I have a friend who is a business coach. He’s gifted at his craft and in my mind, one of the best. But despite his talent and experience, he struggles to get clients. He has good months and bad months, just like most business owners.
Recently, we talked about what he could do to grow his business, and it was clear to me that he needs to change his messaging if he wants to grow. That’s because there are tons of business coaches, and on the surface they all appear to be the same.
If you want to be successful you need to stand out.
But how?
Here’s one way your business can stand out in a competitive industry:
Find a Niche
A niche allows you to position yourself as an expert. This means you could be the financial planner who specializes in working with millennials, or the photographer who is known for photographing children, or the personal injury attorney who works only with people injured in car accidents.
In other words you’ve got to make yourself known for something. See, most financial planners work with anyone, but if you specialize in working with millennials, then you‘re going to attract them to your business. Everyone wants to work with an expert….someone who understands their specific needs and has worked with others just like them. If you build a specialty around a specific group of people, process or knowledge base, then you can begin to target the people in that group who would benefit the most from what you offer.
So Why Doesn’t Everyone Do It?
Because it’s scary. Most people feel that if they really define their target customer, that they will alienate too many people and lose business. But it’s actually the opposite.
People want to work with someone who has experience with dealing with their specific type of problem. Wouldn’t you love to work with an accountant who really understands your specific industry? And wouldn’t you benefit from working with a web developer who really understands your business?
That’s the power of working with someone who specializes. It automatically attracts people to you.
But keep in mind…this is what you put out to the world as your marketing message. It doesn’t mean that you can’t work with other people. You might need to take other types of business initially to keep your business afloat, as you work toward developing your niche.
Savvy business people want to work with experts, so start positioning yourself as one and watch your business grow!
About the Author: Meg Huwar is a small business marketing expert and Principal of Brand Accelerator. She and her team work with companies who want to market their business but don’t have the time, experience or staff to do it themselves. Meg can be reached at mhuwar@thebrandaccelerator.com or 412-848-8822.