I believe in specialising. In fact, I’m pretty much specialising’s biggest fan. Locking down and sticking to your area of expertise ain’t always easy – it can even be a little scary – but it’s got some seriously great rewards. I’m sure these 3 reasons will convince you to jump on board the specialising train with me, even if you feel worried. Because, well, these are some DAMN good looking benefits!
01. When you specialise people know exactly how you can help them.
When everything you do clearly articulates your niche, your peeps are gonna understand exactly how you can help them. And when people get how you can help, they are waaay more likely to buy from you. The more your people really clearly see how you can help, the more sales you’ll have. Period.
02. When you specialise you get to work with the people you really want to work with.
Imagine working with your ideal client all the time. Pretty cool, right? Specialising includes figuring out exactly who you best work with, and letting everyone know that’s who you work with. Are you a pet groomer who loves working with long haired cats? A web designer who loves helping couples set up websites for their weddings? A stylist who loves working with mums returning to work? A manufacturer of roller skate wheels who loves roller derby? A yoga instructor who loves working with peeps who have serious spinal problems? Let everyone know, and you’ll soon have your perfect clients lined up around the block.
03. When you specialise you are perceived as an expert in your field.
In my first month of working towards my PhD, I learnt experts go narrow and deep with their knowledge set – instead of broad and shallow. And so should you if you want to be considered an expert in your field. And you probably do. Being an expert sets you apart from your more generalised peers. It means you can command higher prices and provide premium offerings. And seriously, why wouldn’t you want to be paid handsomely for your efforts?
What am I talking about? Here’s an example. If you had a long haired cat (I’m naming him Bernard), would you prefer to have Bernard groomed by a professional who works exclusively with long haired cats? Um, hell YES. And you’d probably be happy to pay a premium to have your beloved Bernard looking his best too.
Over the coming weeks I’ll be sharing more on this topic. I think it’s that cool.
Now I’d love to hear from you so we can all learn:
- Have you specialised?
- What’s been your biggest challenge with specialising in your biz-ness?
BLYB xo
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
This is something I am struggling with and scared to do. I’m in the early months of setting up my own Graphic Design business from home. A couple of people have told me to specialise. The problem is I’m not sure and terrified to pick one niche, for fear of ruling out work. I’ve worked across loads of different industries over the last 16 years and have a broad range of work in my portfolio.
Last year I began doing some work from home whilst on maternity leave to keep my hand in and get some extra spending money. Problem was, I was just doing anything and everything and found the work quite boring and unfulfilling.
Recently, I returned to my old job part time, 3 days a week after a year off on maternity leave. Personally, I’d rather be at home still (who wouldn’t – beach walks, cuddles, giggles with my girl and coffees). I’d love to be able to quit and work without the commute and long hours in child care for my 14 month old.
Will follow this with interest.
x
Thank you SO much for sharing Rachel. Girl, you are so not alone. When you’re starting out the idea of specialising can be really daunting because we’re worried about alienating potential clients and turning money away. It feels counter intuitive, but experience has shown me that in fact the reverse is true. As soon as I locked down my specialisation/niche and started letting everyone know about it, my business took off. I can’t wait to share more posts about this soon, and I’m stoked you’ll be following along! xo PS Beach walks, cuddles and more? Sounds pretty rad!
I definitely think specializing is an important part of really thriving in business. When I first started freelancing about 4 years ago, I was writing about anything for any client I could get. It wasn’t all horrible, but I wasn’t giddy and excited over every topic. It was just a way to pay my bills that month while enjoying and getting used to the world of working for myself.
Specializing happened pretty organically for me, so I can’t say it was a very big challenge. I have always been passionate about environmental topics, and when I started a job writing about environmental news I realized this was really something I could market. I’ve tailored my portfolio and job profiles to reflect this, and now the majority of work I do is related to environmental news and design. I love it!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot through the past year. I think you’re completely right. I tend to go to people, blogs or books that have that expert edge; even if it’s something as simple as “expert in saving money”. After much thought, I’m working on a niche in my art that I’m in LOVE with! Right now I’m painting like crazy to get ready to launch.
Sounds exciting! Good luck with your launch Catherine!
Hi There, Hope you don’t mind guys hopping on board since a friend recommended I look at your site. First up great ebook and enjoyed this post. I was a school teacher for 18 years and am still passionate about seeing teenagers succeed at school, but also helping the parents.
My question is where to put my focus exactly since teens are unlikely to purchase products that will help them in school. So do I niche myself: 1. providing tools for parents to help their kids with study 2. aim at parents but provide tools and resources that will help their children at school. So they can buy them and pass them to their kids. If this is the option I am unsure of how to deliver my message since it will be aimed at the parents, but, really the information is for the teens. or 3. can I do both.
Not sure the best way to proceed. If you could offer some advice that would be great.
Cheers,
John
Hi John! Thanks for your great comment! I’m stoked you dug my eBook, and love that you’re finding Betty useful. It sounds like you’ve got some interesting offerings in the pipeline! Heaps of peeps struggle with getting rock solid with their niche, so this is something I’ll definitely be posting about again soon. In the meantime, based on the info you’ve shared, my advice is to swim WITH the current here. You’ve identified that teens are unlikely to purchase. And it sounds like parents are much more likely to identify a need for and purchase the types of offerings that you’re thinking about. So, if it were me, I’d definitely be creating my stuff – including the products and my marketing messages – keeping the people who’ll make that purchase decision (the parents) and their desires in mind. I hope this helps!
Hi Kate,
I have done a lot of research over the past week and I have come to the same conclusion as you – that I must target the parents since they will make the purchase decisions and through them I can provide parenting assistance in regards to school/homework and also products that are created directly for teens. Thank you for the advice.
Kate it is a refreshing change of approach that you are taking with regards to your attitude and language. It is a refreshing change.
Cheers, JOhn
Oh Kate, I love this post! I have been slowly trying to narrow down what exactly it is I want to do and now that I’ve kind of worked it out, this post has definitely opened my eyes up to realising that I have to be even MORE specific, you’re so right!! Will continue ThinkFest 2013.
ThinkFest2013? I love it! I’m so happy that this post has been helpful for you. Rock solid niche HEREYOUCOME!! xo
I’m new here, Kate, and appreciated your advice to John. Having been a therapist for 20 years, but home now, I’m also interested in helping underachieving teens prepare for college by improving their study habits to get to the next level. So many teens take on very difficult classes, struggle, and lose confidence and thus, their dreams for the future. I’d like to collaborate with John and share ideas.
Hi Christine,
Drop me an email at questinternational2012@gmail.com and we can catch up.
Cheers,
JOhn
Christine + John: This is great guys! I’m stoked you two will be connecting! Happy brainstorming and let us know how you go! xo
Was it just a coincidence that you then interviewed Sian Richardson? Very timely interview. X
Haha, actually yes, it was a total coincidence Rachel. But Sian’s sure doing a great job of specialising her services! xo
You hit the nail on the head with this post. Number 2 is my favorite aspect. Working with people who share my vision + expectations for a project = awesomeness. I originally worried that specializing TOO much would alienate more clients than I brought in. The opposite has happened. Most of my business is repeat business based on word of mouth and I really enjoy what I do.
This post is soooo on point. I started freelancing as a copywriter a couple of years ago and as a naturally creative writer, I’ve grown somewhat jealous of my clients because their needs have usurped any energy I have to create my own stories/worlds/visions through poetry and fiction. Plus, I’ve found copywriting to not be as much of the creative outlet as I was initially hoping. I am slowly trying to offer just copyediting/proofreading. I used to offer copywriting/ghostwriting/editing/blogging/resumewriting, you name it. I was scared to specialize. I felt that I needed to cover all bases of being a writer for hire. But now I am going to stick to one service. Its about doing what you can live with! I dont want to resent my passion at the end of the day
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