Why Niching MATTERS!

I've been running a 4-day challenge this week and it's the first time that I've ever done such a thing. It's been amazing too.

Ok - the sticky bit was when I had a power outage on Monday (day 1 of the challenge) which started at 11:30 and continued until bedtime. That would be a huge irritation normally, but in this case, it was a complete pain in the proverbial because I was supposed to be delivering a live session at 17:00! What I actually did was decamp down the hill that I live on to a local cafe bar and delivered it from one of their tables that's tucked into a corner, but it was a challenge in itself (think noisy Italian chat and Europop blaring from a speaker!).

What's been so brilliant about the week though is the lightbulb moments that coaches have had. It's incredible how completely misunderstood the concept of niching is - still - amongst coaches.

These are some of the comments that I've had:

• you make it all sound so logical and it is such a different way of thinking for me
• definitely has given me a very different way of looking at my approach to all of this, I think I have missed the point before
• A lightbulb moments for me was that we need to care about the viable financially part. I had participated in many sessions for coaches around their niche and the financial part was overlooked almost all the time. They were all about finding your niche from inside out or from outside in but nothing around money - which is one of the key part to have a successful business
• A big lightbulb moment is that clients need to know what the outcome will be before they buy in to your service?- really obvious, but somehow I missed this
• quite frankly, your frankness is frankly refreshing. Gives me hope that straight-talking CAN go hand-in-hand with being a successful coach!

I've also had a massive lightbulb moment of my own - one coach said that they hadn't realised that a niche was a group of people. They believed a niche was a coaching topic, like core values, or goal setting. I had no idea that some coaches thought this, yet it turns out that they do!

The other lightbulb moments of the participants include:

• Choosing a niche is about focusing not excluding
• A niche is narrow but does not limit the areas in which you can see transformation - in fact it has little to do with the topics you eventually coach around
• This is the truly first time I understand the value of niche
• Probono is best AFTER you have an established client base. I’ve always thought if I coach for free the clients will come (but that hasn’t happened yet)
• That we have to care about the viable financially part!
• thank you, you've definitely given me a very different way of looking at my approach to all of this - I thought I understood niching, but I don't!

Tonight, I pack up shop and the challenge is done. Frankly, I can't wait for the next one!