Confidently niche yourself part 3

If you have a niche but cannot vocalise it, then you will not be able to communicate it in a compelling way and so it's not really a niche.

Your target market or person needs to be understood by you, in order for you to be able to motivate or influence them. Different groups of people have different values or want different outcomes and by narrowing your search you will be able to find them easily and let them know what you offer that they need or desire.

This is the area that is most difficult to get to grips with but the whole exercise can be repeated for other niches you may have. I have 3 niches - schools, small business owners and teams but the language I use while in a classroom of teachers and their pupils, is nothing like my elevator pitch that I would use in a business setting. Obvious, yes, but missed by so many organisations. Work out who your decision maker or buyer is within your niche.

Another way to differentiate yourself is by the 4th P, which is Process. So if you are in a niche where there are other companies that do the same thing as you with a similar group of people, then you can stand out by making the process in which you deliver this service, unique. One great example of this is the new craze for getting rid of dead skin on your feet by sticking them in water and allowing small fish to nibble away. Beauty salons all over the uk are able to give the same result but the fish thing is a compelling and fun way of achieving smooth feet!

So try and communicate your niche using pain, person, process in a passionate 30 second elevator pitch and try it out next time you are networking.

Confidently Niche Yourself tip 2

To have an effective power niche you need to understand the pain that you are trying to ease or eliminate. This could be a problem or a goal that has yet to be achieved.

Many coaches and trainers are yet to differentiate themselves in this way and are missing a great marketing tool. After all, that is all niching is - it does not stop us helping those outside of our niche.

Competition is high in the service industry and we have to carefully consider what outcomes we feel passionate about delivering, and where we can make a real difference. It will give you credibility and authority.

For instance a health coach is still too broad. Is it about losing weight, more energy, sleeping, stress, etc?

The next thing that needs to be considered is the Target Marget and identifying who you wish to work with. Narrowing your focus will make it easier for you to find them and then communicate your message, benefits and the impact your services will have on their lives.

More on that next time.....

Confidently Niche Yourself tip 1

As a regular presenter and speaker, I have found that we all have had a problem niching ourselves properly at some point in our business lives. I made the same mistake seven years ago when I started my coaching business but thankfully wised up to the power of niching pretty quickly.

There have been several occasions when a business owner has defended their position of being everything to everybody and then looking at me as if I must be mad to turn away potential business.

Niching is a marketing tool and it does not stop us from accepting other customers but helps us to target our market and speak their language. It is the easiest and cheapest way to differentiate ourselves and gain expert status in our field.

However it does require research, and not the assumption that our target marget needs what we have to offer, just because we think it's so brilliant!

The primary fear that prevents people from choosing a niche is worry that they will be missing out on clients outside their chosen area. So let me ask you this... How is that working out for you so far?

Niche tip number One is to pick your absolute passion. Work will seem like fun and procrastination disappears easily from your day!

I promise!

Mastermind group meeting APCTC Social Media

My mastermind group are busy with an activity I have given them as part of our meeting today. Eileen Brown has buzzed up the whole group including those that were sceptical about how effective it all is. Great tips and info. Take a look at Eileens blog for details of her great book. http://eileenbrown.wordpress.com/category/social-media/#!/page/1
My members are entitled to attend my Confidence series workshops for free. Next one is
Confidently Niche Yourself.
Look out for further blogs for details

Let me and Dan Bradbury do the Hard Work!

How much information can we all take? I ask myself that regularly.

As a MasterMind leader, Partnering Dan Bradbury, part of every week is spent listening, learning and reviewing materials to see if they are of any merit, who’s using them, and if they work. If they do I'll incorporate them into my own business.

Some of the stuff I see is a waste of my time because it is poor or old hat.

So how can you avoid this complete and utter waste of your valuable time? Clearly you need a reliable source of information supplied by accredited contributors. And these people can't just be just writing the stuff - they have to be living and breathing it every day, in their own businesses - they have to use it themselves.

And that's just what the APCTC provides – quality information that works. The Faculty members are all experts in their own specialised fields, and they always apply what they supply in their own highly successful businesses.

So why not join the APCTC today - the first year membership is absolutely free and you’ll get immediate access to a vast library of business knowledge which you can apply immediately.

To enrol, simply go to the APCTC membership page and let our experts work for you.

Plus your first visit to a mastermind group meeting is also free so that you can try it out for yourself first.

Have a look at www.apctc.com/suffolk to sign up for a mastermind event in Ipswich, Suffolk

Suffolk Mastermind Group meeting - APCTC

This Sunday sees the 5th monthly meeting of the Suffolk Mastermind group for business people in Ipswich and surrounding area. I partner Dan Bradbury, UK's top marketing coach, to work together to give real value to membership of the Association of Professional Coaches, Trainers and Consultants.

Each meeting consists of a guest speaker, giving good content on marketing, 1 hour coaching session led by me and a q&a mastermind session where we support each member in their quest to grow their business.

We also have a development day in between meetings in order to take ourselves away from the office to implement the new learnings.

This Sunday 17th July 2011 at 1pm at the Holiday Inn Ipswich we have a great guest speaker, Eileen Brown for Amastra who is going to talk to the members on the importance of social networking and how to use twitter. Eileen has written a book on the subject, which I believe has reached the top 100 on Amazon. Not to be missed!

Guests are invited free to their first session so please come along and experience the value of these 3 hour mastermind meetings for yourself with no obligation. Book on www.apctc.com/Suffolk or contact me - www.naccoaching.co.uk