When was the last time you were looking for someone to help you with a problem? Maybe you needed a bookkeeper or an attorney. Or you were thinking your website needed an update with a fresh design. Where did you start?

Typically, you’d ask someone in your network that you know, like, and trust for a referral introduction to a professional they recommend. You’d get a few names and off you’d go, checking out websites and LinkedIn Profiles.

Right away you’d likely find yourself drowning in a lot (and usually too much) information:

• A list of services
• Videos
• Credentials, awards, etc.
• Client lists, logos, etc.
• Books, white papers, articles, blogs

You ask yourself: How is this company different from everyone else that does the same thing?

The Sea of Sameness

In fact, everyone sounds the same.  You notice that some of these websites even look the same – similar colors and design. Since they blend together, how do you decide who you should even consider speaking with? Do any of these sites actually answer the question Why Consider Us?

So then maybe you look for testimonials – quotes that are sprinkled throughout the website—to narrow things down a bit. “They were fantastic, we really enjoyed working with them and we’d highly recommend them.” That’s not really helpful. And the case studies are so general you can’t tell why they were hired and whether the “happy client” got the results they needed.

Why is this so difficult? Why is The Why so challenging to articulate?

Consider the Outsider’s Viewpoint

We’re so close to the inner workings of our own companies that it is challenging to think from the outside. Concepts that you think of as straightforward are often not very clear when your prospects and clients read your marketing materials.

Having that outsider’s viewpoint, or “The Prospect’s View,” is the right mindset when you think about why prospects should consider you as a solution. In fact, using your prospects’ words, not yours, is the most effective.

I’ve written a lot about using the pain points of your Ideal Client Targets to engage, and that’s a great place to start. You want to build on that messaging by speaking to why your prospects should consider your company.

When you approach this in a way that differentiates what you do, it gets to the core of why clients work with you. To construct a simple but powerful positioning statement, work with a template to build the components.

The Components of a Positioning Statement

1. Target audience: That’s easy – your ideal client targets.
2. Your Brand: This is your company.
3. Your Offering: This is the service you deliver (high level).
4. The Benefit: What is the greatest impact you have on your clients that is different from your competitors?
5. Proof Point: Why do your clients believe that you can deliver on this benefit?
6. End Value: What is the big picture/full value to the client?

Here’s the template:

For (target audience), (your company) is the (your offering) that delivers (benefit) because (proof point) so that (end value).

Here are a few positioning statement examples:

For large landscaping and construction firms, ABC Bookkeeping is the full accounting solution that delivers financial insight because we understand the urgent decisions you need to make so that you can run your business and grow with confidence.

For professional services, Smith Technology Solutions is the complete tech-stack solution that delivers efficient and cost-effective business support systems because we know how to apply smart and simple tools so that you can focus on your clients’ experience.

Moving from Expression to Impression

Positioning statements can be repurposed in numerous ways, such as feeding into a tagline. Using the fewest words possible, you can “link up” your tagline with your company logo to express and reinforce your positioning.

ABC Bookkeeping Taglines:

Financial insight for Urgent Decisions

Run your business. Grow with Confidence.

Smith Technology Solutions Taglines:

Because you need a smart, simple tech-stack

So you can focus on your clients

Additionally, positioning statements are important for website content, clarifying upfront what you do and for whom. What makes you different directly gets to the question your prospects wonder, “Why should I consider this company?”

The power in your positioning statement is simplicity, authenticity, and clarity. Reinforcing your positioning with frequent, consistent expression creates an impression when used in your networking, webinars, prospect meetings, proposals – every touchpoint along your prospects’ journey.

You can download the PDF template to develop your positioning statement here. For more on messaging and marketing, be sure to follow me on LinkedIn.

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