About The Book

“Most managers invest their time and energy in trying to make their firms better, when in fact they should be also be working to make their firms different.” – From Positioning for Professionals

Why are some professional service firms so much more successful than their competitors? The difference isn’t just talent, but focus. The best firms know that standing for everything is the same as standing for nothing. Instead of trying to be good at everything, they do what they do best and find resources for the rest.

In Positioning for Professionals: How Professional Knowledge Firms Can Differentiate Their Way to Success by Tim Williams, you’ll learn how and why a differentiating positioning strategy means a strongly focused team, a strongly appealing business model, and ultimately a strong margin.  

"Positioning for Professionals" explores:

  • Why there’s no such thing as “full service” or a “general market”
  • Why every company is a brand
  • Why it’s better to be a profit leader than a market leader
  • How to overcome your natural fear of focus
  • Why building a successful brand means going against your instincts
  • Making your firm hard to imitate
  • Forgoing best practices for “next practices”
  • Out-of-the-ordinary ways to differentiate your firm from the “sea of sameness”
  • Why every single business decision you make affects the success and reputation of your brand

It’s no coincidence that a handful of top firms keep winning the most business, attract the best talent, and earn the highest margins. They’re the ones that have staked out a differentiating positioning strategy that capitalizes on their strengths. Rather than being mildly appealing to a broad group of prospects, they’re intensely appealing to a select group of prospects. They’re the firms that follow the principles you’ll find in Positioning for Professionals.