Professional Services Positioning Audit

What would happen if you asked three partners to complete this sentence: "Clients choose us over competitors because we..."

We'd get three wildly different answers The partners would hit similar themes but with different language We'd get identical or nearly identical answers using consistent language

Could you tell a client exactly how your delivery model, process or structure proves you're different in ways that (a) you're certain your clients value and (b) your competitors can't replicate?

No, our differentiation is more about culture or relationships We have some operational distinctions but they're not integrated into everything clients experience Yes, we can demonstrate specific operational differences throughout delivery

Thinking about what your best clients say when they refer you, which of these statements fits best?

We don't really know what they say / They probably say something generic We have anecdotal feedback from a few clients about what they say We've systematically researched this with 20+ clients and know their exact language

If you removed your firm's name and branding from your last three proposals, could the client be forgiven for thinking those proposals were from any of your main competitors?

Honestly, yes. We probably sound quite similar. There would be some distinctive elements but significant overlap with what competitors said Not at all. Our positioning and language is distinctly different from competitors

Your positioning is based on:

What partners believe clients want What lost clients told us in post-mortems / Informal feedback Systematic research with 50+ decision-makers (clients and not-yet clients) about actual buying criteria

Your differentiation statement is:

"We build relationships" / "We're client-focused" / "We have deep expertise" Somewhere between generic and specific "We [do something defined precisely and tied to what you are certain clients value]", i.e. not "We are commercial, pragmatic and responsive".

How consistent is your positioning across pitch materials, website, partner conversations and panel responses?

Everyone tells a different story Some consistency but significant variation Highly consistent across all touchpoints

Your competitive pitch win rate is:

Below 30% / We don't track this 30-50% Above 50%

Professional services positioning audit

discover how your positioning compares to competitor benchmarks