If you’re planning for an exit—or even just want to position your organization for the potential of future partnerships—here’s a hard truth: your website redesign isn’t enough.
Buyers are looking for integration-ready companies. Employees want brands they can believe in. Customers are doing research long before they ever talk to sales. And the middle of the funnel is crowded with sameness.
At a recent Alliance of Mergers & Acquisition Advisors (AMAA) event, Grafik CEO Lance Wain moderated a panel of marketers and growth strategists who’ve led rebrands, scaled for acquisition, and helped turn trust into transaction. Together, they tackled the branding question that matters most in today’s deal environment:
How do you position your company for growth—or exit—in a market that keeps shifting beneath your feet?
From vanity rebrands to operational brands
Micah Sellers, a marketing executive with deep M&A experience, kicked things off by calling out a familiar trap: the “sheen” rebrand.
“People approach branding like it’s a vanity project. They want the new logo, new site, but they’re not ready to do the heavy lifting. If you only change the messaging, you’re just talking the talk.”
To position for growth or acquisition, branding has to be more than a facelift. It must reflect internal transformation—across digital capabilities, culture, service delivery, and leadership mindset. “You have to do both brand and enterprise transformation simultaneously,” Sellers said, “because brand isn’t just what you say—it’s how you operate.”
Brand as a value multiplier
Let’s talk about brand in business—not as an idea, but as an asset.
Sellers made a compelling case: Brand isn’t just a storytelling exercise—it’s a measurable contributor to enterprise value. With extensive experience working across marketing leadership and investor relations, he underscored that sophisticated organizations (think Fortune 500) routinely account for brand as a line item on the balance sheet. And that’s not theoretical—it’s based on established methods used by valuation firms around the globe.
What does that mean for CMOs?
“Your brand already influences the metrics your CFO cares about,” said Sellers. “The question is, are you managing it like the asset it is?”
The impacts show up across the board: lower customer acquisition costs, higher retention, stronger lifetime value, increased loyalty, and even reduced cost-per-hire. Brand strength also correlates with improved internal metrics—employee engagement, Glassdoor ratings, and recruiting reach
Sellers’ point was clear: Brand isn’t soft. It’s structural. It increases the defensibility of your value in negotiations and strengthens your negotiating position whether you’re raising capital or exploring acquisition.
“Treat your brand like it’s in perpetual beta,” Sellers advised. “Not something you rework every five years, but a living part of how your business grows.”
“I didn’t know you offered that.” A red flag in plain sight.
For professional services firm SC&H, the trigger to rebrand wasn’t a market downturn or new leadership. It was a recurring comment: “I didn’t know you offered that.”
Despite decades of growth and diversified services, the market still saw SC&H as an accounting firm. “We felt stuck in a story we had outgrown,” said CMO Colin Kendall. “Our clients had changed. Our offerings had changed. But we hadn’t updated how we told our story.”
Post-rebrand, the shift was immediate—better conversations, stronger recall, and clients showing up informed. As Kendall put it:
“Now when we walk in the room, we don’t have to introduce who we are. We can get straight to the real conversation: What’s keeping you up at night?”
Internal brand = external credibility
Alex Love, VP of Marketing at Riva Solutions, knows firsthand how internal brand alignment drives growth. In government contracting, many employees are embedded onsite with clients—meaning they rarely see a newsletter or company update. And yet, Love views those employees as her most valuable brand assets.
“We invested heavily in internal comms because our employees are the brand. When contracts end, we want people to stay—not just because of the job, but because of the brand.”
That meant building strong relationships with project managers, creating feedback loops, and even embracing some creative risk—like a company mascot (yes, Alpaca Shakur) that turned into an internal rallying point and recruiting magnet.
“It may sound silly, but it works,” Love said. “It gives our culture a heartbeat. And our competitors notice.”
Consistency is the quiet superpower
Kathleen Morrison, Senior Manager of Content Strategy at Grafik, reminded the audience that while brand stories evolve, core positioning shouldn’t whiplash with every market signal.
“When the market is uncertain, that’s when people start to panic and change their message. And when looking to exit, some organizations are tempted to dilute their brand to appeal to the broadest pool of potential partners. But trust comes from consistency, from knowing who you are and standing behind it” Morrison said. “If you’re not consistent, people won’t believe you.”
That means pulling feedback from across the organization—leaders, employees, clients—and keeping the message honest and human. It also means resisting the temptation to overcorrect in tough times.
“You’re allowed to evolve, but don’t rewrite your story every time the wind shifts. You change your story by adding to it.”
Brand is the long game—but it fuels the short game too
Yes, brand is a long-term investment. But that doesn’t mean it can’t generate short-term ROI. Kendall challenged the room to stop thinking of brand and demand as separate functions.
“Only 5% of your audience is in-market at any given time. The rest? They’re not ready to buy—but they’re forming opinions.”
Winning “micro-moments” adds up: an ad impression, a speaking engagement, a content download. Every one is a chance to build the familiarity that lowers acquisition costs and accelerates conversions later.
The final word: be distinct or be invisible
As Wain closed out the session, he came back to the central theme:
“A strong brand creates demand. Demand from customers. Demand from acquirers. Demand from talent.”
When you build that demand, you position your company to maximize your exit or acquisition. And in a crowded B2B market where everyone claims to be “trusted,” “innovative,” and “client-first,” your brand must go deeper. Smart, strategic moves don’t require volume. They require clarity. They require distinction.
Key Takeaways for CMOs
- Brand is a business tool, not just a marketing asset. It should impact revenue, operations, hiring, and valuation.
- Rebrands should reflect internal transformation, not just new visuals. Culture and behavior matter as much as messaging.
- Your employees are your brand. If they don’t buy it, no one else will.
- Consistency builds trust. Resist reactive pivots and focus on long-term clarity.
- Micro-moments matter. Most buyers aren’t in-market—but they’re always watching.
- Strong brands demand a premium. In attention. In partnerships. And in price.
Want to talk about your brand’s readiness for growth or exit? Let’s answer the question together: What makes you so special?