If you don’t know your client, you’ll never have any.
I can only imagine the conversation between the managers when they decided to open this business:
Manager 1: I want a business for women, like a beauty parlor! But also something that attracts men.
Manager 2: Men like machines and working parts. Like chainsaws. But I don’t want to sell anything.
M1: Okay, so let’s open a beauty parlor and chainsaw repair!
M2: Well, I think we need something that will keep them here longer, so they’ll spend more.
M1: Hmmm…what if it became a Night Club too?
M2: Perfect!
While this may seem like a completely far fetched conversation, and that no “normal” business owner would ever think of combining 3 so different services into one, this happens more often than I’d like to see. Look around you at some of the companies you have worked with. They may not be trying to combine hair, chainsaws and night clubs, but that doesn’t mean their business combination works. For example, have you ever talked with a company where no matter what you request, their answer is “we do that too!” Doesn’t it make you wonder about the quality that they offer since they are so diversified?
When you start a business, it is easy to want to say “I do that too!”, it makes you feel like you can get more business, and more business is good right? Unfortunately, it is usually short lived since when you offer everything, people find it hard to know what you do best (or how to refer you other clients). The reason I discuss this point, and feel qualified to talk about it, is that I have dealt with this. When I first decided to start my business, I fell into the trap. You want a website? I can do that. Want a sales page written? I can do that too. Want me to ride a bike with a monkey? Well…that I might pass on, but you get my point. What I found was I had trouble finding clients because there was too big of a net. But, once I narrowed by business to what I love to do (and am good at): blog management and blog design, I was getting referrals, and business was improving.
Narrowing my focus allowed me to promote to specific clients, and helped my clients know how to refer me business.
The overall point? If you try to provide services to everyone, you will provide services to no one.
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