Ascendant Consulting has led our clients to over $1.5Bn in new/adjacent market opportunities, and we can help you successfully and profitably supercharge your business too.

To find out how, call us today at 203-438-7236 or email info@ascendantconsulting.com

You know that to achieve rapid growth you have to make big moves in new digs (new distribution channels, industries, geographies, solutions). But you also know, perhaps even first hand, that most businesses fail with these breakout efforts most of the time. Even companies renown for their ability to create huge business breakthroughs, like Apple and 3M, fail more often than they succeed.

It is possible to tilt the odds in your favor and reap the extraordinary benefits of “Big Digs.” Mature businesses have experienced triple-digit growth in sales and profit using this strategy.

For example, DuPont has the ultimate story of Big Digs: they expanded nylon from a product narrowly used for fishing line and sutures into a ubiquitous ingredient encountered in all walks of life.

Other famous examples include McDonalds’ amazing incursion into Eastern Europe and Asia, and HPs powerhouse move into office superstores. Thousands of other companies have experienced similar results on a smaller scale, and you can too.

The unfortunate fact is the vast majority of companies fail at the Big Digs strategy. Our research revealed six hurdles which stymie most businesses seeking dramatic growth:

1. They don’t try big enough. Companies content with tepid moves like product line extensions, or expanding one time zone won’t enjoy big growth.
2. They try too big. Many companies with “stage gate” processes set their success hurdles far too high—the equivalent of swinging for the fences every time. Just like in baseball, swinging for the fences is a good way to strike out often.
3. They don’t try frequently enough. Leaders know the path to breakthrough success is not a one-time effort; also-rans put all their eggs in very few projects and give up when one or two fail.
4. They think their current customer understanding, current offerings and current organization can get them into Big Digs. All companies have built in biases and assumptions about their customers, products and organization which must be overcome to achieve spectacular growth.
5. Big Digs threaten their core business, either directly or indirectly. Powerful contingents rewarded for growing the core business will squash any new idea which could siphon off customers or resources.
6. They go about it incorrectly or haphazardly. Very few companies are experts at finding and achieving breakthroughs because it is not what they do day in and day out. Success with Big Digs takes expertise and experience which is inefficient for companies to keep on staff full time.

Fortunately, a proven, five-step Big Digs process overcomes the success hurdles and can add rocket fuel to your business growth plans. For an overview of the five steps, click here.

Ascendant has created over $1.5 Billion for well-known corporate giants such as International Paper, Kodak and Lexmark, niche industry leaders such as MRI Network, Domino’s Pizza, and Gojo, consumer products stalwarts such as GlaxoSmithKline, Church & Dwight, and Whirlpool, and high-growth firms such as Biometrics 2000, Symbol Technology, and United Industries.

Are you ready to conquer new markets, products, or channels?

Call us today at 203-438-7236 or email info@ascendantconsulting.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What if we are close to launching already?

Congratulations! Ascendant can help you at any stage of your new/adjacent market effort, from intial ideation, through Market Attack planning, to commercialization.

What, exactly, does Ascendant do?

We thought you'd never ask. We help you conquer adjacent markets (distribution channels, industries, geographies, and solutions):

• Market choice model - strategically identifies most likely adjacent market opportunities.
• Market assessment - validates the opportunity in a targeted market.
• Solution assessment - identifies, in detail, the specific offering and approach which will capture the new market.
• Market attack plan - gives a blueprint, in granular detail, of every aspect required to successfully conquer the new market
• Commercialization - arms you to succeed in the real world, where what matters is sales and cash in your coffers.

What does a Big Digs effort cost?

It depends. Are you entering a new geography or tackling a new industry? Do you already know where you want to go and just need help with commercialization, or do you want another set of expert eyes to look over your marketing plan? Whatever you need to succeed in your new market effort, we can build an initiative together with a fee that gives you a remarkable return on your investment.

Will you flood our site with consultants?

No! We will complement your existing resources with a small team of experts, each with 20+ years' experience, working primarily off-site.

Have you worked in my industry?

Probably. But it doesn't really matter. You are the expert in your industry and we're the experts in conquering adjacent markets in any industry. We didn't know the oil & gas business before working with ITT, but together we found a huge new market opportunity.

What is your current growth target?
What if you could supercharge it!

Call or email us to find out more about the Big Digs approach. You could join the ranks of ITT, International Paper, Kodak and many others large and small companies where we have used our expertise and custom tools to conquer adjacent markets with extraordinary results.

Schedule a no-charge, exploratory discussion today by calling us toll free at 1-888-822-7236 or emailing us at info@ascendantconsulting.com. You can also call me, David A. Fields, directly at 203-438-7236.