Posts Tagged ‘niche’

The first step to attracting your ideal clients is to know exactly who she is and what she wants. But if you’re like most women entrepreneurs you are more than likely trying to work with a market that’s far too broad.

The minute that you REALLY start focusing on a specific group of people who share a specific concern, or need is the moment that your business will begin to take off.  I know you want to market to everyone, but believe me it won’t work.

For example, if your in a crowded room and someone shouts out, “hey you!”  Do you stop everything you’re doing and look to see who said that?  Probably not.  You might be in the middle of a conversation, writing something down, or texting a friend (hopefully your not walking and texting or you might end up in the mall fountain!)

But what if that person shouted out your first and last names? Would you look up then?  Of course you would.  This person would probably have your undivided attention; at least for the moment.

The point here is that your ideal client is probably in a very “crowded room” so it’s vital to be able to get their attention.

One of the most important components to making a phenomenal living selling your service is to identify EXACTLY who that client is; otherwise you will never know: where they are, what they want, what they need and what they can afford to buy.

Enormous, multi-billion dollar corporations would never waste a single dollar on marketing that they know is not specific. So why would you?

Here are a few questions you can answer to begin to identify who your ideal client is:

• Who do you ENJOY working with?
• What would you love to help them with?
• What type of person lifts your energy?
• What does he/she look like?
• What do they read?
• What are their main problems and concerns?
• How much do they make?
• What do they do for a living?

Here’s today’s action item to help you identify who your ideal client is:

Write down a specific description of the type of client that you WANT to work with and what you will help them achieve.  Who will you enjoy getting up every day to work with?  Who will help to fuel
your passion?

Once you find your ideal client and begin to market to them you will see a dramatic increase in new customers and more money in flowing into your bank account.  And isn’t’ that what you want?

I had an awesome call with my Money, Marketing and Mindset Mastermind clients today.   What came through crystal clear is how focused they are on WHO they serve.

When they came to the coaching program they were really scattered and unfocused working with anyone who would part with money so they could keep their business going.

In only a few short months, they have all gotten crystal clear on who their ideal clients are, how they solve a problem for those clients and the value behind what they do.

It’s awesome to see this unfolding as their business grows.

This could be you!   Contact me today, if you want to learn how you can turn your business around before the end of the year!

I love working with women (and men too) to help them achieve the six figure business they always dreamed of.  But, while I understand that many people are afraid they will never realize the dream of a six-figure or even multiple six-figure business, I know that it takes 5 key elements to create six figures and beyond in ANY business.

The problem is that if you are just getting started in may seem like a dream and completely out of reach.

So, to help you out, I created this checklist so that you can see what it takes to create your six-figure business.

1.  Clarity

I don’t know about you, but when I was starting out in business I had hundreds of ideas swirling around in my head.  All these ideas kept me really unfocused.  The more unfocused I was the less clients I seemed to attract into my practice.

Once I got real clear about who my target market was and who I wanted to work with all that confusion changed and I got crystal clear.

Gaining clarity is as simple as that!  Decide who you want to work with, what problem you are going to solve and in an instant you will have changed your circumstances so that you can begin attracting clients like a magnet.

If you need help with this, hire a coach that can help you hone in on your niche.  This new found clarity will help you gain confidence which is the next topic in our checklist.

2.  Confidence

Can you feel the confidence swelling up inside of you now that you have identified your niche?

When you get clear and focused you gain a lot!  Nothing makes you feel more confident than in knowing exactly what problem you solve and who you work with to solve that problem.

Next time you feel your confidence slipping away ask yourself if you are unclear about some aspect in your business?  I would be willing to bet that you need a little fine tuning.

Once the tune-up is complete, check in with yourself to get a handle on where you are on the confidence scale.

Your confidence level has a direct impact on how you attract clients, which is the next topic.

3.  Clients

Now you’re probably saying, “No kidding, Maureen, of course I need clients.”

But some businesses seem to get clients quickly while others…well, not so much.  Why is that?

The businesses that have a ton of clients flowing in have a lot in common because they have these key factors in place.  While any one of these factors can help propel a business, more than one can result in impressive growth.  Here they are:

• Found an underserved niche with a group of hungry buyers
• Found buyers who had money to spend and were willing to spend it
• Found a niche where competition was minimal or manageable
• Developed a repeatable system for connecting and selling to these buyers that worked again and again
• Developed compelling, benefit-laden marketing messages
• Developed joint ventures and strategic alliances to dramatically increase sales
• Developed a strategy to get repeat business
• Protect their time
• Outsourced simple tasks

No secret here, just some simple ways to build your client base.  Now measure your business against this list and see what changes you need to make.

4.  Cash Flow

If cash is king, then cash flow is well, whatever is better than being a king!

Without consistent cash coming into your business it will be impossible for you to grow into a six-figure or more company.

Don’t make the mistake that many entrepreneurs have made — and who consequently are no longer in business.  Good cash management is simple and involves:

• Knowing when, where, and how your cash needs will occur
• Knowing the best sources for meeting additional cash needs
• Being prepared to meet these needs when they occur, by keeping good relationships with bankers and other creditors

5.  Courage

Don’t be one of those business owners who hangs back, waiting and wondering to see how it’s all going to work out.  Sorry, it doesn’t work that way in business or in life.

Sometimes you just need to be courageous.

The more frequently you take a leap of courage by joining a coaching program, networking, attending an event, hiring more employees or a team you get to flex and strengthen that courage muscle.

Eventually, it becomes easier and easier.

Isn’t There More to Having a Six-Figure Business Than This?

There are specific action steps that any business owner needs to take.  But if you focus on these five steps you will be more than halfway there.

As we continue to examine the beliefs that hold us back from marketing ourselves successfully, most women entrepreneurs have a big problem with belief #4.  Read on to learn more…

Belief #4: I don’t want to devlop a niche…I want to market to everyone

It seems that I have a conversation almost daily with someone about the importance of “niche marketing”. Just the other day a group of us where talking about how hard it is to market your products or services to everyone…it’s literally impossible. But so many business owners and entrepreneurs fall into this trap and make this mistake all the time.

When you try to craft a marketing message to a broad audience nobody hears it because they can’t relate.  When you hone in on your niche, it because much easier to craft your marketing message because you are developing it specifically to your ideal clients.  In essence your message is attracting your ideal clients TO YOU!  The response from your marketing will be more cost effective and generate greater results.

Don’t be afraid to develop a niche.  Over time you will clearly see the benefit because your ideal clients will be flocking to you!

It seems that I have a conversation almost daily with someone about the importance of “niche marketing”. Just the other day a group of us where talking about how hard it is to market your products or services to everyone…it’s literally impossible. But so many business owners and entrepreneurs fall into this trap and make this mistake all the time.

How do you know what your clients want? Did you know that your potential clients may or may not buy what they NEED, but they always buy what they WANT? So how do you find your niche so that you can effectively market what they need? Here are a few simple tips to help you hone in on your niche market.

Step 1: Who NEEDS what you sell?

The first step is to identify the demographics of your ideal client base. Where do they live? How old are they? How much money do they make? Do they have children and if so what are their ages? The answers to these questions will vary greatly depending on the type of business that you have. Don’t skip this step; it’s one that is greatly overlooked by many of my clients. Take the time to sit down and answer these questions so that you can start to see clearly who NEEDS what you sell.

Step2: What do your potential clients WANT?

This step requires that you sit down and figure out what your client’s biggest problems, challenges and obstacles are. Now you may be thinking, “I don’t have many clients yet.” or “I have no idea what my clients want.” If you are new to business close your eyes and think about what your potential clients challenges are and see what comes to mind. Write it down, refer to it and revise it as necessary. If you have been in business for awhile what are you clients telling you are their biggest concerns? This is what your clients want from you; to help them solve their most difficult business challenges.

Step 3: What is your passion?

When you can think positively and excitedly about a group of clients and the work you will do with them; you have found your passion and your niche ! If you are in business  reading this and thinking, “Oh boy, I am definitely not working with my ideal clients”, then maybe its time to work with a coach who can help you sift through this information and help move you towards those ideal clients that will reignite your passion for your business.