Whether you run a small or large business, or are a sole entrepreneur or sales person, one of the biggest issues I see people struggling with is “What will I do, and how will I start?” People see this in two different ways.
Some people see so many opportunities that they cannot find which ones to focus on. Others do not seem to be able to find their niche at all. They don’t have confidence in their skills, or do not really know what their skills really are.
No matter what category you might fit into, the real key to either of these dilemmas is “Focus”.
This is an issue that most entrepreneurs face when deciding upon what business they should be in, and once that is decided, what is their customer set. Many entrepreneurs, and most sales people, start out believing that everyone is their customer that fits into a very loose definition of what they offer, and who might need their products and/or services.
I would bet that everyone reading this email has struggled with this dilemma at least once in your life. I know I’ve been through it a few times. If you find yourself troubled by lack of focus, not knowing what to do next, there is hope, and there are solutions for you.
A lot of times this dilemma happens because you are dissatisfied with your current situation, and either you don’t know which direction to go, or you don’t have any idea what the matter is, but you know you don’t like the present state of your affairs.
There are many ways to approach this issue. However, I have found that one way is the easiest.
The first group above, those who see many opportunities and can’t focus, need to pick the one that is working now. As an example, let’s say you have a people search and placement business, where you find and place people with various skill sets for your clients.
If you have an IT search business, then you need to select one, or a maximum of two related skill areas of IT to focus on. You could focus on the placement of system designers, or project managers, or CIO’s. But you need to focus on one of these areas only, in order to differentiate yourself in that marketplace.
If you become a generalist, you will not get very high fees for your service, as you will compete with the very large companies in the placement market, and they all work on low fees, and high volume. And you will have trouble finding good people, because the best people will end up working with the larger companies.
However, if you focus on one type of skill set, particularly if you can show why you are an expert at finding this skill, your fees will be much higher, and your competition will be much less.
You should also pick only one or two industries you will work with, and that helps you focus even more. This will give you a solid reputation in those one or two industries, and if after a few years you have saturated those industries, then you can gradually expand. But this expansion needs to be carefully planned and focused also.
Next time we will focus on the other type of people who can’t focus, the people who don’t know where to start, and can’t find any niche.
If you need help with your marketing, first have a look at my eBook at http://www.b2bbusinesscoach.com/ebook.html
If you want more intensive help, please contact me through any of the listings below.
Kind regards,
A. Ian Dainty
416.623.9588
www.b2bbusinesscoach.com
ian@b2bbusinesscoach.com
