B2B Positioning: How to Strengthen Your Market Position
Key points at a glance
- A clear positioning helps B2B companies to stand out in increasingly homogeneous markets.
- Anyone who tries to offer everything to every target group risks ending up with an indistinguishable market profile.
- Differentiation is not achieved solely through product features, but also through customer benefits, expertise and consistent communication.
- A clearly defined target audience and a clear value proposition form the basis of a strong market position.
- Positioning should be reviewed regularly – particularly in the event of changes to the market, the competition or the target audience.
Why Positioning Is More Important Than Ever
The concept of positioning was developed in the early 1970s, notably by Al Ries and Jack Trout, and later brought to the attention of a wider audience through their book “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind”. Since then, however, the market has changed fundamentally – and the pace of change continues to accelerate.
Today, buyers no longer compare offers by browsing a few catalogues or visiting trade fair stands, but do so in a matter of seconds via Google, comparison websites and, increasingly, AI-powered search assistants. What used to take weeks now happens before a sales representative even makes contact. At the same time, many offers are so similar in structure, language and presentation that they are virtually interchangeable.
For small and medium-sized B2B companies, this presents a twofold challenge: they are not only competing for visibility against larger providers, but also to be noticed at all in an increasingly automated pre-selection process.
What Market Positioning Means in B2B
Positioning is closely linked to various strategic concepts, including:
- Brand positioning
- Competitive positioning
- Target audience segmentation
- Differentiation
- Preference analysis
Positioning can be achieved across a wide range of dimensions – for example:
- Top quality or the lowest price
- A unique customer experience or the best customer service
- The widest product range or specialist niche expertise
- Tailor-made solutions
- Proven, reliable results
With an undefined offering aimed at ‘everyone’ and without a clearly defined position, a company can quickly come across as generic. In my consultancy practice, I repeatedly find that companies shy away from this decision – for fear of ‘losing’ customers who do not fit the target profile. Figuratively speaking, we first need to prune a few branches so that the roots are once again adequately supplied with nutrients: in the short term, this costs revenue. In the long term, a lack of focus costs significantly more.
How to Tell If You’re Replaceable
An example from my consultancy practice: The operator of a travel platform recently complained that its competitor had almost exactly the same website. A thorough analysis confirmed the allegation. I looked at the communication codes the providers were using – language (sentences, words, technical terms, dialogues), symbolism (images, graphics, products) and stories (real-life situations). Time and again, we saw the same image of the smart business traveller, the handshake between two partners, the meeting point at the airport, the hire car, the world map and the briefcase. The services on offer were, in fact, interchangeable – and that is precisely what the images inadvertently confirmed.
Those who simply go with the flow have no distinguishing feature that sets them apart from the competition. Without any discernible added value, customers quickly ask themselves: why should they choose this particular offer – especially at a reasonable price? It then stands to reason that customers will use the price as a starting point for negotiations. This can quickly mark the beginning of a downward spiral: cutting costs at any price, just to remain competitive.
“Most businesses fail not because of their product, but because they lack the courage to make a decision. If you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll end up being indispensable to no one.”
Serpil, positioning and product management expert and consultant
The Status Quo Check: Asking the Right Questions
A good starting point for any positioning exercise is an honest assessment of the current situation. Ask the following questions:
- What do we demonstrably do better than the competition?
- What specific benefits do we offer our customers?
- What do our regular customers particularly value about us?
- What problems do we solve that nobody else is addressing?
- What is our company truly passionate about – and is this even visible in the market?
As a general guide, it can be useful to review your positioning every three to five years – or sooner in the event of major changes to the market, the competition or your target audience. The exact frequency depends on whether you operate in a B2B or B2C environment and on the lifespan of your products or services.
| Feature | Traditional positioning | Modern B2B positioning |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Product features | Customer problem & business outcome |
| Differentiation | Based on features and price | Based on attitude, story and expertise |
| Target audience | “Everyone is a customer” | Clearly defined ideal customer profile |
| Communication | Centralised via the company’s own website | Consistent across all touchpoints, including AI search |
| Review | Rarely, mostly reactive | Regularly, every 3 to 5 years |
5 Steps to Clear Positioning
Step 1: Analyse the status quo
Where do you stand today? Honestly assess your strengths, weaknesses and the views of your existing customers.
Step 2: Refine your target audience
Who is your ideal customer – and for whom are you deliberately not the right choice?
Step 3: Define your unique selling point
Which problem do you demonstrably solve better than the competition?
Step 4: Translate your positioning into clear messages
Your positioning must work just as effectively in sales conversations as it does on your website.
Step 5: Consistently communicate this across all channels
Your website, sales team, content and brand image all speak with one voice.
When repositioning is worth(your)while
Repositioning is usually the result of external changes, for example when:
- your target audience shrinks or becomes less attractive,
- the profitability of your existing target audience declines,
- current turnover is no longer sufficient to support a long-term growth strategy,
- the competition has caught up and overtaken your lead,
- new competitors are entering your field of activity with new rules of the game.
Conclusion: Take a Stand Instead of Going with the Flow
Companies that actively shape their positioning gain a real competitive edge. The transition doesn’t happen overnight – but with a clear structure, the right questions and the courage to consciously choose not to do certain things, positioning becomes a sustainable driver of growth. The transition doesn’t happen overnight – but with a clear structure, the right questions and the courage to consciously opt out of certain things, positioning becomes a sustainable driver of growth.
FAQs
What is the difference between positioning and differentiation?
Positioning describes the place your business should occupy in the minds of your target audience.
Differentiation is the means to achieve this: the specific characteristics that set you apart from the competition.
How often should a B2B company review its positioning?
A period of three to five years can serve as a guideline. However, in the event of new competitors, changing customer needs or other significant market shifts, the positioning should be reviewed sooner.
Is positioning work also worthwhile for smaller B2B companies?
Clear positioning is crucial, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, as they often lack the marketing budgets that large corporations have to make themselves stand out through reach alone.
How long does a repositioning take?
Depending on the initial situation, a status quo analysis and strategic reorientation can be carried out within a few weeks. Consistent implementation across the website, sales and content, on the other hand, is a longer-term process.
Sources & Further Information
- Gartner (2023): B2B Buying Journey Report
- bvik – Bundesverband Industrie Kommunikation e.V. (2025): Studie „B2B-Marketing-Budgets 2025“
Serpil Uensal
Product and Business Development Specialist
Serpil is a specialist trainer, coach and consultant with over 20 years’ experience in product management, product marketing and strategy. She helps companies and product teams to systematically develop their product expertise and drive growth – with particular expertise in tech, medtech and regulated markets.
Last reviewed on 8 September 2026 • Graduate in Business Administration (FH) • International Executive MBA • Certified Trainer (dvct e.V.) • Certified Coach (dvct e.V.)
Serpil Uensal
Trainer, Coach & Consultant in Product Management
Published: 14 June 2017
Last updated: 8 September 2026
Reading time: 5 mins
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