Most founders don’t have a positioning problem.
They have a what-the-hell-do-you-even-do problem.
Their customers can’t describe them. Their sales team fumbles the pitch. Their website reads like a buzzword salad.
And when they try to grow, nothing sticks. Why? Because nobody knows what makes them different. And if nobody knows why you're different, you're a commodity.
If you’re playing in the B2B or B2G space, that’s a death sentence. And you know what I'm talking about. Proposals in this space are the key differentiator. If you don't stand out, you don't get chosen, and you can't continue to win pitches solely because you beat everyone out on price.
Let’s talk about why that’s happening, and how fixing your positioning might be the unlock that gets you from stuck to scaling.
Positioning isn’t just your tagline or the copy on your homepage.
It’s the answer to this question:
“When your ideal customer is thinking about solving a problem, where do you sit in their mind, and why?”
If the answer is fuzzy, negligible, or confusing, you don't have a clear positioning.
The other half of this conversation is... if you have great positioning and noone knows about it... you get it.
Strong positioning can be seen when:
It’s clarity, relevance, and authority all baked into one.
In the B2B/B2G world, you're not fighting for shelf space. You’re fighting for mental space.
Government buyers and business stakeholders are typically more risk-averse. They want to buy from someone they trust, know, or have had a conversation with that seemed competitent at the very least... someone who clearly understands their world.
And when your positioning is weak, three things happen:
They didn’t see you as the obvious fit. You didn’t signal expertise. Your messaging blended into every other “solutions partner.”
So they moved on.
Weak positioning attracts weak leads. Period.
You’ll be stuck rewriting every proposal. Explaining the offer from scratch. Clarifying what you don’t do, more than what you do.
Scaling becomes a mess.
In consumer markets, you can get away with clever ads and fun design. Not here.
B2B and B2G buyers aren’t impulse shopping. They’re managing risk, politics, procurement rules, and complex RFP processes.
That means:
You can’t just say “we build websites” or “we provide software solutions.” That’s not positioning. That’s a commodity sentence.
Strong positioning says:
“We help mid-size municipalities improve public safety engagement using custom-built digital platforms that integrate with existing 911 and CAD systems.”
Now you’re in a category of one.
Let’s flip it.
What happens when you nail your positioning?
People remember what you do. They forward your name when the topic comes up. You get tagged in Slack threads and LinkedIn posts.
That’s free inbound.
Your BDR, your proposal writer, your project manager, they’re finally saying the same thing. They stop guessing. They stop improvising.
That clarity bleeds into how you sell, scope, and serve.
The biggest reality that will change when positioning is clear? You end up spending less time and money in the lead development process.
Good positioning acts like a filter. It repels the wrong people and attracts the right ones. That means fewer bad-fit calls and more “we read your site and knew we had to talk” conversations.
When you’re positioned as the one who understands their exact world, you stop competing on price. You start competing on insight, speed, and relevance.
Premium rates follow positioning and experience, but proven. Always.
Better buyers. Bigger contracts. More strategic partnerships.
You stop playing the "let’s chase whatever’s available" game, and start playing chess.
Let’s look at two hypothetical firms in the B2G space.
Company A: GenericGovTech Solutions
Company B: VoterBridge
Guess who scales faster?
Guess who closes more business with fewer RFPs?
Guess who gets acquired in 3 years?
It’s not the better tech. It’s the better position.
We hate to admit it, but one of our colleagues always says this about the tech space and we think it applies here:
"More people are making money marketing a mediocre product extremely well than the guys and girls that market with mediocrity a product that is better than everyone else."
You don’t need to “rebrand” or run a focus group. Just answer the questions your customers already care about.
Start here:
Not “small businesses.”
Not “governments.”
Get specific:
What’s their annoying pain?
What’s the fire they’re dealing with?
Positioning must speak to real, felt problems.
Not better. Not faster. Not “we care more.”
What is functionally different about how you work, how you deliver, or how you think?
Example: “We implement in 30 days with no internal IT lift.”
That’s a position.
Don’t say “marketing” or “consulting.”
Say “We help Oklahoma funeral homes double pre-need sales with SMS-based funnels.”
Draw a line in the sand. Own something.
Once your positioning is locked, you can run.
Suddenly, marketing has teeth.
Sales has ammo.
Ops knows what to expect.
Buyers get it—fast.
You don’t need clever copy. You don’t need to re-invent the wheel.
You need to be the clearest company in the room.
Because clarity builds trust.
Clarity helps people buy.
And clarity scales.
If you feel like you’re doing everything right but still can’t break through—your positioning might be the silent killer.
Fix it, and everything downstream gets easier.
Need help getting there?
We specialize in helping B2B and B2G companies clarify what makes them different, then scale that clarity across every touchpoint.
Whether you’re stuck in the commodity zone or ready to dominate a niche, we’d love to talk.
Just shoot us an email at office@animusdigital.co, say hi, and we’ll take it from there. Otherwise head over to our B2B/B2G Positioning page to learn more and download our free marketing guide for buidling your marketing strategy deck with your internal team.
