I ask a simple question on almost every discovery call: “What makes your firm different?”

The answer to this question tells me most of what I need to know about the work that this firm needs to do.

Most founders think they have an answer. They’ve been living with it for years. It feels true when they say it internally. It's repeated in every board and executive meeting. But in their gut, they know something is off. They say it out loud to a buyer, and it doesn't feel nearly as exciting as it did during internal meetings. The market doesn't reward vague self-belief. It rewards firms that pick a position, prove it matters, and behave in ways that make the claim credible.

Some of you are inevitably thinking right now, "that's not me; I know what makes us different."

I bet that every single person that responded to this question on my recent LinkedIn post thought the same thing.

The comment section was the case study

It was brutal. These people weren't dumb. But the pattern was so predictable. Almost every response was either (1) a values statement dressed up as differentiation, or (2) a capabilities pitch that never created separation. A few were closer, but still collapsed under one simple test: would a buyer choose you over a viable alternative based on that sentence alone?

You can see it in my replies. I wasn’t trying to be snarky. I was doing the only thing that matters in positioning work: forcing the claim to become observable.

The “Great People” trophy (polished, sincere, useless)

One answer was basically a warm hug:

“We are a human first Strategic Marketing Agency. It's about 3 things for us, Connection, Passion, and results…”

That is the exact kind of thing founders say when they haven’t chosen a position, and also likely don't understand the position they currently own in the minds of their clients. It’s heartfelt. It’s well-intentioned. It also gives a buyer nothing they can use to decide.

So my response was some of the same questions I ask on advisory calls:

“How does this help your clients achieve measurably better results than your top competitors?”

“What does it look and feel like from the client's perspective?”

“What is something you tangibly do that's different, that your competitors wouldn't dream of doing?”

“On the flip side, what is something that you refuse to do, that your competitors would?”

These questions are a filter. If your answer can’t survive them, you don’t have differentiation. You have internal narrative. And internal narrative doesn’t win deals.

The “trust me, we’re different” move (and why it backfires)

Another response sounded more sophisticated, but it had the same problem:

“Enabling leaders to generate the Social Climate where your organisation gets the best from its people… Ideal Client: Anyone prepared to step away from the run-of-the-mill leadership philosophy.”

That last line is the tell. Founders love the idea of an ICP that selects itself based on taste. “The right people will get it.” “The right leaders will resonate with this.” Buyers don’t work like that. Especially not buyers under pressure. So I pushed for definitions, mechanism, and proof:

“What is the definition of ‘Climate’ and why does it come before ‘Culture’?”

“When you say that you ‘teach leaders about behavioural psychology’ does that mean that you come in as a coach? an advisor? a consultant?”

“How do you ensure that what they learn actually sticks and drives tangible business impact?”

“Your client can't be ‘anyone prepared…’ … you need to get very specific about who your ideal client is (firmographically and psychographically).”

This is where founders sometimes get defensive. They think I'm nitpicking their words. I'm not. I'm trying to find the tangible structural difference hiding underneath the internal narrative.

The “faster, smarter decisions” trap (aspiration isn’t a position)

The most common genre of bad positioning is the future-of-work promise. It sounds impressive. It’s also interchangeable.

Example:

“We'll enable your business to thrive… by enabling your people and teams to make faster, smarter decisions.”

When I asked what makes that different from any leadership or organizational development consultant, the answer turned into a bigger version of the same claim:

“Billions spent globally on ‘leadership development’ are largely wasted… We enable people to understand what ‘leadership’ really is…”

This is exactly what I mean when I say the market doesn’t reward vague self-belief. If your positioning rests on you declaring that everyone else is wrong and you finally have the truth, the buyer faces a major risk. They have to take your word for it. And buyers don’t hire consultants to take on new risk. They hire consultants to reduce it.

The confusing explanation with differentiation trap

This is where many boutique firms waste their time and money. They assume the market doesn’t understand them. So they explain harder. New website. New tagline. New positioning statement. More copy. Better brand photography. A cleaner narrative.

In that same LinkedIn thread, one person basically said it out loud:

“I clearly have to work harder to get that across… we have new positioning and messaging going live soon.”

Here’s the definition that changes everything:

Messaging explains the position. Positioning determines whether the position is worth explaining in the first place.

Or, in the line I dropped in the replies:

“Positioning is what you do (and how the market perceives it over time), and messaging is what you say.”

You can’t “change positioning” the way you change homepage copy or your LinkedIn profile headline and about section.

Real repositioning is a comprehensive in-market change effort. It usually takes 24 months of different behavior being visible enough that the market takes notice and starts to believe it.

Why this keeps happening (even to smart operators)

Three reasons. They stack.

First, most firms have not assessed their current position honestly. They confuse aspiration with reputation. They describe themselves based on internal intent, not external evidence.

Second, they don’t actually know what their buyers value enough to care about. They pick differentiators based on founder pride (e.g. people-first). They ignore context, trigger event, and buying pressure.

Third, they refuse to take a real stand. A real position narrows the field. It offends some prospects. It creates trade-offs. It forces you to say “no” with a straight face. Most firms want the upside of a sharp position without the discomfort of exclusion that comes with it.

Consumer brands are often easier to quickly illustrate this point with. Patagonia chooses values (sustainability), signals them ("don't by our jacket"), accepts the trade-offs (more customer service to deal with repairs), and reaps the benefits (increased sales). That’s what taking a stand looks like. Clear signal. Clear exclusion. Clear behavior.

Real differentiation is an operating decision, not a tagline

Here is the sequence I walk firms through. 

1) Start with current reality. What are you currently known for, in the exact words clients and referrers use? Why do you win now? Why do you lose now? What category does the market already place you in?

Before you decide to move, you need to know where you are moving from.

2) Choose what you want to be known for. What specific association should exist in a buyer’s mind? What should people say about you when you are not in the room? A position is both a choice, and an outcome. The outcome happens whether you make a conscious choice, or not.

3) Identify the gap. What does the market believe now? What do you want it to believe later? Where is the disconnect? What evidence is missing? Most firms skip this. Then they wonder why nothing changes.

4) Confirm the position is valued by your ICP in the moment they buy. Context matters. Timing matters. Trigger events matter.

Not every point of difference deserves to become a position. A claimed advantage without demand is wasted effort.

5) Decide what actions would make the shift believable. Service design. Offer structure. Niche focus. Proof assets. Pricing model. Hiring profile. Delivery process. Client experience. Partnerships. Sales process. The market changes its mind when your behavior changes first.

6) Take the actions and test the hypothesis. Put the position into the field. Watch for resonance. Track whether better-fit buyers respond. Listen for repeated language. Look for shorter sales cycles. At the end of the day, the market will tell you if you are on the right track.

7) Then craft messaging that scales it. Website, proposals, sales narrative, founder content, team language. Messaging is the amplifier, not the engine.

The yearbook vote you actually want

Everybody wants to be voted “Most Likely to Succeed.” It’s the safest compliment. It keeps the doors open. Very few are looking to get voted “Most Likely to Play in an 80s Cover Band.” It sounds narrower. It sounds like you’re giving something up. But the musician gets remembered.

If your answer to “what makes you different?” sounds like everybody else, you don’t have a messaging issue. You have an indecision issue.

Pick a position. Prove it with behavior. Then say it loudly.

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