Billion dollar question: How do you stand out as a new coach?
My answer…involves a story!
Here goes: I was wandering around my neighborhood listening to the NPR “How I Built This” podcast.
(I wander in my neighborhood like a crazy person).
ANYWAY…This particular business was with Melissa Butler, about her makeup business, called The Lip Bar.
Melissa has a super interesting story (she did not start out in the beauty business, for one), and her story got me thinking.
Makeup and coaching are similar, in that many billions of dollars are spent each year on both.
👉 With so much competition, it’s hard to stand out.
But…wow. Makeup is far harder to break into than coaching. Why? Because most coaches don’t have to compete against Lancome. Or Chanel. Or Maybelline.
So, what did this amazing woman do to stand out?
She niched.
OF COURSE.
(Niching is always the answer, and I know you might be resisting it but DO NOT RESIST. We are not the Borg, even though resistance is futile! But honestly, It’s actually freeing and also, you know *cough* important to your success).
She started a makeup line catering to black women.
She felt they were underserved, and there were products she wanted to create to cater to her skin tone.
Because she was clear on her niche, she was also able to be clear on her initial product: Unusual and brightly colored lipsticks like purple or green.
And because she was clear on that, she was able to stand out.
Other businesses weren’t serving this niche with this type of product.
Now, a contract with Target later, The Lip Bar is growing, even during a pandemic. She also went against the grain, and moved her business from New York back to her home of Detroit. And had a line out the door….
(You can hear the full NPR podcast here if you want. It’s really good!)
So here’s the takeaway….
So here’s the takeaway: Niching makes your life easier, as it helps you identify how and where to market, and also how to structure your programs so that people *actually* want them.
You need people to WANT TO BUY your coaching. Just because you think they need help, doesn’t mean people agree.
So…
👉 New coaches:
How can you narrow your niche? (Note, just because you can serve everyone *waves arms* does not mean you should, or if we are being honest, that you really WANT to. And that’s okay!).
👉 Non-newbie coaches:
Where can you niche down in terms of your next product or service? How can you refine who you serve, or what you offer just a tiny bit more?
My favorite question to ask myself is this: “What are the top 1-2 things my particular client is most struggling with right now? If I were to ask them over a coffee or a glass of wine, what are the exact words they would use?”
Asking myself questions like this, and niching down, is how I’ve built six and seven figure coaching programs in my business. It’s how I know what to write about (I’m niched down to new coaches here, see the meta of what I’m doing? New coaches want to know about niching, so voila! Easy topic to write about), and how Team Pony and I know how to find our people.
We want the same for you!
Struggling to niche and want more help? No problem!
1) Need help figuring out your niche so it’s not only profitable, but it really feels good to you? Awesome – here’s a whole helpful detailed blog on niching just for you. Click, read, feel better, get steps to help you get niched :).
2) Seriously, read the blog. Niching isn’t limiting, it’s freeing. When you know you help, you can design better ways both to HELP THEM and to FIND THEM. I CANNOT SHOUT ABOUT THIS ENOUGH. Read the blog here.
