An Introduction to the Ascenum Marketplace

B2B Marketplaces are no longer a fundamentally new idea. There are a number of Marketplaces that connect customers and suppliers across industries and service categories.

So, what makes the Ascenum Marketplace different, compelling, and beneficial to Private Business Owners and Providers?

At Ascenum, we have incorporated decades of experience advising business leaders and applied state-of-the-art Marketplace technology in the design and development of Ascenum’s Marketplace.  We have been sensitive to what our Members need in the way of critical services and thoughtful about user experience and economics that benefit our Providers.  Here are some key points:

Critical Services are Addressed

Every eventful business decision can be critical, but some are more significant than others. We thought about the lifecycle through which a business owner navigates their company, particularly events that require specialized assistance, and built a Marketplace to address these critical issues.  Our range of services categories will be shaped by our Member needs, including Access to Capital, Exit Planning & Company Sale Advisory, and eventually various high-impact Services within Finance, IT, Sales, and Marketing.  

A Unique Pricing Model Benefits Both Members and Providers

Ascenum’s fundamental brand commitment is to help Private Business Owners realize their dreams, and the Marketplace has been designed to fulfill this promise.  Our Members do not pay to search for needed services within the Marketplace.  All of our Members, including Explore Members (the free Membership level in Ascenum), can take advantage of the Marketplace design to discover suitable providers whose attributes align with the needs of the owner and their business characteristics.  When Members discover Provider(s) ideally matched to their service requirements, they can then choose to make an In-App purchase to capture full detail and contact information for each of their Provider Matches.

Meanwhile, Providers are screened and curated by the Ascenum team.  We Know Our Providers and apply standards for admission to the Marketplace.  Since we generate revenue from the In-App transaction to reveal ideally matched Providers, there is Zero Revenue Take between Ascenum and Providers on engagements / projects / transactions.  Providers realize full revenue, and Ascenum remains a detached party not participating in the financial transaction between a Member and ultimately engaged Provider.

Controls are Beneficial for All Parties

Marketplaces work well when participants are secure, confident, and clear in their expectations.  This led us to create an experience that helps both Members and Providers:

• Members control their initial outreach to Providers.  Marketplace Providers cannot solicit Members.
• Providers have full control over their Matching Attributes to create a level of filtering and specification that works for them.  This allows Providers to make any Matching instance a meaningful opportunity and qualified lead for them.
• The Ascenum team is involved in the review, and when needed editing, of each Offer by every Provider.  This is a bit of extra work, but it significantly raises the quality, accuracy, and consistency of Offers across Providers and across Service Categories.  It builds confidence for Members that Offers are accurate first portrayals of what to expect from a Provider.
• Our Know Our Provider efforts are geared, primarily, toward Providers sized from “boutique to Mid-Size.”  Importantly this means we look for Providers with a proven ability to help firms that profile similar to our Members.

The planning, design and economic models, and user experience in a Marketplace are critical – just as critical as the details of Members and Providers themselves.  At Ascenum, we invest in creating a Marketplace that addresses all of these factors.

When you are ready to be part of our Marketplace, Private Business Owner / Members can follow this link to Membership levels: https://ascenum.com/our-memberships/

Boutique to mid-size Service Providers can access our Calendly for a first discussion in our Know Our Provider process: https://ascenum.com/service-providers/

The Ascenum Marketplace Team