How to consolidate your tech stack (and market it)

95% of Senior IT Executives are looking to consolidate tech vendors over the next 12 months.

I open with this because almost the entire B2B buyer market is looking to consolidate technology solutions in 2024. For major players, who already market central tech stacks, this is good news. But if you don’t market a central tech stack, you could lose business this year. In fact, you probably will.

B2B buyers want simplicity, centrality, and to cut communication lines with many vendors. If you haven’t already consolidated your tech stack, here’s how to do it.

Why one central tech stack?

Companies are cutting back. The economy is harsh, and businesses have less money to play with. In this landscape, single-product tech providers, or those with a small portfolio of products, are at risk of being cut from the budget entirely.

Finance is a key factor, but other things matter too. Business leaders are looking to consolidate tech vendors in the hope that they can do more with strategic vendors. A central systems architecture that has integrated data is attractive to B2B buyers who want to do more with less.

How to sell a central tech stack with marketing

If you are a technology provider, you probably sell multiple products. That’s great, but it’s important to market these multiple products together as a central tech stack.

The way to consolidate technology solutions is to ensure they integrate first. Do your set of products work together? Can they be marketed, and sold together? Here are some ways to get started:

• Unify your products with strong messaging. In your marketing, talk about unity. Simplicity. Generate language that is overarching, and which encompasses every tool. Large brands have done this successfully. A suite of tools is marketed as “end-to-end”. They prompt buyers with the CTA: what other tool of ours can you use next?
• Use visuals. Diagrams and flowcharts can help you to illustrate how different products work together. Thread them throughout your marketing and demonstrate a clear buyer journey. Which product will your audience buy first? Which second, which third, which last? The easier it is for customers to follow the trail of your products, the more likely they will.
• Use success stories. Highlight real-world examples of how your products have helped businesses achieve their goals. This not only builds credibility, but also provides potential customers with a clear understanding of how your products can work together to solve their specific challenges.

Understand the B2B buyers journey and the 10 pain points you need to overcome.

How to market central tech stack as a single-product vendor

We already know that 95% of Senior IT Executives are planning to consolidate vendors over the next 12 months. We also know that as a single, or subsidiary, product vendor you’ll likely miss out on 2024 sales, unless buyers can see the value of your offerings as something comprehensive.

A shift towards vendor consolidation signifies something deeper in B2B buyers. Cost is a factor, but simplicity is a bigger one. In a 2023 survey, 80% of respondents cited that “too many point solutions” was the biggest driver behind vendor consolidation.

If B2B buyers are looking to streamline, and simplify, you can tap into a real pain point here. Talk about “harmony”, “simplicity”, and the “ease” of deploying your solution. If it’s a no-code tool, and requires little work on their end, highlight this. If the interface is clean, and functional, showcase this with explainer videos, or a visual blog. Show your audience just how easy it is to use your tool.

The power of marketing a central tech stack

The need to consolidate your tech stack – and effectively market it – has never been clearer. Almost 100% of Senior IT buyers will be aiming towards vendor consolidation over the next year. Which means now is the time to:

• Showcase product integration
• Visual demonstrate a product journey – from one tool to the next
• Highlight customers who’s achieved success with multiple tools
• Create messaging around product simplicity and harmony

As the world of technology procurement shifts towards consolidation, brand marketing must also reflect this. We’ve helped brands like Nintex and FlowForma weave together product stories – and create top-level campaigns – to make cross-selling, and upselling, a more successful enterprise.