Coghlan to stay focused on growth.
“Multiple times I’ve looked at the decision I made to work with align.me, both in terms of the strategy and the execution, and I think it was a really, really good decision.”
– Rolf Kater, CEO, Coghlan
