Sorry, it has been too long since I have blogged. After vacation I did not quite jump right back into things! Instead I took the time to work on my marketing plan since I had not updated it in a while. It is always amazing to me the revelations that come about from going through the planning process. Especially when you pay attention to the feelings that come about because of the planning. Our feelings really are a hidden gem to the answers that we are looking for.
What answers have I been looking for? Mainly niche! It is an easy concept to learn, but a very hard one to actually apply to your business. Many of us solopraneuers/small business owners get caught in the but then I won’t make any money or I can work with all types trap! Our emotions of fear take over the logical picking a niche, I see it time and time again with my clients! Niching actually makes marketing easier as we can be more specific in who/what we are targeting and reduces the money spent on advertising to a generic community.
So how do you move beyond the fear? With my clients the number one thing I recommend they do is to experiment. Try different elevator speeches based on different niches versus a generic approach. See how the person listening to you reacts. Does one feel better to you? Are you more drawn to one of the conversations you have in follow up? Another suggestion that I make is to pay attention to what customers you get the most excited about. This can be a clue to what you should focus on for your business. It really will help to narrow your market!
So what did I figure out? That my first instincts were right, that I want to help those that are trying to figure out the right path in life! Especially those that are executives, new mothers, and/or start-up businesses! And that through this process I typically end up covering all my other considerations – finances, life purpose and new businesses!
