Why Your Education Consulting Business Isn’t Growing: The Real Problem Is Positioning

If you're struggling to get in front of the right decision-makers, waiting on emails that never get answered, or posting content that teachers love but administrators scroll past—you’re not dealing with a marketing problem. You’re dealing with a positioning problem.

Positioning is one of the most overlooked—and most critical—elements of building a profitable education consulting business. And the consultants who master it are the ones who consistently book contracts, build predictable revenue, and stand out as the go-to experts districts trust.

Let’s break it down.

What Positioning Actually Means in Education Consulting

Positioning is the foundation of your business. It defines:

• Who you help

• What problem you solve

• How you communicate your value

When your positioning is unclear or misaligned, everything feels harder. You may have the strongest workshop, the most innovative strategies, or the most powerful framework—but if the messaging isn’t speaking directly to the people with decision-making power, your business will stall.

The Two Audiences You Must Understand

Here’s the first mistake most consultants make:
They speak to the wrong audience.

Teachers are the people you serve.

Administrators are the people who buy.

Teachers feel the daily pressure—burnout, classroom management issues, student engagement challenges.

Administrators feel the impact of those pressures through measurable outcomes:

• Teacher turnover

• Student achievement

• Behavior data

• Instructional quality

• District accountability metrics

And here’s the critical distinction:

Administrators don’t just want to hear ideas—they want to see evidence.

They’re responsible for:

• Demonstrating student growth

• Showing improvement on benchmarks and state assessments

• Justifying budget decisions

• Backing up instructional investments with data

If you can’t show how your framework leads to measurable, trackable outcomes, your positioning will fall flat—no matter how powerful your content is.

What Happens When Your Positioning Is Off

Poor positioning leads to predictable consequences:

• You land random one-off PD days instead of multi-day contracts.

• You post content that earns likes but doesn’t attract decision-makers.

• You work twice as hard for half the results.

• You begin to question whether you’re cut out for this business.

It’s not a lack of value.
It’s misalignment between your message and your buyer.

Real-World Examples of Misaligned Positioning

Let’s look at where this shows up most often.

1. Your Website

If your homepage says things like:
“Helping teachers be their best selves,”
administrators will click away.

They’re looking for:

• Improving academic outcomes

• Reducing discipline referrals

• Strengthening Tier 1 instruction

• Supporting teacher retention

• Meeting district goals

As I said before, they also expect evidence.
If your positioning doesn’t highlight data, results, or impact, they won’t see you as a partner who can help move the needle.

2. Your Social Media Content

Posts like:

• “5 classroom setup ideas”

• “Tips for reducing transition stress”

…catch teachers’ attention.

But administrators? They respond to content that signals:

• Instructional improvement

• Research-backed strategies

• Data-driven frameworks

• Evidence of student or teacher growth

Your social media should communicate that you understand the broader instructional landscape—not just the classroom micro-moments. In my Education Consultant Accelerator course, I only teach LinkedIn strategies - that's right, we don't even use Instagram and Facebook in our marketing for our consulting businesses. 

3. Your Landing Pages

A common mistake:
“Download my free classroom management hacks!”

Administrators aren’t interested in hacks. They want:

• Proven systems

• Scalable solutions

• Evidence-based approaches

• Professional development that leads to student impact

Your landing pages should reflect that your expertise is tied to measurable outcomes.

4. Your Proposals

Many consultants load proposals with activities and agendas.

Administrators aren’t buying activities.
They’re buying:

• Improvements in instructional practice

• Measurable growth

• Data-based results

• Evidence that your framework works

Your proposals must clearly link your work to the outcomes administrators are responsible for reporting.

The Passion Trap: What You Want to Teach vs. What Schools Buy

Many consultants lead with the content they feel passionate about:

• Teacher regulation

• Restorative culture

• Trauma-informed communication

• Classroom community

These topics matter.
They belong in your PD.

But they are rarely what administrators buy—at least not on the front end.

You can absolutely incorporate your passion into your framework.
But your positioning must lead with the problem administrators are actively trying to solve—supported by data, outcomes, and evidence.

The System That Fixes Your Positioning

Your positioning becomes clear when you follow a proven structure.
My 4-Step Profitable PD Framework walks you through that process:

1. Focus

Identify one clear, urgent problem administrators need solved—one tied to measurable outcomes.

2. Build

Create a framework that addresses that problem and includes evidence, processes, and data-driven practices.

3. Package

Turn your framework into high-ticket offers that combine PD + coaching, support implementation, and emphasize results.

4. Sell

Communicate with administrators using the language of impact, accountability, and student growth—not teacher convenience.

This is the difference between unpredictable bookings and a predictable, profitable consulting business.

Before You Market Anything—Fix Your Positioning

Ask yourself:

• Am I speaking to teachers or administrators?

• Does my message focus on outcomes or activities?

• Am I highlighting evidence, data, and student impact?

• Would an administrator see me as a solution to a measurable problem?

If this hits home, you’re not alone—and you’re not stuck.

Ready to Get Your Positioning Right?

You’re invited to my free training:

The 4-Step Framework to Build and Sell Profitable PD

I’ll walk you through the exact system I teach inside the Education Consultant Accelerator so you can:

• Position yourself as the go-to expert

• Build a compelling, evidence-based framework

• Sell to administrators with confidence

• Start landing contracts predictably

You can reserve your spot by clicking here!

Positioning doesn’t change who you are.
It clarifies your value for the people who can say yes.

Get this right, and everything else in your business becomes easier.