On Narrowing Down

“I don’t want to specialise in working with just one type of person . . . I get bored . . . and I can help so many types of people.”

So said a client in a recent conversation.

And they’re right . . . they CAN help a wide variety of people.

Yet “helping everyone” is not a compelling message. It’s not an attractive (as in “it attracts”) proposition.

Why not?

Because your audience ISN’T “everyone”.

Each person in your audience just THEMSELVES.

Which makes them SPECIAL.

It’s the ONLY thing they care about.

And . . . to have a message for your audience “I can help everyone” you MUST be talking about the one thing they don’t care about! . . .

YOU!

They don’t care about you.

They care about their problems.

Not about you.

When you ask them to believe “I’m awesome” . . . that’s a tough ask.

When you demonstrate “I understand YOU and YOUR situation . . . and I FIX THAT” . . . you’re asking them to believe one thing . . . that they NO LONGER HAVE TO LIVE WITH their problem.

At this stage they don’t even need to believe you CAN fix it . . . they’ll only know this later.

And you’ll never HAVE a “later” with them when you can’t get past first base.

To do that . . . show you understand them . . . and their situation.

Which you can only do when you NARROW DOWN.

When you become a SPECIALIST.

(Specialists get paid way more than generalists, by the way! Why? Because they’re more VALUABLE.)

And your specialism is what you’ll BE KNOWN FOR.

You can keep asking people to believe you’re awesome if you like.

It’s a pretty tough ask though.

And it’s harder than specialising.

And it doesn’t pay so well.

… Although maybe you won’t be bored?!

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