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Forbes
30-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
17 Steps To Elevate Brand Relevance Regardless Of Fluctuating Markets
With business uncertainty looming regularly, brand strategists must stay ahead of the game by planning their seasonal campaigns and everyday communications to strengthen loyalty and trust among their customers—who have plenty of other options to choose from when the market begins to change for better or worse. Below, 17 Forbes Business Development Council members each share one best practice to address reduced consumer demand and shifting purchasing behaviors during an often unforeseeable business climate. 1. Regularly Engage With Core Customers Continue to engage with core customers to understand their evolving needs. Then adapt the offering—whether that's through pricing, value-added services or bundling—to stay relevant. Agility and direct feedback loops are key to staying ahead of shifting behaviors. - Marek Niedzwiedz, aeXea Group 2. Pivot Quickly With A Purpose In uncertain times, the ability to pivot—with speed and purpose—is the ultimate competitive advantage. Invest in resilience readiness by building agile systems, empowering cross-functional teams and leveraging real-time data to adapt quickly. Anticipate change, test often and stay customer-obsessed. - Lori Thomas, MetTel 3. Remind Customers About Your Brand's Value Consistently reassure your customers that you can deliver, no matter what the current business or geopolitical climate is. It is key to remind them of your product's value in their business before a reduction occurs. At the same time, let your customers know that you understand business models are dynamic and that you can still support them in light of shifting demands. - Tlalit Bussi Tel Tzure, IceCure Medical 4. Create Authentic, Emotional Connections With Customers Understanding consumer behavior is crucial to determining what is of value and what consumers are willing to spend on. When consumers face financial restraints, their relationship with a brand is a crucial factor in whether they will continue to purchase from there. Consumers buy things that resonate with their core values, so finding a point of authentic, emotional connection helps retain business. - Amanda Cioletti, Informa Markets 5. Target High-Ranking Decision Makers Today's software buyers aren't just one person—they're an entire buying committee, and new members join that committee all the time. This includes CFOs and other C-suite professionals who may not have been your target customer in the past. Teams must shift their focus to selling to a larger group of high-ranking decision makers who are more likely to scrutinize the deal. - Toby Carrington, Seismic Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify? 6. Simplify Your Product Message When demand drops, the smart play is to simplify and add value. Consumers are looking for transparency and efficiency. Using AI and real-time data to personalize and streamline the experience isn't just smart—it's how you stay relevant and earn trust in a volatile market. - Erik Greenstein, United Parcel Service 7. Use Data Insights To Track Consumer Patterns Capturing and utilizing real-time data is critical to remaining competitive in this fast-paced, data-rich environment. From rapid responses to market changes and improved inventory selection to moving with customer needs and utilizing predictive insights, using data to stay responsive to change will aid in exceeding consumer expectations and ensuring your company's flexibility. - Jim O'Brien, The Raymond Corporation 8. Focus On High ROI And Retention-Rich Market Segments Use a data-driven investment framework to reallocate spend toward high ROI and retention-rich segments. In uncertain markets, focus on durable growth—optimize for margin, lifetime value and early retention signals, not just volume. Let performance guide precision. - Shikha Agarwal, Yelp 9. Highlight Brand Essentials When demand drops, listen closely to your customers. Maybe their needs have changed, and you didn't keep pace, or the business relationship grew distant over time. Understand what created the shift in price, competition or priorities. Cut the fluff, focus on essentials and adapt your offer to meet real needs. In uncertain markets, relevance, simplicity and clear value win. Agility is your key advantage. - Anna Jankowska, RTB House 10. Build Long-Term Trust With Your Consumer Base People do business with people they trust, especially during an uncertain business climate. Trust is built through a unified, consistent experience across your go-to-market teams. If you've been able to build trust over time and deliver value at every stage of the customer journey, you'll be top of mind when your customers are ready to buy. - Julie Thomas, ValueSelling Associates 11. Make Every Effort To Maintain (And Explain) Price Points In times of uncertain demand, maintaining pricing consistency (not raising prices) can reassure your customers that they can count on you as a supplier. Consider lowering prices to help customers out in tough times. If prices need to be raised, such as with tariffs or supply chain disruptions, clear communications and explanations are key. - Doug Fuehne, Pricefx 12. Diversify Your Customer Acquisition Strategy A key component to being responsive to shifting purchase behaviors and demand is to ensure you have a diversified customer acquisition strategy. Being overly dependent on a single vertical or partner makes you less flexible and more vulnerable to demand changes. Having a diversified product distribution channel enables you to lean in where demand stays strong or increases when others soften. - Mark Cerminaro, Rapid Finance 13. Avoid Chasing Trends When demand drops and behaviors shift, start by truly listening to your customers. Then, let data guide your understanding of what's changing. We've found that combining human instinct with AI-driven insight helps us respond early and with confidence. Don't chase trends. Solve real problems. That's how you stay trusted and relevant, even in uncertain markets. - Ashu Goel, WinWire 14. Explain Your Product Solution In The Message In uncertain times, map your offering to emerging pain, not just value. As priorities shift, buyers seek solutions to urgent problems, not aspirations. Pivot messaging to address current friction. As the saying goes, 'Sell the problem you solve, not the product.' Be the painkiller—they'll trust what truly helps now. - Praneeth Kudithipudi, Sacumen 15. Stay Rooted In The Bare Basics When things are uncertain, go back to the basics. Talk to your customers, listen closely and notice what's really changing—not just what they buy, but why. Keep your offer simple, focus on what helps them and make it easy to choose you. What solves their problem is what stands out. - Vipin Thomas, SparrowGenie 16. Make Allowances For Untapped Markets Demand will always fluctuate unless you are in the general medicine or education sector. Businesses need to plan for the troughs and crests through a focus on untapped markets and blue oceans. It's necessary to keep operating expense (OpEx) budgets in control, retrain employees and develop long-term strategic planning, while also maintaining consistent engagement with existing loyal customers. - Anoma Baste, Space Matrix 17. Always Demonstrate Your Brand's Humanity Focus on deepening customer relationships. Use data to understand shifting needs, then personalize your offers, messaging and support. Loyalty comes from relevance, so adapt quickly, stay human and solve real problems. Brands that listen and respond with agility will stay top of mind, even when demand dips. - Luke Boddis,
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Warrior-Strategist Playbook For Leaders Managing People
Marek Niedzwiedz | Founder & CEO at aeXea Group | Business Turnaround Investor. Over the past 20 years, I've personally hired, managed and let go of more than 200 people across different industries, countries and business cycles. That experience shaped the leadership philosophy I'm sharing here. It takes a lot of skill to be a leader and earn respect. If you're too gentle, people might not notice you or take advantage of you. If you're too harsh, you could make your colleagues feel distant, tense or even scared. You shouldn't ask for respect; you should earn it through how you lead all the time. To do that, you need to think clearly, be strong, be kind and have a plan. This balance is more important than ever in today's fast-paced business world, especially for owners of small- and medium-sized businesses and leaders who are hands-on. Let's boil this down into a playbook, which is what I call the Warrior-Strategist. 1. Be clear, not confusing, when you lead. The first key to getting respect is to be clear. People want to follow leaders who know where they're headed and why. That doesn't mean you have to know everything; it just means that your plans, goals and reasons for doing things must be clear. Make sure you know what your goals, must-haves and most important things are. People will feel insecure if they don't know what's important to you or if your choices seem haphazard. People appreciate clear leaders, even if they don't necessarily like them at the time, since they know where they stand. Strategist mindset: Talk to each team member ahead of time, especially when things are changing. When things are uncertain, people make assumptions, and such assumptions can hurt respect. 2. Set standards and stick to them. People look up to leaders who stick to their guns. Set your criteria early for how your team should act, how they should perform and how they should respect each other. But more importantly, keep those standards up all the time. This is where a lot of small-business owners mess up. They make concessions because someone has been there "since the beginning" or because they wish to prevent problems. But every exception makes you less credible. Being consistent doesn't make you mean; it makes you reliable. Warrior mindset: Being fair means treating everyone with equal respect and navigating situations with some thought and judgment. 3. Be straightforward. Being direct with people earns their respect faster than any lecture about motivation. People like leaders who are honest about problems. That being said, how you deliver matters. You can be honest and firm without being mean. Give feedback based on facts, not feelings. Don't just think about what went wrong; think about what you want to happen. And if someone has done a terrific job, let everyone know. People respect one another more when they feel that they are being noticed, not just controlled. Strategist mindset: Use "clean communication"—say what you mean, mean what you say and don't be passive-aggressive or unclear about your feelings. 4. Stay calm when things get tough. Nothing gets people to appreciate you faster than staying cool in a storm. Being calm doesn't imply doing nothing; it requires being smart. Your team will see how you act when the pressure is on. Do you blame? Panic? Withdraw? Or do you ground the squad, evaluate and proceed? Warrior mindset: Learn to take in turmoil instead of passing it on. 5. Make choices and take responsibility for them. Being indecisive makes people lose respect for you. Even if they're not flawless, teams want a leader who makes decisions. If you wait too long, flip back and forth or rely too much on consensus, it could mean you're not sure. That doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to your team; it just means you should make the final decision. Take responsibility when a decision doesn't go as intended. Teams value accountability over perfection. Strategist mindset: Get good at making decisions rapidly 80% of the time, then change them. Leadership is a process that repeats itself. 6. Keep your mission and people safe. Respect isn't about being liked; it's about being trusted. People will do their best for leaders who care about their health and the cause. That includes being loyal, helpful and fair, but also making tough decisions when necessary. Sometimes, it's stepping in to stop someone from being mean. Sometimes it's checking in with a team member who is slowly losing interest in their work. You are not their friend, but you are their boss. That has a lot of weight. Warrior-strategist mindset: Make it possible for performance and humanity to live together. Final thought: Give orders, not demands. Respect is not given because of a title, force or terror; it is earned through consistent acts over time. The best leaders who walk this line aren't the loudest or the hardest. They know when to be bold and when to be humble. Be present when you walk the line. Be explicit about your standards. Stay cool, make decisions and stay human. When you are both the Warrior and the Strategist, people follow you because they want to, not because they have to. Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify?
