Is Your Positioning Costing You Sales? A Fix Guide

Every business owner has heard the advice: “Get clear on your positioning.” But what does that actually mean, and how do you know when yours isn’t working?

The truth is, weak positioning doesn’t announce itself with flashing red lights. Instead, it slowly drains your pipeline, turns conversations into price negotiations, and leaves your team struggling to explain what makes you different.

Let’s fix that.

The Warning Signs You Can’t Ignore

You know you have a positioning problem when:

Price becomes the primary conversation. If prospects immediately ask “how much?” without understanding your value, or if they’re constantly comparing you to cheaper alternatives, your positioning isn’t doing its job. When customers can’t distinguish your unique value, price becomes the only metric that matters.

Your own team can’t explain what you do. Walk up to three different people in your company and ask them to describe what you do. If you get three different answers, that’s not creativity—that’s confusion. Your elevator pitch shouldn’t be a choose-your-own-adventure story that changes depending on who’s talking.

Prospects ask “what do you actually do?” This seemingly simple question is actually a positioning failure. If someone has visited your website, read your materials, or sat through a pitch and still doesn’t understand your core offering, you’re speaking in abstractions instead of clarity.

These aren’t minor inconveniences. They’re revenue killers that compound over time, making every sale harder than it needs to be.

Your Win for This Week

Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, spend one hour this week crafting a simple positioning statement using this proven framework:

“For [who], who struggle with [problem], we provide [solution] that delivers [outcome], unlike [alternatives].”

Here’s why each element matters:

• For [who]: Get specific. “Small businesses” is too broad. “Series A SaaS companies struggling with customer retention” is a position.
• Who struggle with [problem]: Name the pain point your ideal customer loses sleep over, not a generic inconvenience.
• We provide [solution]: Describe what you actually do in plain language. Avoid jargon and buzzwords.
• That delivers [outcome]: Focus on the measurable result, not your process. Customers buy outcomes, not features.
• Unlike [alternatives]: Acknowledge the competition or the status quo. What are they doing instead of hiring you?

Once you have this statement, immediately update two critical touchpoints:

• Your website hero section. This is prime real estate. Make it crystal clear who you serve and what outcome you deliver.
• Your social media bios. LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram—wherever your audience finds you, they should immediately understand your value.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about clarity. A clear but imperfect positioning statement beats vague marketing poetry every time.

Should You DIY or Hire Help?

Most positioning work starts as a DIY project, and that’s perfectly fine. You should handle it yourself when:

You’re clarifying your niche. If you’re in the early stages of defining who you serve best, experiment yourself. Talk to customers, test messaging, and iterate based on real feedback. No consultant knows your customers better than you do at this stage.

You’re drafting your first value proposition. The initial versions of your positioning will be rough, and that’s expected. Use the framework above, test it in real conversations, and refine based on what resonates. This learning process is valuable, and you don’t need to outsource it.

You have a relatively open playing field. If you’re in a new category or have little direct competition, the path forward is usually clearer. Your differentiation emerges naturally from being first or being different.

However, bring in professional help when:

You’re in a crowded, noisy category. If you’re a project management tool, a marketing agency, or a business coach, you’re competing against hundreds of similar offerings. Research-backed positioning helps you find the angle your competitors have missed.

You need research you can’t do yourself. Strategic positioning relies on understanding how your market perceives your category, what language resonates, and where the gaps are. Professionals bring methodologies, tools, and objectivity you can’t replicate internally.

You’re planning a rebrand. If you’re changing your company name, visual identity, or market position, stakes are high. A positioning expert ensures your rebrand is built on solid strategic ground, not just aesthetic preferences.

Your internal team is too close to the problem. Sometimes you’re so immersed in your business that you can’t see the forest for the trees. An outside perspective can identify the obvious differentiator you’ve been overlooking.

The Real Cost of Unclear Positioning

Here’s what unclear positioning actually costs you:

• Longer sales cycles because prospects don’t immediately understand your value
• Lower conversion rates because you’re competing primarily on price
• Confused marketing that tries to speak to everyone and resonates with no one
• Frustrated sales teams who don’t have a consistent story to tell
• Wasted ad spend because your messaging doesn’t land

Compare that to the investment of one focused hour this week and maybe a few thousand dollars if you need professional help. The ROI is obvious.

Start Today

Don’t let positioning be the thing you’ll “get to eventually.” Your competitors are clarifying their message right now, and every day you wait is another day potential customers can’t figure out why they should choose you.

Block one hour this week. Fill in that positioning framework. Update your hero section. The clarity you create today becomes the revenue you earn tomorrow.

Your positioning isn’t just marketing fluff—it’s the foundation of every customer conversation, every piece of content, and every dollar you’ll earn. Make it count.