Positioning & Value Proposition for B2B and Professional Services Firms
Most B2B and professional services firms don’t struggle because they lack expertise.
They struggle because the market doesn’t clearly understand why they matter—or how they’re different.
“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.”
Michael Porter
Why Positioning is the Root of Most B2B Marketing Problems
When positioning is unclear, everything downstream suffers: marketing underperforms, sales cycles drag, and firms become interchangeable when and where differentiation matters most.
Positioning fails for predictable reasons:
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Firms describe what they do, not why it matters
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Messaging reflects internal language, not buyer priorities
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Value propositions and core messaging are generic
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Differentiation becomes cosmetic; focused on optics, not substance
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Marketing and sales tell slightly or completely different stories
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Leadership alignment shifts as firms grow or reposition
The result is not bad marketing—it’s confusing marketing. And confused buyers rarely engage.
Our Approach to Positioning and Value Proposition
We treat positioning as a strategic discipline, not a branding exercise.
Rather than starting with slogans or messaging frameworks, we focus on understanding how buyers perceive value, risk, and credibility—and where your firm can own a clear, defensible position.
We clarify what truly matters to buyers.
We identify the problems your target buyers are actually trying to solve and the criteria they use to evaluate partners.
We define a credible and distinct value proposition.
We help articulate what makes your firm meaningfully different—not broadly appealing, but clearly relevant.
Create language that's clear, repeatable, and durable.
Our goal is not cleverness. It’s language and core messaging that others can explain accurately when you’re not in the room
What Effective Positioning
Makes Possible
When their positioning is clear and credible, our clients typically experience:
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Shorter sales cycles and higher-quality conversations
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Stronger inbound interest from higher value prospects
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Greater integration and confidence across marketing and business development
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Less pressure to compete on price
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A clearer narrative for growth initiatives or exit planning
Positioning doesn’t just improve marketing. It reduces business risk.
How Our Engagements Work
Our client engagements are tailored, but they generally include:
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Diagnostic review of current messaging, website, and materials
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Buyer and market perspective (formal or informal, depending on context)
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Clarification of value proposition and differentiation
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Alignment with leadership on language and narrative
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Translation into tactical guidance for marketing and outreach
This is hands-on, collaborative, senior-level work. You work directly with me, and we stay close to the thinking until it’s right.
If you’re weighing options, I offer this perspective:
This need not be a typical sales process. You don’t need to be “ready” for anything.
I have no expectation that a conversation will lead anywhere beyond clarity.
If you want to talk through what you’re seeing, what’s not working, or what you’re unsure about, I’m happy to do that.
If it’s useful, great. If not, no harm done. No sales pitch. No obligation. And zero follow-up unless you ask.
Don't like buttons? Contact me directly at (609) 987-0200, or gordon@highlanderconsulting.com
Where This Fits the Bigger Picture
Positioning and value proposition work often serves as the starting point for broader efforts related to your firm's visibility, authority building, and demand creation.
Without this foundation, even well-executed marketing plans tend to underperform.
With this strategic thinking nailed down, everything becomes more effective—and easier to sustain and evaluate.