Solve problems by asking questions.

Solve problems by asking questions.

Solve problems by asking questions.

Solve problems by asking questions.

Casting a Wide Marketing Net – Even YOU Know You’ve Got It Backwards

I was chatting with several eloquent, knowledgeable, smart trainers this week and they all said the same thing.  They’re casting a wide marketing net for now.  Later on they’ll get down to training the specific groups they feel passionate about.

This is just mental foolery that your brain plays on you and you’ll be wise to ignore it.  It’s just so weird how this works.

You cast a wide net and people trickle in.  You THINK you’re open to such a wide audience, so you’ll get more clients, right?  Not really.  Instead, specify who you help, the benefits they get from working with you and everybody under the sun suddenly wants to work with you.  Not just your favorite group, but everybody!  Weird, I know.

I used to focus on training moms.  I liked training with women and many moms wanted to have a trainer.  They also wanted to train during the hours I was available…yahtzee!  So I marketed to moms and you know who I got to train?  Notable women in DC, some moms, some not, women who wanted to get in shape, ex-dancers, people with injuries, adorable grandmothers, you name it.

I don’t entirely know why this happens, but it just does.

There’s another perk to specifically defining who you want to work with.  When you tell people, it jogs their memory files to retrieve the people they know who need you.  You wouldn’t catch me telling people I’m a consultant.  What the hell is that?  You WILL find me telling people that I teach personal trainers the marketing stuff they should have learned in school, so they can set their own schedule and make more money to live any lifestyle they choose.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been personally introduced to prospects.  At Toastmasters, at the eye doctor, at the bank, at a party where I wasn’t even thinking about work.  It’s cool.

AAAnd if you need even another incentive to get more specific, think about it.  Even if you specify, how many people are there for you to market to?  Tons!!  How many moms are in your town?  So many!  How many guys are there who are looking to get big, or ex-athletes, or current athletes, or elderly people or people who need help being stronger in daily life.  So many more than your brain lets you think.

So who do you specifically want to work with?  What benefits do they receive from working with you?  You already know the answer, just get out there and say it.  If you’re having trouble, let me know.  I absolutely love helping people define their niche and articulate it to the people out there waiting for help.

Hardened

A hardened mind makes for a hardened life.  Are you willing to be wrong?  Are you willing to have someone else questions what you consider to be steadfastly true for the sake of your life and your business?

It’s one of the most challenging things for anyone to do, and the rewards are astounding.