WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS - Blog

Marketing 101 - Tip # 10 - Don't Label Yourself!

Most small business owners, when asked what they do, will respond with: "I'm a Life Coach" or "I'm an Accountant." The trouble with this kind of response is that you have immediately pigeon- holed yourself! Instead of being judged on what you can do for people, you've labeled yourself and this can set off a stream of snap judgements in the other person!

There's a really simple and effective way to avoid this. When you meet someone for the first time, talk about what you do and how you help people instead of using your "title."  For instance I usually say something like: "I teach self employed women and small business owners how to do their own marketing and PR so they can get more clients."  In one sentence you can identify your key area of expertise and the target market. See what you can come up with for your own business using this formula.

Marketing 101 - Tip # 9 Have a Clear Message

 You need to be able to clearly state what you do in one or two sentences. This is what's often called the "elevator speech" as it's supposed to be what you can say in the time it takes to go up a few floors in a lift. Unfortunately, crafting this message seems to "floor" a lot of small business owners!

The answer is to get really clear on what you do. And I mean really clear! If necessary, practice your words till the phrases are fixed firmly in your memory. Don't be caught off guard and end up waffling about what you do!

You can have a few variations depending on who you're talking to and depending on what product or programme you want to emphasise. Remember tip #8 - Ask Questions first!

 You need to be able to clearly state what you do in one or two sentences. This is what's often called the "elevator speech" as it's supposed to be what you can say in the time it takes to go up a few floors in a lift. Unfortunately, crafting this message seems to "floor" a lot of small business owners!

The answer is to get really clear on what you do. And I mean really clear! If necessary, practice your words till the phrases are fixed firmly in your memory. Don't be caught off guard and end up waffling about what you do!

You can have a few variations depending on who you're talking to and depending on what product or programme you want to emphasise. Remember tip #8 - Ask Questions first!

Marketing 101 - Tip # 3 Get clear on your niche

Get clear on your niche and your marketing  becomes so much easier, cheaper and more effective.

Some businesses will automatically fall into a niche and this makes marketing easier. For instance if you are an English Literature Tutor for high school age young people, then that's pretty clear when it comes to your marketing. Maybe you're a divorce lawyer or you're a make up artist specialising in weddings.

In professions like Coaching and Consulting, however, it's a different story. If you want to stand out in a crowded market you absolutely must pick a niche. This is something I wish I had sorted out much earlier in my self employed career.

I'll be writing more about this topic but do get started thinking about what your niche might be if you don't already have one. Here's a useful tip - your ideal clients can often be found by looking in your own mirror! Your niche could be people very like you.

On being number one - or not!

In the current "celebrity" culture we could be forgiven for thinking that if we're not number one - not "famous" - then we don't make an impression. I don't hold with that thinking at all.

Is Susan Boyle less visible because she was runner up in "Britain's Got Talent"? Is Kate Walsh's career suffering because she didn't actually win The Apprentice? I don't think so!

So what does this have to do with you and your business? It illustrates that there's room for all levels of expertise and you don't have to be at the top of the tree to have a viable business, get clients and provide value. For instance - even if you've only been in your field for a year, you're a year ahead of a complete newbie. Maybe your ideal market is absolute beginners.

Or maybe you're ready to teach or coach an intermediate level. My reason for writing this blog post is to show there is room for lots of different levels of "fame" and expertise. You are unique, with a unique set of skills and experience. No-one else will approach things in quite the same way. So don't worry about being the next "......."  Just be yourself and see who shows up!

You won't get everyone to be your client - but then you don't want just any old client do you? You want the ideal clients for you! I'll be blogging more on this topic so do come back regularly and do post a comment.

Get the WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS newsletter

If you like the Women Mean Business blog, then you'll love the newsletter!

Simply sign up at the form on the blog or website to receive our monthly "Success Strategies" newsletter full of business building tips and articles.

Each month I'll share tips and articles specifically written for small business owners like you.

Recent issues have covered topics like:

• Confidence
• Using testimonials
• Getting clear on your niche
• Business boundaries
• Not giving away free sessions

You'll also be the first to hear about  about any new programmes or special offers.

And don't forget, you'll also receive my valuable Special Reports: "57 Confidence Boosters," "Work Effectively From Home," and "Marketing Mastery" absolutely free.

Get clear on your niche and claim expert status

One of the most important things you will ever do in your business is to decide on your niche or specialism. Having this pinned down is vitally important, yet many people try to be far too general in what they offer. When you ask some people what they do they reel off a long list of different services or products. There's an old saying in marketing circles: "A confused mind always says no."

One of the best ways to stand out in a crowded market is to be very specific about what you do and who you do it for. As a result you'll attract more of the right clients.

Some clues to help you find your niche:

What type of clients do you enjoy working with most? Often your best client is in your own mirror! You'll generally enjoy working with people who are like you; who have the same challenges, ambitions and enthusiasms as you do. Make a list of all your past and current clients and prioritise them from favourite to least favourite. Notice what patterns emerge.

Remember a niche can be a niche market - that is, the type of people you serve, for instance in my case - self employed women and small business owners. And within that niche you may also have a specialism, mine being: I teach self employed women and small business owners how to do their own marketing and publicity and how to be confident while they're doing it.

Someone may be a career coach but specialise in working with IT professionals. A literary agent may specialise in cookery writers or children's authors. A life coach may work with teens or parents of teens. Do you start to get the picture?

Some of the key benefits to having a niche are:

• It radically simplifies your marketing
• It makes it so much easier to say what you do and who you work with
• It builds your reputation as an expert
• It also builds your confidence
• People can refer potential clients more easily because they understand what you do
• You develop a "Personal Brand"
• People prefer to work with a specialist and expert
• You can more easily identify your target market and where they congregate
• And - you get to work with your ideal clients

If you do several different things but for a specific target market, remember to concentrate on one offering at a time. When you are networking or writing pages for your website, be very clear on which service or product is on offer. If necessary have separate websites for different sections of your business.

So pick your specialism and stop trying to be all things to all people. Make a decision and choose your niche. It really will pay huge dividends.

(c) Shona Partridge