I recently gave a presentation to the Washington State Chapter of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) on the topic of crafting a niche: it was called “Niche in a Nutshell.”

I could probably write an entire blog post on every misconception about creating a niche that’s out there… so many coaches are confused about what a niche is and how it should be approached! But one of the biggest misconceptions is that creating a niche is just a “marketing thing.”

First, let me clarify: having a well-defined niche will absolutely draw people to you and your business because it will be clear who you work with.

Clarity is magnetic.

But let’s take this a step deeper.

By narrowing your niche, you can cause deeper transformation with your clients because your energy is not dispersed. Instead of serving a variety of needs – even if it’s just a handful – when you serve one or two exclusively, you can focus on deepening your toolbox for those specific clients and take them to the next level. You simply will have more time and energy to create more value with your clients.

For example, if I worked with executives and had a set of tools to address time and priority management, I could talk about specific challenges I know executives face with these issues rather than just speaking generally on the topics.

Imagine how much more poignant that would be for the clients! It would help them pinpoint things more readily, because there’s someone there to guide them with specificity and niche expertise. By being specific, I can help them overcome these challenges with more ease.  See how this works?

I sometimes explain this idea in a different way. Imagine you pour a gallon of water in a tray that’s an inch deep. It will have to be a long tray to fit all the water! On the other hand, if you put the water in a cylinder that’s three feet deep, it will only be an inch or two across.

When you disperse your energy, you can only go so deep. When you channel your energy, look how much deeper you can go! You’ll gain a more thorough understanding of your clients and be able to identify exactly how you can best serve them.

Reframe Your Ideas about Niche Marketing

Choosing and refining a niche is a great way to share your message directly with the people you wish to reach… so, yes, understanding a niche as a “marketing thing” is spot on.

Many of the coaches I know resist the notion of doing something simply because it’s a smart business idea – they want to take action because they know it will benefit their clients and serve others. If they think they’re doing something simply to benefit themselves and get more business, they tend to resist it (does that feel familiar?).

So here’s a new way to think about defining your niche. When you understand that choosing a niche will best serve your clients, you can openly begin to explore how to become more specific for their benefit. This is, ultimately, how you create deeper transformation and cause greater change in the world.

And what a sweet bonus that you’ll be doing your business a favor at the same time!

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, feedback and questions. If you enjoyed this post, please share!

With appreciation,

Tara Butler Floch