Know Your
Position
own a clear market position
Own the one thing customers think of first.
Positioning is the strategic decision about which problem you solve, for whom, and why you're the only sensible choice. Get it right and every other channel, including brand, website, ads and sales, works harder for less. Get it wrong, and you're left competing on price.
“Before this we were quoting against everyone on price. Now prospects already know why we're different before we even get on a call.” Professional Services Firm, OYM Client
Most businesses are invisible in the one thing that actually makes them different
Most businesses describe themselves the same way their competitors do, then wonder why every sale comes down to price. Strong positioning is what makes you the obvious choice before the conversation even starts. Book a free 30-min call
You sound exactly like your competitors
If you swapped your homepage headline with a rival's, would anyone notice? When everyone claims to be “trusted,” “experienced,” and “customer-focused,” none of those words mean anything any more. We help you find the one claim only you can make.
You're trying to be relevant to everyone
A business that's “for everyone” is memorable to no one. The businesses that grow fastest pick a specific customer and a specific problem and own it completely, even if that means turning some enquiries away.
You're competing on price because you haven't earned the right not to
Without a clear position, price is the only thing left to compete on. Positioning gives prospects a reason to choose you that has nothing to do with being the cheapest quote in their inbox.
Your team can't agree on what makes you different
Ask five people in your business what makes you different from the competition and you'll likely get five different answers. Without an agreed position, your website, sales calls and marketing all pull in different directions.
Different jobs. Both matter.
Positioning and branding get used interchangeably, but they're not the same job, and confusing them is why so many “rebrands” change nothing about results.
Branding
- How you look, sound and feel
- Logo, colours, typography, tone of voice
- Measured by recognition and consistency
- Answers: “What's it like to deal with you?”
- Makes you recognisable
Positioning
- Where you sit in the market and in the customer's mind
- The category you compete in, the customer you serve, the claim you own
- Measured by how easily prospects can explain why they chose you
- Answers: “Why should I choose you over the alternative?”
- Makes you the obvious choice
Same skills. Different claim. Different price.
Positioning doesn't change what you're capable of, it changes what customers think they're buying. Here's what that looks like across a few trades and services.
General plumber
£50 call-outCompetes with every other plumber in the area on speed and price. Booked for leaks, blockages and emergencies.
Boiler replacement specialist
£1,500+ installPositioned as the specialist for an expensive, urgent problem. Homeowners with a failing boiler don't shop on price, they book the specialist.
General personal trainer
£25 per sessionOpen to anyone who wants to get fit. Competes against every gym, app and trainer on price per hour.
Strength coach for women over 40
£600 8-week programmePositioned for a specific person with a specific goal. Sold as a transformation package, not a list of sessions.
General bookkeeper
£30 per hourDoes the books. Hired reactively when the paperwork piles up, and judged mainly on hourly rate.
Growth advisor for tradespeople
£500 a month retainerPositioned as the advisor who helps tradespeople price jobs properly and plan for tax, not just file numbers.
Website builder
£500 for 5 pagesBuilds a website for anyone who needs one. Compared against every freelancer and template site on price.
Lead-generation websites for local trades
£5,000 projectPositioned as the specialist who builds sites that convert for one industry, sold as an investment in enquiries, not a one-off expense.
What's included in a Positioning sprint
Every sprint has a defined scope agreed before we start. Here's what a typical Positioning sprint covers.
Positioning Audit
We review your current messaging, your competitors' claims, and how your actual customers describe you, to find the gap between how you talk about yourself and what's genuinely true and differentiated.
Target Customer Definition
We define exactly who you're positioning for: the customer you win most often and most profitably, so every message, page and offer is built for a specific person, not a generic “anyone.”
Positioning Statement & Value Proposition
A single, testable statement of who you serve, the problem you solve, and why you're the only sensible choice, the foundation every other piece of messaging gets built from.
Messaging Framework
Headlines, elevator pitch, proof points and objection handling, built from your positioning so your website, sales team and adverts all say the same thing, in the same way, every time.
Competitive Differentiation Map
A clear picture of where competitors sit and the gap only you can credibly fill, so your positioning isn't just different, it's defensible.
Rollout & Application
We help you apply the new positioning to the places that matter most first: homepage, sales deck, key landing pages, so the change is felt immediately, not just filed away in a document.
How Positioning connects to the rest of your marketing
Positioning doesn't work in isolation. Here's how it connects to the other BIG12 pillars that amplify your results.
Brand
Positioning is the strategy. Brand is how that strategy looks, sounds and feels across every touchpoint.
Website
Your website is the first place prospects test whether your positioning is actually true. It needs to say it clearly, fast.
Lead Generation
Clear positioning means your lead generation attracts the right enquiries, not just more enquiries.
Test & Measure
Positioning is a hypothesis until it's tested. We track close rate and enquiry quality to prove it's working.
Real results from positioning work
A long-established professional services firm competing on price against larger, better-funded rivals. Every pitch came down to the lowest quote, and the team couldn't articulate what made them different from the next firm in the search results. We ran a full Positioning sprint to fix that.
“We stopped trying to be the cheapest option and started being the obvious one. The new positioning changed how prospects talked to us from the first call.” Professional Services Firm, OYM Client
Ready to own a position no one else can claim?
Book a free 30-minute call. We'll review how you currently position yourself against your real competitors and tell you exactly what to fix first, whether you work with us or not.
Free 30 minutes. No commitment. No hard sales.
Common questions about Positioning
What is positioning in marketing?
Positioning is the strategic decision about which problem you solve, for which customer, and why you're the right choice over every alternative. It's the foundation every other piece of marketing, including website, brand, content and ads, gets built on.
How is positioning different from branding?
Branding is how your business looks, sounds and feels. Positioning is the strategic claim you make in the market and in your customer's mind. You can have a beautiful brand built on weak positioning, and it will still struggle to convert.
How do I know if my positioning is weak?
If your team gives different answers when asked what makes you different, if your marketing reads like your competitors', or if every sale comes down to price, your positioning needs work.
How long does a positioning project take?
A typical positioning sprint runs over 4 weeks, covering the audit, target customer definition, positioning statement and messaging framework, with results tracked through close rate and enquiry quality over the following 3 months.
Does positioning work require a full rebrand?
No. Positioning is the strategy, and brand is the execution. Many businesses fix their positioning first, then make targeted updates to their messaging and visual brand rather than starting from scratch.
Need help with your Positioning?
“I’m happy to answer any questions and help you make the right decisions for you business.” - Stuart
Based at Cromford Mills, Derby, serving businesses across Derbyshire, Nottingham, Manchester and the UK