Most businesses have positioning that is either too broad or too focused on what the business does rather than what the customer gets.
Both of these fail in the same way: they require the prospective customer to do too much work to see themselves in the offer.
The test for strong positioning
Strong positioning passes three tests:
It is specific about who it is for. Not "entrepreneurs" or "business owners" or "people who want to grow." A specific description of the person with the specific problem, at the specific stage where the offer is relevant.
It names the actual problem. The underlying source of friction, beyond the surface-level version. The problem the customer is already aware of and trying to solve.
It explains why this rather than alternatives. What makes this offer the right choice for this person with this problem, given that other options exist? If you cannot answer that clearly, neither can your prospective customer.
What weak positioning looks like
Weak positioning typically describes capabilities rather than outcomes. "We help businesses grow" or "we provide strategic consulting" or "we work with entrepreneurs ready to scale."
These statements are not wrong. They are just not useful. They do not give the prospective customer enough information to know whether this is for them, and they do not differentiate the offer from every other business making similar claims.
The specificity problem
The most common objection to specific positioning is that it narrows the market. "If I say this is only for X person with Y problem, I will lose everyone else."
This objection gets it backwards.
Specific positioning does not limit reach. It increases conversion. Fewer people see themselves in the message, but the people who do see themselves in it are more qualified and more ready to act.
Broad positioning reaches more people and converts fewer of them, which is typically a worse outcome, especially for service businesses where every client relationship has a real cost.
Fixing positioning
Positioning work starts with honest examination of who your best clients are, what problem they had when they came to you, how they would describe that problem in their own words, and what changed for them as a result of working with you.
The answers to those questions are usually more specific and more powerful than whatever is currently on your website.
ARIS includes positioning as a core part of every consultation. If your current positioning is not producing the clarity and conversion it should, that is where the work begins.
The Seven Figure Framework. An email series on positioning, metrics, and execution for founders ready to scale. Free.