How to Bulletproof Your B2B Business with a Smarter Go-to-Market Process

By Cheryl Farr & John Frantz

High inflation, increased interest rates, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical instability, a cost-of-living crisis, falling consumer and business confidence —?2022 was tough, economically speaking. In fact, it’s been so tough that editors of the Collins English Dictionary chose “permacrisis” — meaning “an extended period of instability and insecurity” —?as their word of the year. And global economists agree that 2023 will likely bring continued slow-down and recession in some form or another.

How are you going to win in such a challenging economy? As a business leader, what’s your strategy to beat your competition in 2023 with fewer customers at the table who are spending less than they have in past years? The struggle to keep up in a down economy is real. And most of us would like our businesses to not merely hold steady but grow.?

When the market gets tough, your business must get tougher. If the red ocean is getting redder, it’s time to find the blue. What are you doing to get your business battle-ready in a threat-laden, “must-win” marketplace? How are you going to make your customers —?those you have and those you want — feel that choosing your product or service is the smartest choice they can make (and keep making) in an insecure world? A strong brand strategy can make all the difference between a business that suffers in a frantic competitive environment and one that’s bulletproof.

Far too often, business growth strategy and brand strategy are decoupled. Brand is often perceived as the “soft” side of the business — logos, colors, and the like — and relegated to the marketing department. Conversely, marketing can be left disconnected from the true sales and business objectives of the C-suite and sales teams — and from what the customer cares about most. The result? Under-equipped sales and leadership teams. An undifferentiated, underleveraged brand that’s not creating any real marketplace lift for your products and services —?and highly vulnerable to encroaching competition. Potential unrealized, dollars left on the table, sales falling short, a demoralized culture, and growth deterred. These are risks your business simply can’t afford to take in 2023.?

Now there’s a smarter way to prepare to do competitive battle in an increasingly challenging business environment. Business-growth strategy company The Frantz Group (thefrantzgroup.com) and the brand builders at SIGNAL Brand Innovation (signalbrand.co) have partnered to close the gap for leaders ready to “bulletproof” their brands, win the hearts and minds of their target customers, and build sustainable long-term brand value as they take new, highly competitive offers to market to win customers, grow near-term revenue, and compete more effectively than ever before.?

The?Frantz-SIGNAL Smart Competitive Readiness Process?integrates both firms’ proven processes into one integrated, streamlined, quick-to-market revenue-growth and value-creation process. In just eight weeks, you will have:?

• A new set of Right Offers for your bullseye target customers ready to go to market with a full market-ready campaign —?including supporting content, talk tracks, and the sales tools your people need to succeed.
• A powerful new Brand Positioning Platform and Brand Story that captures the unique brand positioning that is yours to own in your marketplace, speaks directly to the wants and needs of your dream customer, pushes away your competition, and equips you for sustainable, differentiated, long-term growth and success.
• Ongoing campaign and brand implementation and growth plans, as well as a KPI measurement and monitoring dashboard, to track your near-term and ongoing success.

This two-tiered go-to-market process is a powerful one-two punch: It’s an efficient, effective, needle-moving process that empowers you to bring your new brand positioning to life through a market-ready campaign that’s built to perform. The campaign breathes life into your new brand, giving your customers —?those you have and those you want — reason to believe in your powerful, new positioning. In turn, your new brand is built to turbocharge your go-to-market campaign and equip you to beat your competition in ways they won’t be prepared for.

The Frantz Group + SIGNAL work with organizations and their leaders to align every aspect of their business around what matters most so they can dominate their competitive environment, maximize their growth potential, and increase their market value. The partnership unites their complementary yet aligned expertise, skills, and beliefs to every client’s advantage:

Business growth strategy company?The Frantz Group?(thefrantzgroup.com) is a market leader in helping B2B clients identify their sustainable competitive advantage and overcome the constraints standing in their way to maximize growth. Their pragmatic approach comes from nearly three decades of work with clients from Fortune 500s to startups, plus hands-on sales, sales management, and marketing experience earned in-house with IBM. Expertise includes market intelligence research, business growth consulting, solution positioning, sales enablement and effectiveness training, proforma goal setting and monitoring, and more.?

SIGNAL Brand Innovation?(signalbrand.co) is a brand strategy and strategic design firm expert at creating and activating brands people love to drive business performance and marketplace success. For nearly 15 years, SIGNAL has been serving B2B, B2C, and nonprofit organizations across the nation and worldwide seeking to leverage brand alongside their business strategy to take a great leap forward. Their expertise includes consumer research, brand strategy, brand identity systems, naming, messaging, omnichannel brand expression and implementation, brand training, brand standards, brand management, and ongoing marketing services.?

Your brand is an undeniable strategic business asset. When fully aligned with your business growth strategy and go-to-market actions, your brand can make all the difference in your marketplace performance, reputation, and value. Don’t leave revenue and growth potential behind; sign up for the?Frantz-SIGNAL Smart Competitive Process today.

Reach out to set up a 45-minute strategy session to discuss the opportunities and risks you see for your business in 2023 — and discover how you can be better poised to respond and win.

John Frantz , The Frantz Group:?[email protected]

Cheryl Farr , SIGNAL Brand Innovation :?[email protected]