Ideal client or niche client? People often use these terms interchangeably but in fact they don’t necessarily mean the same thing.

I thought about this last week when I had two people ask me who my ideal client was. Before I tell you how I answered, I want to give you my simple definition of these two categories.

Ideal client: A small business owner who has chosen to get help before spending a heap of money on a new website. ( for ex.)  It is always more fun to work with someone before they make huge mistakes.

My ideal person is committed, really wants help and willing to do the work involved. This person sees the return on investment of hiring me.  In other words- someone who I enjoy  working with! My ideal client is really about me and who I enjoy helping the very most.

Niche client: Is the person powering my core marketing plan. A small/solo business owner who helps other people with their service. They are highly skilled and experts in their field, however they struggle with business decisions, skills and no-how. They need more clients, more cash flow and clearer focus on how to get their business stronger.  It is all about them, not me.

I had to really think about how to answer the questions that were asked of me. Part of my response depends on who is asking me. The first person was a client I had worked with last year. She was wanting to get more marketing clarity. The second person was a potential new client.

For the first person, I explained the difference between ideal and niche to help her understand her own marketing focus. She  was mixing up the two and was focused on her ideal, but was calling it her niche. This is a common challenge service based business owners have because they are thinking about what they want to do. Her  definition was too general as well.

Your niche needs to be a narrow, specific group who you are aiming your marketing toward.

With the second person,

I responded with who my niche client is because I knew that’s what she was asking. She cared about  her own business issues and this is what i needed to speak to.

In order to build a strong, powerful marketing plan you need to learn to really focus on your niche and use this definition as this is who will help you to grow your business. Does this make sense?  Have you been confusing these two things?  I would love to hear your comments.

Free tele-class with more help on this topic!

“Why do I need a niche if I can help lots of people with my service?”

I get asked this question at least once a week by solopreneurs who are highly skilled but are struggling to have enough clients and enough cash coming in.

It can seem logical that defining a niche will make your money flow smaller, not larger.  Some comments I hear from solopreneurs owners include:

•  I know what I want to do and there are many people I can help.
•  I know exactly what I don’t want to do, what I don’t enjoy.
•  I have tons of experience and training so I know I am good!

Although the three statements above are true, they will not, by themselves, bring you more clients.  Why is that?

Your potential clients are focused on their own issues or problems. They want something to change in their lives. They know what’s not working for them but don’t know how to fix it. Sometimes they feel desperate, anxious and urgent.

When they begin to feel those ways they begin to look for solutions or someone who can offer them support, help them shift and make changes. They want a specialist or expert  who is focused on working with people just like them.

If you refuse to name your niche, you become a generalist, not a specialist. The people who you are wanting to attract won’t be attracted to you.

To better  understand this, imagine your niche were all people who are teal blue. Teal blue people have certain specific issues. They are a strong but narrow group that can be defined by their situation. They want help on how to put their teal blueness out into the world more and be more successful, happier, make more money, have better relationships or whatever.

They look for someone who speaks to them.  They end up on your website but all they see if a someone who is specializing in dull grey people. Grey is a mixture of all the colors and becomes undefinable. You seem skilled to them but not a teal blue expert.  They son’t feel empathy so they click off and keep searching.

Lets imagine that you have focused and decided to clearly define your niche speciality as lime green people who need what they need. Funny thing is that if a teal blue person ends up on your website they will still recognize you as a specialist and might think, “Well, if you can help  the lime green folks, maybe you can also help me.” They will never think that if you present as a grey.

The moral of the story. Let go of being grey. Specialize and speak directly to those specific people who you want to attract.  If you want more help figuring out how to do this, check out  Find Your Niche Market Ready-Set-Go

When you boldly name your speciality, those people will feel connected to you as someone who “gets,” them. It is all about building empathy. Do you know what your color is?

It’s Monday morning and I have way too much stuff rattling around in my brain. It says, “Do this,” and “Me first,” and a whole variety of worries! It can feel a bit like being on a treadmill.

Here I am another week of dealing with paying bills, sorting out the stack of papers on my desk and my own issues to face. It all makes my energy plummet.

What I need is to be be energized for the week and transform my state of mind.

If you feel similar you might also appreciate the five tips I came up with. Just writing them has made me feel better and more inspired!

1. Get out of your office and walk around the block before you do anything. When I lived in New Zealand I  would walk on the beach and that was immediately transformative. The beach is now 90 minutes away so not an option. But walking and looking at people’s gardens is also lovely. It reminds me that I am part of a community and also my greater purpose is to just be peaceful and  in the moment.

2. Do something that will inspire others first thing. Think of something that connects with people and will make a difference somehow. Do that first. It will remind you that who you are and what you do, can make a big difference. ( ex. I’ve just written this blog post)

3. Give gratitude to the people who are helping and supporting you- your team. You are not alone and without these folks, you wouldn’t be able to do what you do as easily. Send an email, write a thank-you on Facebook or send a card with a real stamp!  It will feel good and remind you how important it is to acknowledge the people who are standing with you.

4. Create an affirmation for the week. It could also be one word that describes the energy or focus you want to have for this week while you are working. Write that out and post it on your desk where you can see it everyday. Make it positive and affirming. It will help you to stay tuned all week as your eyes read it here and there. Every time you read it, just breath it in and smile.

5. Decide on something important you want to accomplish this week and write it down on your white board or  somewhere that works for you. It may be something you’ve been avoiding because you are unsure or you just keep putting off. Writing it down gives you a positive goal to work toward and then at the end of the week you will feel good because you did it and you can celebrate and pat yourself on the back!

These are all things you have likely done before but it is so important to be mindful. Each one of these alone will make a huge shift and doing all five will be transformative. Please comment and let me know what you think. You might have others to add to these five.

If you haven’t done my Free Prosperity Challenge I invite you to do it. You will get an empowering email everyday for 14 days.

Today I am going to share something so simple and obvious but often overlooked.

If you are someone who is motivated by your passion for helping people or your creative ideas, this is what makes you tick and keeps you connected to your purpose.  However, much of running a business is not about that. For the first 5-7 years it takes about 4 hours a day of marketing to really keep your business energized and afloat.  That’s a lot of hours and a lot of focus.

It is easy to get out of focus and off track if you are not mindful. One of the biggest leaks in marketing is caused by this lack of mindfulness in two areas:  Organization and follow-through.

Organizational systems are essential. Here is an example of a huge organizational leak that took me hours of valuable time to fix.  I decided to send an email out to all of my old clients and seminar participants about a new program.  I  only wanted it to go to this special group and not my whole list.

The problem was that they were not all on their own list somewhere.  I didn’t think of this years ago, so they were scattered all over the place on different lists. It was an organizational nightmare and could have been avoided if I had thought ahead, had spent the time to set things up correctly and created a system for keeping this information. The good news is it is never too late. I am starting that list now for all the new people!

In order to put forth your marketing plan, these systems need to be in place. If they are not, like mine weren’t it will not only be frustrating but will slow down your momentum.

Follow-through is the other big one. Let’s say you put out a notice for a new program. A couple people respond that they can’t do it this time but sy, “Let me know next time.”  Do you actually keep those people’s names somewhere? If you do keep them, do you follow-through with those people? Do you call them?  So much business is lost because of poor follow-through.

Another example: You write up a marketing plan with steps to take. It involves writing articles, setting up  programs, making changes on your website, etc. And then you only do part of it! Why?  You get side-tracked with other stuff, you don’t know how to do it or you don’t feel like it. All those reasons are leaks in your business and will keep your marketing from working effectively.

In order to grow your business so you can actually help the people you want to help and do the creative part, you have to find your leaks and fill them!   Do you know what your leaks are? I suggest you begin by making a list of every possible leak and what you need to do to fill the whole so you don’t lose energy and productivity.

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How is marketing different for a solo service based business?  The main thing that makes it different is you.  You tend to be front and center in your business as you are selling yourself. This is where it becomes a challenge. You just need to get out of your own way!

If you were selling washing machines it would be very straight forward. You would talk about the features and benefits, the price and the specials. People come in your store and they compare and decide. The only part about you, is your customer service.

If you take the time to talk with them, answer questions and smile, they will feel like buying from you. Otherwise it has nothing to do with you.  You didn’t make the washing machine so you are not attached, except in wanting to make sales.

But if you are a coach or web designer, it is all about you because you are selling yourself.  People can’t see a product sitting in front of them. They can only trust that you will provide the help they want and that they will receive the benefits.  This is where marketing comes in.

Your potential client is focused 100% on what they want and why. They want solutions to their problem and want to be convinced that if they hire you, you will provide those benefits.

The only way to do that in your marketing it to focus on:

•  Who they are.
•  What they want.
•  Why they want it.
•  How you can help them to get that.

It is super simple, but so many solo business owners want to talk about themselves and explain how they work. It is because of their own self-doubt usually. They may not really understand their clients.

However, people  will connect with you much more when you give empathy to them and show you understand their situation and what they want. This allows you to exude confidence as well, and that goes a long way.

It is simple. The trick is to get out of your own way! Can you relate?

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