Are you trying to be all things to all people in your business? Or, even in your personal life, for that matter? If you are, your head is probably spinning, trying to figure out exactly who you are and exactly what your expertise is.
You may think it’s easier for you to offer a general selection of services. The broader your area of expertise, the more clients you think you’ll attract. However, quite the opposite is true. When you stand up and declare your specialty, clients will view you with confidence and place greater value on your knowledge and skills.
You can make this happen on purpose, or if you really take notice, you might see a trend regarding the clients you attract. For example, one client of mine is a coach and a mom who wasn’t specific about her audience or her specialty. In her words, “When I started out, nothing really happened.”
In her case, she started attracting clients who were moms. She was a mom herself and other moms could relate to some of the scenarios she presented in her business. Her niche more or less found her, but she realized it and focused her business around that niche.
Now she’s known as an expert. Journalists cite her as a source for articles, which results in lots of PR for her company. And now, she has clients calling her who aren’t even moms, asking her if she would consider working with them.
That’s a nice situation to be in – people asking if you’ll take them on as a client.
Being recognized as an expert rather than a generalist can make a tremendous difference in your business. No one is going to hand you a “certified expert” certificate. The secret of being an expert is having the guts to appoint yourself as one.
You aren’t claiming knowledge and expertise that you don’t have. You just need to take the step and say, “I am now an authority on…” or, “I specialize in…” It’s amazing how quickly things can organize themselves around that.
The fact of the matter is that you probably do know a lot of facts and figures about your particular area. You notice similar problems or situations that come up over and over, and you learn how to address and solve them. Because you look for that information, you do become an expert.
Each step leads to the next step. Once you recognize these recurring topics, you are familiar with the environment that leads to them. So, if you were to write an article, or speak to a potential client, the specific phrases and language you use will resonate with them because they have also used them repeatedly.
That person will get the feeling that you really understand what they’re going through. That’s what clients ultimately want, and that’s what you can give them by specializing.
Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. She publishes a free, weekly newsletter for trainers, speakers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you’d like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com
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This is an excellent post. I am redesigning my web site and have to admit I was trying to find away so that no matter who looked at the site they would see something that I could do for them.
I am rethinking that approach now. Thank you.
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