At Good, we work with B2B tech companies around the world. Businesses selling complex products, often with layers of technical detail, internal legacy and specialist audiences.
But we also work with professional services firms – law practices, accountants, consultancies – and what’s striking is how similar the brand challenges are.
We recently published a report on branding in B2B tech. It was written for a tech audience, but the truth is, much of it applies just as easily to professional services. Because whether you’re selling code or counsel, strategy or software, the same patterns appear: brands that are built on smart thinking, but don’t show it. Brands that confuse more than they clarify. Brands that quietly hold the business back.
This is what happens when smart people use dumb language.
When firms confuse being complicated with being credible.
When they hide behind jargon and internal process because they’ve never done the hard work of defining what really makes them different.
Here are five truths professional services firms need to hear – especially if you’re serious about standing out.
1. Say what you do – fast, plain, and in your own voice
The first thing your brand needs to do is say what you do. Clearly. Up front. No padding, no poetry, no vague promises about “navigating uncertainty” or “partnering for success.”
We see far too many firms lead with a mission statement when they should be leading with their offer. Or worse, they assume the audience already knows.
But your clients aren’t mind-readers. They’re busy people. And if they don’t get it within seconds, they’re gone.
This is the first test of trust. If your brand makes people work hard to understand you, they’ll assume your services will too.
Fix it:
Say it simply. Use your own voice. Don’t make it a guessing game. And don’t let your homepage become a case study archive with no point of view.
2. Legacy names are fine. Legacy thinking isn’t
A lot of professional services firms still carry a founder’s name – and that’s fine. Those names often come with history, relationships, and reputation.
The problem isn’t the name. It’s what you wrap around it.
Too many firms stop at a name and logo and never define what the brand means now. The result? A business that feels stuck in a time warp. Or worse, one that’s become a collection of disconnected services and personalities, all doing their own thing.
In our Brand Dynamics report, we highlighted the risk of weak brand architecture in B2B tech – where products and acquisitions are bolted on without strategic coherence. The same thing happens in services. Different teams pull in different directions. Nobody’s really clear what the firm stands for anymore.
Tradition might earn you a second look. But clarity and relevance close the deal.
Fix it:
Keep the name if it still carries weight. But build something sharper around it – something that defines what the brand stands for today and gives your team a consistent platform to communicate from.
3. Inside-out thinking kills outside interest
Here’s the big one. And we see it across every sector. Firms writing for themselves, not their audience.
They lead with service structures. They use acronyms and jargon that only their peers understand. They talk about “approaches” and “pillars” before ever addressing what the client actually needs.
In our tech report, we called this inside-out bias – a common outcome when businesses are dominated by technical thinkers who are more comfortable with precision than persuasion.
It’s exactly the same in professional services. Especially when the language is the product. Lawyers, accountants, consultants – all highly trained, all precise – but many are blind to how much friction their own words create.
This is how smart people end up using dumb language. They forget they’re meant to communicate, not just signal expertise.
If your brand sounds like it was written to impress a committee, don’t be surprised when clients stop listening.
Fix it:
Be brave enough to strip away the filler. Cut the jargon. Lead with relevance, not structure. And write like someone who’s actually trying to be understood.
4. Looking “professional” is not the same as looking the same
Most professional services firms look the same. Navy blue logos. Generic straplines. A homepage with a handshake, a skyline, or a suit staring out of a window.
This isn’t professionalism. It’s wallpaper.
In our report, we called out “Buzz Lightyear” copy – the vague, overblown language that tech brands use when they’ve run out of actual ideas. Professional services do this too, just in a greyer, more cautious way.
The issue isn’t a lack of polish. It’s a lack of personality. If your brand doesn’t show what makes you distinctive, then your pitch has to do all the work. And that’s too late.
If we swapped your logo for your competitor’s, and no one noticed – your brand’s broken.
Fix it:
Get specific. Drop the clichés. Find a tone and a visual language that reflects your people, your values, and your clients. Don’t settle for looking “serious.” Aim to be remembered.
5. Strategy comes first. Everything else hangs off it
A lot of firms want a rebrand. But what they really need is a rethink.
We see this constantly. Businesses that want a new website, or a new identity – but haven’t done the work to define their offer, sharpen their positioning, or agree on their values.
In tech, this shows up when new products are launched without any sense of how they fit the overall brand. In services, it’s when firms bolt on new departments, hire new partners, or expand into new markets – but the brand never evolves to match.
You can’t express what you haven’t defined.
Fix it:
Get your foundations right. What’s your purpose? Who are you for? What do you want to be known for? Nail that down first – then let everything else flow from it.
Closing:
We’ve worked with firms across B2B tech and professional services. And in every case, the same truth holds: if your business is built on expertise, your brand must show it.
Not just in what you say. But in how clearly, confidently, and consistently you say it.
Because if your brand can’t speak clearly, why should anyone trust it to think clearly?