To Niche or Not to Niche
How focused are you? How narrow is your offering? I just read a blog post (warning – some offensive language) that asks the questions Should You Make Your Niche Smaller?
Author Naomi Dunford, offers this quote:
If you pick a niche, you lose some customers. If you don't pick a niche, you lose ALL customers.
Powerful statement. So have you picked a niche or are you still trying to please all of the people all of the time?
Susan Friedmann has written a book you may want to check out entitled Riches In Niches. How to make it big in a small market.
You'll learn:
* Why positioning yourself as an Expert in a Niche–a sweet spot known as a nichepreneur–is the most surefire route to success any service professional could want.
* The GEL Formula: Friedmann's proven technique that shows service professionals how to find the professional niche that makes the best use of their skills while yielding maximum profit.
* The Seven Secrets nichepreneurs need to know to create, claim, and benefit from their Expert Identity.
* Creative ways to create secondary, even tertiary, income streams capitalizing on the benefits of "Being the Expert."
In an article by Scott Allen, again about finding your niche, he gives you five things to think about:
1. Know yourself.
2. Know your goal.
3. Know your customer.
4. Keep it simple.
5. Have fun!
All good stuff. Personally, I think we need to re-evaluate our business and the niche we've carved for ourselves on a regular basis. Things change. What customer's want, changes. As we ease into summer, perhaps now is the time to redefine your niche.
Image from Tim Bossie.