What brands come to your mind when you hear “accounting firms”? You can probably list 3-4 brands. First, you’d think about Deloitte. Then you’d continue with the other ones you know, like PwC, Ernst & Young, your own accountant, etc. The same applies if I tell you “toothpaste” or “energy drink.” Buyers remember a shortlist…
Category: Positioning
12 Differences Between B2B Product vs. B2B Service Businesses (And Why They Matter)
There are key differences between B2B product (e.g. software) vs. B2B service (e.g. consultancy) businesses: All these differences impact how to position the brand, what messages to convey to the market, and how to attract potential customers. Obviously, some other factors affect these differences. Like the price point of the offer. But the moral of…
3C Analysis (Customer): How to Make Your Consulting Services Something Customers Want
We’ve talked about the 3C’s that drive a brand’s positioning in our Profit-Led Branding Framework: Company, Competition, and Customer. In this article, we’ll look into the last C: Customer. There are two parts of Customer Analysis. We’ll cover the “What are our customers trying to achieve?” part here. The second part “Who are the customers trying to make…
Narrow Positioning: How Saying No To Some Customers Increases Your Chances of Winning Big
In 1982, programmer John Walker decided to make a big bet. His friend Michael Riddle had a computer-aided design (CAD) program that he struggled to sell. But Walker believed in the idea. Designers who worked on complex projects —like engineers and architects— needed precise measurements. And doing that on paper was painful. You had to…
3C Analysis (Competition): How To Find Your Unique Positioning In Crowded Markets
We’ve talked about the 3C’s that drive a brand’s positioning in our Profit-Led Branding Framework: Company, Competition, and Customer. In this article, we’ll look into the second C: Competition. Now let’s see how a rental company with seven cars became a global giant, how to find gaps in crowded markets, and how to discover your…
How Sacrifices Grow Consulting Firms (And Three Sacrifices You Can Make)
Have you ever bought avocados? They are tricky. One day they are too firm to eat. So you wait for them to get a bit ripe. But right when you are excited about the avocado toast you are going to make, you realize they got bad. All the avocados you bought go to the trash.…
3C Analysis (Company): How To Analyze Your Firm To Find The Winning Positioning
In our Profit-Led Branding Framework, three elements drive a brand’s new positioning: Company, Customer, and Competition. Only the right insights from these 3C’s can make the new positioning obvious. In this article, we’ll dive into the first C: Company analysis. – In 2003, the iconic toy brand LEGO was in trouble. They had a negative…
How Positioning Shapes Everything About Your Business
Positioning shapes everything about your business. How? Let’s make a simple thought experiment. Imagine you have a new business. You want to sell a service — sales training. One way to position it could be “training for sales teams in B2B software companies.” And that would define your: This is clear. Now, another way to…
Perceived Value: How To Create More Customer Value (Without Changing The Product)
How can a business create value for customers? And how can you increase it without changing much about the product or service? Let’s think together. 1. Benefits Functional benefits are always a factor. You buy a watch to know the time. And maybe you dive a lot. So water resistance up to a certain pressure…
Value Innovation: How To Win In Crowded Markets By Ignoring Competitors
In the 1960s, commercial aviation was booming. And aircraft engine manufacturers wanted to take advantage of this new industry. They had expertise and large production capacity coming from the Second World War. Rolls-Royce was one of them. But they were small compared with American giants like General Electric. And how do you grow in this…
