An interesting phenomenon that I see all the time:
A coach or provider “niches down” merely or mostly because everyone says you need to do that… but then chooses to niche to a group that they don’t have much experience with.
And sometimes simultaneously abandons a niche that was WORKING and getting great results… maybe even great enough to lean into and charge a lot more to.
Now, obviously, I don’t want to judge the reasons why someone may want to pivot from something that’s working. That’s their choice and it might be an important part of their journey.
(Although… if you’re only pivoting because you let someone else influence you to do that, and you don’t truly want to, that’s something to look at.)
But let’s say you really do want to pivot.
In this situation, of course it’s going to be difficult to figure out messaging and offers… because you don’t know this new group yet or what you’re helping them to solve, or how much they value having that unknown thing solved, or any one of a million other factors that actually allow messaging and offers to work well to draw in the right people.
I’ve often said that messaging help is not typically what you most need if you’re a brand-new coach (because messaging cannot be extracted from a blank page – you need some experience on that page first).
But the same advice actually applies if you’re switching up what you’re offering or to whom you’re offering it.
This one is a little sneaky because sometimes, TO YOU, what you’re offering is the same and you’re not changing it.
E.g. – maybe you help people overcome a lack of confidence, limiting beliefs, and the like.
But in my way of thinking, that stuff is actually NOT the outcome or the problem the client would want solved. It’s actually the “how” or method of your work.
For example, maybe in your existing client group, the problem they want solved is something around getting promoted to a higher-level job in the engineering field.
And now you’d like to pivot to helping business owners, but you’re not sure with what – only that it’s confidence-related.
Obviously, there are infinite possible ideal clients and problems to be solved there…
…7-figure tech CEOs feeling nervous about a meeting with a potential investor and wanting help to prep…
…Therapists who’ve been practicing for decades, are switching into online coaching, and for some reason can’t bring themselves to charge the same price they’ve charged all these years…
…And more.
If you don’t have that kind of clarity about your new ideal client and the problem they want solved, then your pivot is likely going to be quite difficult if you’re relying on posting content or other marketing assets and waiting for potential clients to respond.
(That’s possible when you use my method, or other attraction messaging methods, but only if you have clarity!)
One time I was chatting with a potential client who’d been in a webinar funnel program for a YEAR and had gotten no clients from it.
She was one of those folks who helps with limiting beliefs and stuff in that arena.
She sent me a link to her funnel to review the messaging, and I saw a bunch of stuff about “helping new business owners scale to six figures by working on their limiting beliefs.”
My very first questions were:
“Have you actually helped new business owners before? And, have any of them scaled to six figures after working with you on their limiting beliefs?”
Unsurprisingly, the answers were no and no.
So it made sense that her messaging… well… didn’t make sense. 😉
I shared this with her, and she said she absolutely agreed – that she suspected her messaging was off because she didn’t fully know who she was trying to attract, but that the webinar funnel program people said they could help her attract clients in her new offer and that it would be the same process they use to help more advanced people.
**facepalm**
And that she needed to talk about a monetary result because that would be most compelling to business owners.
(Even though she’d never actually helped anyone to get that monetary result)
**double facepalm**
Let’s get real about something.
I love helping people with messaging – it’s my “thing” (or rather, ONE OF my “things”!).
But sometimes that’s not what you most need to be working on.
Rather, if you’re feeling called in a new direction, I think what you most need to be doing is LISTENING.
Maybe getting into Facebook groups where your new potential ideal client is talking about their aspirations and challenges.
(and then – if someone says something that calls to you – offer to help them for free or a negotiated rate, to get some experience!)
Or going to in-person events and having similar conversations.
Or getting into whatever kind of situation actually inspired you to work with this client in the first place – and observing or listening to them, and then making offers to help, as appropriate.
Messaging can start to fall into place from there.
I hope this post helps someone who’s been trying to solve the wrong problem. 😉