What’s really going on

Most B2B companies didn’t choose to be broad. They got there one good opportunity at a time: a client in a new sector, a project slightly outside the core, a service added because someone asked for it. Each step made sense. Together they add up to a company that can do a lot, for a lot of people.

That shows up everywhere. The website lists ten industries and six services. The homepage says something like “we help organisations grow with innovative solutions”. Every salesperson tells a slightly different story, depending on the client and their own background. And when a prospect asks “so what exactly do you do?”, the answer takes a few minutes.

Broad feels safe, because it doesn’t exclude anyone. But buyers don’t read your website, they scan it. If they can’t place you within seconds, one of two things happens. Either they forget you, or they put you on a list with everyone who looks similar and compare you on the only thing left to compare: price.

Narrowing your positioning doesn’t mean turning work away. It means choosing who you lead with: the clients and problems you put front and centre, so the right buyers recognise themselves instantly.

How to tell your positioning is too broad

You need more than one sentence to explain who you’re for. And that sentence contains the words “all kinds of”.

Your best clients describe you differently than you describe yourself. Usually in a much more specific, and much more valuable, way.

You often hear “we went with someone more specialised”. You lost to a firm that looked like a better fit, even though you could have done the job just as well.

Your marketing creates conversations, but few of them fit. A broad message attracts a broad audience, and most of it isn’t worth your time.

How to fix it

1. Look at your ten best clients

Not the biggest or the most famous, but the best: easy to win, great to work with, profitable and happy with the result. These are the clients you want more of, and they hold the answer to who you should lead with.

2. Find the pattern

What do they have in common? Look at sector, size and how they’re organised, but also at the situation they were in when they found you. Were they growing fast, entering a new market, replacing a supplier, dealing with new regulation? Often the moment matters more than the industry. That moment is where your positioning starts.

3. Write one sentence

Use a simple structure: we help [who] with [problem], so they can [outcome]. Be specific. “We help mid-sized software companies turn their product into a clear story that sales can actually use” says far more than “we help companies with their marketing”. If it doesn’t feel a little uncomfortable, it’s probably still too broad.

4. Test it with real clients

Share the sentence with five clients and ask two questions: “Is this why you work with us?” and “Would you recommend us to someone like this?” If they recognise themselves straight away, you’re close. If they hesitate, go back to the pattern.

5. Lead with it everywhere

Put the sentence on your homepage, your LinkedIn profiles, your proposals and the first two minutes of every sales conversation. Make sure everyone in the company can say it in their own words. You can still serve other clients when they come along. You just stop leading with them.

An example

Imagine an IT services company with 60 people. Their website says they deliver “cloud, security, data and development for every sector”. When they look at their best clients, a pattern appears: most are healthcare organisations that needed to move to the cloud while staying compliant with strict privacy rules.

Their new positioning: “We help healthcare organisations move to the cloud without putting patient data at risk.” They still take on other projects. But healthcare buyers now recognise them in seconds, sales cycles get shorter, and price is no longer the first question.

Common mistakes

Confusing focus with exclusion. Choosing who you lead with isn’t the same as refusing everyone else.

Picking a niche that’s too small to grow in. Check that there are enough companies like your best clients to reach your growth goals.

Changing the website and nothing else. Positioning only works when sales, proposals and your whole team tell the same story.