Whom Do You Serve?

Almost invariably, when talking to beginning solopreneurs about their ideal client base, I will always hear something along the lines:

• I can help anyone who needs a beauty treatment
• Everyone needs therapy, so I shouldn’t limit myself to a particular group
• I want to reach as many fans as possible, therefore I’m not limiting myself to a genre

This all sounds reasonable, right?

Wrong. When defining your niche and area of expertise, you are making a public statement. But when you say that you are able to reach/help/please everyone, you are making a non credible statement. Inevitably, your claims will be lost in a sea of similar voices claiming to do exactly the same. The more generic your claim, the more competition you will have. And in that instance, the battle will be won by those with the louder voice (read: biggest marketing budgets).

Some people seek products and services that are cheap. Others want them to be easily accessible, or to have an immediate impact. Some are more interested in long term impact. A small but ever present subgroup demands expensive products and services and will assume that everything that is cheaper or discounted, is automatically inferior.

All these people have different needs, and therefore they are seeking different solutions. Being very clear about the people you help, the impact you will make and the benefits they are going to experience from your skill or expertise, will attract the very people you want to serve.

Knowing what gives them pleasure or causes them pain, mastering the language they use to describe their challenges and being able to express with clarity the solution you can offer, will greatly magnify this attraction. And if it simultaneously repels those that are not aligned to your message, this is an added bonus.

After all you don’t want to waste your time selling products and services to those who don’t understand or need what you have on offer, right?