B2B and professional services firms are under pressure. Sales cycles are stretching, competition is harder to tell apart, and buyers expect clarity long before they ever reach out. Trust still matters — but reputation alone no longer gets deals over the line. The real gap is often brand misalignment: when leadership vision, market realities, competitive position, and day-to-day experience don’t connect.
When brand works as a strategic system — not just design — it shortens the time it takes to earn trust, creates genuine differentiation, and improves revenue quality. At moments of growth, defence, risk, or recovery, leaders who act early can utilise their brand to align narrative and messaging, build visible expertise that drives demand before the RFP, and close the promise-delivery gap across touchpoints. The firms that invest in clarity now become harder to overlook — and much harder to displace.
Clarity beats visibility. Being seen isn’t enough; buyers act on brands they understand and trust to deliver outcomes.
Narrative drives demand. A coherent story aligns leadership, shapes perception, and makes thought leadership work harder commercially.
Brand closes gaps. When promise and delivery align, trust compounds, cycles shorten, and growth momentum accelerates.
View the full webinar replay and hear directly from managing partners Dipendra and Preetum Mistry on how brand strategy is reshaping B2B services in 2026 and beyond.
Over the past year, we’ve been in dozens of conversations with founders, CMOs, and managing partners across the B2B and professional services landscape.
And regardless of whether the firm was legal, financial, consulting, or creative, the same set of questions kept surfacing:
– How do we make our brand work harder for growth in 2026 and beyond?
– Are we standing out — or just blending in?
– And how do we evolve our brand without losing the trust we’ve built?
In this sector, trust has always been the foundation. Relationships, reputation, referrals — these have been the traditional engines of growth. But in today’s landscape, that’s no longer enough. In many cases, sales cycles are now longer. New competitors are entering from unexpected angles. And buyers are moving through more of the journey before they even speak to you — expecting clarity before contact.
So firms are starting to ask deeper questions:
– Why are we being seen as smaller or more limited than we really are?
– Why are we being overlooked, even when we have the credentials?
– Why does the message no longer reflect the business we’ve become?
And increasingly, the answer lies in the brand. Or more specifically, in the absence of strategic clarity behind it.
To frame this, let’s look at what’s happening across the market — and why so many B2B brands are falling behind without realising it.
Gartner reports that 64% of B2B buyers say they can’t distinguish one companies digital experience from another. That means most brands are operating in a state of parity — where buyers can’t see or feel the difference. And when that happens, decisions default to price, familiarity, or inertia. We often see this: credible firms that feel like they’re being overlooked. Not because they’re underperforming — but because their actual value isn’t landing in the eyes of the buyer.
And this trend directly impacts growth.
According to data from RSW, 51% of firms report that winning new business is harder than it was last year. And 78% report sales cycles now take up to 6 months to close. That kind of lag puts pressure across the business — from marketing and business development, to leadership and delivery.
This is where brand strategy becomes critical. More like a growth lever that shortens the trust-building phase by clarifying who you are and why you matter — earlier in the buyer journey.
And we’re seeing clear proof points for how that gap can be closed by engaging out-of-market B2B buyers.
In a recent Edelman–LinkedIn study, 7 in 10 B2B decision-makers reported feeling more positively about companies that consistently publish high-quality thought leadership. Even more striking: 86% said they’re more likely to invite those firms into the RFP process. In other words, thought leadership isn’t just a credibility tool. It has real business value when tied to a coherent brand narrative.
And yet, trust still leads.
A recent study by Hinge found that 65% of buyers prioritise firms they already know or trust. So reputation still matters — deeply. But here’s the paradox: many highly reputable firms have a visibility gap.
They’re known in small circles, but they’re not seen in the moments that count.
That’s where brand work pays dividends. It scales trust, without diluting it.
And finally, brand is back on the agenda.
According to eMarketer, 40% of B2B marketers plan to increase their brand-building budgets in 2025. This isn’t about replacing performance. It’s about making performance work better. The most effective firms are now rebalancing — recognising that without a clear narrative, performance gets more expensive, less efficient, and harder to sustain.
So — the signals are clear.
The market is noisier. Buyers are harder to win. Reputation still matters, but it’s not showing up where it needs to. And the smartest firms are starting to invest upstream — not just in spend, but in clarity.
Over the past year, we’ve had in-depth conversations with business leaders across B2B and professional services firms. Different industries, different growth stages — but the same underlying friction. Here are some soundbites from those conversations.
Quote 1 – Senior Partner, Legal Firm
Our firm was built on partner reputation – but we’re under pressure to modernise our story for today’s customers.
This law firm built its reputation on the credibility of its partners. That used to be enough — but now, they’re feeling the pressure to modernise. In many legal firms, ambition often outpaces alignment. Leadership teams see where the firm is heading, but the story, messaging, and materials still reflect where it started. The story that built the firm is no longer landing with newer buyers.
Quote 2 – Founder, Creative Agency
AI has reshaped how we deliver and what clients expect. We’re rethinking how we show up — as a partner, not just a vendor.
In creative services, the shift is even more acute. Commoditisation is everywhere — and AI is accelerating it. This founder is now rethinking not just delivery, but perception. The brand needs to reflect partnership, not just execution — because in a crowded category, being seen as ‘just another agency’ is a commercial risk.
Quote 3 – CMO, Consulting Firm
We’ve outgrown our positioning, but no one’s sure what comes next. Buyers want outcomes — not frameworks or IP.
For consulting firms, the issue is often one of visibility versus relevance. They’re still producing thought leadership — but it’s anchored in frameworks and IP, not outcomes. Their buyers are seeing the brand across various channels, but it’s unclear what difference they make. And when that happens, even excellent work blends into the background.
Quote 4 – Financial Services Firm
We’ve always led with expertise — but today, perception shapes credibility. Buyers expect more from the first impression.
In financial services, where credibility is crucial, the perception gap is widening. This CEO knows they’ve always led with substance. But in today’s market, that isn’t enough. They’re realising that if the brand doesn’t connect with modern consumers — especially in a category often seen as complex or tedious — trust never gets a chance to build.
So while the data shows what’s changing, these voices reveal why it matters. The stakes aren’t just perception — they’re about commercial clarity, internal alignment, and long-term relevance.
Which raises the next question: What are the structural challenges holding firms back from making the shift?
At MistryX, we developed the Brand360™ Alignment Model to diagnose the structural forces that quietly undermine brand effectiveness in B2B services.
In essence, brand clarity is lost when these four lenses are misaligned.
Below is a diagram to show the four lenses that shape how your brand is perceived — internally and externally:
– Internal Alignment: Do your leadership, teams, and culture share a clear direction?
– Market Pressure: Are you keeping pace with shifting buyer expectations and category norms?
– Competitive Positioning: Can you articulate why you’re different — and why it matters?
– Customer Experience: Do your touchpoints deliver on the promise your brand makes?
And the reality is — even minor misalignment in one area can ripple across the others.
Lens 1: Internal Alignment
Let’s explore how this plays out across the sector. We often see firms where the brand story hasn’t kept up with the business story. The visuals, language, and messaging still reflect the past — not the future.
Add to that inconsistent communication across leadership, marketing, and client-facing teams — and you end up with fragmentation. Internally confused, externally diluted.
The landscape has shifted — fast. Clients aren’t just looking for capability anymore. They expect relevance, clarity, and evidence of strategic thinking from the very first touchpoint.
At the same time, trust is being built — or lost — in new spaces. Industry expertise still matters, but it now competes with digital-first players, niche specialists, and bold new entrants who show up with sharp positioning and modern messaging.
For firms that have relied on legacy relationships or traditional reputation, the shift can be jarring. What once differentiated them is now expected—and when perception lags behind the market, brand equity erodes quietly yet quickly.
B2B services firms are facing pressure on both sides — established giants are moving downstream with slicker marketing, while agile new players are carving out sharper niches.
We’re hearing stories of win rates declining, RFP processes stalling, or clients defaulting to larger firms not because they’re better — but because they’re more visible, more confident, or better packaged.
In many cases, firms are doing the work — but the story isn’t cutting through. Strategic language has become table stakes, and brand sameness leads to brand fatigue. When your pitch sounds just like everyone else’s, you lose by default.
This is where misalignment hits hardest. Touchpoints often feel disjointed: thought leadership, proposals, website and social media — all telling slightly different stories. And when the experience falls short of what the brand promises, trust breaks down fast.
So when a firm says, ‘Our brand isn’t landing’ — this is usually why. It’s not one fatal flaw. It’s the silent drag of small misalignments compounding over time.
And unless you reconnect the brand to business reality, these gaps grow wider, not smaller.
Brand doesn’t always rise to the top of the agenda through logic or planning. More often, it’s a response to pressure — or an opportunity. We call these the push–pull forces — the moments where brand becomes not just a marketing concern, but a business-critical decision.
We’ve mapped these moments across two dimensions on the plot below:
– On the Y-axis, we have perceived advantage — how the firm believes it stacks up competitively.
– On the X-axis, we look at market momentum — whether external demand is growing or shrinking.
The four quadrants represent the four primary types of brand decisions commonly observed in B2B and professional services.
(High perceived advantage, high market momentum)
This is where momentum is strong and the firm is in a position of strength, and it wants to press its advantage. This typically shows up in scenarios like:
– A new service line is gaining traction, but the brand hasn’t caught up
– Expansion into new geographies or sectors
– A leadership team with growth capital but a brand that feels dated
(High perceived advantage, low market momentum)
This quadrant is about defending a position during a slowdown. Although the market may be tightening, the firm maintains a strong reputation and client base. This often looks like:
– Fee erosion from procurement pressure
– Competitive M&A shifting the landscape
– Legacy trust, but declining relevance among new buyers
(Low perceived advantage, low market momentum)
This is often the most acute pain point — where firms feel they’re losing ground and can’t tell why. It shows up as:
– Longstanding clients churning unexpectedly
– Declining win rates despite a strong offer
– RFP fatigue from being seen as interchangeable
(Low perceived advantage, high market momentum)
And finally — Reputation Recovery. This is where the business is growing or evolving, but past perceptions are hindering its progress. You’ll often hear this when:
– A leadership transition creates a gap in external messaging
– A misstep, acquisition, or shift in model creates confusion
– The brand story hasn’t kept pace with the firm’s ambition
These moments all sound different — but they share one truth:
At a point of inflection, brand strategy must align with business strategy to create clarity and drive meaningful momentum.
Whether it’s growth, defence, or recovery, the firms that act early use brand to stay ahead. Those who delay often find themselves reacting — with less clarity, more cost, and fewer options.
We’ve just seen how brand misalignment can erode clarity, differentiation, and growth. But we also know that when leaders approach brand strategically, it becomes a catalyst for momentum. Here are four high-leverage areas where B2B services firms can win with brand.
Let’s start here — because it’s one of the most common traps we see in B2B services. Firms often believe that visibility is enough. If they’re known in their niche, they must be well-positioned.
But being known isn’t the same as being understood.
In a category full of capable competitors, positioning is what clarifies why you matter. It’s the shift from “what we do” to “what we change” — from technical description to strategic value. As AI reshapes delivery expectations, clients aren’t buying outputs; they're buying outcomes. And that means the brand must anchor to a clear, differentiated value proposition — one that speaks to impact, not just process.
The firms that win are those who lead with why they exist and how they create advantage — not just what they offer. That’s what positioning does. It moves the brand from passive awareness to active preference – making you the obvious choice in your industry.
Today’s buyers are exposed to hundreds of marketing messages — every single day. The challenge isn’t just standing out — it’s being remembered.
According to recent research, 89% of B2B buyers research firms online before ever speaking to them.
By the time they reach out, they’ve already formed an impression — often without you knowing. This is why narrative strategy matters. Before a single sales conversation happens, your brand is already at work — through your website, your thought leadership, your social presence, and even how your team shows up online.
But here’s the risk: when these signals are inconsistent or misaligned, buyers feel that disconnect.
They start to question credibility — or worse, they forget you altogether. That’s why the story must come first. It must align leadership around a shared message, make sense to buyers, and adapt across channels — without compromising its integrity.
When done right, it creates an inbound flywheel: drawing in the right prospects, building trust early, and setting your team up to lead the conversation — not chase it.
Most B2B firms focus on visibility during the sales process. But the reality is — by then, it’s often too late.
According to the 2024 Edelman & LinkedIn Thought Leadership Study, 95% of business buyers aren’t actively looking for services at any given time. And for those who are, 90% say sales cycles are longer than ever.
So the challenge is clear: How do you earn mindshare before there’s a defined need?
This is where thought leadership and visible expertise become brand assets. In B2B services, your people are the brand. Their insight, presence, and credibility carry more weight than any deck or campaign. That’s why we coach leaders to become visible authorities. Not for ego — but for evidence. To demonstrate value, proactively — by reframing challenges, offering perspective, and making your expertise findable and actionable.
Here’s the upside:
52% of decision-makers now spend an hour or more each week consuming thought leadership. And 90% are more likely to welcome outreach from firms that consistently challenge their thinking with high-quality insight.
So this isn’t just about content. It’s about building brand equity before the pipeline even starts.
Let’s talk about brand delivery — because this is where many firms fall short. In professional services, reputation and referrals remain the primary sources of growth. But referrals don’t come from marketing — they come from the experience. And that experience either lives up to the brand… or exposes it.
We refer to this as the promise–delivery gap. It shows up when teams aren’t aligned, or when delivery doesn’t match what’s said in the pitch. And in a world where buyers are already sceptical and time-poor, that gap closes doors.
Strong brands close this gap by enabling their people. That means aligning teams on the narrative, building shared language, and reinforcing the value story across every touchpoint. Because when brand and experience reinforce each other, trust compounds — and referrals follow.
So — this isn’t about brand for brand’s sake. It’s about using brand as a lever for business performance. To align the inside and the outside. And, to shorten cycles, win trust earlier, and move from being known… to being chosen.
Let’s walk through six examples — firms across legal, consulting, and creative that are leveraging brand-led growth. You’ll notice different approaches, but a common thread.
First up — Harbottle & Lewis. A firm that’s carved out a distinct niche in the legal market by focusing on media, tech, and entertainment.
– Their brand leads with specialisation — everything from their messaging to design reflects profound relevance to creatives and growth-stage founders.
– Their website is outcome-oriented, speaking the language of business impact, not just legal processes.
– And their leadership is visible and confident, which builds trust in a traditionally opaque sector.
Next — Bain & Company. A company well known in the management consulting space.
– They’ve consistently delivered on their promise and exceeded client expectations since they were founded in 1963.
– Across all channels, they have built a demand generation flywheel through their thought leadership, which is not only consistent but aligned with their brand and value proposition.
Third — Re. A creative agency that positions itself as a transformation partner, not just a creative studio.
– Their own brand expression is a masterclass in clarity — simple copy, strong tone, modern design.
– Their work doesn’t just look good — their case studies articulate business outcomes, not just design aesthetics.
– And their IP-led approach adds structure — they sell thinking, not just visuals, which reframes their role from executor to advisor.
These aren’t anomalies — they’re signals. And they show up in less obvious places too — like financial services, wealth management, and venture capital.
Take BBH. An advertising agency whose brand isn’t just bold — it’s built on consistent effectiveness and a long-term commitment to doing things differently.
– Their very first Levi’s campaign featured a black sheep going against the herd — a perfect symbol for their founding principle: “When the world zigs, zag.” That ethos still guides them today.
– They’ve avoided speculative pitching, chosen partnerships over posturing, and stayed focused on strategic creativity — not just growth for growth’s sake.
– Their campaigns are not only visually iconic, but behaviourally smart — driving results and proving that originality and effectiveness aren’t opposites, but partners.
Now to wealth management — Ascot Lloyd recently rebranded to reflect a shift in who they serve and how.
– They lowered the minimum investment threshold and realigned their fee structure — then rebranded to reflect that inclusivity.
– They shifted from the polished elitism often seen in the category — towards warm, plainspoken language that invites, rather than intimidates.
– And by shifting from exclusivity to empowerment, they’ve opened the door to previously underserved segments, including younger clients — and repositioned trust as simplicity.
And finally — MMC Ventures. An early-stage tech investor who used brand to evolve from reputation-led to purpose-driven.
– They repositioned around ‘tech for everyday innovators’ — giving a sharper definition to their thesis.
– The rebrand included messaging and identity work that reinforced founder alignment and long-term partnership.
– And crucially, their case studies don’t just celebrate funding rounds — they spotlight commercial outcomes, showing the real value of their involvement.
So across these six firms: Brand clarity is a commercial asset and a key driver of growth.
In B2B services, the firms getting this right aren’t just more visible — they’re becoming harder to displace.
Now, let’s bring the focus back to your organisation. This framework helps you turn brand clarity into meaningful, strategic action — across different time horizons.
In the short term, start with diagnosis. The insights here likely surfaced alignment gaps across your brand — mismatches between your positioning, your audience, and your strategic direction.
Some of those gaps are fixable right now. You might have internal misalignment, fragmented messaging, or a lack of clarity across touchpoints. These are things you can correct in the short term to drive immediate improvements.
So the question to reflect on is this:
Where is your brand currently out of step with business reality? And what can be addressed today to close that gap?
Next, take a wider lens. Look at the forces shaping your market — and how they’re putting pressure on your brand to evolve. This is where the push–pull forces come into play. For some, it’s a need to defend pricing and relevance. For others, it’s about expanding service offerings or repairing perception.
What matters is that your response is strategic — not reactive.
Ask yourself: Which brand pressures are you currently responding to — and are you doing so strategically?
And then there’s the bigger picture. Brand-led growth doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you design a roadmap — one that’s aligned, scalable, and grounded in your organisation’s future direction. It means building the capabilities, structures, and behaviours that ensure your brand grows with the business — not just beside it.
So here’s the final reflection:
Are you building a brand that grows with the business — or holding onto what used to work?
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