Have you picked your coaching niche? If not, what’s holding you back?
If you’re feeling stuck, I’m sharing some simple questions below that might help.
I’m sure you discussed picking a niche many times through coach training. It seems to be one of the topics that new coaches get stuck on.
I’ve been through niche drama myself. I felt like I should pick something more “noble” than business. Something that made a “profound” impact on people’s lives.
I finally had an epiphany and realized I was making it way too hard by worrying about what everyone else thought about my niche. It’s MY NICHE. Why was I looking to everyone else for answers about what I wanted to do in my business?
Isn’t it crazy how we so easily look outside ourselves for answers? YOU are the only one who can decide what is right for your business. You have the answers inside. Stick with me for a while and I’ll help you tap in to those answers and learn to find them for yourself.
But let’s start with your niche.
Identify Your Interests
Start by making a list of ten things that interest you. Here’s mine:
- Coaching
- Online Business
- Journaling
- Productivity & Planning
- Goal Setting
- Blended Families
- Marriage/Remarriage
- Healthy Eating
- Writing
- Self-love
I could have picked any of those for our niche. Chances are, if something interests you, other people will be interested as well.
Pick 2 or 3 niches from your list of ten and run them through the questions below.
Questions About Your Niche
- What does your ideal client want to achieve?
- What is important to her?
- What is holding her back right now from achieving her goals?
- What does she think about herself?
- What does she want to think about herself?
- What keeps her up at night?
- What would she change if she could?
- What is contributing to her problem?
- What do other people in her life think about her?
- What annoys her and what would she change if she could?
- If her life was perfect, from her point of view, what would that look like?
- What does she already know about life coaching?
The Three Most Important Questions
These are perhaps the three most important questions:
- What does your ideal client’s life look like before working with you?
- What does it look like after?
- What would they type in google to find you?
To answer these questions, look for clues in blog comments, emails, Facebook comments/posts, tweets, mentions, real life conversations, other people’s blogs, related Facebook groups, forums, magazine headlines, Amazon product reviews, etc.
Pay close attention to the actual words your clients use. Start a list of them and use them in your marketing. The more you can use your clients thoughts and words, the more they will feel like you’re talking directly to them.
This is an ongoing process that will be refined as you get to know your ideal client better. Return to these questions often, adding details as you discover them.
Once you select a niche, stick with it for at least a year. It takes time to make traction in a new market.
ACTION STEPS:
- Write down ten topics that you’d be interested in selecting for a niche.
- Run 2-3 of your favorite topics through the list of questions about your niche.
- Pick a niche and go all in on it for a year.
