Overcoming Positioning Challenges
Clarke Ricks School of Business,
Liberty University
BUSI 690: Policy and Strategy in Global Competition
Dr. Hicks
April 9, 2022
Overcoming Positioning Challenges
Repositioning your firm is not necessarily easy. It depends on the raw materials you have to
work with and the mindset you bring to the process. Some firms discover that they just do not
have strong differentiators. In this all-too-common situation, a firm has four options:
1. Embrace a new focus in an underserved area. This is the most effective — and difficult
— option. It almost always means letting go of one or more client segments to build
momentum and mind-share in another. If you think you can pull it off, pursue this approach
with all the energy you have. It can pay huge dividends.
2. Own a trait. Identify an aspect of your business that you would like to associate with
your firm. It’s okay if competitors do it, too — so long as nobody else is using it in the same
way. For example, an architecture firm client of ours uses industry research to inform its design
process. This “evidence-based design” approach isn’t new, but it’s not universally practiced,
and none of their competitors were talking about it. So the firm decided to own it. As part of
their brand positioning strategy, they began using the word “scientific” to describe their design
philosophy. By tying their approach to science, they could begin building a reputation as the
most methodical and credible option in their market.
3. Combine two traits. This is a mashup of options 1 and 2 above. Select two primary traits
or functions of your business and combine them. You may be able to claim that you are the
leader at the intersection of those two things. For example, we positioned an accounting firm as
“the nation’s leading specialist in fair market valuations and financial transaction consulting to
the healthcare industry.” Since no other firm was preeminent in providing both of those
services to the healthcare industry, our client could credibly call itself a leader.
4. Do nothing. Or promote weak differentiators, which amounts to the same thing. You
can say that you hire only the best people, or that you deliver the best customer service, but
nobody will care.
Brand Positioning Strategy Examples
Professional services firms often struggle to differentiate and position themselves. So I’d like
to end this piece by examining a handful of real-world examples of brand positioning strategy
— specifically, how firms in different industries have used positioning strategy to become more
competitive, grow faster and be more profitable.
Accounting
Lester + Company is a Dallas-based accounting firm. At first, they were a typical general
accounting firm with a diverse range of business clients. Their fortunes turned for the better
when they decided to pivot and specialize in serving one of their strongest client segments:
restaurants. Over time, they decided to narrow their focus, even more, to concentrate on chain
restaurants. Today, they are thriving and growing in their highly specialized area of expertise.
“It’s taken us to a whole new level of success,” says CEO, Andrew Lester.
Brand positioning: The accounting firm for multi-location restaurants.
Executive Search
Melissa Henderson was a Managing Director at a large, international search firm when she
had a crazy idea. What if C-level executives could hire their own personal representative, much
like an elite sports agent? It would turn the executive search industry on its head. (Conventional
executive search firms are paid by companies who are looking for talent, not by the job
seekers.) So Melissa left her job and founded Summit Executive Resources, a firm that helps top
executives find the leadership and board positions they have always wanted — with the high-
touch personal service they deserve.
Brand positioning: The personal search firm for C-level executives.
Healthcare Consulting
Ascendient is a top-50 consulting firm that serves hospital systems around the nation. Led
by a team of practitioners and academics, they have a unique perspective on the future of
healthcare. In fact, they believe most healthcare systems are not prepared for the massive
changes that are about to transform the marketplace. To make their perspective more visible
and differentiate their firm from consultants that focus primarily on today’s problems,
Ascendient decided to reposition its firm around its future vision.
Legal
Walsh Colucci Lubeley and Walsh is a law firm outside Washington, DC. For decades, they
were a general law firm with a strong practice in zoning and land use. But when the top firm in
that space dissolved, their leadership recognized an opportunity and quickly rebranded their
firm as The Land Lawyers. While they continue to offer a few general legal services, Walsh
Colucci focuses their brand message squarely on its area of strength. Today, they have become
the region’s dominant player in commercial real estate law.
Conclusion
Most professional services firms are poorly positioned in the marketplace. They believe that
they can get more clients by opening their arms wide to everyone — the broader their reach,
the more business will float into their embrace. But that’s not what really happens. When
buyers look around and see awkwardly splayed arms everywhere, they have nowhere to
gravitate.
That’s why having a brand positioning strategy is so important. It gives your prospects
something to get interested in — and will ultimately convince them to buy from you. Your
target audience will find you many times more fascinating than a generalist firm because you
have the specialized expertise they need. And as a specialist, you can often charge more, to
boot.
If your firm isn’t positioned to consistently attract premium clients, take heart. You’re not
alone. Any firm can sharpen its positioning and build an enviable competitive advantage. All it
takes is a little courage to take the first step.
