Out of Left Field: How Sherwood Fellows Helped FungoMan Find Its Swing
Sometimes, the most impactful business partnerships start in unexpected places. For us, it began on an airplane. Anthony D’Ambrosio, our co-founder at Sherwood Fellows, struck up a conversation with Romy Cucjen, a former pro baseball player turned entrepreneur. Romy shared the story of his innovative product, FungoMan, and the challenge of selling it online.
The Challenge: Great Product, Tough Market
Romy created FungoMan to solve a problem he’d seen throughout his playing days. Baseball coaches struggled to hit consistent fly balls during practice. Human error made drills less effective and tryouts more subjective, limiting player development.
FungoMan solved this with a programmable machine that pitches balls with precision, controlled through an iPad app. Coaches could plan drills, evaluate players, and focus on coaching instead of hitting.
But selling FungoMan required a complex sales model. It’s a high-quality, premium-priced tool that requires careful explanation. While in-person sales were going well, online sales were lagging. Romy needed a way to convert digital leads into customers if he wanted to scale his company.
Our Approach: Targeting Early Adopters
We started by understanding FungoMan’s audience: baseball coaches and managers. Many were skeptical of new technology, so we focused on early adopters who were more open to innovation. This guided every element of our strategy.
Using interest and behavior data, we identified high-intent users and tailored ads to highlight the benefits of precision coaching. Our ad copy and visuals were designed to resonate with this niche audience.
We paired the ads with a multi-channel email drip campaign that nurtured leads, ensuring potential customers were educated about the product’s value and ready to purchase.
We revamped FungoMan’s online presence, optimizing their website and Facebook page to capture leads. We also launched an email drip campaign to nurture potential customers and guide them through the sales funnel. Targeted Facebook and Google ads zeroed in on coaches and baseball fans who would most benefit from FungoMan.
The Results: 5:1 ROI and a New Reputation
The results spoke for themselves.
Through Facebook ads alone we generated $332,968.70 in annual revenue, driven by an average of 2.55 machines sold per month. The campaign delivered a 5:1 ROI, with every dollar spent on acquisition returning over $46 in revenue. Facebook ads maintained a highly efficient CPC of $0.19 and an industry-leading CTR of 4.16%, while achieving a CPA of just $232.81 per customer- for a product that was priced at $11,000. Overall, the campaign generated 1,900 highly qualified leads.
The email campaign boosted open rates by 1.5% and increased lead closures by 50% (leads closures from our new funnel went from 2% to 3%) across all channels, not just our facebook ads, thus adding an extra 50% to their annual revenue.
Beyond the numbers, FungoMan’s brand was transformed. The company became a trusted partner for elite teams and tournaments, cementing its place as a tool that helps coaches do what they do best — coach.
A Chance Meeting That Changed the Game
What began as a chance encounter turned into a partnership that helped FungoMan refine its strategy and grow its business. At Sherwood Fellows, we’re honored to help innovators like Romy bring their vision to life — and transform the way the game is played.
