Sustainable growth in B2B technology is not about doing more of the same. It is about making the right strategic moves at the right time … extending capabilities, entering adjacent markets, and building advantage where it matters most.
For leaders, the challenge is rarely a lack of effort; rather, it is about deciding where to focus resources to create the next wave of value.
Adjacency moves offer a clear pathway, expanding into areas closely linked to your core business, where you can compete from a position of strength rather than starting from scratch.
A single strategic move can open new markets, deepen client relationships, and set the foundation for long-term growth.
In this blog, I will explore how adjacency moves work, why they are critical in B2B technology, and how to recognise when to make one.
What Are Adjacency Moves?
Growth does not always require breaking into unfamiliar territory. In many cases, the strongest gains come from expanding into areas adjacent to your core business where your existing capabilities, brand equity, and client relationships give you a natural advantage.
An adjacency move is a deliberate step into a closely related market, service line, or capability. It allows you to grow beyond your current footprint without the high risk and long lead times of a full diversification strategy.
Successful adjacency moves are not opportunistic. They are strategic extensions, chosen because they align with what the business already does well, and where there is a clear opportunity to deliver differentiated value.
Four Adjacency Moves That Can Drive Real Impact
There are many ways to expand through adjacency. The most effective moves are those that build on core strengths while opening new paths for growth. Four proven approaches include:
1. Innovate with new products or services
Growth often comes from identifying unmet client needs and extending your offering to meet them. This could mean launching a complementary service, developing a new product line, or packaging existing capabilities in a new way.
2. Form value chain alliances
Strategic partnerships with businesses upstream or downstream in the value chain can accelerate growth without the cost and complexity of building capabilities internally.
3. Specialise to win more work from fewer clients
Deepening your expertise in a specific sector or client type allows you to become indispensable, increasing share of wallet while reducing the cost of acquisition.
4. Build or partner to enter a new service line or market segment
When natural extensions exist outside your current offering, building or partnering to enter new service lines can drive meaningful growth.
Why These Moves Matter in B2B Tech
In B2B technology, standing still is rarely sustainable. Revenue plateaus, rising client acquisition costs, and increasing competition are common challenges even for businesses with strong core offerings.
For MSPs, service commoditisation puts pressure on margins, forcing a rethink of how to deepen client value and defend against price-driven competitors. In cybersecurity, rapid market evolution demands constant adaptation, but internal resources often lag behind the speed of opportunity. SaaS businesses face saturation in key verticals, with new entrants forcing incumbents to find new ways to extend market relevance.
Adjacency moves offer a practical path forward. Rather than chasing growth through expensive diversification or constant reinvention, they allow businesses to build on existing strengths, creating new revenue streams, strengthening client relationships, and improving resilience without overextending.
The businesses that succeed are those that recognise when the current model has run its course, and move deliberately to extend their position before market forces erode it.
How to Know If It’s Time for a Strategic Shift
Recognising when to make an adjacency move is as important as executing it well.
The signs are rarely dramatic. More often, they show up as a gradual loss of momentum:
- Growth has slowed, despite consistent effort.
- Client acquisition costs are rising faster than revenue.
- Sales cycles are becoming longer and less predictable.
- Core offerings are increasingly seen as interchangeable.
- Expansion feels harder than it should, even with a strong team in place.
If your business is investing more into outreach but seeing diminishing returns, it may not be a marketing or sales issue, it may be a positioning issue. Strategic shifts are not about reacting to short-term pressures. They are about recognising when the ground has shifted, and moving early to create the next platform for growth.
Conclusion
Strategic growth rarely requires a complete overhaul. More often, it comes down to a single, well-judged move, an extension that builds on what you already do best and positions you for what’s next. Adjacency moves offer a way to create new value, deepen client relationships, and stay ahead of market shifts without losing focus or overreaching. The most successful businesses are not those that try to do everything but those that know precisely where to move and when.
Explore Your Next Strategic Move with Resonate
If you are considering your next strategic move, Resonate works with B2B technology leaders to identify opportunities for sustainable growth and build clear, actionable strategies to capture them. To discuss how adjacency moves could strengthen your position, book a strategy call with our team.
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