A red square with the word speak in white letters on it.
A speech bubble with an orange border on a white background.

Five Ways to Tell Your B2B Tech Brand Has a Positioning Problem

Speak Agency • July 29, 2024
SHARE THIS:

In B2B technology arenas like SaaS, IT services, and IT infrastructure, standing out in a crowded marketplace is both a challenge and a necessity. Brand directors and CMOs are tasked with the critical role of ensuring their company's unique value proposition is clear, compelling, and consistent. Yet, even the most seasoned professionals can sometimes miss the signs that their brand positioning is off-kilter. Here are five key indicators that your B2B tech brand may have a positioning problem.




1. Your Go-To Slide Deck is 40+ Slides


One of the clearest signs of a positioning problem is an overstuffed slide deck. If your standard presentation to prospects or stakeholders is more than 40 slides, it’s a red flag. An overly lengthy deck often means you’re trying to compensate for a lack of clarity and focus. Instead of delivering a succinct and compelling narrative, you’re bombarding your audience with information in the hope that something will stick.


A well-positioned brand can convey its core message and value proposition in just a few slides. It should be easy to communicate what your company does, how it’s different, and why it matters. If you find yourself needing slide after slide to explain your business, it’s time to revisit and refine your positioning.


2. You Sound Like All Your Competitors


In the B2B tech space, differentiation is key. If your messaging sounds eerily similar to that of your competitors, your brand is likely suffering from a positioning problem. When your value proposition, key messages, and even your taglines echo the industry norm, it becomes challenging for prospects to see why they should choose you over another provider.


Conduct a competitive analysis to see how your messaging stacks up against others in your industry. If you find that your language, tone, and claims blend in with the crowd, it’s a clear indication that your positioning needs a refresh. Aim to highlight your unique strengths and the distinct benefits you offer to stand out in a sea of sameness.


3. Even Your Employees Can't Describe What You Do or Why It’s Important


Your employees are your brand ambassadors, and if they struggle to articulate what your company does and why it matters, you have a positioning problem. When employees can’t easily describe your company’s mission, products, and unique value, it points to a lack of internal alignment and clarity.


Hold internal workshops or training sessions to ensure that everyone in your organization understands and can communicate your brand’s positioning. A strong, clear, and well-communicated positioning strategy not only helps in external marketing efforts but also boosts internal morale and alignment.


4. Your Sales Cycle is Incredibly Long


While B2B tech sales cycles are inherently longer due to the complexity of products and decision-making processes, an excessively long sales cycle can indicate a positioning issue. If prospects are taking too long to move through the sales funnel, it may be because they don’t fully understand the value you provide or how you differ from competitors.


Clear and compelling positioning helps prospects quickly grasp your value proposition — even before they engage with Sales — leading to faster decision-making. Review your sales and marketing materials to ensure they are succinct, compelling, and aligned with your brand’s unique strengths. Simplifying and clarifying your message can help reduce the length of your sales cycle.


5. Your Market Share is Stagnant or Declining


If your market share has plateaued or is declining, despite consistent marketing and sales efforts, it’s a strong indicator that your brand positioning may be off. Stagnant or declining market share suggests that your target audience isn’t resonating with your current positioning, or worse, they’re being swayed by competitors with clearer, more compelling messages.


Conduct market research to gather insights on how your brand is perceived versus your competitors. Use this data to refine your positioning strategy, ensuring it aligns with market needs and differentiates you from the competition. A well-positioned brand should be able to capture and grow market share by clearly communicating its unique value proposition.


Outside Perspective is a Game Changer


Identifying and addressing a positioning problem is crucial for the success of your B2B tech brand. Gaining the outside perspective of a brand agency can help identify opportunities internal stakeholders may be too close to see. Speak! has helped a long list of tech leaders discover their brand essence and carve out a compelling position. Let our leadership team provide an initial analysis of your positioning and visual identity strategy. Tell us a little bit about your brand and we'll weigh via a video recording with our assessment and provide some actionable tips and priorities.

How AI Agents Are Transforming Marketing & Sales Alignment

By Speak Agency • February 13, 2025
Marketing and sales are supposed to work in sync. Marketing creates the messaging, sales takes it to market, and customers get a consistent, compelling brand experience. But in reality? That almost never happens.

MVB: What Early-Stage Tech Brands Need to Launch a Minimum Viable Brand

By Speak Agency • February 10, 2025
For tech startups, creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) — the stripped-down version of your product that allows you to test core assumptions with real users — is a common approach to product development. But what about your brand? Enter the Minimum Viable Brand (MVB): the essential elements needed to present your company professionally and connect with early customers, without over-investing in elaborate brand development.

The Truth, The Whole Truth, And Nothing But the Truth. So Help Your Brand.

By Speak Agency • February 3, 2025
Let's cut to the chase: In a world drowning in digital noise and AI-generated content, brand authenticity isn't just a nice-to-have — it's your survival kit. Today's tech-savvy customers can smell manufactured messaging from ten browser tabs away, and they're not afraid to hit "unfollow" faster than you can say "corporate values." The Power of Brand Truth Here's the deal: brand authenticity means getting real about who you are as an organization. We're not talking about your product specs or your tech stack — we're talking about the raw, honest truth of why you exist and what drives your team to show up every day. Your brand truth might be buried in your startup story, your unique approach to solving gnarly problems, or the way you're fundamentally changing how your customers work and live. Take Microsoft's transformation under Satya Nadella. When he took the reins in 2014, he didn't just pivot the company's technology — he unleashed its authentic truth as an enabler of human achievement. This wasn't some slick marketing play; it was a fundamental shift from "Windows first" to "empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more." The result? Microsoft's stock price soared over 600% since 2014, and they've become one of the most valuable companies in the world. Why Truth Matters More Than Ever The numbers don't lie: According to Stackla, 88% of consumers say authenticity is crucial when deciding which brands to support. Even more telling? A recent Edelman study found that 81% of consumers need to trust a brand before they'll even consider buying from them. In an age where every startup claims to be "disrupting" something, customers are developing highly sophisticated BS detectors. They're not just looking at your product dashboard — they're scrutinizing your GitHub contributions, reading your engineering blog posts, and watching how you handle service outages on Twitter. Uncovering Your Brand's Truth Finding your brand's authentic truth requires serious introspection. Ask yourself: What technical problem made you angry enough to start this company? What conventional wisdom in your industry are you willing to challenge? What keeps showing up in your customer success stories? What principles would you defend even if they slowed down your growth? Sometimes your truth is hiding in plain sight. Look at Twilio. Their brand truth isn't about APIs — it's about democratizing complex communications technology. This core truth drives everything from their developer-first approach to their acquisition strategy. Expressing Truth Through Story Once you've nailed your brand truth, you need to tell its story in a way that clicks with your audience. And no, we're not talking about another "Our Journey" blog post. Consider how Stripe tells its story. Their truth isn't about payment processing — it's about increasing the GDP of the internet. This bigger narrative has turned what could have been dry technical documentation into a compelling story about empowering entrepreneurs worldwide. Their transparency about their engineering challenges and public infrastructure investments has built unprecedented trust in the developer community. Building Trust Through Consistency Real talk: authenticity means walking the walk. When Zoom faced security criticisms in 2020, CEO Eric Yuan didn't hide behind PR speak. He admitted the problems, implemented a 90-day feature freeze to focus on security, and hosted weekly webinars to address concerns. This transparent approach turned a potential crisis into a trust-building opportunity. The data backs this up: According to PwC, 71% of consumers say they'll lose trust in a brand if they perceive it's putting profit over people. And once that trust is gone, 46% say they'll stop buying from the company altogether. The Bottom Line In the tech world, where every other company claims to be "revolutionary" or "game-changing," authentic brand truth is your secret weapon. It's not about crafting the perfect message—it's about having the courage to be genuinely, consistently, unapologetically you. The next generation of successful tech brands won't win because they had the most sophisticated tech stack or the biggest AWS budget. They'll win because they dared to be real in an increasingly artificial world. In an industry obsessed with automation and scalability, never forget that authenticity is the one thing you can't fake. Remember: Your brand truth is like your source code — you don't write it from scratch, you refactor and optimize what's already there. When you commit to pushing authentic commits to your brand repository, you're not just building a better story — you're compiling a more resilient business that resonates with users on a fundamental level.
SHOW MORE
Share by: