Freehand

Freehand x Helen of Troy

Outbound Capstone (backup account): signal-based, multithreaded motion

Prepared by Harshit Singh | September 2026 | Written from the seat of a Freehand enterprise SDR

1. Account snapshot

Helen of Troy is the lower-risk account: a $1.8B importer whose freight and tariff costs are eating its margin, with no merger freeze and a debt-reduction mandate that makes every recovered dollar count.

Research links: use the careers page on helenoftroy.com to check dates on the warehouse-system and procurement posts and to spot open transportation or logistics roles. Use investor.helenoftroy.com for the latest earnings language before each send. To find the transportation lead, use LinkedIn Sales Navigator: company Helen of Troy, keywords "transportation" or "logistics", location Olive Branch, MS or Memphis, TN.

Why this account over Kimberly-Clark as a backup: the pain shows up in their own earnings releases, not just in a merger thesis. There is no integration freeze, the buying committee is small enough to reach in full, and cash is explicitly prioritised for paying down debt, so recovered freight spend goes straight to a board-level goal.

2. Signals

Six signals, newest first, all from Helen of Troy's own filings, earnings calls or job posts.

The one-line read: freight and tariffs are named in their own earnings as margin problems, sourcing lanes are being rebuilt, and the CFO needs cash for debt paydown.

3. Buying committee and multithreading map

Five threads, each with its own angle. The committee is small, so every thread can reach a real decision-maker.

How the threads connect: the transportation lead confirms the pain, the Assistant CFO translates it into finance language internally, the supply chain chief sponsors the assessment, and the CFO signs. The CIO thread only removes the "we're mid-rollout" objection. Target outcome: a 30-day freight and duty leakage assessment sponsored by supply chain and blessed by finance.

4. Offer, proof and hypothesis

The offer is a free 30-day assessment covering freight invoices and duty lines on the top Asia-to-US lanes and domestic carriers, anchored on Freehand's public promise to find $500K in 30 days.

Hypothesis every message tests: dual-sourcing to Southeast Asia → new suppliers, forwarders, brokers and rate cards → billing errors and duty misclassification during the switch → outbound freight already pressuring margin → leakage slows the debt-reduction plan.

The offer in one sentence: send 90 days of invoices from your top carriers and brokers, and in 30 days we show every overcharge and duty error line by line, with the evidence to claim it back.

Proof points (verified on Freehand's site or launch coverage):

• 100% invoice audit coverage across ocean, air, truckload, LTL, parcel and last mile
• 1.5 to 2.5% of freight spend recovered. Every $50M of freight spend at that rate is $750K to $1.25M back
• Global Trade agents validate duties, catch tariff errors and claim free-trade-agreement benefits
• Native write-back to Oracle, plus SAP, Dynamics, JDE and NetSuite; EDI, API and SFTP
• Live at Meta, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Cardinal Health and Dunkin'; site logos also include West Marine and Delicato
• $75M raised in July 2026, co-led by Battery Ventures and NewRoad; named in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Freight Audit and Payment

Social proof to lead with here: West Marine (a consumer-goods importer selling through retail and direct), Unilever (household products) and J&J (Vicks and Braun sit in the same consumer health aisle).

Pricing stance: volume-based software pricing, not a cut of recoveries. Strong with a CFO who is watching every cost line.

5. Cadence calendar

20 business days, bottom-up first. Finance threads start in week two so they can reference the operations conversation.

Cadence rules: stop a thread the moment its person replies. If Scheuerman or the transportation lead engages, every senior email afterwards names that context. A "not me" reply is a referral.

6. Thread 1: Jay Caron, supply chain and global operations

The sponsor thread sells one idea: the cheapest time to enforce a carrier contract is the first invoice on a new lane.

Day 3, LinkedIn connection note

Hi Jay, following how Helen of Troy is rebuilding its sourcing footprint across Southeast Asia. Would be good to be connected.

Day 3, Email 1

Subject: new lanes, old invoices

Hi Jay,

Moving from 45% to 55% dual-sourced is the right call on tariffs. It also means new forwarders, new rate cards and new duty lines at the same time.

That switch is usually where freight billing drifts, because audit rules are written for the old lanes.

Who checks the first invoices on the new Southeast Asia lanes?

Day 6, LinkedIn voice note (about 30 seconds)

Hi Jay, Harshit from Freehand. Short one. Outbound freight came up on your last two earnings calls, and the sourcing shift means a lot of new carrier and broker contracts at once. We audit every line of every freight invoice, and the duty lines, before they're paid, using AI agents instead of a sampling team. Curious how you're auditing today, in-house or through a provider.

Day 10, Email 2 (reply in thread)

Jay, one more angle.

Gross tariffs were $51M last year. Duty lines on broker invoices are among the least-audited spend we see, and misclassification on a new supplier compounds every shipment.

Our Global Trade agents validate duties and flag free-trade benefits before payment.

Worth a one-page view of where it usually hides?

Day 15, Email 3 (reply in thread)

Jay, I've been speaking with [name] on your transportation team. [One specific thing they said, in their words.]

That matches what we see at importers mid-sourcing shift, including West Marine.

Would it help to run the 30-day assessment on your top lanes, so you have a number before the next earnings call?

If no other thread has replied, lead with the West Marine comparison instead of the internal reference.

Day 20, Email 4 (new thread, breakup)

Subject: closing the loop

Jay, I'll stop here.

If freight or duty leakage becomes a priority, the offer stands: 90 days of invoices, 30 days to see every overcharge line by line.

And if someone else owns freight audit, a name would help a lot.

7. Thread 2: Brian Grass, CFO

The CFO thread uses his own words back to him: freight has been in two earnings releases, and cash is going to debt paydown.

Day 7, Email 1

Subject: outbound freight, twice

Hi Brian,

Higher outbound freight showed up in both your Q2 and Q3 fiscal 2026 margin bridges.

Most of that is rate and volume. But on most freight bills, 1.5 to 2.5% is plain billing error that nobody checks line by line.

Is freight audit something finance owns, or supply chain?

Day 12, Email 2 (reply in thread)

Brian, one more.

With cash going to the 3.2x leverage target, recovered freight is one of the few savings that needs no price increase and no headcount cut.

We audit every invoice before payment, so the money never leaves.

Worth a 30-day look at your top carriers?

Day 17, Email 3 (breakup)

Brian, last note.

If freight comes up on the next call again, the 30-day assessment is still on offer. If Tracy or Jay is the right owner, I'll follow up there.

8. Thread 3: Tracy Scheuerman, Assistant CFO (champion and coach)

Tracy ran finance and operations for OXO, Hydro Flask and Osprey, so she has seen the freight bill and the P&L. The ask is for guidance, not a meeting.

Day 1, LinkedIn connection note

Hi Tracy, came across your path from OXO controller to finance and operations across Home & Outdoor. Rare to see both sides of the house. Would be good to connect.

Day 4, Email 1

Subject: where freight leaks

Hi Tracy,

You've run both finance and operations for OXO, Hydro Flask and Osprey, so you've probably seen where freight cost hides between the carrier bill and the P&L.

We audit every freight and duty line before payment, with AI agents.

Who would you say owns that problem at Helen of Troy today?

Day 11, LinkedIn DM

Tracy, thanks for connecting. Not pitching here: I'm trying to find who owns freight audit across the Memphis-area DCs. If you could point me the right way, I'd appreciate it.

9. Thread 4: Transportation / Logistics lead, Memphis-area DCs (champion)

Phone-led and pain-first. This person handles carrier invoices and disputes daily and can provide the data for the assessment. Name to be confirmed in Sales Navigator.

Day 1, LinkedIn connection note

Hi [Name], came across your profile while reading up on how consumer goods DCs around Memphis are run. Would be good to connect.

Day 2, Call 1 script

Opener: Hi [Name], Harshit from Freehand. You weren't expecting my call, so can I take 30 seconds to say why I rang, and you tell me if it's worth continuing?

Reason: We work with importers like West Marine on freight invoices. With your sourcing moving to Southeast Asia, I keep hearing that new lanes are where billing drifts.

Question: How much of your freight bill gets audited line by line today?

If engaged: When a carrier bills detention or a liftgate that wasn't used, who chases it?

Ask: Worth 20 minutes next week to see what a 30-day look at your top carriers would show?

Voicemail (Day 8): "Hi [Name], Harshit from Freehand, about how carrier and broker invoices get audited on your new lanes. I'll send a short note. No need to call back."

Day 5, Email 1

Subject: line by line

Hi [Name],

Detention, fuel tables and accessorials are where carrier invoices drift, and they're the lines most audit programmes sample rather than check.

With new Southeast Asia lanes coming on, the list of rate cards to check gets longer.

How much of your freight bill gets audited line by line today?

Day 13, Email 2 (reply in thread)

[Name], simplest version of what we do.

Send 90 days of invoices from your top three carriers. In 30 days we show every overcharge, line by line, with evidence to claim it back.

If nothing material turns up, you've spent one data export.

Worth a try?

Day 18, Call 3

Reference the email and lead with the assessment: "I sent a note about a 30-day look at your top carriers. Did it land, or is audit handled somewhere else?"

10. Thread 5: CIO (technical approver)

Two emails, only to remove the "we're mid-rollout" objection before it comes up.

Day 9, Email 1

Subject: oracle tms, untouched

Hi Harish,

Your team is rolling out Manhattan Active WMS alongside Oracle TMS, so the last thing you need is another integration project.

Freehand reads freight invoices over EDI, API or SFTP and writes validated results back to Oracle. Nothing in the rollout changes.

Who on your team owns TMS integrations?

Day 16, Email 2 (breakup)

Harish, last one from me. If supply chain brings Freehand in, happy to walk your team through the Oracle write-back before anything moves.

11. Discovery, qualification and objections

Discovery questions

• How is freight audited today: in-house, a provider, or the TMS alone?
• What share of invoices is checked line by line versus sampled? Before or after payment?
• Who checks duty and broker lines on the new Southeast Asia lanes?
• How many new carrier or forwarder contracts has the sourcing shift created this year?
• Is freight audit owned by supply chain or finance?
• What happens to the leverage target if outbound freight keeps rising?

MEDDPICC checklist before handing to the AE

Objection handling

12. Rules, verification flags and sources

Copy rules

• Greeting on the first touch of each thread only. Sentence case, full punctuation.
• Email bodies under ~60 words. One signal, one observation, one question. No calendar links before a reply.
• LinkedIn connection notes never mention Freehand or the product.
• Only numbers Helen of Troy or Freehand have published.

Check before sending

• Confirm Jay Caron's current title and that he is still in role. Sources list him as both Chief Supply Chain Officer and Chief of Global Operations.
• Confirm the CIO. Third-party data lists Harish Ramani; an older listing shows an interim CIO.
• Confirm Tracy Scheuerman is still Assistant CFO (per the June 2026 proxy).
• Name the transportation or logistics lead at the Memphis-area DCs in Sales Navigator.
• Check the dates on the WMS and procurement job posts before referencing them.
• Identify the current freight audit provider and confirm Helen of Troy is not already a Freehand customer.
• Fiscal years: Helen of Troy's fiscal 2026 ended in Feb 2026. Keep "fiscal" in front of every quarter reference.

Sources

• Helen of Troy company website
• Helen of Troy investor relations
• OXO
• Hydro Flask
• Osprey
• Helen of Troy Q4 fiscal 2026 results (Apr 2026)
• Q4 fiscal 2026 earnings call transcript
• Q3 fiscal 2026 results (Jan 2026)
• Q2 fiscal 2026 results (Oct 2025)
• 2026 proxy statement (leadership changes)
• Job post: Senior WMS Systems Analyst
• Freehand for Freight
• Crunchbase News: Freehand raises $75M