Most agency positioning is bullshit. Not because it's wrong. Because it's nothing. It's "we help businesses grow" decorated with fancy words. It's a mission statement that could belong to anyone. **Real positioning requires sacrifice.** ## The Comfort Trap Here's what happens: You're afraid to narrow down because you might lose opportunities. So you keep it broad. "Full-service digital agency." "We help businesses succeed online." The problem? When you're for everyone, you're memorable to no one. That RFP that came in? You're one of fifteen agencies that "fit the criteria." That referral? They couldn't remember what made you different, so they mentioned you alongside three competitors. ## What Sacrifice Looks Like Real positioning means saying no—loudly and clearly: - **"We only work with B2B SaaS companies."** (Goodbye, e-commerce. Goodbye, local businesses. Goodbye, 80% of the market.) - **"We don't do strategy. We execute."** (Goodbye, discovery workshops. Goodbye, "strategic partnerships.") - **"We're expensive and slow and worth it."** (Goodbye, price shoppers. Goodbye, "fast turnaround" requests.) Each of those statements makes someone leave. That's the point. ## The Math That Matters Let's say there are 10,000 potential clients in your addressable market. Your vague positioning might "appeal" to 8,000 of them. But appeal isn't action. Of those 8,000, maybe 10 remember you when they need help. You're forgettable because you're generic. Now narrow down. Your specific positioning might only "appeal" to 1,000. But of those 1,000, 200 remember you because you're the obvious choice for their specific situation. **200 > 10.** That's the math of positioning. ## The Hard Truth If your positioning doesn't make you uncomfortable, it's not working. You should be turning away money. You should be saying "we're not the right fit" regularly. You should have people self-select out before they ever contact you. That discomfort is the price of being memorable. --- The next time you're tempted to broaden your positioning "just in case," remember: positioning is sacrifice. The question isn't "who might we appeal to?" The question is "**who are we willing to lose?**"