Are you stuck on your coaching niche?
A coach I talked to was struggling to decide whether they wanted to be a Health Coach or a Life Coach.
They were looking at the niche decision from a limited perspective.
Putting a word before ‘Coach’ doesn’t constitute a niche that helps you stand out in the crowd and gain traction, which is what a niche is meant to do.
Also, LIFE coaching is coaching anyone about anything because life is everything.
Do you see how life coaching can’t be an effective niche?
In my book, other broad tracks aren’t quite a niche either.
At the centerpiece of a smart niche is the people you serve. A unique group with unique problems.
The coach and I worked through 5 pervasive myths—beliefs this coach held— that kept them from identifying a specific audience and niche they would love.
Then it was easy to break through to a smart choice that fit the coach well.
Let’s bust the 5 myths once and for all in this episode of Prosperous Coach Podcast.
Mental Blocks That Keep Coaches from Smart Niches
Hey Coaches!
Back to my client who wanted to do both health coaching and life coaching …
What helped most was to stop thinking about overarching topics or tracks of coaching and instead think about the specific group of HUMANS they could serve and the big problems they face.
Once the mental construct was broken down that was keeping them from, arguably, the most important decision in their coaching business, we could access their zone of genius and brainstorm possibilities that were more on point.
Clues from their life story and work experience helped us to define and describe an audience they would love to coach.
We crafted a truly unique niche for them that no other coach has. That’s how they’ll stand out and the decision guides every other decision and action for their business.
That’s one bonus about choosing a smart niche.
5 Typical Misconceptions About Coaching Niches
So, what about you?
Are there mental blocks in the way of the most important decision for your coaching business?
You’re in good company AND there’s nothing wrong with you!
Let’s walk through typical myths coaches buy into about coaching niches that hold them back.
The amazing thing is that these misconceptions are about as substantial as a speck of dust. They’ve been magnified in your mind over time to look like a big boulder that’s in your way. That’s how you get stuck.
As I talk about these, listen for what resonates for you. And plan to examine them more closely, either with my help in a Nail Your Niche session, or on your own.
Having a private Nail Your Niche session with me looks like this …
1. I send you a custom questionnaire and a few choice podcast episodes to open your mind about niches. Your answers to those powerful questions uncover clues about specific audiences and niches that would align best with you. That seeds our conversation.
2. Then, we brainstorm privately for 90 minutes to eliminate non-viable ideas and hone in on what fits your genius, talents, background and interests. From there we uncover insights into how you’ll work with your ideal clients.
It’s a perfect session to have IF you:
- Have been stuck and without a clear direction for your coaching business.
- You have ideas you’ve been considering and want to bounce them off a coaching business expert.
- You’re ready to make a decision and stop waffling!
To learn more and schedule a Nail Your Niche 90-minute private session with me go to ProsperousCoach.com/niche.
Okay, now let’s bust these myths:
Coaching Niche Myth #1 – A coaching niche is a single broad topic.
Not in my worldview.
There are schools of thought about niching. Mine is based on my own experience plus 20+ years of helping coaches to choose a profitable niche. To me, organizing your efforts around viable niche equals likelihood of success.
While broad topics like health or wellness coaching, relationship coaching, career coaching or executive coaching can give you a general direction for your business, they aren’t narrow enough to build your business around so you stand out in the sea of other coaches in those broad tracks.
Too many coaches are held back from financial success because they are trying to sell a type of coaching rather than offering something people KNOW they want. You have to know your audience first before you can design a viable niche.
A Real Coaching Niche is a Specialty You Become Known For
As a coach, you are in business to help people reach their potential. So, center your niche around a unique group of people rather than a topic.
Did you know that you can work HOLISTICALLY with a specific audience?
You don’t have to limit yourself to just one area of that audience’s life. Human beings aren’t neatly segmented into single topics.
But this isn’t a reason to call yourself a Life Coach. Target a specific audience and niche in a way that serves them.
FOR EXAMPLE:
If you target an executive in a certain field, you’ll likely coach your clients around self esteem, habits, skills, relationship issues both on the job and at home, plus much more. You set the scope of your work based on what your audience wants that’s eluding them and the problems in the way.
If you target parents, you’ll deal with values and mindsets about themselves and parenting, relationship challenges with partner, kids, inlaws, and the ways they navigate discipline, school, nutrition. Plus, so much more.
Do you see how rich these audience-based niches are even though they target a single unique group of people?
If you think that specializing means promising results. Not true. Listen to Episode #280 called Coach, Are You Worried About Promising Results? You really don’t need to worry about this.
There are ways to language your offers so you cover specific Big Problems and Desired Outcomes while still making it clear you don’t guarantee results.
If your offers are vague or bland, you won’t enroll clients.
Coaching Niche Myth #2 – The broader you niche, the faster you’ll succeed financially.
Usually false.
The current field of coaching is full of generalists trying to eek out a paltry living and working a lot of hours to do that. Many have other jobs.
There is not a marketing expert in the world who doesn’t advise that limiting your audience and the scope of your business is the way to be financially successful.
If you stand in the middle of a busy marketplace and shout “Hey everyone!” into a microphone, some will stop to ogle for a minute and then go about their business. But, if you tailor your message and offers to fit one unique group of people about their unique challenges and goals, you GRAB THEIR ATTENTION and keep it.
Coaching Niche Myth #3 – Narrowing your niche means excluding some people.
Yes, and that makes everything easier for everyone.
Earning money in any business comes down to making strategic decisions – THIS not that.
It is only by narrowing and being specific that you can leverage your time and make an impact.
Will that leave some people out? Not so anyone would care. And REMEMBER narrowing your audience is only about the way you market.
I mentor new coaches. My messages are tailored to their challenges and goals. Yet, experienced coaches hire me too. If they want what I offer and we’re a good fit, we can work together.
If your messages and offers try to be all things to all people, you’ll exhaust yourself trying to attract enough clients. You’ll be spread too thin and only able to charge low fees.
Your messaging will come across wishy washy and vague.
Focus makes your life easier.
- It helps your prospects FIND you.
- It helps them TRUST you.
- It inspires investment at a higher level.
- It means you market less and work less while earning more.
Think about your own experience with specialists.
Would you rather have a knee surgery done by a surgeon who has completed 400 knee surgeries or a person who does any kind of surgery? That’s a no brainer, right? You go with the specialist!
Would you rather get help to build your coaching business from a coaching business mentor who has focused solely on helping coaches build successful businesses or a general business expert?
It’s about relevance, understanding and connection.
Coaching Niche Myth #4 – Narrow niches require additional training and certifications.
In rare cases.
Most of the time, what you need to be perceived as credible is about the relevance of your messages and offers. It’s not difficult to understand a unique group of people, especially if you are one of them or have been.
The best clues to your niche come from your personal background or work history. Those experiences are often enough to specialize successfully.
It does require a bit of audacity and a belief in self to strike out into a unique niche. You are good for it!
Courage is readily available to you now. Confidence comes with time.
A focused niche is actually a confidence builder because you quickly learn how to attract and serve that unique audience and become KNOWN faster.
It fees good to be a specialist.
Occasionally, more training would be helpful or necessary but most often, that’s a procrastination technique to put off taking the leap you need to take to be successful as a coach. 😉
If you feel intimidated by a certain audience or topic, there are two possibilities.
- That is exactly the audience you’re meant to pursue because it’s time for a grand life lesson you’ll master by serving that audience.
- Or, there is a similar audience and similar territory that would be better for you and it’s time to get out of the box with your thinking.
Coaching Niche Myth #5 – It’s boring to coach one audience.
Not so!
I’ve mentored hundreds of coaches starting their businesses for 20+ years and never been bored once. That’s because the diversity found in individual human beings is endless, even when they are experiencing a similar path.
The richness in your business is about individuality, circumstances, unique strengths and challenges.
Now that the 5 myths are busted, you can get creative!
You get to choose what you do in your business and who you serve.