Your Niche - in a Single Sentence - part 6 of 7

I used to be really confused about how to tell people who my niche was. It used to take me a whole page to do it.

Now I can do it in a sentence.

Now, in a single sentence, people I'm talking to know if they're in my niche or if they know anyone who is.

Here’s a shorthand way of identifying your niche that many of my clients have found to be profoundly useful. In fact, I would go so far as to say that, until you can do this exercise, you don’t really have a niche.

It’s deceptively simple, you just need to complete the following sentence . . .

“I help __________ kinds of people with ______________ problems.”

Ahh. It looks so simple. But the key here is that you don’t go into the RESULTS you offer people right away. At this point, all you’re doing is telling people two things: who you help and what problems you help them with.

Mark Joyner has something he calls “The Great Formula” which is probably worth mentioning here.

1. Create an Irresistible Offer

2. Bring it to a thirsty crowd

3. Offer them a second glass

Let’s talk about that second one: the thirsty crowd. What’s the point of offering water to someone who isn’t thirsty? Is that the best use of your time and money? Developing marketing campaigns in which you attempt to convince them that they are, in fact, thirsty? You could spend your days trying to sell ice to Eskimos or a double bed to the Pope and well . . .

That’s one approach.

Here’s another: identify upfront which sorts of people are likely to already need and want what you’re offering. The thirsty crowd.

This is the formula:

an underserved or ignored group + an unsolved problem = a thirsty crowd.

You want to find a thirsty crowd. It’s much easier to sell water to them.

NOTE: The niche is all about THEM. It's not about YOU. At this stage you do not talk about the results you produce for them. You don't talk about the methods and techniques you use (they don't care yet). You name who they are and what their problem is. Period. Later you will need to articulate the results, solutions and benefits you offer. But not now. For now, stay 100% focused on the pain, problem or need they are experiencing.

A niche is not defined by what you have to offer them, but by what they are needing.

EIGHTEEN EXAMPLES:

1. Radical Business: We help green, community-minded, conscious, holistic and locally owned businesses that are struggling with their cashflow, not attracting enough clients and keep 'meaning' to handle their marketing - but end up putting it off.

2. Massage Therapist: I work with people in the Seattle BDSM community who feel embarrased when they go to a massage therapist because they have to explain the bite marks and bruises on their body.

3. Realtor #1: I work with dog owning families in Seattle who are struggling to find a house that meets their needs and the needs of their dog but feel confused as to how to even start looking for a good fit.

4. Realtor #2: I work with people with disabilities-- who struggle to find a home that they like and can afford and who feel overwhelmed and confused about where to even start in applying for financing.

5. Printing Company: We help the traveling business man who shows up in Calgary hotels freak out because they realize that they need a lot of last minute printing work done for their conference or visit and they have no idea where to go or who to trust.

6. Low Impact Living.com: We help homeowners who want to become more green and energy efficient in their homes but feel totally lost and overwhelmed with where to even start.

7. www.unlockthegame.com: We help salespeople who are in tremendous pain when it comes to selling. They hate doing it. They are secretly scared to pick up the phone. They hate being rejected but also hate using the manipulative sales techniques they were taught. They feel trapped because they need to make a living but they can’t find a way to sell that doesn’t feel like they’re also selling out their integrity.

8. Rapid Fire Theatre (an improv comedy company): Main Niche for our weekly shows: high school, college and university students. Niche for Gigs: event organizers for corporate events who need a show that is guaranteed to be entertaining and tailored to the client.

9. D-Tox Salon: We help chemically sensitive individuals who can’t go into a regular salon due to the amount of chemicals used. And they feel so frustrated because they’d rally love to get a salon treatment but they can’t. They’ve got nowhere to go.

10. New Leaf Paper: We help graphic designers who are frustrated by the amount of paper-waste in their industry and who are looking for something special they can offer to their clients to set them apart as a graphic designer.

11. Rad Dyke Plumber: I work with women in the lesbian community who are having trouble with their pipes.

12. Joie de Vivre Hotels designs each of their hotels on a particular niche. They do this by picking a magazine (e.g. Rolling Stone) and then picking five adjectives that describe that magazine (e.g. funky, cool, young-at-heart, adventurous and irreverent). And so, people who love Rolling Stone magazine will love this hotel. They called this particular hotel “The Phoenix”. Each hotel was individually branded.

NOTE: If you find your description of the kind of person you want too vague - you might consider adding 2-3 more adjectives to describe them further - or you might reevaluate whether or not your niche is that strong.

A FEW MORE:

Robert Middleton of www.actionplan.com recently sent out an email in which he shared what some of his clients had come up with. Robert is the person I got this notion of the niche being a combination of the Target + Problem from in the first place. Check his stuff out.

13. Healthcare Consultant: We work with healthcare organizations, who struggle with hiring and keeping really good people.

14. Financial Planner: I help people with a six figure incomes who are getting clobbered by taxes, staring at college and retirement and wondering how in the world they're going to pay for it all.

15. Management Consultant: I work with CEOS of small to medium sized businesses who are experiencing a steady decline in productivity with their management teams and employees and are finding training programs ineffective. Lack of personal accountability and self- management skills has led to something that looks like procrastination and productivity loss.

16. Life and Relationship Coach: I work with individuals who have been unsuccessful in finding their ideal partner and with couples who struggle to keep their marriage intact.

17. Retail Consultant: I work with independent retailers who are frustrated with trying to get shoppers to buy.

18. Management Consultant: We work with busy entrepreneurs and business owners of
successful small and medium companies who are frustrated because they are leaving money on the table because they are not getting important back-burner projects completed.

* * *

radical business: marketing consulting for hippies

a blog for green business, eco-business, ethical business, conscious business, sustainable business, and community-minded entrepreneurs who are struggling with their cashflow, not attracting enough clients and have mixed feelings about marketing - www.tadhargrave.com

The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies - Interviews with Don Schaeffer and Michael Shuman, President of BALLE

One of the most inspiring things I've come across in working with green businesses is BALLE - the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.

Check out these two youtube videos for more info:

Interview with Don Schaeffer - President of BALLE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_oKBqJg9vA

Interview with Michael Shuman - Author, "Going Local" and "The Small Mart Revolution"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9YUxYXG678&mode=related&search=

enjoy.

-tad

* * *

radical business: marketing consulting for hippies

a blog for green business, eco-business, ethical business, conscious business, sustainable business, and community-minded entrepreneurs who are struggling with their cashflow, not attracting enough clients and have mixed feelings about marketing - www.tadhargrave.com

Your Niche - 10 Questions to ask Yourself to Identify Your Perfect Target Market - Part 5 of 7

So, we know that having a niche is important.

And now we know how to identify a good one.

So, this is all great in theory - but how about in practice? What about in your particular situation.

So, where do you even start?

This is the hardest part. Identifying your niche(s). After all, you could choose any one of hundreds of possibilities. How do you choose?

The following ten questions are based on the assumption that you don’t already have a strong implicit niche for what you do - that there’s the possibility to choose a more narrow niche.

They’re also based on the idea that you want to choose a niche that is a natural fit for you - a niche that’s an extension of you somehow. You want the niche to be fun. In truth - it doesn’t need to be for the success of your business - but it likely does for your own fulfillment. So, these questions are often about you - getting to know yourself.

First of all, if you feel uptight about making the choice - relax. You’re not crazy. It’s a tricky question. And you’re not alone. A lot of people feel this way. And also relax because - you don’t have to figure this out over night. It’s okay - and often important - to take your time.

When I teach workshops – this is where people get stuck. All the theory I covered before is fine. It’s logical. It makes sense. They love it. And then I invite them to pick a niche to focus on for the weekend – and they freeze up or freak out.

I’d suggest that there’s at least ten primary ways that I’ve seen people use to pick a niche that fits the eight key criteria.

Now, not all of these will make sense or be a fit for your situation - but I invite you to sit with each question for three minutes - take 30 minutes with this - and see what comes up. You might just be surprised. Come up with your answers and then let yourself steep in them. Write the answers down and then schedule to revisit them in a month. Actually schedule it.

Here’s the ten themes and questions.

1. personal tragedy and defining moments: if you’ve been through breast cancer and you’re a holistic practitioner, you might feel passionate about helping other women going through that process. If you’ve been through a painful divorce and you’re a life coach - you might feel inspired about coaching women who are going through one themselves. Some people find that helping others through painful events that they’ve gone through is actually very healing for them. Personal tragedies can often be a source of immense passion and purpose. The defining moment might also have been a very positive thing. Maybe you climbed Mt. Everest.

THE QUESTION: What have been the five most defining moments or personal tragedies of your life?

2. community you’re a part of or want to serve: if you’re a part of the reiki community and you’re a massage therapist, why not serve the community you’re already a part of? Maybe you love the green business community and want to focus your accounting skills there. The point is that sometimes your niche is staring you right in the face.

THE QUESTION: What groups, networks or subcultures are you already a part of?

3. time of life (e.g. retirement): most people will go through certain events - transitioning from one career to another, becoming a parent, retiring, divorcing etc. You might decide that your niche is based around one of these transitions. You might be a “retirement coach”. You might have a boutique furniture store and do some promotions for new parents - or parents whose kids are “finally” leaving home. Remember: a niche can be for your whole business or just a simple promotion.

THE QUESTION: What life transitions do you think are the most natural fit for what you do?

4. profession & industry: Perhaps your niche is based on working with a particular industry. Maybe you’ve decided to work specifically with Ice Cream shops or maybe you’re going to sell your products and services to doctors and hospitals. You might decide that you’re going to do a fitness package for accountants. Sounds weird - but it can work.

THE QUESTION: What professions or industries are you a part of or think might be the most natural fit for what you have to offer?

5. hobby/lifestyle: Maybe you’re a realtor who focuses on dog lovers. I know one life coach who is a tea geek - he has a socially unacceptable knowledge of tea. But he’s building a whole online business with himself as a tea sommelier.

THE QUESTION: What hobbies, interest or bizarre fascinations do you have?

6. specific unsolved problem: maybe your niche is based around a particular, very specific problem that people face. It could be a specific issue people have with their kidneys, it could be ‘how do i get my videos online?’, it could be ‘how do i get my website to sell more products?’ The key is to look at a problem that a group of people are frustrated with.

THE QUESTION: Is there a very particular problem that your product or service solves particularly well?

7. your strengths: all of us are strong in some area. We have certain qualities that make us who we are. Maybe our strength is that we’re really sensitive. Maybe it’s that we’re really good at diffusing conflict. Maybe we’re naturally entertaining or a great problem solver. I noticed years ago that I was really good at leading workshops and was entertaining - and that I was good at coaching people. So, I asked myself, “What kind of work could allow me to do that?” That was a big part of Radical Business starting.

THE QUESTION: what are you really, really good at?

8. your passions: I think that the best niches are built around some passion that you have. For me, I’m passionate about alternatives - but even more so I’m passionate about helping friends of mine get over their marketing hurdles and frustrations. I really love doing that. I’m passionate about leading workshops. I’m passionate about tinkering and improving the workshops.

THE QUESTION: if you could do anything with your life what would it be? what topics, activities etc. are you most passionate about?

9. the underserved: In almost any marketplace - there’s some folks who are getting ignored who would immensely benefit from your product and service. When I used to do workshops for Student Councils in High Schools across Alberta I found that the rural schools were massively underserved - and yet were most willing to spend the most money.

THE QUESTION: Who aren’t your competitors serving? Who could benefit immensely from your product or service that isn’t being actively courted?

10. the one’s you already got: If you’ve been in business for a few years or more - you might notice that you seem to attract and retain a certain kind of person. It can be interesting to look at what niche or community you seem to be attracting most easily. It’s interesting to notice who you enjoy most from the people you’re attracting.

THE QUESTION: Who do you seem to be already, naturally and effortlessly attracting? Who seems to be showing up?

* * *

radical business: marketing consulting for hippies

a blog for green business, eco-business, ethical business, conscious business, sustainable business, and community-minded entrepreneurs who are struggling with their cashflow, not attracting enough clients and have mixed feelings about marketing - www.tadhargrave.com

You Niche - 8 Criteria of Your Perfect Niche - Part 4 of 7

Hey all,

I just got back from Eugene, Oregon where we had a wonderful weekend workshop with some really fantastic folks.

March 2-4 will see me in Calgary - the event is three weeks away and there's only 7 spots left.

You can sign up by going to www.tadhargrave.com/RBI (or spread the word by sending your friends there).

I'm really excited about this issue of "Your Niche".

This was actually the topic I wanted to send out first.

I think you'll find it really, really, really useful and clarifying. Enjoy.

Warmest,

Tad


* * *


How to pick your perfect niche:

So, we know that having a clear niche or target market is essential, but, how do you know if you’ve got a good niche?

It’s one of the biggest fears people have - “what if I pick the wrong niche?”

And the fear is justifiable. After all, if you pick the wrong niche and spend a lot of time, money and energy in trying to reach it . . . and it doesn’t work out. Well, you’d probably rather not go through that.

The truth is, you could pick a perfect niche and still fail. A strong niche isn’t a guarantee of success, it just makes it a lot more likely is all.

So, what constitutes a good niche?

Luckily for you, it’s extremely easy to tell whether your niche is a good choice or not. There’s eight specific pieces of criteria you can use to judge any niche by.

And let me make a few predictions.

First: I predict these will all make a ton of sense to you.

Second: I predict you will agree with and really like these criteria.

Third: I predict that these criteria will give you some ‘aha’ moments of why past marketing efforts of yours have failed.



THE EIGHT QUALITIES OF YOUR PERFECT NICHE



1. they are experiencing a common set of easily identifiable needs you can fulfill or problems that you can help them with (and they are, at least, open to the notion that these problems can be solved and ideally they are passionately committed to solving it now - it’s a ‘must’ for them, not a ‘should’ that they’ll get to someday).

If they don’t have a common problem - it’s not a target market. And if you can’t help them with the problem - there’s simply no basis for any conversation. The problem or need is the basis of all your marketing. Most people make the mistake of thinking that people are buying their products or services - but that’s not true.

People couldn’t care less about your products or services (owch. the truth smarts) they just want a solution to their problems, they want relief from pain, they want to meet a need of theirs. Your products and services are merely a means to an ends.

So many entrepreneurs I know can talk for hours about the features and benefits of their products but if I say, “why do people need this? What are they buying it for?” they totally blank. They don’t know how to answer it. The ‘problem’ is not only the basis of your marketing message - it’s the white hot center of your niche.


2. common lifestyle: desires, passions, values, interests, hobbies, a common bond that you can cater to.

Some problems are so specific that only a narrow niche of people will suffer from them (e.g. a particular problem with a highly specialized computer application).

But some problems (e.g. back pain) are really generic. So, some problems have a sort of implied niche to them. Others don’t. If the problems that you solve are widely held - then you should likely consider selecting a particular community to work with and develop packages for.

A couple examples: a massage therapist who works with the BDSM community in Seattle. Sure, lots of people need massage - but when she caters her business to this community - she can cater to their particular needs, values and vibe. I saw an ad once that just said, “Rad Dyke Plumber” - a lesbian plumber. Now, it’s not like she’s dealing with different piping issues in any technical sense - but she is dealing with a different subculture with its own sense of esthetic.

If the problem is widely held - pick a particular community to serve. For example, if you’re tennis player and a massage therapist, you might consider becoming a massage therapist that caters to tennis players. A good niche shares a certain lifestyle.

Maybe they’re clubbers, maybe they’re weekend warriors who love to go camping each weekend, Maybe they’re all theatre buffs. Maybe they love to read comic books and play Dungeons and Dragons. They’re dog owners. They’re parents. They’re grandparents.


3. established, high quality hubs, communication networks etc.

Basically, this means that you can find them and reach them easily.

What is a hub? Think of it like the hub of a wheel. It’s the only point on the wheel where all of the spokes come together and meet. A hub is any place where you can find your niche. It might be an association they belong to, an event they tend to go to.

I can’t tell you how many times I hear people get excited about a niche they have little hope of reaching. Before you commit a dime to any niche ask yourself: Do they tend to hang out in the same places? Do they read the same magazines? Do they spend money in the same places? Are they a part of the same groups?

There are seven main categories of hubs (e.g. events, businesses, groups, publications, individuals, support systems, and websearch related). The more hubs that your niche has, the easier they will be to reach. The fewer hubs there are, the harder it will be.

Why do you want to find hubs?

Why do they matter so much?

Well, consider this - you can spend all of your time trying to find your clients individually, or you can just go to where they already are. You can spend all of your days trying to win the trust of the individuals in your niche one at a time . . . or you can secure the endorsement of someone they already trust and win over all of their trust at once.

The latter is far easier in the long term. When I go to a new town I could spend hundreds of dollars postering the city about my workshops, or I could just call up the local progressive, local business network and get their endorsement. Much easier.


4. there’s enough of them to meet your needs. While most people don’t niche narrowly enough, you can make your niche too narrow. If there’s only three people in town who fit your description you may need to broaden your reach. You need to be really honest with yourself here. And challenge yourself: if you think there’s enough people - what are you basing that on? Hope? Or have you actually done some research?


5. they’re fun to work with and in alignment with your nature (these are likely the kinds of clients you most easily and naturally attract and the ones to whom you feel the most attracted - it’s a niche or community that you want to see thrive).

Who would really excite you to work with? Is there a particular niche or community of folks that you just naturally seem to love working?

I’ll tell you something I’ve noticed: there is a deep connection between your ideal niche and your nature as a person. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people in my workshops say, “well, basically, my niche is people just like me!” And that’s not a crazy response. It makes sense.


6. they are underserved: the niche is often based on what your competitors aren’t doing.

If they have a need but are being ignored by your competition, that can be a goldmine. If they’re already being courted for their business by dozens of other businesses then that niche is less than ideal **unless** you are able to offer something so unique and so clearly more valuable that it will blow the competition out of the water.

If you’re able to do that then you’re in a good place.

If they are overserved - if they are inundated with options then you need to do one of three things: be the only option that focuses just on that niche exclusively (e.g. the only massage therapist in town who works only with mothers).

If there’s already a lot of other businesses focusing exclusively on that niche then you might consider picking a sub-niche - focusing on one particular sub-group of people in that niche (e.g. be the only massage practitioner in town that works exclusively with new mothers). Or third - you will also need to distinguish yourself in some other way.

You can differentiate yourself by: what you do, how you do it. how much you charge, who you offer it to, when you offer it and where you offer it.


7. they can afford to pay you full price for your products and services. It’s important that they are able to pay you an amount that feels good and meets your needs. That may be a small amount or a large amount. That’s up to you - but if it’s less than you really want and need you will begin to resent them.

It will drain your energy. And you won’t have enough money to sustain yourself. It will start out as a gesture of goodwill, but will end in bitterness.


8. they are in alignment with your long-term business goals - if you know where your business is headed long term, it’s just smart to pick clients that will fit with that (e.g. if you do eco-lawn care and want to work with “Golf Courses” eventually, but now need to do residential, it might be wise to focus on people who golf for now so that you can bridge into that later).


Says Dominic Canterbury: “Let me give you an example: In my recent weekend seminar one of the attendees was an in-home physical trainer.

His target: affluent middle-aged Eastside women. He was flummoxed. He'd tried all the traditional forms of marketing but nothing was working.

So wielding my magic wand of marketing I says to him, "How about targeting affluent new moms. That way you can develop a set of services to meet their specific needs and you can cross promote with OBGYNs, Dulas and baby stores, and you can get them to pay attention to you by holding informative events or writing an article for local parenting magazines. You might even consider a blog."

He loved the idea and immediately started coming up with excellent ideas on his own.

So, what makes this a good target and what makes the other suck? I'll tell ya.

The new target market passes my patented tripartite Target Market Test:

1. They have shared needs you can meet through your business

2. They have hubs of communication

3. There's enough of them to make it worth your time

The original target passed only #3, and I'm sorry folks, but you have to score high on all of them for it to work.”


* * *

In Part 5: we'll look at 9 ways that you might go about
identifying your niche (some of which are really obvious but
most people never consider them).

In Part 6: We'll look at how to describe your niche in a single
compelling sentence.

In Part 7: You'll get a tonne of real life examples of niches.


I hope you're well.

Warmest,
Tad


p.s. I'm leading a weekend workshop in Calgary, Alberta March 2-4. Feel free to tell anyone you know - there's only 7 spaces available. Just send them to: www.tadhargrave.com/RBI


* * *

radical business: marketing consulting for hippies

a blog for green business, eco-business, ethical business, conscious business, sustainable business, and community-minded entrepreneurs who are struggling with their cashflow, not attracting enough clients and have mixed feelings about marketing - www.tadhargrave.com

Your Niche - Inner vs. Outer Realities - Part 3 of 7

Hey everyone,

Thanks again to everyone who's sent their feedback and comments on this "Your Niche" series. It seems to be striking a chord with many of you.

And it should.

It's the heart of your business.

I'm really glad you've been enjoying it.

I really hope that you enjoy reading this week's installment as much as I did writing it.

Warmest,
Tad

p.s. I'm leading a weekend workshop in Eugene, Oregon Feb 2-4. Feel free to tell anyone you know - there's still some spaces available. Just send them to: www.tadhargrave.com/RBI

* * *
Inner vs. Outer Realities:

So, how do you know if a niche you’re thinking of is a good one?

Well, your niche may be defined by what you do. You make a particular widget that has only one use and there’s only three buyers of it in the market. Your service is helping to turn breach babies naturally - the nature of your service may define the target market.

But that’s a rare thing.

Your product and service likely gives what you’re offering some definition. If you do eco-friendly lawn care there’s likely going to be some folks that are more into that than others.

At the heart of it, you’re only going to be helping folks who have a problem you can help them solve. But what if there’s a lot of people who have that problem? What if a lot of people could technically benefit from the use of your product or service?

In many cases, I will ask people who their niche is and they’ll say, “everybody!”. That is, of course, the wrong answer. When I explain that they can’t reach everyone, they look glum, pout and say, “but my product or service could help anyone!”

And that may or may not be true.

But it’s a tempting line of logic - after all look at the following list and ask yourself, “Who could these products and services be used by?”

- massage
- marketing consulting
- accounting
- recycled paper
- recycled journals and notebooks
- a health food bar
- life coaching
- interior design
- real estate agent

etc.

Couldn’t a lot of people use each of those? Sure, each of them vaguely suggests a target market, but only vaguely. Yes, a marketing consultant will work with businesses - but what kind of businesses? An interior designer will work with people who live somewhere or have an office - but what kinds of people? A real estate agent will work with people looking to buy or sell a home - but what kinds of people?

Do you follow?

The implied niche is, almost always, too wide.

There’s a tonne of food bars - and sure they implied niche is ‘people interested in their health’. But what kind of people? Luna Bar was the first to target active women specifically.

There’s lots of companies that make journals and notebooks - and the implied niche is obviously - people who like to write and need something to take notes in . . . but what kinds of people? Recover Journals out of Halifax, Nova Scotia was one of the first to target to eco, funky, retro crowd.

Most of us could help a lot of people with what we do. But if we try to reach everyone - if we don’t pick a niche - we make our marketing jobs 100 times harder. It’s just easier and more effective to pick a niche. What kinds of people do we want to target?

There’s eight specific qualities that you will want to look at - but I’ll get to that a bit later. For now there’s a ‘meta-distinction’ - a big and overarching idea that is really important to ‘get’.

It’s about the difference between people’s inner and outer realities.

This is a critical question - I’ve asked many people who their niche is and gotten answers that were profoundly off base.

And there’s two kinds “off base”. The first kind sounds like this.

- my niche is that I sell organic produce
- my niche is that I make my products using only fair trade products
- my niche is that I teach this particular style of Karate (and I’m the only one in town who does it)

What’s the problem here?

They’re defining their niche by what they do, instead of who they’re targeting with it. Again, in some cases, what you do will determine your niche - but that’s rare. If you’ve got that situation you don’t need to read another word. You’re set.

If that’s not you.

It’s not that the above list aren’t fine selling features. They are. But they are not a niche. They might be part of what’s called your USP or your Irresistible Offer - but they’re not a niche.

A niche is your target market. They’re not what you do. They’re who you’re trying to reach.

But how are we describing ‘who’ we’re trying to reach?

That’s where we run into the second - and more common - mistake.

People often say things like:

- my niche is women ages 25-35 living in Calgary
- my niche is people who make over $65,000 per year
- my niche is black men ages 20-30
- our niche is the asian community

Those look like good targets, don’t they? They seem to be well thought out and really specific.

But we need to be aware of the difference between demographics and psychographics. Many people think that a niche is defined by the external appearances (e.g. age, ethnic background, gender, income). But this is the worst way to identify your niche.

Why?

Well, just because people share external appearances doesn’t mean that they talk to each other. It doesn’t mean they share the same values or hang out in the same clubs.

Not all women, ages 25-35 living in your community talk with each other. They don’t give each other a ‘knowing wink’ as they pass each other on the street.

And that knowing wink is key. It means that they recognize and know each other when they see each other. It means that they recognize each other as “they’re one of us.” or “they’re just like me!” You can see the burst of recognition, “Ohmygodyou’reintoAniDiFrancometoo!!!!” They’re a part of a similar subculture that shares certain habits, values, passions, obsessions, tastes, aesthetics and hobbies.

Anything that is a priority for them - anything they organize their life and time around could be the basis of a niche - if enough people share it and if . . . I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s a simple equation:

Niche = target market = subculture = community = lifestyle.

When you see punks walking down the street - they notice each other when they pass by. In certain communities in San Francisco you could see the gay community give each other these looks - even if they didn’t know each other (strong gaydar) - to the total cluelessness of the straight people around them. People who are hardcore into Dungeon’s and Dragons might notice a book someone’s reading. Dog owners notice other dog owners when going on walks. Single mothers notice other single mothers. Etc.

More importantly, these folks all tend to hang out in groups - and that will become very important as we progress.

Inner realities not outer realities.

Not all black men ages 40-50 living in the same neighbourhood talk with one another. They don’t all think alike. They don’t have the same problems - we just delude ourselves into thinking that they do.

In the modern world, we live more in communities of affinity than communities of geography. A sad fact, but a true one none the less.

The point is this: when you identify your niche, you must be predominantly aware of people’s inner reality more than their outer reality. This doesn’t mean you ignore demographics. It means that they aren’t primary.

“American marketing has historically been based upon customer demographics - what we look like on the outside. But in the past few years, psychographics - what we look like on the inside - have become a far better means of capturing the hearts and minds of customers. Demographics tend to be more tangible and are primarily focused on age, race, or income. Psychographics focus more on intangible - passions, beliefs, or values. Demographics are often defined by how the world sees us while psychographics are defined by how we see ourselves.” (Marketing That Matters, p,67)

But simply shifting to acknowledge people’s inner realities isn’t enough. It’s easy to do that in a vague - and totally meaningless - way.

- my niche is people who can afford me
- my niche is people who like me
- my niche is people who are fundamentally open to change
- people who are positive and optimistic

When looking at our niche we need to be specific - a vague niche is as much an oxymoron as ‘military intelligence’.

A bit later, we’re going to look at how to boil your niche down into a single, easy to say sentence that people will ‘get’ right away.

But for now, it’s enough to understand that a niche is more than appearances and bank balances.

So, next let’s look at eight criteria that I believe your niche must pass to be attention-worthy.

* * *

In Part 4: we'll look at eight characteristics of a great
niche. It's a really useful checklist you can use to see
whether the niche's you're considering are worth the effort
(and if your current niche isn't working why not)

In Part 5: we'll look at 9 ways that you might go about
identifying your niche (some of which are really obvious but
most people never consider them).

In Part 6: We'll look at how to describe your niche in a single
compelling sentence.

In Part 7: You'll get a tonne of real life examples of niches.


I hope you're well.

Warmest,
Tad


p.s. I'm leading a weekend workshop in Eugene, Oregon Feb 2-4. Feel free to tell anyone you know - there's still some spaces available. Just send them to: www.tadhargrave.com/RBI

Your Niche - Seven Premises - Part 2

Hey there,

In the last blog I spoke about the importance
of identifying your niche.

Many thanks to all of you who sent such
appreciative emails. I hope you like this one
as much.

This week, I'm going to speak about . . .

Seven Important Premises About Identifying Your
Niche:

Yes. People often freak out when they are asked
to identify a niche. Of course, the reason that
most people freak out is because they assume
they have to change everything about their
business right now. They are terrified that they
will have to change their logo, their font choice,
they’ll have to dump most of their current clients,
reword all of their marketing materials and website,
and divorce their spouse etc.

So, as you go through this virtual workshop let’s
build on these assumptions . . .

FIRST: You can be explicit without being exclusive.
just because you’ve picked a niche doesn’t mean that
you can’t work with people outside of it. Let’s say
you’re a massage therapist who focuses on pregnant
women. That doesn’t mean you can’t also massage men
or elderly women - it just means that you aren’t
targeting them. It means that the bulk of the people
you attract will be within your niche, but you will
still attract other folks who don’t fit your niche -
just because they like you, happened to hear about
you first, or were recommended by someone they trust.
That’s fine. There’s no need to turn them away.

SECOND: A niche can be phased in. You don’t need to
try to turn everything around overnight. In fact,
that’s likely a bad idea. Better is to adopt an
attitude of ‘playing’ with some niches. You can
identify a few niches that you think might be a fit
and attempt different promotions to each. When you
find a niche that feels really wonderful (and meets
the criteria I’m about to show you), you can try more
promotions and those promotions can expand to become
the bulk of your business. Of course, the more you
focus and commit to a niche - the more it will expand.

THIRD: A niche may take a while to identify (and that’s
okay). Think of clarifying your ideal client as a long-term
process rather than an event. You’ll be able to answer some
of the questions in this virtual workshop easily. Others
you’ll need to sit with; some for a few weeks and some for a
few years. That’s the truth. Most people tell me that when
they stumble across their niche - and stumble is really a
good word - it’s like a light bulb going off and they think,
“Why didn’t I see that before?” Because they couldn’t. It’s
a process.

Since the niche is so connected to our nature - to who
we are as people - it lifts up all of the places we’re
not clear on our nature, not clear about our passions
and our purpose. It can feel like such a huge decision.
The reality is that we humans aren’t so narrowly
specialized or defined as we are asking our businesses
to be sometimes - we fear giving up on parts of ourselves.
But remember, that your business is not who you are. It
will, by necessity, be more narrowly focused than you are
as an individual. That’s okay.

Before you even begin to look at any of these materials,
please take 3 minutes and go read the following article
by Robert Middleton . . .

http://radicalbusiness.blogspot.com/2006/09/finding-your-niche-robert-middleton.html

FOURTH: You’re already losing people: perhaps the
greatest fear that comes up for people when asked
to identify a specific niche is that they will lose
potential clients. This is true. But consider this.
You already are. You will never, ever, ever, ever, EVER
be attractive to everyone. Impossible. If you try to be
everything to everybody you’ll just become nothing to
everybody. You’ll become generic and thus invisible. No
matter what strategy you’re using right now, you’re
already losing people. Some people love it and others
are turned off by it. That’s not a problem. The real
question is: who do you want to attract? And are you
doing everything you could be attractive to them?

FIFTH: Starting specific is better than starting
general. Imagine a funnel. At the top is the whole
marketplace. Everybody. At the bottom is a single
person. Now obviously, trying to reach everyone at
the top won’t work, but a single person at the
bottom can’t sustain you either. What to do. Most
people come from the orientation of, “okay, let’s
start general and only go as specific as we have to.”
I’m suggesting an opposite orientation - starting at
the very specific, targeted bottom and only going up
as far as you absolutely have to. Start with a very
defined target and only widen as much as you need to.

SIXTH: Don’t underestimate the size of your niche.
Most entrepreneurs do. You don’t just have to appeal
to the hardcore, ‘true believers’. Sure, that’s who
you might be most attractive to, but you can also
reach those who are ‘on the road’. Plus, as you grow,
you may need to tinker your marketing to reach a
slightly broader niche. Now, if there’s enough hardcore
folks to meet your needs then that’s fine, but sometimes
people make the mistake of thinking, “oh there’s not
enough people who are into ______.” Well, maybe not as
a full time lifestyle, but there’s probably a bunch who
are interested. The weekend warriors of camping for
example - they’re not ‘hardcore campers’ - but maybe
you don’t need them to be.

SEVENTH: It’s up to you. It’s your damned decision.
Don’t let any marketing or business consultant tell
you otherwise. Yes, there are things you can do to
pick a winning niche - and, a bit later - I’ll show
you some criteria that I think you’ll love that might
make your decision making process much easier - but,
hey, this is your life right? All sorts of people will
have all sorts of ideas about what’s best for you and
your business. And, who knows, some of them are probably
right (the bastards). But some are wrong. Your life and
your business = your decisions. You’ll make some mistakes,
but at least let them be your mistakes, not someone else’s.

* * *

In Part 3: we'll look at eight characteristics of a great
niche. It's a really useful checklist you can use to see
whether the niche's you're considering are worth the effort
(and if your current niche isn't working why not)

In Part 4: we'll look at 9 ways that you might go about
identifying your niche (some of which are really obvious but
most people never consider them).

In Part 5: We'll look at how to describe your niche in a single
compelling sentence.

In Part 6: You'll get a tonne of real life examples of niches.


I hope you're well.

Warmest,
tad

Your Niche - Why Bother - Part 1 of 7

In this blog, we're going to start with the
Most basic of all questions:

Why bother?

Well . . .

My friend Dominic Canterbury - a word of mouth
marketing specialist - came up with this list:


You know your targeting sucks when:


1. Your marketing strategy consists of "just getting
your name out there"

2. Your target is, "People who can afford me."

3. Your Unique Selling Proposition is a lame platitude
such as, "I work to truly understand my client's needs."

4. You wish you didn't look just like the competition

5. You define it by age, income and geography

6. Your word-of-mouth strategy is based on lines like,
"The highest compliment you can pay us is the referral
of a friend."

7. You blew your marketing budget on advertising that
did nothing for you

8. You don't like your clients

9. Or, you've run plumb out of fresh marketing ideas

Owch.

Hard but true.

One of the classic blunders in marketing is:
Not clearly identifying your ideal client.

But most businesses have never really answered
the question, “Who is my niche?” in any meaningful
way. And it’s probably one of the most important
question you’ll ever answer for your business.

They say, “We help everybody . . .”

“Who are you trying to reach?
Who’s your target market?
Who’s your niche?”

There is likely no decision in business more central
or profound than this one.

And no question that meets with more resistance.

After all, that question asks you to make a decision.
Once you decide who you’re trying to reach you have
also, by necessity, made a decision about who you are
no longer trying to reach.

You are asking yourself, “who am I best able to help?”
And this brings up a lot of very personal issues about
what you’re passionate about, why you’re here on Earth,
what your talents are - questions that are often dealt
with by ignoring them.

I’ve found that many people sort of “short circuit”
when asked to address this question directly. Their
eyes glaze over and they go into a deep haze.

But it must be addressed.

And yet, most entrepreneurs aren’t even aware that they
have a problem.


Why is identifying your niche important?

Dominic Canterbury (www.dc-strategic.com) told me once that,
whenever he feels stuck or cloudy about what to do next in
his marketing work with a client he takes that as a sign that
he’s lost sight of the niche. So, he’ll stop, review who the
target market is and instantly, ideas will start to flow.

Why is that?

Your niche is the very center of all of your marketing efforts.

You must identify a niche. Until and unless you do that:


1. How can you possibly make your business attractive to
them (or yourself)? And why would you market? You will be
irresistibly attracted to your ideal client - and this will,
in the long term, make you irresistibly attractive to them.
Having a client you’re excited to attract & serve gives you
energy.

* * *

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE:

You have 24 hours to find the perfect gift for my friend or
else you will never see your family again. ( . . . “Does that
include my in-laws?” you ask.) BUT! The catch is that I won’t
tell you anything about them. This is, of course, impossible.

* * *

2. How do you know how to word your marketing materials?
The more that people feel you are speaking right to them, and
nobody else, the more likely they are to buy. You want them
saying, “that’s me!” not “so what.” The better you know them,
the more you will know what to say and what to avoid saying.
It’s about knowing exactly the right thing to say to them to
get them to act.

3. How do you know where to invest your marketing efforts?

4. How can you possibly expect to receive any quality
referrals from your existing clients? If you can’t tell them
the kind of people you want them to send you - how will they
know?

5. How can you know where to find them if you don’t know
who they are? You’d be surprised how often people miss this
obvious point. People ask me all the time, “Where can I find
more clients?” and I ask them, “Well, what kind of clients?
Who are you looking for?” Most folks can’t really answer that
except in vague notions of “people who are open to change”.
That’s likely too vague. Different sorts of folks hang out in
different places. Some people may already have your ideal
client as their clients. You target market is already spending
their money somewhere. They’re likely already hanging out
somewhere.

For most businesses I know, finding a niche is one of the
most important steps. If you can’t be everything to everyone,
then who are you best able you serve? What are you best at?

So, over the next few weeks - roughly once a week - we're going
to focus on this issue.


In the Part 2 - the next email I'm going to cover Five
Important Premises to consider when identifying your niche
(that can take a lot of the fear out of it).

In Part 3: we'll look at eight characteristics of a great
niche. It's a really useful checklist you can use to see
whether the niche's you're considering are worth the effort
(and if your current niche isn't working why not)

In Part 4: we'll look at 9 ways that you might go about
identifying your niche (some of which are really obvious but
most people never consider them).

In Part 5: We'll look at how to describe your niche in a single
compelling sentence.

In Part 6: You'll get a tonne of real life examples of niches.

That's the plan.

I hope you're well.

Warmest,
tad