5 Tips to Better Position Your Professional Firm in the Market

**There's no two ways about it: developing a focused and clear market position for your professional firm is a challenge. **

It's become something of an obsession of mine after watching multiple firms I worked for over the last 15 years - including some I managed - as they struggled to get traction with their sales and marketing.

But the results of having a laser-focused position for your firm are simply too good to pass up.

It's a challenge, for sure, but a challenge absolutely worth taking up.

You will get better traction with your sales and improved ROI from your marketing. Attracting and closing new prospects will speed up considerably. This laser-like focus is also the key to unlocking the path to premium fees because you will be able to position yourself as an unqualified expert in your field.

I became determined to find a way to help service firms create, test, and benefit from a solid marketing position to help them grow. As part of that journey, I recently attended an event in Nashville, TN with 50 other marketing experts on the topic of how to position your marketing agencies to create premium pricing and expert status.

That subject - positioning a marketing agency to enhance its status as an expert, and thus drive premium pricing - translates perfectly to professional service firms.

Here are 5 top takeaways that will help you better position your professional firm:

• Positioning your firm cannot be a secret. The impact of your position decision requires it to be stated upfront and boldly in your materials and website. Clients and prospects need to know you aren't 'making it up' and changing how you present your focus just to win the deal.

• Competition is a good thing! It's a sign of life that your target market has potential. If you have too few of competitors in your space (anywhere from less than 10, on up to 200) it's a sign the market simply does not value spending serious money on your type of expertise. Don't focus on a market that isn't ready to spend to solve their problems.

• Don't waste your energy trying to invent a new category. We need to be honest and stop thinking our firm is rare exception that is too difficult to market. That usually means you are combining services in a way that's simply too confusing to explain.

• Focus on delivering valuable expertise focused on solving a common problem. Combine the problem you solve with your unique perspective. Stop trying to reinvent a category.

• You are not in the "customer service" business. Pick a specific problem to solve. One that you can become an expert at and can truly solve deeply. From that moment, you don't have to focus all your energy over-delivering on 'great customer service'. Clients are buying your point of view and your results, not your customer service. Focus on delivering results first, customer service second.

The formula is simple - focus on a position, drive home your expertise, win clients and charge appropriately.

It's a challenge, but it's a challenge you must meet head on if you want to take your professional firm to the next level.

If you've tried to focus your position - if you feel a sharp pain in your head when you even hear the word "positioning" - I'm here to help. I have more than 15 years of experience in marketing and branding, and this is exactly where I've positioned my company: helping focus your message so you can drive sales and feel more love for what you do.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to position a professional firm? Positioning is the answer to the question: "Who specifically do you help and what specific problem do you solve for them?" A well-positioned firm doesn't try to be everything to everyone. It claims a clear lane and owns it. A CPA firm positioned as "tax strategy for real estate investors" will attract and close more clients in that niche than a firm that says "we help businesses and individuals with all their accounting needs."

How do I know if my firm is poorly positioned? A few signs: you struggle to explain what you do in one clear sentence, you regularly work with clients who don't fully value your expertise, or you compete mostly on price because prospects can't tell the difference between you and the firm down the street. Poor positioning also shows up in marketing that sounds like everyone else in your industry, with vague claims about "quality service" and "experienced professionals."

How specific does my positioning need to be? Specific enough that your ideal client reads your website and immediately thinks "that's exactly me." Most firms are afraid to go too narrow because they worry about excluding potential clients. In practice, a tighter position almost always grows revenue faster because it attracts better-fit clients who close faster and refer others like themselves. Going from "marketing firm" to "marketing firm for plumbing and HVAC companies" is a real example of positioning that attracts premium clients.

What's the difference between positioning and branding? Positioning is the strategic decision about who you serve and what problem you solve. Branding is how that position gets expressed visually and verbally through your logo, website, colors, tone, and messaging. You have to get the positioning right first, because if the strategy is wrong, polishing the brand just makes you look like a well-dressed firm no one understands. Strategy before aesthetics, every time.

How long does it take to see results from repositioning a professional firm? Most firms start to see clearer leads and better sales conversations within 3 to 6 months of committing to a focused position. The first month or two usually feels uncomfortable because you're saying no to clients outside your lane. By month four or five, referrals from ideal clients start picking up because your message is finally clear enough for past clients to repeat it to others. A year in, the difference in deal quality and close rate is usually dramatic.