A question I hear all the time is “what are your thoughts on niching down?”
Absolutely, and not in the way you think.
When most people think about niching, they are thinking about an industry. Most want to focus on one particular industry. However, although this is technically niching, it is not effective and tends to leave a bad taste in the mouth of many business owners because they feel restricted and unaligned with their audience.
That is because, when niching down, it’s not about an industry, it’s about a person.
Businesses don’t buy from you, people do. While businesses may be the entities that sign contracts and make purchases, it’s important to remember that the decision-making process is driven by individuals—real people with specific needs, emotions, and motivations—who ultimately choose to buy from you to solve a problem.
That is why it is imperative that your marketing shouldn’t speak to an industry, but a person. (And yes, that person can be in a specific industry.) Taking the time to understand who it is that is making the buying decisions and speaking directly to them, versus an industry as a whole, will create a much stronger and more effective message that will result in more leads turning into happy, paying customers.
This perspective shift is crucial for your business growth, so let’s dive into the truth about niching.
The Misconception: Niching Down Equals Industry Focus
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that niching down requires you to focus on a particular industry—be it technology, healthcare, or finance. While this approach might make sense in general, it can actually limit your reach and effectiveness. Why? Because within any industry, there’s a wide range of potential clients, each with unique needs, challenges, and aspirations.
If you limit yourself to an industry, you’re trying to speak to everyone in that space. But when you try to speak to everyone, you often end up connecting with no one. Your messaging becomes diluted, and your ability to resonate with the specific people who truly need your services diminishes.
This is typically where people fall into the trap of speaking insider lingo as a way to show authority within an industry. However, that is making the assumption that everyone in the entirety of the industry speaks the same language. That everyone, no matter their job title, skill level, or role within the industry, all have the same problems. This becomes confusing to the audience and therefore alienates who you’re trying to draw in.
The Truth: Niching Down Means Focusing on a Person
Instead of thinking about industries, think about the person you want to help. Who are they? What are their pain points? What are their desires and goals? Where do they go for information? What language do they use to describe their problems?
These are the questions that should guide your niching strategy. When you focus on a person, your messaging becomes sharper, more relevant, and more compelling. You’re no longer trying to fit into an industry mold and hoping it reaches who it’s supposed to; instead, you’re crafting your communication to meet the needs of a real, living, breathing human being.
Crafting Your Messaging Around the Person
When it comes down to crafting your message with a person in mind versus an industry, the old school train of thought is to start by creating an avatar. Although this may get you closer to speaking directly to a person instead of an entire group, spending time and energy naming this avatar and figuring out whether she’s a manager or director, has kids or doesn’t, where she gets her news from, and what she’s doing in her free time; is all irrelevant information when crafting a message that is going to create connection.
People connect over shared problems.
They feel seen and understood the most when you see them in their problems. Identifying your ideal customers’ problems, pain points, and road blocks will help you not only build empathy in helping them solve those problems and navigate the obstacles, but it is also building trust.
For example, if your ideal client is a small business owner struggling with scaling their sales operations, your messaging should reflect that. You might say, “Sales processes are confusing and boring to deal with as an owner. I dissect and streamline yours so you can scale with confidence.” This is far more powerful than saying, “I offer sales consulting services for small businesses.”
So, who are you talking to?
As we discussed previously, it isn’t always necessary to build out an entire avatar of who your ideal client may be, however, it is important to understand who they are in the sense of what they want and where they are going to find the information that could potentially solve their problem.
If you are able to clearly articulate what it is that your ideal client wants and what roadblocks are standing in their way of getting it, you are going to be able to cut through the marketing noise and drive deeper connections.
When identifying who it is that you are speaking to, it’s important to ask these questions.
Who is the person I’m wanting to connect with?
What is it that they really want or are trying to achieve?
What is their biggest problem or roadblock when trying to achieve that?
Where are they going to find information to solve their problem and get what they want?
By answering these questions you will be speaking directly to the person, making your services more relatable and able to be found. Your ideal client sees themselves in your messaging, which increases the likelihood they’ll reach out to you.
Sales & Messaging Optimization: Bringing It All Together
Focusing on the person is at the heart of my approach to Sales & Messaging Optimization. When I work with small businesses, I implement strategies that are tailored to their specific clients and help them figure out exactly who that is. This means refining their sales process and messaging to align perfectly with the needs and desires of their ideal clients.
For larger organizations, I take this concept further through Outcome Messaging Workshops. These workshops are designed to help teams craft messages that resonate deeply with their target audiences. By focusing on the person rather than an industry, your organization achieves more effective communication, stronger client relationships, and ultimately, better results.
Conclusion: The Power of Niching Down to a Person
Niching down isn’t about restricting yourself to a particular industry—it’s about honing in on the specific person you’re best equipped to serve. When you shift your focus to the individual, your messaging becomes more powerful, your services become more relevant, and your business becomes more successful.
If you’re ready to take your messaging and sales to the next level by truly understanding and connecting with your ideal clients, I invite you to explore how Sales & Messaging Optimization can transform your approach. Whether you’re a small business looking to refine your sales process or a large organization aiming to enhance your messaging, I’m here to help you succeed.
