Module

Service Positioning

The purpose of this advisory module is to transfer knowledge to key decision makers at the firm, breaking the silos and facilitating alignment between strategy, marketing, business development, sales, and client service teams.

It answers a critical business question: how to position the professional firm’s services?

During this seminar, attendees will be exposed to novel concepts and practical applications. Participants will gain clarity about one of the most misunderstood yet highly impactful topics — positioning. Attendees will gain practical ideas on how to gain competitive advantage through service positioning.

Service Offering Positioning (SOP) seminar

As clients intensify fee pressures while demanding more value from professional firms, one of the most effective ways to protect margins and escape commoditization is to shift the strategic focus to those client segments that intuitively understand and care about the firm's unique value.

During this interactive session, growth, strategy and innovation officers, as well as managing partners and practice group leaders will learn how to gain and maintain competitive advantage through service positioning, making the value self-evident to the right buyers.

The concepts of Positioning are widely misunderstood, sometimes even among the most seasoned marketers. This session reaches far beyond the cursory contents of messaging and branding and into the depths of business strategy.

Attendees will get acquainted with a cross-functional eight-step service positioning framework that aligns executive leadership, practice leaders, business development, sales, and marketing efforts on exactly the right market positions where the firm’s services will win.

The framework facilitates stakeholder agreement on five key positioning elements:

  1. Competitive Alternatives: The options clients evaluate us against.
  2. Value: The key benefits clients seek to buy.
  3. Market Category: The market position most favorable to us.
  4. Context: The behavioral patterns that make our value self-evident.
  5. Best-fit Clients: The segments with a natural affinity for our services.

Participants will learn how to translate technical capabilities and client-expected benefits into competitive advantage and value that is obvious to the best-fit buyers.

Your team will evaluate how to use service positioning to facilitate client acquisition, retention, and advocacy.

Your colleagues and professionals will identify potential gaps in your firm’s value proposition by examining key service positioning elements: client segments, competitive alternatives, core competencies, market category, and buying context.

Components of the Seminar on Service Positioning

A half-day seminar (~4-5 hours) has two parts: presentation and diagnostics. It unfolds the following way. First, a 2-hour presentation on the topic followed by a 30-minute Q&A session. Second, facilitation of general discussion among attendees in order to assess the need and desire to proceed with the SOP workshop. Finally, participants will be invited to make decisions about the next action steps (if any), planning, and assignment of responsibilities.

The presentation includes the following topics:

  • Understanding strategy
  • Ten Value Activities and the building blocks of competitive advantage
  • Five Value Categories and ensuing Value Components that buyers care about most
  • Five components of effective service positioning
  • Key positioning dimensions
  • Eight-step Service Offering Positioning (SOP) framework
  • Avoiding common pitfalls, sidestepping organizational inertia, tackling resistance
  • Validating service positioning and making change real

Price info

The fee is subject to the scope of work, number of participants, urgency and complexity. The $5,000 fee is for a typical half-day seminar held at your premises or during a retreat.

The purpose of this seminar is to generate awareness among top management and professionals with regard to value creation and capture, assess the necessity, feasibility, and timeliness of service design programs. Attendees will review available options investigating pros & cons, risks & costs, as well as necessary trade-offs.

Also available as an in-depth full-day seminar with thorough evaluation of to-be-made decisions.

Should you wish to know more about the SOP workshop itself, follow this link.

Required participation

Key decision makers in practice management, business development, sales, account management, project management, marketing roles who have a say in pricing, pitching, engagement staffing, project (case) management, and growing client accounts at your firm.
See the discussion topics (above) to assess who will be in a better position to make these decisions.

Typical length

4-5 hours

Availability

Typically available within 2-3 weeks.
Advance booking is possible. Please contact to inquire about a non-refundable booking fee.

Alternative formats

Seminar, lecture, talk, presentation, panel discussion, hands-on workshop.

Payments

Prepayment in full. No refunds (see exception below).

Refund Policy

We provide an unconditional satisfaction guarantee.
Refer to our refund policy page for more details.

Travel

Return flights from NYC, NY, U.S.
Economy class. Upgrade on long-haul flights.
Additionally: per diem, transport, lodging, print-outs, presentation tools.

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