by Nicole Roberts Jones (USA)
If you are going to stand out in the sea of other people that do what you do in your marketplace, then having a clear and focused niche is a must. The more focused you are in your business, the easier it is for your ideal client to find you. After all, when you speak to everyone, no one hears what they need from you. Plus, as I always tell my clients, ‘a confused mind does not buy’. Meaning, if you cannot clearly articulate the predictable result your work produces and for who especially, why would anyone get it, let alone pay for it. What all of this means is that ultimately, you do not know the niche you serve. This also means your business is not focused or clear. Here are 3 reasons having a niche is a must for your business:
- It Helps You Stand Out – You have to realise that NO ONE can do what you do, like you. By having a niche, it helps you clearly hone in – the exact need you are the answer and the way you do it. The problem I see many entrepreneurs have is what I like to call Milli Vanilli Syndrome.
Milli Vanilli was one of the most popular groups in the late 80’s/early 90’s and actually won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990. However, their success quickly turned to scandal when it was discovered that they did not sing any of the vocals on their music releases. What I see so many business owners do is copy other people. They do what they see other people post on social media, or because someone is successfully building a certain kind of program, they determine they should build the same program. When you do that, you are lip sinking or being a copy just like Milli Vanilli. You were not meant to be a 2nd rate version of someone else. Standing in the full power of your DNA (distinct, natural, ability) will help you stand out in a crowded market and it will allow your ideal client to find you.
- It Helps Your Clients Find You– Having a niche allows you to speak directly to a targeted segment of the population. I said this earlier. You are not everyone’s answer, but you are someone’s answer. The question is, do you know who your someone is? Imagine if Jeff Bezos started Amazon without the niche of selling books online? Would his business be where it is today? I think not. This is why knowing who your ideal client is and speaking only to them is so important.
Many people think targeting a segment of the population that you focus on puts you at a disadvantage, but it’s actually the opposite. The clearer you are and the more you hone in on who your ideal client is, the better. The example I like to use here is if you had a bow and arrow and were aiming at a target (see picture of target below), would you aim at all 3 rings in the target or just the middle? The bulls-eye? Of course, you said the bulls eye and the same is true in your business. If you try to land on everyone, then NO ONE will hear what they need from you. Having a niche allows you to speak more directly to a targeted group of the population while at the same time filtering out anyone who isn’t a good fit to work with you.
Source: iCN Issue 35 (Business Coaching: Building your Organisation); pages 31-33
About Nicole Roberts Jones
Bankroll Your Brilliance Expert & CEO of NRJ Enterprises
Nicole Roberts Jones is uniquely gifted at one thing – drawing out what’s best in YOU and helping you take your Brilliance to The Bank. A veteran of the entertainment industry, Nicole worked in Talent Management and Casting before shifting her talents to help others Bankroll Their Brilliance through her Brilliance Mastery Academy.
She now works with entrepreneurs to create multiple streams of income from what they already know in order to build an empire from their expertise. Her clients have included the Steve Harvey World Group, Dell EMC, McDonalds, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Lisa Nichols and Motivating the Masses, Coach Diversity Institute and the BOSS Network to name a few.
Nicole is also a nationally recognized transformational speaker, bankroll your brilliance expert and best-selling author of four books, the most recent being Find Your Fierce. She lives with her husband in a suburb of Washington DC, consulting, writing and creating breakthroughs for her clients.
