Want Easy Sales? You Need Specificity.

🎯 It's time to talk about positioning

When I ran a brand agency, I was really good at positioning other companies.

And guess what? I could not position myself.

We’re a branding agency for small businesses.

No, venture-backed ones.

Actually, we’re about strategy.

Actually, we’re about sales.

And around and around I went, just like Will Ferrell in the Elf movie in that revolving door.

It turns out it’s really hard to position a branding agency, in part because I think that people pick brand agencies based on vibez, and in part because there are so many agencies out there and only so many points of differentiation. Eventually, we all sound the same.

I could not position my company consistently, and because of that, it was so hard to sell work.

The number one thing that drove sales was me and people who wanted to work with me.

It was specific, but it wasn’t sustainable. And because the business had no other blood source besides me, it started feeling like a parasite. (Is that too graphic sounding? I gotta unpack that one with my therapist later.)

The point is: selling is really hard when your business isn’t positioned.

You can’t create consistent messaging.

You can’t get referrals.

And you feel like you’re playing whackamole with a bunch of potential customers.

Now I’m selling to small businesses.

No, I’m selling to venture-backed ones.

Actually, I’m only selling to people who appreciate strategy.

Actually, I’m only selling to people who want to enable sales.

When your business IS positioned correctly, sales is a lot easier. You can see your process build on itself. People “get” it more easily. And they’re much more likely to add your services to cart.

So, what do you need to get positioned? Turns out, it’s the answer to just three questions. We’re going to go through all of them now.

1. Who are you for?

As the quote on every Millennial’s Pinterest Board goes, “You are not for everyone.”

Neither is your business.

This question sounds deceptively easy, and that’s why people miss on it.

I hear all the time answers that sound like this:

“I’m for women who want to live a better life.”

This sounds nice, means nothing. Get specific.

I’ll show you how I answer this question for Business [Comma] Woman:

Business [Comma] Woman is for solopreneurs (or solopreneur-curious folks) who want support specific to sales and marketing to start and grow their businesses.

Notice that I’m not for any kind of entrepreneur. I’m not for anyone who is looking to raise venture capital. And I’m not for anyone looking to get advice on tech, finance, legal, AI, or the like when it comes to growing your business.

If you’re a paid subscriber, I have a worksheet that will help you answer this question; plus, you can submit your answers in our chat or at Office Hours! I’m linking it below.

2. What tension you resolve for them?

You solve a problem. Maybe it’s one you created yourself (helloooo Gwenyth Paltrow’s jade egg) but regardless: you’re solving one.

Selling is easy when your problem you address is:

A) Specific

B) Emotional

And often, that means there’s some tension there.

I’ll show you how I answer this question for Business [Comma] Woman:

(TENSION) Solopreneurs are really good at something, but that something is often not marketing and sales - even though marketing and sales are necessary to sustaining a business, just thinking about ‘sales’ gives many solopreneurs hives.

(HOW I RESOLVE IT) I make sales and marketing accessible and easy for solopreneurs through articles, been-there advice, and templates.

If you’re wondering what your tension is, I’ve outlined a few common ones in the Positioning Worksheet linked below.

3. What is your edge?

Your “edge” is what a lot of people call your “unfair advantage” or your “differentiator.” It’s the thing that helps you stand out and beat out any other alternatives.

This one is often based on your expertise, but it also might be in how you deliver your services. I’ll show you how I think about Business [Comma] Woman:

My edge is my experience (MBA, years leading billion dollar brands, 6 years running my own agency) combined with my delivery method (once weekly articles, monthly Office Hours, and and chat support).

This makes me cheaper and more accessible to alternatives (hiring a coach, an FTE, another contractor, or doing it alone).

OK, now let’s sell it in the elevator.

Your answers to these three questions start to shape up into a pretty good elevator pitch. Let’s look at my answers.

Who I’m for: Business [Comma] Woman is for solopreneurs (or solopreneur-curious folks) who want support specific to sales and marketing to start and grow their businesses.

What tension do I resolve? Solopreneurs are really good at something, but that something is often not marketing and sales - even though marketing and sales are necessary to sustaining a business, just thinking about ‘sales’ gives many solopreneurs hives. I make sales and marketing accessible and easy for solopreneurs through articles, been-there advice, and templates.

My edge: My edge is my experience (MBA, years leading billion dollar brands, 6 years running my own agency) combined with my delivery method (once weekly articles, monthly Office Hours, and and chat support).

I like to start with the tension in an elevator pitch - it usually brings it home quicker.

Here’s mine:

Most solopreneurs start a business because they’re good at something, but that “something” is usually not marketing and sales - in fact the word “sales” gives a lot of solopreneurs hives. Business [Comma] Woman distills a decade of marketing + solopreneurship experience into bite-sized articles, in-person support, and templates to make it easy for a solopreneur to market and sell their business.

Hopefully, that’s a bit more specific, emotional, and compelling than “I write a blog that helps entrepreneurs learn about marketing and sales.”

And if it IS compelling to you - consider subscribing : )

That’s all for this week. Remember Paid Subscribers have Office Hours and Chat access, so if you’re workshopping your answers, feel free to use those resources to hone in on your final pitch!

Business [Comma] Woman is for anyone building (or thinking about building) a business around their skills. Whatever you’re good at: accounting, tarot card reading, window washing, marketing, therapy -if it’s legal, I want you to make money at it. I focus on the stuff that gives most solopreneurs hives: getting clients, marketing themselves, pricing, etc. If this article resonated or was helpful, please share it!