Back when I was an attorney, I became friends with another lawyer who was struggling with his practice. He had a solo practitioner who handled a very large variety of cases.
As a result, his days were spent jumping from one thing to another. He would be in criminal court one hour, then run over to family law court for the next and then to civil court the next.
He told me that he practiced "door law," meaning he took whatever client or case walked through his door.
Regardless of what profession you are in, this is no way to live. You never develop any kind of expertise in any single area, nor can you build a reputation for any specific skill. In other words, we all need a niche.
For example, I work with professionals (especially lawyers) who want to become better rainmakers or marketers. I help them become known experts in their fields so that they can attract the business they want to work with.
Why do you need a niche? For one thing you will make more money. Targeting a niche enables you to personally brand yourself as an expert in that niche. No one can become very good at anything if they don't focus.
Regardless of what profession you are in, experts attract more clients than generalists.
So how do you become an expert within a certain niche?
- First you must find your passion. What do you really enjoy doing?
For example, my friend told me that he really enjoyed doing criminal defense work for juvinile offenders. He felt this kind of work gave him an opportunity to help these kids before they became adult criminals.
- Second, look for a niche are you good at. Find your strengths and skills. No niche is going to be worth while for you if you are not good at the work. Ask yourself "What kinds of problems am I very good at solving?"
- Finally, make sure the niche you are looking at is financially viable. You can't make a good living doing something no one will pay you to do.
For example, back to my friend: He had been taking on a lot of juvinile court appointed work, but I urged him to also target juvinile offenders who were from middle and upper-middle class families. Together we created a presentation he could give to Parent-Teacher organizations to educate parents on how to spot danger signs in their kids' behaviours, how to prevent them from getting involved in criminal activities and what to do if their kids were arrested.
He gave this presentation to numerous groups throughout his city and soon became known as they lawyer to go to if one's child ever got arrested.
What can you do to find your ideal niche? I'd love to hear your feedback and get comments and ideas that you have that will add to this topic.
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NOT USING NON-SPAM EMAIL MARKETING FOR YOUR BUSINESS YET? Learn why email marketing is the easiest, most effective and most affordable way to get new clients. Download my free ebook and receive tips, ideas and case studies to help you get more new customers at http://www.trafficwave.net/lcp/chbrown/emailmarketing/6604.
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COPYRIGHT © 2009, Charles Brown
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If you like this article, follow me on Twitter.
Facebook me!
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NOT USING NON-SPAM EMAIL MARKETING FOR YOUR BUSINESS YET? Learn why email marketing is the easiest, most effective and most affordable way to get new clients. Download my free ebook and receive tips, ideas and case studies to help you get more new customers at http://www.trafficwave.net/lcp/chbrown/emailmarketing/6604.
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COPYRIGHT © 2009, Charles Brown
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