On an interview I did recently, I was asked a very good question about whether or not a coach can succeed without having a tightly focused niche.
It’s a great question. Can you build a successful coaching business without having a clear coaching niche? Yes, but it will be much harder. Having worked with coaches since 2010, I can tell you that most struggling coaches haven’t established a viable niche.
Let’s be sure we understand what we mean by a coaching niche.
Your Niche = Your target market (WHO) + Your solution (WHAT)
Many coaches decide to focus on a particular area, such as relationships. Or they choose a target market, such as working parents. But you need both pieces of the puzzle to have a true niche.
Having a target market allows you to focus all of your marketing, programs and services on the needs of a particular group of people. Having a solution allows you to clearly communicate how you can help people.
People are looking for solutions. They want help to overcome specific problems or reach certain goals. That’s what they’re hiring a coach for. I know it’s a shift in thinking but the truth is, we’re not selling our coaching. We’re selling our solutions. Coaching is the vehicle we use to help our clients reach their goals.
This is where a lot of coaches struggle in marketing themselves. They try to sell their coaching. Most people don’t even know what coaching is. As coaches, we have to sell our solutions. And the more specific we can be about who we help, the solutions we provide, and what outcome we help our clients achieve, the easier it is to market ourselves as coaches.
To find your ideal coaching niche you have to put together the “Niche Puzzle”. There are actually three pieces of the puzzle: your WHO, WHAT and WHY.
We’ve already addressed the target market (WHO) and the solution (WHAT), so let’s talk about the third piece of the puzzle. You have to understand the competitive framework and clearly explain why people should choose to work with you vs. someone else. What is unique about your solution or the way you deliver your solution.
But it’s about more than your solution or your system. It’s also about your WHY. Why do you do what you do and why should people work with you?
People want to know that you can help them and that you truly care about helping them. They want to know that you’re passionate about what you do.
Would you go to a hairdresser who hates cutting hair or who doesn’t care about what your hair looks like when you leave her salon? Of course not. You want to go to someone who has experience, but even more importantly, you want to know that she cares about giving you the best darn haircut in the world.
So to answer the question, having a clear coaching niche is essential to your success. But it’s not enough to know who you serve. To succeed in your business, you have to be very clear about WHO you help, WHAT solution you provide for them, and WHY they should work with you. When you put all these 3 pieces of the puzzle together, you have a solid foundation for your marketing success.
Want more clarity on your coaching niche? Click here to get your free Niche Success Kit
Susan says
Great advice Cindy. Having these 3 pieces of the puzzle in place makes marketing so much easier 🙂
Cindy says
So true Susan – as you’ve seen for yourself! Now, you’re on fire, doing what you love and what you’re great at! Congratulations!
Shelley Webb says
Hi Cindy,
I completely agree with you. Your ideal client is NOT “everyone”. I would even go a step further and suggest sitting down and writing a list of who your ideal client IS and who your ideal client is NOT. That way you won’t waste time marketing to the wrong people.
Imagine sitting down to dinner with this person. What does she look like? Male or female? Age? What are her interests? What is important to him – family? friends? sports? solitude? Does she want a jaguar or a functional SUV? Is she an animal lover? Does he work 12 hours a day or wish to work 6 and spend the day on the gold course? Will she follow through with your directions or make excuses about why she couldn’t?
Sometimes it’s hard to get all that in a get-acquainted conversation but the more you know about your ideal client, the better you will be able to serve her or him and the better success your client will achieve.
XOXO Shelley
Cindy says
Absolutely Shelley – great point! When I work with my clients, we create an Ideal Client Avatar. It’s so important to know exactly who your “favorite” or “ideal” client is, so you can tailor all of your marketing, content and programs to that person. Thanks for sharing!
warm wishes,
Cindy
Linda Luke says
Excellent post and so true. You expressed it so well. I always teach my coach clients to have niches, but if they are not ready I suggest they create a subject to focus on to try out as a temporary niche. This seems to work pretty well for them.
Cindy says
Thank you Linda! Thank you for sharing. And if any of your clients need help with their niches, feel free to let them know about my free report:)
Thanks and warm wishes,
Cindy
Liz says
Absolutely brilliant. I know the fear is that you won’t have a large enough pool of potential consumers. I really struggle with this!
Cindy says
Thank you for sharing this Liz. I have a blog post about the fears surrounding choosing a niche. I hope you’ll find it helpful. Just click here. http://www.attractyourniche.com/niche-marketing-strategy/niche-fears
Warm wishes,
Cindy
Laureen says
This is a great post on the Niche concept. Love the analogy of a puzzle. Often times it can be a puzzle but with figuring out the who, what and why of the puzzle is often what is needed to determine one’s niche.
Cindy says
Thank you Dr. Laureen! And thanks for stopping by. Niche can seem so abstract and overwhelming. I find it really helps demystify everything when you break it down into these three pieces.
warm wishes,
Cindy