Do I really need to niche if I want clients?
“I would love to get more clients – but how can I if I haven’t got a niche?”
I always feel frustrated when I hear this – mainly because I’ve seen over and over again just how much the belief that you have to have a niche before you can get started, holds people back in their business.
Think of it this way:
Imagine you don’t have any clients right now.
Next, Imagine it is 6 months from now and you still don’t have any clients (because you are still working out your niche). How will you feel? Deflated? Demotivated? Lacking in confidence?
Now imagine it is 6 months from now and you still don’t have a niche but you do have paying clients.
Now, how will you feel? Probably hopeful, optimistic, more confident of the results you can help people achieve, and also quite likely a lot closer to identifying your niche.
Now before I go any further I don’t want you to misunderstand.
A niche or at least a clear target market IS a very important marketing tool.
Without a one it is hard to really stand out to your ideal clients, impossible to create an online presence that people will land on and go “oh, she really gets me, I need to work with her”, and pretty difficult to figure out the best way to reach new potential clients.
In other words, your marketing is smoother, easier and a LOT less effort when you have a defined niche or target market.
However, you do NOT need a niche to get paying clients.
I know that might be a bit controversial so I will say it again to make sure you got it:
You don’t need a niche to get paying clients.
In fact, if you decide that you need a niche before you get paying client it’s exactly like putting the cart before the horse.
Because it is really hard to work out your niche in isolation and out of context. I remember my days of struggle as a newly qualified coach, trying desperately to work out my niche just by sitting in cafes thinking deeply and journalling endlessly. I did a lot of thinking, I did a lot of guessing, and I changed my mind about once a fortnight (and this is actually perfectly OK to do while you are working it out!).
But in the end, the ONLY way that I actually found my “thing” was by getting out there and working with clients.
Because when you do that you will start to notice what sort of clients are naturally attracted to you.
What sort of clients make your heart sing.
And what sort make you want to hide under the kitchen table until they go away.
I firmly believe I would never have discovered my true gift, passion and specialism if I hadn’t gotten out there and started working with the “wrong” clients on the wrong stuff.
(With my first ever attempt at a niche, it only took working with one client to know that this was totally NOT what I wanted to do – thank goodness I didn’t go and build a website and social media presence before I figured that out!).
Getting started without a niche was what helped me find my niche.
And of course, once you’ve got that niche clarity, then it’s far easier to get noticed for what you do – and that’s when you’ll need a system for converting them into paying clients.
Having a “perfect” marketing machine, with the perfect niche, the perfect website, the perfect free giveaway, and the perfect social media strategy – with no clear process for how to turn “I’m interested” into “I’m in – how do I pay you?” is a bit like pouring water into a bucket with a hole at the bottom – as fast as you can pour clients in, they are just trickling out at the bottom. Which is why a clear and effective sales process is so essential, as that is the piece that actually gets you the paying client!
So, to wrap up this particularly common sticking point, my advice to anyone starting out in business, is to not get held back by the belief that you can’t start your business without a niche – you can DEFINITELY get clients whether you have a niche or not and working with clients is EXACTLY how your niche will come to you. If you master your sales process and sales conversations you can definitely enrol new clients without one.
HOWEVER, it is also true that if you do want to get noticed, if you want to make things easier, if you want to get maximum return on the time and energy you put into marketing, if you want to be seen as the “go to” person – and when someone tells a friend a problem they say “oh, you need to go and see [insert your name!]”, if you want Expert Status so that people contact you to invite you to speak or give interviews in their groups, workshops or podcasts – then a niche or clear target market will most definitely help you with that.
What could you be the “go to” person for?
Don’t know yet? Don’t worry! Just get out there, try something! Anything to get you started – follow the breadcrumbs and you’ll soon find out.
How has this landed? Please do feel free to share in the comments – I’d love to know your experience with this particular ‘niche’ subject. Has it kept you stuck for longer than it should?
And to support you to build confidence in your sales process so you sign up for my free e-book:
How to get your First (or Next) Paying Client
Whether you’re starting out or you just need a new client this week (not next year after you’ve built your funnel), this free guide will lift a lot of the confusion and simplify the process of guiding a new potential client from first meeting you to through to “so, when can I start?” Sign up for the guide here
