Day 3 -- Beyond the Niche

I had a discussion last night with a friend in our Get Clients Now! group, and we were focusing on finding a niche. There's a lot written about identifying your niche, focusing your efforts on it, and all that sort of thing, but I want to take a step back and think outside the niche for a minute.

In my friend's case, her business is mediation. Primarily, her niche is people who are struggling in a family relationship (often contemplating divorce). And while that's her target audience, she probably needs to focus her efforts on "intermediaries."

So, here are some questions to think about...

1. Who (what group) has the power to help you succeed? Who is it that holds the power to influence the behavior of your target audience?
2. How can that group help you succeed? Are they in a position to recommend you above others in a well known field, or are they perhaps in a position to educate people who need what you offer but don't know it is available?
3. What do they have to believe in order to advocate for you? That you offer a valuable service? That you are the best in the area? That you bring a specialized skill set that is perfect for those they deal with? That your experience qualifies you?
   
4. What message must you get across to change or reinforce their belief? General education? New perspective? Process? Price? Your experience? Something else?
   
5. What is the best way to get your message to them? Direct contact? Promotional materials? Public speaking? Service? Consistent follow-up? Networking? Sponsoring events?

The beauty of considering these questions is that it is often much easier to approach someone about who they know who might need you than it is to directly approach them as a prospect. That's part of the premise behind organizations like BNI. Those you develop relationships with in your group may need what you sell, but the greater potential is in all the people they know.

Let's go back to the mediation example. Suppose your target market is couples who are getting divorced, and suppose you are in a networking group of 30 people. Let's suppose 3 of them are struggling in their marriage -- but even then, not all 3 of them would probably need your services...

However, let's look at the population that they know. If each of those people knows, on the average, 50 people well enough to be in a position to recommend a mediator, that's 1500 people. And if 10% of them are struggling, or even 5% -- that's 75 potential clients! Would it be worth considering how you could help them understand your message?

So, think about who influences your niche and how to get to THEM. It might be worth the effort.