“It’s too early to focus on brand building”

We disagree. Enduring companies don’t sacrifice brand, even when pursuing product-led growth. 

If you're a startup, common knowledge is you focus first on product-led growth. You evolve to sales-led growth and may, eventually, move to the next stage: brand-led growth. Usually, by this point in your maturity, other competitors have entered the market, and players compete for attention. This is where a differentiated brand helps you command premium pricing, enjoy customer loyalty, and receive strong recognition. 

Watching this progression, you might say brand strategy and development don’t matter in the early days. We disagree. Brand-building should begin on day one. If you don’t, brand-led competitors may swoop in and take share from the market you’ve worked so hard to build. 

It can be done. One of our former clients, Clari, began brand-building almost immediately. They created the term “run revenue,” which brought attention and empathy to the process of forecasting and managing pipeline. They also narrowed in on the mentality of their target audience: sales professionals laser-focused on accurate forecasting and eliminating end-of-quarter surprises. Clari infused their messaging with an emotional hook and then backed it up with the right product. By focusing on their brand and messaging even as they introduced their product,  Clari succeeded in becoming an essential tool for enterprise sales. Today, it’s valued at over $2.6B.