Do you find yourself offering a wide range of coaching services, products, speaking topics and price points – trying to tailor anything to everyone you meet?
I definitely did this as health coach. I offered every ‘solution’ I could think of with prospective clients – from weight loss, increased energy and better digestion, to happier careers and healthier relationships. One time, I even delivered groceries to a woman who was too busy to purchase her special dietary foods!
I assumed this approach would bring me more business. The more people who knew about me, the more referrals I would get. Right? Wrong! It certainly kept me busy – creating new handouts, resources, and services for each new client then also spinning my wheels trying to find more clients for those services. I painstakingly learned that being busy is not the same as being successful or fulfilled in business. Since I didn’t brand myself as an expert in any niche, it was difficult to close the deal with prospective clients or get paid well for my service offerings.
Meanwhile, I kept hearing if focused on one niche that would ‘allegedly’ solve my need to find more clients. There were fears that ran deep inside me around this whole niche concept though. It just seemed odd to offer less to fewer people and make 6-figures. And to be brutally honest, I was sick and tired of hearing about niche markets from business coaches (I know that sounds odd coming from me who now helps health and wellness coaches master their niche), but there you have it!
So if any of this resonates with you, then I’m going to challenge you to dive deep with me on this topic for a few minutes.
I have found five key reasons health coaches fear niches:
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Limitations.
It might appear that you’re limiting your opportunities by focusing on one niche, but the opposite is actually true. Why? When you select a specific group of people to help solve a problem they’re actively looking for help with now, your marketing efforts become a lot easier. You’re able to talk the specific language of your niche and know where to find prospective clients. You can customize your services and products for this particular niche. You will get more referral partners because people will know exactly who you serve and what you help them with. You will also attract more joint venture partnerships who serve the same niche with complimentary services or products.
When you have a clear niche, you spend less time marketing and you can charge a lot more. Period.
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Stuck.
Focusing on one niche does not mean you can’t help others outside of your niche or solve various problems. Selecting a niche does not turn off creative development. It simply means you are able to tailor your marketing, services and products more effectively.
Here’s the deal: your business will grow with your niche. And you’ll do this in one of two ways: 1) either provide another solution for your target market or 2) take your solutions to another target markets. For example, if you specialize in gluten-free diets for high schoolers, you could either 1) add vegetarian diets to your gluten-free offerings for high schoolers or 2) expand your gluten-free offerings to college students.
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Indecision.
With a predisposition to helping others all the time in your life, it’s hard to consider turning people away. (This is especially true if finding clients has been difficult for you.) You know you can help them all. It’s hard to pick ONE thing for ONE group of people when ALL of health and wellness interests you. So instead of deciding, you don’t.
Remember: you grow with your niche. It’s not a forever decision. It’s a right now strategy that’s about creating a solid foundation for your business.
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Inadequacy.
What if my education and background isn’t enough? I don’t have any medical training. What if people ask me something I don’t know? Feeling inadequate with your knowledge and level of experience can make you feel like a fraud as a health and wellness coach. But I got news for you, when you narrow your niche you will automatically be perceived as an expert. Why? Because you will clearly be able to articulate your prospective client’s problems almost better than they can. When you do this, people automatically credit you with the ability and expertise to solve their problems.
You don’t need more education to have a highly profitable coaching business, you need to believe that you do know more than your clients. (And remember, you are able to provide the support and accountability clients really need to get results.)
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5. Confusion.
I completely understand this fear because I’ve been there. Not knowing where to start or how to go about narrowing your niche strategically so you can ensure a profitable, focused business is not as easy as just “picking one.” Every business coaching program and home study product I’ve done on narrowing my niche (or) identifying my ideal client assumed one major thing: my personal clarity in business in life. See like you, I’m a smart, solution-oriented woman. And when I found myself in those programs and working through exercises, where there was zero private support, I ended up settling on just ‘picking one.’
I firmly believe if you want to get serious about your health and wellness coaching business you need to nail your niche. Period. Every other decision you make in your business from business cards to blogging topics to what title to give your “Sugar Blues” talk all hinges on this one key ingredient.
It’s GO time health coach – time to get real about YOU, make BIG decisions for your business, take deliberate action NOW, and create authentic connections with your ideal clients so you can market less and get back to doing the work you love!
Post a comment below to let me know what fears are blocking you right now…I’m here to help!
