Your Business Has an Identity Crisis

People ask me the same question all the time. “I’m a [lawyer/plumber/contractor/whatever]. What should I do for marketing?”

The question itself is the problem. Your marketing isn’t working because your business has an identity crisis.

Saying you’re a real estate agent makes you one of 1.5 million in the United States. It’s a ticket straight to the commodity trap. There’s no reason for anyone to choose you over the next person in line. You’re forced to compete on personality or price, and that’s a losing game.

But what if you said you help retirees in Scottsdale downsize into smaller homes without getting killed on taxes? That’s not a real estate agent. That’s a specialist. That’s a solution to an expensive, painful problem. Suddenly, you become the only choice for a specific group of people. You have a hook.

This isn’t just a clever way to introduce yourself at a party. This is the foundation of every single marketing activity you will ever do.

It feels risky. Every business owner’s gut tells them to keep their options open, to say yes to any potential revenue. But that’s a trap. Being everything to everyone means you’re never the perfect choice for anyone. The real risk isn’t turning away a few mismatched clients. The real risk is spending years being invisible to the clients who would pay a premium for your specific expertise.

A solar business that just “installs solar panels” is a dime a dozen. A business that “helps small manufacturing plants in the Midwest cut energy costs and hit their ESG targets” is an expert. A lawyer who “practices family law” is a generalist. A lawyer who “helps single fathers in Texas navigate custody arrangements without losing their shirts” is a lifeline.

When you have this level of focus, the game changes. You stop shouting into the void and start having quiet conversations with the right people. You know exactly what to say on your website, who to target with your ads, and what problems to solve with your content. Marketing stops feeling like a chore and becomes a simple act of showing up where your clients are already looking. Sales conversations feel less like a pitch and more like a diagnosis. You’re not just another option. You’re the only one that makes sense.

Figuring this out is the hardest work a business owner can do. It’s almost impossible to read the label from inside the jar. I help service firms find their angle. If you’re ready to stop being a commodity, we should talk.