[BLOG] Douglas Kruger Column: Experts Own a Niche - Are you aiming so broadly that you’re hitting nothing?
‘Be the Best at What Matters Most.’ That’s the title of US guru and speaker Joe Callaway’s new book, and it’s good advice. Other business leaders cite the phrase, ‘There are riches in niches,’ echoing Callaway’s idea that it’s wise to become a ‘category of one.’
The more focused your field of expertise, the easier it is to position yourself as an expert. The more strongly you are associated with a very specific field, endeavour or idea, the more you begin to own that part of the industry in the public’s eyes.
As you go about building your public reputation as an industry expert, have you found your niche? Have you made the decision to go for depth, not breadth?
People are rarely inspired by a general practitioner with a broad range of generic skills; the old ‘I can do a bit of everything’ approach. It smacks of the low-level worker who is desperate for any job and willing to shuffle by with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The more focused you are, and the more pin-point your area of expertise, the more impressive and specialized you appear. And appearances, after all, are a formidable part of positioning yourself as an expert.
It’s the difference between a journalist and a political journalist, a trainer or a sales trainer, or even a sales trainer who focuses specifically on closing large deals with multinational companies. It’s the archaeologist versus the third dynasty Egyptologist.
Being part of a general field is a good start, but bear in mind it’s only a start. To become an expert, you must be seen as something more specific within that field.
And it’s amazing just how specific you can be, if you’re willing to put some thought into it. One US speaker, author and trainer has made a career by targeting the military circuit, using the topic ‘Military Deployment Separation Issues’. She speaks and trains on how to cope when family members are deployed to war-zones. She’s even developed unique products to sell to her market. That is remarkably specific.
When no one else speaks, trains or writes on such a topic, suddenly you will find yourself owning that space. And when the topic arises, people say, “You know who you should talk to…?” Tagging your name to the end of that sentence in the public consciousness is the heart and soul of expert positioning. 0204584130 evelyn.
Curiously, narrowing your field down to an area of specific interest will not usually limit your customer base. Ironically, it tends to increase it. This is because the more specific an entity you are, the more easily you stand out as the ‘go-to’ person for that topic. Not only that, but you’ll also inspire greater confidence in your customer base. Observe the difference:
Generalist: “I teach customer service skills”.
Specialist: “I teach eight ways to keep your big accounts during Recession.”
Or again:
Generalist: “I do motivational talks for companies.”
Specialist: “I speak on future trends and how companies can exploit them ahead of their competitors”.
Interestingly, your choice of niche will also determine your business model. Some businesses have to rely heavily on advertising. Others get business almost exclusively from referrals. Everyone’s scenario is different, and choosing a niche will actually determine your business model. You will need to go about marketing and advertising yourself according to what works best for your target market. A specialist in the farming industry will have a completely different business model to someone in insurance.
The good news is that the more specific and developed your niche, the more people will get to know you, and the less you’ll need to do in the way of advertising, as you become ‘the logical choice.’
There is a wonderful snow-ball effect that occurs when you position yourself cleverly as a well-niched expert. Some experts so utterly own their industries that they don’t need to advertise at all. The work just comes to them, and often in greater volumes than they can manage. What a wonderful problem to have!
Another interesting bi-product of focusing on a niche is that your followers tend to become devotees. Usually, when people are interested in your topic or skill, they are very interested in it, and they’ll devour any literature or thought-leadership materials you produce. They’ll follow you on social networks and seek you out for their events. If you provide exactly what they are looking for, they’ll keep on coming to you for more.
Devotees will tend to buy everything you have to offer, and they alone can dramatically increase your income.
So, are you all things to all people? Or are you crafting a reputation as a well-niched expert? If you’re a commodity, they will shop for you on price. But if you’re the pinnacle, the icon, the expert, price becomes irrelevant. They will have to have you.
Douglas Kruger is a professional speaker and author of three books, including ‘50 Ways to Position Yourself as an Expert.’ See him in action at www.douglaskruger.co.za, connect with him on Linked In or Twitter @douglaskruger. Email kruger@compute.co.za
