The Three Common Sacrifices of Narrow Positioning

Al Ries and Jack Trout nailed it in their book Positioning: The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position. I’ve seen this play out in my own work and in my experience coaching agency owners. There are three sacrifices agency owners need to make to own a clear position: Clients Services Team When owners aren’t willing to make these sacrifices, their agencies stay stuck. They have too many competitors and too little leverage. It shows up in their bank accounts. Let’s choose a random slice to use as an example. Say you want to be the only design agency that builds Squarespace websites for dentists in suburban Portland. Sacrificing clients You've decided to work with dentists only. If a podiatrist wants your help, you pass. If that exciting Nike project shows up, it’s a great gig that’s not for you. Clients want the most specialized help they can find. That usually means working with someone who has experience…