Keeping Southland Opportunity in Southland Hands
Photo: Senior Marketing Consultant, Charlotte Neilson (left) and Director, Carla Forbes (right), discussing the Tender-Ready launch.
As Southland attracts increasing investment and larger projects begin to emerge across the region, Southland-based agency Naked Creative is encouraging businesses to consider whether they are positioned to capitalise on the opportunities ahead.
The agency, which has long championed regional development and the success of Southland businesses, believes the region's greatest opportunity lies in ensuring local companies are ready to compete for the work generated on their doorstep.
While the agency supports businesses throughout New Zealand, founder Carla Forbes says Southland's success remains deeply personal.
"We are fiercely proud of Southland and the businesses that call this region home.
"We've spent years working alongside companies that are delivering exceptional work. We know the capability exists here.
"As Southland attracts investment and larger opportunities begin to emerge, we want to make sure local businesses are in the strongest possible position to secure that work.
"The last thing we'd like to see is opportunities arriving in Southland only for that work to leave the region because local businesses weren't ready to compete for it."
According to Senior Marketing Consultant Charlotte Neilson, the conversation has little to do with marketing in the traditional sense.
"This is about regional development. We want Southland businesses to win the work. We want Southland businesses to benefit from the investment flowing into our region. The capability already exists. The challenge is making sure decision makers can see it."
The agency has launched a new programme called Tender Ready following conversations with business owners across Southland.
While every business was different, the question was often the same.
Does the way we present ourselves reflect the quality of the business we've built?
"One of the privileges of our job is getting invited into businesses and seeing what happens behind the reception desk," said Neilson.
"We spend time in workshops, factories and on sites. We meet people who have dedicated years to their craft. We hear stories of persistence and hard work.
"The more time you spend inside Southland businesses, the more you realise the challenge isn't capability. Southland has never lacked capability.
"For many businesses, success was built on reputation. If you delivered good work and looked after people, the next opportunity generally followed.
"But as businesses grow, it doesn't quite work like that anymore.
"Today, people often form an opinion before they ever pick up the phone. In many cases, a decision is being shaped before a conversation takes place.
"I'm certainly not suggesting presentation matters more than performance. It doesn't.
"But if presentation is preventing people from seeing the quality of your performance, and Southland businesses aren't winning opportunities they are capable of delivering, that's a problem worth solving."
Neilson said the agency repeatedly found itself having the same conversation with businesses preparing for their next stage of growth.
"These businesses would often tell us they didn't need marketing because customers weren't wandering in off the street.
"And they were absolutely right.
"The conversation wasn't about marketing in the traditional sense. It was about market position.
"They were asking whether their presentation reflected the quality of the organisation they had spent years building.
"At that level, marketing becomes a strategic business function. Its role is to help the market understand the value that already exists within the business.
"Every conversation came back to the same question. Does the market see us the way we see ourselves?"
The Tender Ready programme was developed specifically for businesses pursuing larger contracts and procurement opportunities.
"This is strategic positioning rather than marketing for marketing's sake," said Neilson.
"It's about helping businesses communicate their capability.
"People need confidence in who they're partnering with.
"People need to be able to assess the quality of the business before a conversation ever takes place."
Neilson said the programme was developed in response to the opportunities emerging across Southland.
"We're seeing more investment, larger projects. And with this comes more formal procurement processes.
"We want Southland businesses in the strongest possible position to compete.
"The capability already exists. Tender Ready is about making sure it can be seen."
For businesses not yet pursuing major contracts, Naked Creative has also introduced Market Ready, a simplified programme designed to strengthen a business's market presence and support future growth.
"It's about helping businesses build the foundations they'll need as opportunities continue to emerge," said Neilson.
Forbes believes the initiative reflects Naked Creative's long-standing commitment to Southland's economic development.
"We've always believed that when Southland businesses succeed, our region succeeds.
"For years, we've worked alongside businesses building Southland's economy. We've seen businesses back themselves and create jobs. We've seen businesses compete on a national stage.
"We are incredibly proud of what exists here.
"Southland is entering a period of opportunity. There is momentum across the region.
"The challenge now is making sure local businesses are ready to capture it.
"The opportunity isn't simply attracting investment into Southland. The opportunity is ensuring local businesses are well-positioned to benefit from it.
"My concern isn't whether Southland businesses can deliver. I see that capability every day.
"The question is whether they are putting themselves in the strongest possible position to secure the opportunities ahead.
"Southland has earned a reputation for getting things done.
"The next challenge is making sure we're not overlooked when opportunities arise.
"If more Southland businesses win, the whole region benefits."
ENDS.
