Last time we talked about the fundamental importance of positioning. This is the idea that however you introduce yourself or your business in the first instance, will condition clients’ view of everything that happens next. So, with your opening line it is critical you explain how much of an expert you are and how valuable your services are to the prospective client. Put crudely, if you ran a shop, what would it say on the sign outside?

It goes without saying that you want potential clients to view your offer as of greatest possible value as you will be much more likely to win a pitch. Conversely, if you lose a pitch, it’s likely you failed to convince the client of your value and expertise, and that process probably started with your positioning.

So, the job of positioning your business – often the line under the logo on your website – is incredibly important. All you have to do is describe the single most valuable thing you do.

The reason is the what we call the “differentiation paradox.” If you present yourself as the world’s greatest expert at Y you will be believed, and a client may even ask you to do X and Y. But if you present yourself as the world’s greatest expert at X and the world’s greatest expert at Y, you will not be believed and will not be asked to do either.

Imagine you visited a doctor who also boasted of killer gardening skills. You’d give them a pretty wide birth. Or  imagine a doctor who says they offer “medical solutions,”  keeping their offer vague in the hopes of widening their appeal. It sounds absurd, but businesses commit both these sins every day It never works.

Picking the most valuable thing you do has sometimes been described as A Very Difficult Business Decision. It is difficult because it entails sacrifice. In the short line under your logo, you cannot possibly describe everything your business does, just the best bit.

Amazon do many things, but they call themselves the world’s biggest store. Google is a sprawling behemoth but describes itself as  is a search giant.

In the field of politics, the UK parties which have done best at the time of writing promise just one thing: Brexit (The Brexit Party) or Bollocks to Brexit (Liberal Democrats). The parties trying to hold on to a coalition of votes – Labour and until recently conservatives – have suffered.

It may be that digital has destroyed the days of the “broad church” political party or “full service” provider (such as now-toubled ad giant WPP.)  Books such as The Digital Party by Paolo Gerbaudo suggest so.

Certainly in my recent experience, going deep now yields better results than going wide.

Here’s some examples of how you might position your offer and examples of firms who have taken these positions.

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If you want to rewrite the line under your logo, start by trying to think of the thing you do that could credibly describe as better than anyone else. This is not an easy job but it is not supposed to be.

But the fact remains pitching begins by clearly describing the outside of your business – your expertise and true value to the customer. From the line under the logo, you start to press your competitive advantage with prospective clients and win more pitches.

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