Do your target clients know what you do?

In their eagerness to set out a comprehensive list of services some businesses fall into a common trap. They claim to be experts in too many things.

Many businesses, especially those in their early stages of development, offer too many things to too many people. They fail to specialise, with the result that their target customers become confused as to what they offer (and to whom).

Why is this important?
The human brain is a wonderful and complex filing system. Our brains work on a system of associations. We need to know how something compares with something we already know before we can index it. On-line and paper directories are organised around these things. Good old yellow pages are a classic example. Finding a business is much easier when you know which category it is in.

Most successful businesses have a real understanding of what is special about them – what their Niche is. Niche marketing is all about narrowing your focus... specialising... establishing yourself as the expert in a tightly focused range of products or services.

Your niche is the place in which you have a natural competitive advantage because you occupy the right place in the right business category.

Know what you do
You must be clear in your own mind about your lead offer - before your customers and prospects can easily work out what you do. This is easier for some than for others. It is always worth the effort.

Express what you do in one line
If you need to qualify and explain, then you may still leave your prospects in doubt as to where your real expertise lies.

The good news
You do not have to turn away work that is not totally within your declared specialism (as long as you stick to work for which you are qualified). If you are busy, there may be a justification for starting to be fussy – perhaps using price as the mechanism to discriminate.
The point is to refine your proposition to the market so that clients and potential clients can label you. When people can label your business, they are much more likely to enquire about your products and services. What really counts is your passion and consistency in promoting your core products and services to your chosen target customers.

Be brave
If business starts to fall off, it is easy to fall into the trap of becoming a generalist again. Your specialism may need to be refined, but having the courage to stay specialised will pay.