5-brand-strategy.md 2 - Strategy & Positioning Draft Created: 2026-02-23

Brand Strategy — Smartbound Custom Signal Engine

Executive Summary

Smartbound will reposition from "GTM engineering and sales development consulting" to "Custom Signal Engines for Sales Teams." This positions Smartbound in a new category: managed service provider for bespoke signal monitoring. The strategy differentiates from generic signal providers (Autobound, SalesIntel) and DIY platforms (Clay) by emphasizing custom-built, primary-source, managed-service value.

1. Brand Core

Brand Purpose

Why Smartbound exists:

Sales teams waste 60-70% of their time researching prospects who have no active reason to buy. Signal providers offer generic, off-the-shelf signals that competitors also have access to. Smartbound exists to build custom signal engines that surface prospects with verifiable pain — signals that don't exist in any database because we build them from primary sources.

Brand Promise

What we deliver:

Your sales team knows who to call and why.

Every signal engine is custom-built for your specific market, monitoring primary sources your competitors don't even know exist.

Brand Positioning Statement

For sales leaders at B2B companies with outbound teams ($5-100M revenue)

Who need their teams to have more conversations with prospects who actually want to talk

Smartbound is the custom signal engine partner

That builds bespoke monitoring systems from primary data sources for your specific market

Unlike generic signal platforms (Autobound, SalesIntel) or DIY tools (Clay)

We deliver hand-crafted signal engines that surface prospects your competitors can't find

2. Category Definition

We Are Creating a New Category

Category Name: Custom Signal Engine

Category Definition: A managed service that builds bespoke monitoring systems for sales teams, identifying prospects with specific, verifiable pain signals from primary data sources (government filings, regulatory databases, permit records, corporate disclosures).

Category vs. Adjacent Categories

Category	Description	Example Players
Signal Platform	Self-serve tool with signal features	Clay, Apollo
Signal Data Provider	Off-the-shelf signal database	Autobound, SalesIntel
Intent Data Provider	Anonymous web behavior signals	6sense, Bombora
Custom Signal Engine	Bespoke signal monitoring service	Smartbound

Why This Category Wins

Differentiation: No one else owns "custom" + "managed service"
Margin: Service has higher perceived value than software
Moat: Custom engines are harder to commoditize than databases
Timing: Clay's Custom Signals feature validated the market, but they don't offer service

3. Target Market

Primary ICP

Dimension	Criteria
Company	B2B companies with outbound sales teams, $5-100M revenue
Signal Density	Markets with identifiable pain signals (we discover during scoping)
Buyer	VP Sales, CRO, Head of Sales, RevOps leader
Trigger	New to role (first 90 days), frustrated with targeting quality
Team	Has SDRs or AEs doing outbound
Budget	$2-5K/mo for prospecting intelligence

Proven Verticals (Evidence-Based)

Vertical	Status	Evidence
Clinical Trials / Healthcare	Proven	Active client, $5K deal, 10 min/week delivery
Commercial Real Estate	Proven	10%+ response rates, 12 opportunities
Fintech / Financial Services	High potential	Regulatory signals available, similar to clinical trials
Construction	Exploring	Permit data available, buyer willingness TBD

Exploratory Verticals (Testing)

Vertical	Potential Signals	Status
Cybersecurity	Breach disclosures, compliance mandates	Work in progress
Government Tech	Gov spend data, contract awards	Need data access exploration
Education	District budgets, policy changes	Untested
Other B2B SaaS	Varies by segment	Assess per prospect

Disqualification Criteria

No outbound team (nobody to work prospects)
No identifiable signal sources (assessed during scoping)
Expecting us to close deals (we deliver intelligence, they execute)
Budget below $2K/mo
Looking for DIY tool (refer to Clay)

ICP Philosophy

We're a custom signal engine — we adapt to each client's market. At this stage, we don't want to artificially restrict the market. Instead:

Qualify on signal potential — Can we find pain signals in their market?
Test with scoping — Before signing, we assess whether signals exist
Learn and focus — Let client results tell us which verticals to double down on

This keeps us open to opportunity while still being disciplined about fit.

4. Competitive Positioning

Positioning Matrix

                         GENERIC SIGNALS              CUSTOM SIGNALS
                              

    SELF-SERVE (DIY)          

                              
Clay
                              
Apollo
    --------------------------+------------------------------+-------------
                              

    MANAGED SERVICE           |   Autobound                  |   SMARTBOUND
    (done-for-you)            |   AmpleMarket                |   (we own this)

Competitive Differentiation

Competitor	Their Position	Our Position vs. Them
Clay	Platform for GTM engineers	"Clay is the engine. We're the mechanics who build yours."
Autobound	Signal-based selling platform	"They sell signals from a catalog. We build signals that don't exist anywhere else."
SalesIntel	Signal data provider	"They sell the same signals to everyone. We build yours alone."
6sense/Bombora	Intent data (anonymous web behavior)	"Intent scores are guesses. Named events are facts."
Internal analyst	DIY signal research	"15-20 hours/week. We do it for half the cost."

Competitive Advantages

Custom-built — Every engine is unique to the client's market
Primary sources — We go to gov filings, regulatory databases, not aggregators
Managed service — We build and run it, they don't need GTM engineers
Market-adaptive — We discover signal sources for any market, not just specific verticals
Compounding value — Monthly feedback loops improve signal quality over time

5. Value Proposition

Primary Value Prop

Headline:

Your sales team knows who to call and why.

Supporting: We build custom signal engines that monitor primary data sources your competitors don't even know exist. Every prospect we deliver has a verifiable reason to talk — not just a title and an email.

Value Props by Audience

For VP Sales / CRO:

"Stop wasting rep time on prospects who have no reason to buy"
"Your competitors are using the same signal databases as everyone else"
"We build signals they can't buy anywhere"

For RevOps:

"Integrate with your existing stack — no new tool to learn"
"Weekly delivery to CRM or Slack"
"Compounding intelligence that gets better every month"

For SDR/AE:

"Every prospect has a reason you can name"
"No more researching for hours to find a generic opening"
"Read the card, pick up the phone"

Value Quantification

Metric	Industry Average	With Smartbound
Cold email response rate	3.4%	10-18%
Research time per prospect	15-30 min	30 seconds
Signal-to-meeting rate	Unknown	Trackable
Cost vs. internal analyst	$40-60K/year	$24K/year

6. Brand Personality

Personality Attributes

Attribute	Description	Manifestation
Expert	Deep knowledge of signal sourcing	Primary source examples, vertical expertise
Craft-focused	Every engine is hand-built, not templated	"Custom" emphasis, bespoke process
Practical	We deliver actionable intelligence, not theory	Weekly delivery, ready-to-use prospects
Hungry	We find signals others don't bother looking for	Primary sources, obscure databases
Partner	We build with you, not just for you	Feedback loops, compounding improvement

Tone of Voice

We are:

Confident but not arrogant
Technical but accessible
Direct but not blunt
Expert but not condescending

We are NOT:

Overly clever or punny
Generic corporate speak
Buzzword-dependent
Apologetic about our value

Voice Examples

Situation	Say This	Not This
What we do	"We build custom signal engines"	"We leverage AI to transform your GTM"
Differentiation	"We go to primary sources"	"We're the premier solution for..."
Outcome	"Your team knows who to call and why"	"Synergize your sales process"
Competition	"They sell the same signals to everyone"	"We're the best-in-class platform"

7. Brand Architecture

Master Brand: Smartbound

Smartbound remains the company name. It has brand equity and is distinctive.

Service Line Naming

Tier	Name	Description
Core Service	Custom Signal Engine	Primary offering, $2K/mo
Add-on	Managed Outreach	We send the emails, $3.5K/mo total
One-time	Signal Engine Build	We build it in your Clay, $6-8K

Product Features (for marketing)

Feature	Name	Description
Signal discovery	Primary Source Monitoring	We go where databases don't
Delivery format	Weekly Prospect Feed	Monday delivery, CRM-ready
Customization	Bespoke Signal Design	Every engine built for your market
Improvement	Compounding Intelligence	Gets better every month

8. Messaging Pillars

Pillar 1: Custom-Built

Message: Every signal engine is hand-crafted for your specific market. We don't sell from a catalog.

Proof:

Clinical trials: Built from ClinicalTrials.gov enrollment data
Construction: Built from permit filings and inspection records
Fintech: Built from regulatory actions and compliance deadlines

Pillar 2: Primary Sources

Message: We monitor government filings, regulatory databases, permit records — the news before it becomes headlines.

Proof:

ClinicalTrials.gov (FDA trial data)
SEC filings (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K)
CMS databases (healthcare)
Permit records (construction)
Regulatory actions (fintech)

Pillar 3: Managed Service

Message: We build and run your signal engine. You don't need GTM engineers or Clay expertise.

Proof:

Weekly delivery, no tool to learn
Integration with existing CRM/stack
Feedback loops for continuous improvement
Dedicated account relationship

Pillar 4: Verifiable Reasons

Message: Every prospect has a named reason. Not "they might be interested" — "their trial just failed enrollment."

Proof:

Signal + So-What + Angle format
Source URL for verification
Specific events, not probabilistic scores

9. Proof Point Strategy

Required Proof Points

Type	What	Status
Case Study	2-page PDF with metrics	Needs development
Testimonial	Video or text quote	Exists (Credo.ai, CRE Broker Pro)
Signal Example	Sample prospect card	Needs creation
ROI Calculator	Interactive value tool	Needs development
Vertical Guide	"Signals for Healthcare SaaS"	Needs creation

Case Study Framework

Title: [Client] Uses Custom Signal Engine to [Outcome]

Structure:

Challenge (what was broken)
Solution (what we built)
Signal Example (what they see each week)
Results (metrics)
Quote (voice of customer)

Metrics to Track

Metric	Definition	Target
Signal-to-Meeting Rate	% of delivered prospects that become meetings	Track, benchmark
Response Rate	% of outreach on our prospects that get replies	10%+
Time Saved	Hours/week client saves on research	Quantify per client
Client Retention	Monthly churn rate	<5%
NPS	Client satisfaction score	50+

10. Brand Experience

Client Journey

Stage 1: Awareness

LinkedIn content (signals, vertical expertise)
New Sales Leaders campaign (signal-specific variant)
Referrals from Kevin's network

Stage 2: Consideration

Website: Custom Signal Engine positioning
Sample signal feed (5-10 prospects)
Case study review
Discovery call with Kevin/Devon

Stage 3: Purchase

3-month minimum commitment
Onboarding: ICP mapping + signal design
Week 1: First prospect delivery

Stage 4: Service

Weekly prospect delivery (Monday)
Monthly feedback call
Quarterly signal refinement

Stage 5: Advocacy

Case study participation
Referral program
Testimonial

Touchpoint Standards

Touchpoint	Experience Standard
Website	Clear positioning, no jargon, visible proof
Sales call	Discovery-first, not pitch-first
Onboarding	5-7 hours total, collaborative signal design
Weekly delivery	Consistent format, Monday morning, CRM-ready
Monthly call	15 min, focus on what's working

11. Risk Assessment

Brand Risks

Risk	Likelihood	Impact	Mitigation
Category confusion	High	Medium	Clear definition, educate market
Competitor copy	Medium	High	Move fast, own "custom" narrative
DIY comparison	High	Medium	Emphasize time/cost of internal build
Overpromise	Medium	High	Set clear expectations, guarantee quality
Vertical mismatch	Medium	Medium	Qualify leads, honest assessment

Mitigation Strategy

Category Education: Lead with clear definition on every touchpoint
Speed: Launch rebrand before competitors claim "custom"
Proof: Build case studies immediately, show results
Qualification: Be honest when signals won't work for a vertical
Guarantee: Quality guarantee reduces risk for buyers

12. Success Metrics

Brand Health Metrics

Metric	How to Measure	Target
Category awareness	Survey target buyers	30% recognize "Custom Signal Engine" in 6 months
Message recall	Post-call survey	"They build custom signals" top response
Competitive win rate	Track vs. competitors	60%+ win rate vs. DIY, 40%+ vs. Autobound

Business Metrics

Metric	Current	Target (6 months)	Target (12 months)
Custom Signal Engine clients	1	5	10
MRR from Signal Engine	$833	$10K	$20K
Average contract length	6 months	9 months	12 months
Client NPS	Unknown	50+	60+
Signal-to-meeting rate	Unknown	Track	15%+

13. Implementation Priorities

Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-2)

Priority	Action	Owner
High	Define messaging framework	Strategy
High	Develop naming strategy	Strategy
High	Create visual brief	Creative
Medium	Draft case study template	Content

Phase 2: Launch Prep (Weeks 3-4)

Priority	Action	Owner
High	Develop visual identity	Design
High	Create website copy	Content
High	Update sales collateral	Sales
Medium	Build LinkedIn profiles	Social

Phase 3: Go-Live (Weeks 5-6)

Priority	Action	Owner
High	Launch website	Web
High	Update LinkedIn	Social
High	Sales enablement training	Sales
Medium	Announce rebrand	Marketing

14. Strategic Decisions Log

Decision	Choice	Rationale	Date
Category name	"Custom Signal Engine"	Differentiated, clear, defensible	2026-02-23
Company name	Keep "Smartbound"	Brand equity, distinctive	2026-02-23
Primary ICP	Vertical SaaS, regulated industries	Signal density, fit with methodology	2026-02-23
Pricing	$2K/mo, 3-month minimum	Margin, commitment, value alignment	2026-02-23
Competitive angle	Custom vs. catalog	Unique positioning vs. Autobound/SalesIntel	2026-02-23

15. Next Steps

Messaging Framework — Detailed messages by audience and channel
Naming Strategy — Finalize product/feature names
Visual Brief — Direction for design team
Founder Review — Get Devon/Kevin approval on strategy
Creative Development — Begin Phase 3

This strategy document is the foundation for all rebrand work. Update as decisions are made and tested.