I have a problem.
It’s one that affects me both personally and professionally…
I can’t fake it. Get your mind out of the gutter if you went there:)
I mean that I can’t pretend to like you if I don’t. I can’t even lie well. It’s just written all over my face, in my voice, in my words. My 8 year old is a far better liar than I will ever be!
This was a real problem in the corporate world when I was “forced” to work with people I didn’t especially respect or do work that didn’t get me excited.
I remember a real turning point in my professional life. I was working for a global consulting firm and was extremely passionate about a certain topic. It’s called Corporate Social Responsibility and it’s all about how companies show up in the world by giving back to their employees and communities.
I pitched the CEO on the idea of developing this work for the company and he said, no way. There’s not enough money in it. Now, I understand that business is driven by the bottom line, but I remember thinking to myself that one day I would be able to do the work I most loved.
Fast forward nearly 15 years and here I am with my own business. I get to do the work I love with the people I love to work with. I get to choose my clients, programs and joint venture partners. It’s so incredibly empowering and satisfying.
But I’ve realized that there’s something critical that can hold you back from making this happen in your business.
It often comes down to lack of belief about your own value.
You see, if you don’t truly own your unique value (I mean, really own it – down to your toes) then it’s hard to carve out your niche and claim it as your own. It’s hard to say – these are my ideal clients and what I have to offer them is amazing!!
Let me give you an example. I had a coaching call today with a wonderful client. This lady had her niche and message right in front of her, but wasn’t claiming it because she felt she didn’t have enough to offer to really make it her own.
The irony is that she was already naturally attracting the kinds of people who make up her ideal clients, but she didn’t seize the opportunity to claim her niche because she was afraid that what she had to offer wasn’t enough.
Please, please do me a favor. Don’t let fear that you’re not enough stop you from claiming your niche and sharing your message.
This is your business. You don’t have to fake it. In fact, if you do, I promise you that people will suss that out and you’ll struggle. It’s your time to do the work you love with the people you love to work with.
Please share your thoughts and comments below. Are you working with your ideal clients doing the work you love? If not, what’s stopping you? ย Thanks!
Thanks Cindy! I find there are varying degrees of ideal client. Most start out appearing to fit my ideal profile perfectly… and end up that way, too, which is great. Some end up only fitting the profile partially, which is still ok because I’m still motivated to work with them. Then with others, it turns out they actually didn’t fit my ideal profile at all, I just didn’t see it at the outset. And I did a lot of work that I love to do but that wasn’t appreciated. Ouch! I guess with practice I’ll get better at knowing in advance which way it’s likely to go. Then I can decline the work if I decide that’s best..or at least be prepared for any eventuality. ๐
Thanks for sharing that Bev. It is a process, isn’t it? And I’ve found that my idea of who my ideal client is evolves over time. I think the only way to really go through that evolution is to work with people. Sometimes we get so worried about having the perfect niche, and it’s really only by experiencing that niche that we can improve and refine it. Thanks again!
Yep. Sometimes the only way to find where you’re going is to get on the road and drive! ๐
I love that Bev! So well said.
Hi Cindy! Wise words. We are so used to having projects neatly tied up in a box but online business doesn’t work this way. It means getting out there with an idea of what is in the box and going with it and tweaking it as you go as you get more information by doing the work. Eventually you will know exactly what to keep in the box and how to wrap it, but this takes really listening and working with your ideal clientele. You are so on the mark when you state that often people have their niche decided but are scared to own it. I love the idea that people need to look inside themselves at their own fears to see what is right in front of them. Thanks for the timely post.
Wow! You’ve shared a lot of wisdom there Teresa. I love what you shared about getting out there with your ideas and tweaking it as you go. And you’re so right that by listening to and working with our clients, we will learn exactly what they want. Having said that, it can really help to do some initial target market research when choosing your niche and offerings. It really helps you get off to a faster start!
Thanks again for sharing Teresa – much appreciated!
Hi Cindy. It’s always a pleasure, and quite valuable, to sit down to read your news in my email and then browse your blog.
Today’s post moved me to comment: I’d love to know more about HOW your clients overcome their fear and then step into their niche and claim it. In my experience, it doesn’t happen by wishing it so.
One of my mentors suggested in a recent letter that Confidence is the key — confidence from setting a goal, learning something new and then moving into action, implementation and successful outcomes for a client.
Your thoughts?
Warm regards,
Kate
Hi Kate – it’s always great to hear from you! You’re very right that just wishing for something doesn’t bring it about. I could spend a whole hour just talking the fears surrounding choosing and claiming a niche. Let me share some thoughts with you here.
1. If starts by choosing a niche that leverages your passions, experiences and strengths. When you put the work in upfront to choose the niche that is right for you, that helps alleviate a lot of the fears about choosing the wrong niche.
2. Give yourself permission to have a grace period, to work within your niche and experience it and refine it. When I help my clients discover their niche, it’s with the understanding that this is a starting point. It’s not forever, and in fact, it should evolve as you and your business evolve.
3. Along those lines, don’t give up on a niche right away until you’ve taken massive action within that niche. If you just write a few blog posts and say, this doesn’t work, that’s just not going to cut it. You have to take big actions if you want to see real results. Too often we want to stay safe within the confines of building our website or writing articles or doing keyword research. There’s no fear of rejection here – it’s safe. To see if your niche is really right for you, you have to give it a real go. Do a webinar, do strategy sessions, work with clients, do a workshop, approach joint venture partners. All these things run the risk of being rejected, but they’re also the things that will allow you to grow, refine and build your confidence.
I hope that helps! Thanks again Kate:)
Sigh–this is so true for me. I’m working on it, though–if you keep getting the same message over and over from different sources who just happen to use different wording, you *have* to pay attention eventually, right? ๐ Thanks for the post.
Thank you so much for sharing that Mary Anne! You’re so right. Sometimes we need to hear things over and over again for it to really sink in. And someone might say something just a little differently that then it just clicks! Please keep me posted as to how you’re doing, okay? thanks!
Hi, Cindy,
I saved your email all day to answer tonight. I did that because I thought you were going to say something close to your heart that I really needed the time to listen to closely. You said: “I have a problem.
It’s one that affects me both personally and professionally…
I can’t fake it.” So, it is late evening and I have read your whole message.
Sharing your own story the way you did, then zeroing in on the issue so many have of not valuing themselves, not feeling enough, and so not believing in themselves or even doubting the truth of what they know in their heart is their true passion (their niche)…moved me.
I know what you mean when you said your face can’t lie; I can tell that when I look at you on your videos. It’s one of the reasons I am here–because you are real. Your realness, your honesty and caring, are in your face, your voice, the words you write. It is easy to trust you for that reason. In essence, you are living what you teach.
Thank you so much for…being you.
David, your words always move me. I so appreciate all that you’ve shared with me since I’ve known you. You too speak from the heart David and I appreciate you very much.
warm wishes,
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
Many thanks for sharing your thoughts on working – I agree with you 100%! Early on in my career, I did work with people that I did not have much respect for, and was doing work that I detested.
The only reason why I entered the Accounting/Economics field was because this is what I studied at university, and the money was very good. But I was miserable and it was only once I decided to change jobs and even took a huge pay cut, did I feel alive, passionate and excited about my work.
You are a fantastic role model, Cindy, as you are the real deal and “walk the talk.”
My best to you.
Libby
Thank you so much Libby. I really appreciate you. And I admire the work that you do. I’ve had the pleasure of reading your material and I have to say, you have such a huge heart for helping people with depression. Congratulations on finding what you’re meant to do and helping the people you love to work with!
warm wishes,
Cindy