I was browsing through a new client's website recently (yes, I really do that! I actually go to your website and poke around. Your blog, too, if you have one. Don't worry, I do it late at night while you're sleeping, and I'm gentle. ) Anyway, this client has been trying to figure out her niche for some time, and she's finally at The Point.
The Point
I call it that because sooner or later, all my clients arrive at The Point. The Point is that moment when you realize that you can't move forward without *it*, but you can't stay stuck without *it*, either. It's time to fish or cut bait.
(*It* isn't always about figuring out a niche; sometimes it's about figuring out other things. But in my line of work, it's pretty much Niche/98%, Other Things/2%.)
Here's the conversation I was having with myself while she was peacefully sleeping and I was snooping around on her website:
ME: (Gently peeling her domain name off her email address and pasting it into Google, because apparently she was hoping I wouldn't think to look up her website quite yet.)
MARKETING ME: OK, pretty generic Home page…not bad, but no clues to who the audience is. Could be anybody…
ME: Try the Coaching page, maybe there's some sales copy there.
MME: Nope, just the usual stuff – what is coaching, what's the difference between coaching and therapy, how coaching works, yadda yadda yadda… Enough of this, let's head over to the About page.
ME: Bingo! Look at all this stuff about background, interests, experience. And look down there towards the middle, she actually comes right out and says what she helps people do...
MME: …Not just WHAT she does, but WHO she loves working with, too! OMG, it's all right here!
ME: Wait a minute, I found a drawer full of testimonials...
MME: Will you look at that?!? A whole gaggle of clients, all going on about the same stuff. And every one of them is raving about her.
And that's when it hit me. The problem isn't that she can't find her niche; it's sitting on the tip of her nose. The problem is that she hasn't DECIDED what her niche is.
That's a big problem, when your niche is RIGHT THERE, but you can't decide.
It's like cheesecake
It's like trying to make up your mind at the Cheesecake Factory. You know you love the New York cheesecake with a twist of lemon and a side of warm chocolate syrup, that's the cheesecake you would BE if you died and came back as a cheesecake...
But there are all those other cheesecakes on the menu winking at you provocatively and flaunting their impossibly exotic flavors…and the waitress is asking (again!)
"What would you like?" and you say to yourself "Maybe I'll like one of these other cheesecakes even BETTER..."
And suddenly, you hear yourself ordering the caramel pecan turtle cheesecake. It sounds so strange coming out of your mouth, you can't even imagine what it is you just ordered. For a second, you feel giddy. And a little confused. Ah, but then your friend (the one you're having lunch with) says "Hey, I thought you didn't like nuts!" Oh right! I HATE NUTS! What was I thinking?!? So you get the waitress back and you say "Uh, actually, I'd rather have the New York cheesecake…" And just saying it makes you feel better, it feels like you're back in the groove. The New York cheesecake is YOUR cheesecake, you can taste it already...
OK, kind of got off on a tangent there, but you get my point. It's not enough to know; you have to DECIDE. And deciding on a niche is where a lot of folks get tripped up, especially when there are soooooo many possibilities. Luckily, the answer is really simple.
Three tips for deciding on a niche (or a cheesecake)
Put the menu down. You don't need to look at every possible flavor combo. Look at what's right in front of you.
Trust the groove. That's what your niche is; it's the groovy place where your business lives. You'll know when you're in it; it just feels right. It feels like home.
Ask a friend (or your coach!) to remind you as often as needed: NO NUTS.
UPDATE 1/11/09: My take on niches and cheescakes was reprinted in the January issue of the IAC Voice. Thank you, Linda Dessau (IAC Editor). =^)
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