Once upon a time, there was a young fisherman named Jack. He lived in a small coastal village and would go fishing every day. However, despite his efforts, he often returned home with an empty barrel.
One day, Jack met an old fisherman who had been fishing for many years. The old fisherman saw Jack’s struggles and decided to give him some advice.
“You are trying to fish the entire ocean, my boy,” said the old fisherman.
“You need to focus on one type of fish, learn everything about them, and use the bait they like to eat. Know when they eat, the temperature of the water, and where they gather. That’s how you fill your barrel with fish.”
Jack took the old fisherman’s advice and focused on catching tuna. He learned everything he could about tuna, the best time and place to catch them, and the bait they liked to eat. He even learned how to adjust his fishing techniques to the temperature of the water and the best time of day.
With a focused mind and a clear plan, Jack’s catch improved dramatically. He filled his barrel with tuna every day and soon became known as the best tuna fisherman in the village.
Similarly, life coaches (therapists, hypnotists, etc.), business coaches, and wellness consultants (physicians, MLM, nutritionists, chiropractors, etc.) must focus on a specific niche and serve their ideal clients.
By understanding your client’s specific needs, preferences, and pain points, you can tailor your products or services to meet those desires, cut through the internet noise by speaking your clients’ unique language, and provide value because those people will be able to find you!
Trying to serve everyone (fishing the entire ocean because “my product is for everyone”) leads to burnout, poor cash flow, and empty results.
So, remember Jack’s story and focus on one type of fish, your ideal clients.
Learn everything you can about them, speak directly to them and nobody else (which can feel scary, but it’s what will grow your coaching practice and wealth,) and offer them more than they paid for so they give you an endorsement that’s worth its weight in gold.
With a focused mind and a clear plan, you can achieve great success and have the significant impact and business growth you desire.
Moral of the story: Focusing on a specific niche and ideal client is the key to providing the best value and achieving success as a “people-helping” coach.
Trying to serve everyone with dozens of scattered marketing messages and numerous products that never sell much can break your spirit and bank account.
You DO have gifts, and the world does need YOU, so start growing your business this way instead.
1. Identify your niche: Identifying where you want to specialize as a life/business coach is essential. Consider your skills, passion, and experience, and choose a niche of people you ENJOY working with the most.
That will help you target a specific audience, create customized solutions, and build a reputation as an expert in that area.
2. Understand your ideal clients: Get to know your ideal clients and understand their needs, preferences, and pain points. That will help you create customized solutions that meet their unique needs, so you positively impact their lives while becoming an authority and influencer in your community.
3. Focus on quality over quantity: Instead of trying to serve everyone, focus on delivering high-quality solutions to a few ideal clients. To do this, you may need to raise your rates! (Most are under-charging for their services because of fear. I’ll address this in the coming days.)
That will help you build a reputation as an expert in your niche and attract more ideal clients in the long run. Focusing on quality provides better results, which will help you build a strong reputation in your industry.
Most importantly, you won’t be spinning your wheels and working a million hours without financial reward or momentum. I did that for way too long, and it’s heartbreaking to sacrifice so much and not feel like you’re making any progress.
It took years to figure out how to grow my practice and produce outstanding client results consistently.
If you want to learn how I’m doing this, stick around because I’m excited to share it all with you!
Tim Shurr, MA
OBA™ Hypnosis Certification Instructor