Category: Marketing Strategy

Learn how to attract and retain customers through targeted marketing strategies, messaging alignment, and effective funnel design for small business.

  • Positioning 101: How to Stop Competing on Price

    Positioning 101: How to Stop Competing on Price

    If you constantly feel pressure to lower your prices, offer discounts, or justify your rates—you don’t have a pricing problem.
    You have a positioning problem.

    Positioning is the foundation of your marketing, sales, and client experience. It’s how your business answers the question:

    “Why should someone choose you over any other option—including doing nothing?”

    When your positioning is weak or unclear, price becomes the default differentiator. But when it’s strong and strategic, you attract the right clients, justify your rates, and close deals without playing defense.

    In this post, I’ll walk you through what positioning is (and isn’t), why it matters, and how to shift your business out of the price wars—for good.

    What Is Positioning?

    Positioning is how your ideal customer perceives you in the market, relative to their other choices.

    It’s not your logo, tagline, or brand colors. It’s the mental space you occupy in the mind of your audience.

    Great positioning makes it obvious: “You’re exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

    Strong Positioning Communicates:

    • Who you serve
    • What you do best
    • Why you’re different or better
    • Why they should act now

    If you’re vague about any of those, your prospect will default to comparing price—or walk away entirely.

    Signs You Have a Positioning Problem

    If any of these feel familiar, your positioning likely needs work:

    • You get inquiries from people who can’t afford you
    • You attract the wrong type of clients (scope mismatch, misaligned expectations)
    • You get asked to “customize” every proposal from scratch
    • You struggle to articulate your unique value without rambling
    • You’re caught in a race to the bottom against cheaper competitors

    Why Small Businesses End Up Competing on Price

    Most small businesses start by saying yes to any client who will pay. That’s normal at first—but over time, it creates positioning drift:

    • You try to serve too many types of clients
    • Your messaging becomes generic and watered down
    • You focus on features, not outcomes
    • Your offer sounds like everyone else’s

    And if your offer sounds like everyone else’s?
    You’re forced to compete on price, speed, or availability—not value.

    How to Build Strong Brand Positioning

    Here’s a step-by-step process to help you reposition your business around value—not price.

    1. Define Your Ideal Client Profile (ICP)

    You can’t position yourself as the best option if you’re trying to be everything to everyone.

    Ask: Who gets the best results from what you do?

    Get specific:

    • Industry
    • Company size or stage
    • Key pain points
    • What success looks like for them
    • What alternatives they’ve tried

    Positioning Statement Template:

    “We help [target client] achieve [core benefit] through [your unique process/offering].”

    2. Clarify Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

    What do you offer that others don’t—or can’t?

    Your UVP doesn’t have to be revolutionary. It just needs to be clear, outcome-oriented, and hard to replicate.

    Common angles:

    • Niche expertise or industry specialization
    • Proprietary framework or method
    • Faster turnaround with equal quality
    • Deeper personalization or white-glove service
    • Stronger results or proof of impact

    Tip: If your website says “we provide customized solutions” without explaining how or why that matters, it’s not a UVP.

    3. Shift from Features to Outcomes

    Most small businesses talk about what they do:

    • “Weekly strategy calls”
    • “3 deliverables per month”
    • “Email support included”

    That’s fine—but what the client really wants to know is:

    “What changes after I work with you?”

    Reframe everything in terms of:

    • Time saved
    • Revenue gained
    • Frustration avoided
    • Confidence increased

    4. Use Proof to Reinforce Positioning

    Anyone can say they’re “the best.”
    Proof makes it real.

    Incorporate:

    • Client testimonials
    • Before/after case studies
    • Metrics, results, or outcomes
    • Screenshots, videos, or visuals of your work

    Positioning backed by results is magnetic.

    5. Integrate Positioning Across Touchpoints

    Positioning isn’t just what you say on your homepage—it’s what you reinforce in every part of your business:

    • Your lead magnet or discovery call experience
    • The words you use in proposals or onboarding
    • How you respond to objections in sales calls
    • Your pricing structure and service tiers
    • How you describe your work in casual conversation

    Your goal: Make it easy for someone to self-identify as a fit—or not.

    Stop Discounting. Start Differentiating.

    If you want to stop getting ghosted, questioned, or undercut, you have to stop being interchangeable.

    When you stand for something, say it clearly, and deliver on it consistently—price becomes a secondary consideration.

    Positioning isn’t about sounding clever. It’s about making it obvious you’re the right choice.

    🎯 Need Help Defining Your Position in the Market?

    Let’s clarify your value, tighten your message, and build a brand that commands respect—not discount requests.

    📅 Schedule a Free Discovery Call →

  • Marketing Isn’t Working? Here’s How to Diagnose the Problem

    Marketing Isn’t Working? Here’s How to Diagnose the Problem

    You’re putting out content. You’ve spent money on ads. Maybe you’ve even hired a marketing agency.

    But leads are trickling in, not flowing. Engagement is low. Conversions aren’t happening. You’re starting to think…
    “Is my marketing broken?”

    Before you scrap your entire strategy or pour more money into tactics, take a step back.

    In this post, I’ll walk you through a simple framework to diagnose why your marketing isn’t working—and how to fix it without guessing, panicking, or wasting your budget.

    The 3-Part Marketing Diagnostic Framework

    When marketing underperforms, the root cause typically falls into one of three buckets:

    1. Wrong Message
    2. Wrong Market
    3. Wrong Funnel

    Let’s break them down.

    1. Wrong Message: You’re Not Saying What They Need to Hear

    Even if your service is excellent, a poorly positioned message can kill results.

    This usually shows up as:

    • Low engagement on content
    • People asking “What exactly do you do?”
    • Getting leads who aren’t a good fit

    Common Messaging Issues:

    • Too vague or generic (e.g., “We help you grow your business”)
    • Focused on features, not outcomes
    • Not aligned with what your audience cares about right now

    Example:

    Instead of saying:

    “We offer full-service marketing solutions,”

    Say:

    “We help overwhelmed founders create a marketing plan they’ll actually follow—without hiring a full-time team.”

    Your audience doesn’t want a feature list. They want clarity, relief, or results.

    Fix It:

    • Interview or survey real clients—use their language in your messaging
    • Tighten your value proposition (What do you solve? For who? Why you?)
    • Focus every message on a specific outcome

    2. Wrong Market: You’re Talking to the Wrong People (or Everyone)

    If you’re seeing lots of clicks but no conversions, you might have a targeting problem.

    You’re speaking, but not to the right people—or not with enough precision to cut through the noise.

    Red Flags:

    • Lots of “leads” but they ghost or churn
    • Traffic without inquiries
    • Messaging that tries to appeal to everyone

    Example:

    A web designer markets to “anyone who needs a site.” That’s not a niche—it’s a void. Compare that to:

    “We build fast, conversion-focused websites for service businesses who need to book more calls—not just look pretty.”

    Fix It:

    • Revisit your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
    • Niche down to a specific vertical or pain point
    • Create separate content streams or ad campaigns for different audiences, rather than one generic message

    3. Wrong Funnel: People Don’t Know What to Do Next

    You might be generating interest—but if there’s no clear, compelling next step, that interest fades.

    The best marketing systems lead people on a journey from problem → solution → trust → action.

    Funnel Failures Look Like:

    • No call-to-action on content
    • Discovery call page buried behind 3 clicks
    • Traffic going to your homepage without direction

    Example:

    A great post generates traffic. But there’s no opt-in, no consultation offer, and no follow-up. That’s not a funnel—that’s a dead end.

    Fix It:

    • Every page or asset should have one clear CTA
    • Use entry offers: PDFs, checklists, low-friction forms
    • Add a retargeting layer for visitors who don’t convert
    • Track how people move from first touch → inquiry → booked call

    A funnel isn’t software. It’s the intentional path you build for people to follow.

    Bonus: Is It Really a Marketing Problem?

    Sometimes what looks like a marketing issue is really a sales or delivery issue:

    • You get leads, but you’re slow to follow up
    • You book calls, but don’t close them
    • You close them, but they don’t stay

    If the right people are showing up but not converting, the breakdown might not be marketing—it might be:

    • Your offer isn’t compelling
    • Your pricing doesn’t align with perceived value
    • You’re not following up consistently

    Fix the leak at the right point in the pipeline.

    TL;DR: Diagnose Before You Pivot

    If your marketing isn’t working, don’t start guessing.

    Instead, ask:

    • Are we saying the right thing?
    • To the right people?
    • With the right next step?

    One change in messaging, targeting, or funnel structure could unlock everything.

    📈 Want Help Diagnosing Your Marketing?

    I work with small business owners to identify exactly what’s holding their marketing back—and build a plan that finally works.

    📅 Schedule a Free Discovery Call →

  • Retention Is the New Growth: Keep the Clients You Already Have

    Retention Is the New Growth: Keep the Clients You Already Have

    Most small business owners are laser-focused on growth—and too often, that means chasing new customers. But here’s the truth: sustainable growth doesn’t come from constantly acquiring new clients. It comes from keeping the ones you already have.

    If you’re spending the bulk of your time and budget on acquisition but overlooking retention, you’re pouring water into a leaky bucket. Let’s fix that.

    The Cost of Acquisition vs. Retention

    Customer acquisition is expensive. Depending on your industry, acquiring a new client can cost 5 to 25 times more than retaining an existing one. Meanwhile, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%.

    Retention pays dividends:

    • Lower cost per customer interaction
    • Higher lifetime value from repeat buyers
    • Better word-of-mouth referrals
    • More upsell/cross-sell opportunities

    In a tightening economy, acquisition budgets are often the first to be cut. That makes retention not only smarter—it’s essential.

    Why Clients Leave

    Before we dive into strategies, understand why clients walk away. Most of the time, it’s not about price or performance. It’s about perception and experience. Key reasons include:

    • Poor or inconsistent communication
    • Feeling undervalued or forgotten
    • Lack of progress or visible results
    • Better service elsewhere

    These are fixable problems.

    Practical Strategies to Boost Retention

    1. Make Onboarding Count

    First impressions matter. Use the onboarding process to set clear expectations, deliver quick wins, and build trust.

    • Send a welcome email series
    • Share a roadmap or timeline
    • Assign a clear point of contact

    2. Communicate Proactively

    Don’t just wait until something goes wrong. Check in, offer value, and be present.

    • Schedule regular update calls
    • Share insights or tips based on their goals
    • Ask for feedback before problems arise

    3. Track and Celebrate Progress

    People stay where they feel progress.

    • Highlight milestones or achievements
    • Share metrics or ROI reports
    • Celebrate anniversaries or key wins

    4. Personalize the Experience

    Generic service = generic results. Tailor your approach based on what matters most to each client.

    • Use their name and preferences
    • Reference past conversations
    • Offer solutions aligned to their industry or goals

    5. Create a Feedback Loop

    You don’t need to guess what your clients think—ask them.

    • Use short, targeted surveys
    • Conduct exit interviews when clients leave
    • Act visibly on their feedback

    6. Invest in the Relationship

    Small touches build big loyalty.

    • Send handwritten thank-you notes
    • Offer exclusive access or early previews
    • Refer business back to your clients when possible

    7. Make It Easy to Stay

    Friction is the enemy of retention. Review your policies, processes, and support systems.

    • Simplify renewals or reorders
    • Ensure support is fast and helpful
    • Remove barriers to doing business with you

    Retention as a Growth Engine

    A strong retention strategy creates a compounding effect:

    • Clients stay longer
    • They spend more over time
    • They refer others like them

    Retention doesn’t replace acquisition—but it does make acquisition more efficient. Happy clients become your most effective marketing channel.

    Start With a Simple Audit

    Ask yourself:

    • What’s our current retention rate?
    • Where do most clients drop off?
    • When’s the last time we asked a client how we’re doing?

    Then pick one area to improve this quarter. Build from there.

    Book a Discovery Call

    Want help designing a retention strategy for your small business? Book a discovery call today and let’s turn your current clients into your biggest growth driver.