Repositioning right now? Target risk, reputation, or revenue

To misquote Mark Carney, AI’s impact puts us in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. And if that rupture has you rethinking the way you position your services or generate leads for your business, you’re not alone.

I’ve talked about the signals that led me to close my business. But what if I had decided instead to transform it — to adapt to fast-moving external conditions rather than step away?

This is what I would have done. (In fact, this is what I am doing as I launch my new solo consultancy.)

First – let’s take a breath together. Repositioning doesn’t mean blowing everything up. It’s more often about doubling down on where your work genuinely matters.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth. The problems many of us used to solve just don’t get budget anymore.

Simplifying complex messages into clear, engaging language? AI can help any decent in house comms team with that. Generating SEO content, fast? AI is faster. From video campaigns and product shoots to reporting, analysis and even coaching, our clients’ capabilities have changed, and so have their budget allocations.

Anything that is low value, nice to have, or has a whiff of marketing fluff is out.

So what is in? What sits inside non-discretionary, must-invest budgets?

As service providers, we need to be able to tie our impact to at least one of these three Rs:

Risk, Reputation, Revenue.

These are the areas where the stakes are high, where poor decisions hurt, and where human judgment still matters. This is also where there is budget – and where you add value that can’t be easily outsourced to a bot.

Risk: can you reduce client exposure?

This is the lowest-hanging fruit, because risk is top of mind for every client I talk with. And fear, like it or not, is a very powerful motivator.

Getting the GenAI balance is a question of risk – too much, and brand trust evaporates. Just ask Jeans West. Too little, and leaders fear being left behind.

Then there’s regulatory risk. Is that ESG report greenwashed? Do our customer comms meet APRA requirements? Could the ACCC come down on these claims?  Add data security into the mix – are we compromising info by moving too fast?

And finally, strategic and people risk. Bad decisions have a nasty habit of compounding. Poorly managed change costs trust, talent and productivity — and those losses flow directly through to revenue.

Think about moments where the wrong path isn’t just embarrassing. It’s dangerous.

That’s where human intelligence should intervene.

So get clear on this: what risks do your solutions or services actively reduce?

Reputation: where risk gets personal

Reputation is a high stakes deal – for businesses, and for individual leaders.

At a brand level, once trust is lost through rushed communications or a poor customer experience, it’s hard to win back. But there’s also opportunity here. When every brand starts sounding the same, being genuinely distinctive — not just louder — can fast-track reputation growth and show up as market leadership.

At an individual level, the stakes are just as high. Many leaders now realise they can’t afford to be invisible. Maybe they’re planning a merger or acquisition and need to control the narrative. Perhaps they see competitors dominating the conversation and want greater influence and credibility.

Here’s an example. A client asks for help writing a script for a high-profile event. What they’re really asking for isn’t words. It’s confidence in front of an audience.

That’s reputation work.

If you want to anchor your services here, a Done With You (DWY) model could be the right fit. Teaching skills and sharing frameworks can help your clients show up consistently, and strengthens reputation without creating dependency.

Revenue: can you prove your ROI?

Lifting sales has always been the easy way to justify budget. But it’s never been harder to attribute revenue to a single tactic.

Often, the real problem isn’t revenue at all. It’s a volatile or slowing sales pipeline. It’s margin pressure – under-pricing, over-delivering, or discounting to get deals over the line. Or it’s poor conversion, without knowing why. Is it the product? The price? The message?

Each of these is a different hair-on-fire problem. And if they don’t get solved, the business quickly becomes unsustainable.

So if you’ve typically anchored your services as a sales-generator, get more precise. Diagnose what’s blocking growth, and disclose real-life results (not vague promises).

Ready to reposition?

Whether you align your value proposition to revenue, risk or reputation, the test is the same. Can you clearly answer this question from your client’s point of view:

Why should I work with you – and what’s in it for me?

Once you can answer that, everything else gets easier. You can stop trying to be everything to everyone, and focus your energy where you matter most.

From there, you can build a lead generation system that showcases your positioning, draws the right clients to you like a magnet, and gives you greater control over your project pipeline.

That’s what we’ll explore next.

(Need a framework to sharpen up your client value proposition? The Beyond Solo Workbook can help.)