peterod99 Singular Positioning Clarity
When to use
Your positioning has become unfocused. You describe yourself with "and also" language. You're pitching different things to different buyers. Your elevator pitch is longer than an elevator ride. You've noticed that referrals are vague ("I have a friend who does consulting stuff") instead of specific. You need a single statement that a buyer can repeat to others.
The framework
Write your positioning as one sentence. Not a paragraph. Not a tagline. One sentence. It must contain: what you do, who you do it for, and what changes as a result. No qualifiers like "also help with" or "provide additional." One focus.
Test the sentence against three questions. Can a stranger on the phone repeat this back to you accurately after hearing it once? Would this sentence rule out some business you'd normally take? Can you say this sentence with conviction, without hedging or softening language?
Kill every "and also." "I help SaaS founders scale sales and also improve customer retention and also build advisory boards." Pick one. The others are either sub-problems of the main one or they belong to a different positioning. Resist the urge to be more valuable by listing more things.
Embed the outcome, not the activity. Bad: "I do sales process consulting for mid-market companies." Good: "I help mid-market companies move from founder-dependent sales to repeatable, scalable pipeline generation." The first is what you do. The second is what changes in their business.
Make it a test for inbound work. When someone asks "Can you help us with X?" your positioning either clarifies that X is exactly what you do, or it doesn't. If it doesn't, you say no. Positioning that doesn't filter work isn't positioning, it's a wish list.
How to apply it
A consultant started with: "I help growing companies optimize their operations, improve their sales processes, and build strong executive teams." That's three distinct problems. After reflection, she realized 70% of her revenue and deepest expertise came from one: helping mid-market companies transition from chaos to structured sales operations as they scaled from $5M to $30M revenue.
She wrote: "I help mid-market software companies build scalable sales operations that survive founder transitions."
She tested it: Her former clients could repeat it. It ruled out companies below $5M and above $30M, which was intentional. It identified the exact problem: her best clients were founders who needed systems so their company could grow without them. It excluded her retained ability to do "operations consulting broadly." She felt conviction when saying it, no hedging.
She committed to it. When inbound came in about general "operations improvement," she said no or referred it out. Within 6 months, 85% of her inbound was pre-qualified to her positioning. Close rates doubled because every conversation was about the exact problem she was hired to solve.
Common traps
- Hedging the positioning with "also" and "plus." "I help B2B SaaS founders build authority, plus I do go-to-market strategy, and I also help with investor relations." This is three positions glued together. Buyers don't remember it. Referral sources can't pitch it. Pick one.
- Making the positioning about what you offer, not what changes. "I provide fractional CFO services" is activity-focused. "I help venture-backed startups go from accounting chaos to institutional finance so they can fundraise and scale" is outcome-focused. The second sells itself.
- Trying to appeal to everyone in your niche. "I help SaaS companies with any aspect of their go-to-market" is the opposite of positioning. It's a statement that you'll take any deal. Positioning narrows your addressable market intentionally to deepen your credibility in one space.
- Changing the positioning every 3 months. You get two deals outside your positioning and decide to expand it. Consistency compounds. Stay with your positioning for at least 18 months before you consider broadening it.
Source credits
- Chelsea Blackwell: The One: Single positioning statement framework; eliminating "and also" language; commitment and proof architecture
- Alan Weiss: Million Dollar Consulting: market gravity through clarity; specialization as competitive advantage; positioning that attracts ideal clients
- Category Pirates: Strategy Therapy: singular problem-first positioning; eliminating vagueness and platitude language; clarity as breakthrough