the positioning test your competitors are failing (are you?)
Nov 10, 2025
Brought to you by The Art Of Positioning Podcast
You're planning 2026 strategy right now.
Revenue stayed flat in 2025. The marketing spend didn't move the needle. The team's efforts didn't translate to growth.
So you're wondering what actually works.
Your competitors all updated their messaging this year too. New websites. Cleaner messaging. They look polished.
But they all sound exactly the same. "We're innovative." "We're client-focused." "We deliver results."
Thing is, they're failing the same positioning test. And there's a good chance you are too.
It's not about how your brand looks. It's about whether it passes 5 specific criteria that actually make prospects choose you.
Most businesses fail at least 3 of them without realizing it.
Look, the thing is, distracted businesses update their brand by writing aspirational statements. "We're innovative." "We're client-focused." "We deliver exceptional results."
Sounds professional. Goes on the website. Checks boxes.
Then a prospect asks: "How are you different from your competitors?"
And you realize everyone in your space says the exact same things.
That's because most brand updates miss 5 critical tests. Without these, you're not standing out. You're blending in with a prettier website.
Let's get into those 5 tests real positioning has to pass 👇
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Your brand needs to evolve. But what if you lose the customers who got you here? Customer experience leader Melissa Eaton and five-time CMO Amy Heidersbach have both guided businesses through repositioning without alienating loyal customers and they share their experiences so you can avoid this too on this episode of The Art of Positioning.
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1. SPECIFIC
Your positioning names exactly what you do, who you do it for, or how you do it differently.
"We're a trusted advisor" fails this test. Advisor for what? To whom? Based on what expertise?
"We handle construction accounting for subcontractors in South Florida" passes. Someone reading that knows instantly if it's relevant to them.
Test yours: Can a stranger read your positioning and know exactly what you do? Or could it apply to 20 other businesses in your space?
2. VERIFIABLE
Your positioning can be proven true or false.
"We're innovative" can't be verified. There's no objective measure of innovation.
"We've systematized job costing processes that cut month-end close time in half" can be verified. Clients can confirm it. Competitors can't fake it.
Test yours: If a prospect called your last 3 clients and asked them to verify your positioning, would they all say the same thing? Or would they describe you completely differently?
3. MEANINGFUL
Your positioning matters to the specific clients you serve.
"We use cutting-edge technology" might be true, but does your target market care? If they're choosing you for relationships and reliability, your tech stack is irrelevant.
"We respond to contractor questions within 2 hours during busy season" matters if your market struggles with accountants who disappear when they need answers most.
Test yours: When prospects choose you over competitors, is it because of what your positioning claims? Or are they choosing you for completely different reasons?
4. DIFFERENTIATING
Your positioning separates you from competitors in a way that matters.
"We provide personalized service" doesn't differentiate. Everyone claims that.
"We only take 30 clients maximum so every contractor gets same-day responses" differentiates. Competitors can't copy that without completely changing their business model.
Test yours: Could your competitors copy your positioning by just changing a few words on their website? Or would they have to fundamentally change how they operate?
5. ACCOUNTABLE
Your positioning creates standards you can be held to.
"We're committed to excellence" isn't accountable to anything.
"If we miss a filing deadline, we pay the penalties" is accountable. There's a specific standard and a specific consequence.
Test yours: If you fail to deliver on your positioning, would a client have grounds to say "you didn't deliver what you promised"? Or is it too vague to hold you accountable?
What happens when you skip these tests
A CPA firm updated their messaging around "proactive advisory services." Sounded great internally. Checked all the strategy boxes.
But when prospects read it, they thought: "What does that actually mean? Don't all CPAs advise their clients?"
The positioning wasn't specific (advisory on what?), wasn't verifiable (how do you prove proactive?), and wasn't differentiating (every competitor claims the same thing).
Revenue stayed flat because the refresh didn't change how prospects saw them.
A custom home builder refreshed around "luxury craftsmanship." Beautiful website. Professional photography.
But their target market (executives building their first custom home) cared more about "on-time, on-budget with no surprises" than luxury materials.
The positioning wasn't meaningful to their actual market. It spoke to what the builder valued, not what buyers needed.
Projects stayed in the pipeline because the refresh attracted tire-kickers, not serious buyers.
Time for application!👇
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Badass Tip
Test your current positioning against all 5 criteria. Start with what clients would actually verify when someone asks what makes you different.
What it looks like in practice:
Pull your current positioning
Website homepage. LinkedIn headline. Elevator pitch. Marketing materials.
Write down exactly what you're claiming. Word for word.
Not sure, drop the link in your AI of choice (I'm all team Research mode on Perplexity) and ask it to don a brand strategist hat X your target audience and review your website for what positioning is coming across (add in: if there's none, or it's unclear, just say so.)
Run the 5-point diagnostic
For each positioning statement, answer:
SPECIFIC: Can someone read this and know exactly what we do, who we serve, or how we're different? Or could this apply to most businesses in our space?
VERIFIABLE: If a prospect called our last 3 clients, would they all confirm this is true? Or would they describe us differently?
MEANINGFUL: When our best clients choose us over competitors, is it because of this? Or are they choosing us for completely different reasons?
DIFFERENTIATING: Would competitors have to fundamentally change their business model to claim this? Or could they copy it by changing a few words?
ACCOUNTABLE: If we fail to deliver on this, would clients have grounds to say we didn't meet our promise? Or is it too vague to hold us to?
Whichever test your positioning fails hardest is why your refresh didn't work.
Not specific enough means prospects can't understand what you do.
Not verifiable means prospects don't believe your claims.
Not meaningful means you're differentiating on things that don't matter to your market.
Not differentiating means you sound like everyone else with better branding.
Not accountable means there's no reason to believe you'll deliver.
Then take a fresh look at how you can position that hits all 5.
A great place to start is with what clients would actually say when someone asks "what makes them different?" And if you're still not sure, I covered other areas to look at in this issue of The Mob Archive Newsletter.
Track whether it's working
2 signals matter:
Referral clarity: Are people describing you more consistently? When someone asks "what do they do?" do referral sources give the same answer?
Deal velocity: Are qualified prospects moving faster from first conversation to closed deal? Real positioning shortens sales cycles because prospects immediately understand fit.
If both improve, your positioning is working.
If not, you're still failing 1 of the 5 tests.
Positioning that works isn't the one that sounds best in strategy sessions.
It's the one that passes all 5 tests when prospects decide whether to choose you.
And ultimately, it's one that should guide every business decision to relieve the pressure.
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