Determining Your Business's Specialty - Any Thoughts?

I received a wonderful article in my email today from Molly Gordon as part of her email newsletter Authentic Promotion.

In Praise of Small Ponds: Why Being Picky Is Good for Business.

Who wouldn't love to work exclusively with clients that fit "just right"?
But in a down economy, who can afford to be picky?
You can. In fact, you can't afford not to be.

In any economic situation, the quickest way for a tiny business to fail is to:

• Be as general as you can to attract the widest possible range of potential clients and customers.
  
  
• Take care not to turn anyone off; tone down your personality.
  
  
• Be careful not to scare people away by talking about price.
  
  
• When you do discuss price, quote the lowest price possible.
  

This approach ensures that your tiny business will get lost in a very big pond.

And, for small fish, the key to success is to make the pond smaller, not bigger.

You Have to Shrink the Pond

The key to standing out is to be very, very specific about the client that fits just-right. Rather than trying to promote what you do to the largest number of people, focus on addressing the concerns of the just-right client.

Here's how an image coach might shrink the pond for her business.

First, she thinks about the women she's worked with and realizes that she's gotten the greatest delight and given the best work to women with cancer.

So, she builds her Web site around those women. Instead of stuffing it full of dry credentials and desperate calls to action, she thinks about what a woman with cancer who is struggling with her changing body would want.

She realizes that her just-right client needs validation and reassurance. She wants to know that the treatments, products, and resources she sees are safe for someone receiving chemotherapy or radiation. She may be feeling ill and have low energy, so she needs information in short, easily accessible forms. And she wants support and companionship.

Our image coach chooses colors and imagery that make her just-right client feel at home. She writes short, upbeat, articles that solve practical problems. She has a Q&A section where visitors can ask questions anonymously and receive an expert response within 24 hours.

Once she begins to build her site around her just-right client, it's easy to think of ways to add value. The site becomes more and more attractive to the very people the coach wants to work with.

It doesn't matter if there are fewer women with cancer than women without. What matters is that the just-right client will be able to find the Web site and will know she's home when she gets there.

Think of your customers and clients. Which ones "light up" as a result of your work? Which ones are most engaging and interesting to work with? Look for the common denominators and start building your Web site around them. Tell their stories. Speak to their lives. Then no persuasion will be needed for you to establish a mutually beneficial relationship.

This article really made me think. How many of us try to stretch ourselves too thin? I have a few photographs over on Imagekind, some watercolors on Etsy, I'm planning on teaching visual journaling classes this summer locally, I might become a Creative Memories consultant demonstrating how traditional scrapbook products can be used in non-traditional ways, my husband and I have things on Cafepress... there's probably some other things, too. My thoughts were always "Well, something will appeal to somebody." This is completely wrong thinking! I need to choose one thing and do it well. Stop dabbling in this and that. It's not professional and it's not bringing the desired results.

I'm good at reviews. That part of my site is not going anywhere and will only expand, in fact. But as far as income goes, I think I will concentrate on my visual journaling; teaching classes and demoing/selling products for use with them. And put all the rest back in my "hobby bag" where they belong.


Info on Molly Gordon's article:

This mailing is part of a regular series of more or less weekly newsletters and informational mailings about our products and services. It is sent only to confirmed, double opt-in subscribers who have signed up at mollygordon.com, shaboominc.com, authenticpromotion.com, learntolovemarketing.com, or by emailing a subscription request or signing up at a partner Web site.

Publication and Reprint Info

U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1530-311X

Unless otherwise attributed, all material is written and edited by Molly Gordon, MCC. Copyright (c) Shaboom Inc.(r) 2009. All rights reserved. Visit our extensive archives at www.mollygordon.com . You may reprint material from Authentic Promotion in other electronic or print publications provided the above copyright notice and a link to http://www.authenticpromotion.com is included in the credits.