Episode Transcript

It doesn’t take long when someone knows that I help coaches and healers with niching before I get asked about creating a niche statement. It seems to have this mental connection for people, like niche equals niche statement. And I just don’t know that the typical “I help” frameworks that we’re given are the gold standard of what we should be aiming for, actually.

I see so many reluctant marketers spend countless hours trying to craft the perfect niche statement, feeling like they can’t move forward until it’s perfect. It’s just right. And I’ve been there myself, and I work with clients who struggle with the same issue. This idea that we’re given that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression can actually be really limiting.

Because that’s not true. In my view, in reality, you always get another chance to make an impression. Every interaction that you go into is an opportunity to refine and improve how you share what you do. Let me share that in the early stages of my business, I was obsessed with getting my niche statement, perfect.

Here is a couple of my “I help” statements from my past. Ready?

• I help creative, ambitious women who aren’t using their time the way they want to, to get clear and focused. overcome their fears, and make their dreams a reality.

Okay, here’s another one.

• I help ambitious professional women use their time, energy, and attention so that they finally do the thing they say they want to do and stop waiting for someday.

And it’s amazing because I can see what I do now kind of buried underneath those. But as I look back, there are oodles more that are along the same lines with a bunch of variations. When I think about it, you might be the first person to hear these. And that’s because I never realized that what matters more when it came to honing my niche and having people understand what I do was getting real feedback to refine my message.

Before we get to that, I want to lift up the main challenge that I see that the one sentence statement causes for reluctant marketers. It’s that it creates a ton of pressure. And this pressure can be paralyzing, making them wait until they’ve found the rate the right words before actually putting themselves out there.

Okay, wait, do you find it as ironic as I do that I stumbled over saying the right words? Okay, anyways.

One place that this pressure can come from is an underlying intention. One that isn’t conscious, though it drives the behavior. And that is, getting it right means getting the sale. And so, trying to get it right and trying to get the sale creates pressure on you, it puts pressure on each word, and there’s pressure on the other person to buy.

If you fill in the sentence, “I need it to be right so that….”,I think for a lot of people it’s, I need it to be right so that they’ll say yes. And when trying to get the sale is driving our marketing, that’s When that’s the unconsented to premise behind the interaction, then it really becomes salesy and icky.

You feel it, and others feel it. However, when you come from the intention to find out whether it’s a fit to work together, a lot of the pressure on the words to be right simply evaporates, and the focus turns to being accurate. Now you can learn all about this hidden agenda and trying to get the sale versus an agreed upon agenda of finding out whether or not it’s a fit from Tad Hargrave at https://www.marketingforhippies.com. You can also find him on YouTube and I’ll link those up for you in the show notes. He’s got tons of videos. I mean, months worth of, you, you couldn’t watch all of his videos in a month, I don’t think. Um, but he is the one that this idea about the hidden agenda of trying to get the sale is what makes our marketing feel so bad.

So you can check that out there. One thing that might be super helpful is for you to reflect on what is your deep and honest intention for having a niche statement. If it’s to convince people to buy, well, good luck around that. I mean, Have you ever bought something after someone gave you their elevator pitch?

I doubt it. Consider that a better and less pressure filled intention might be to find whether there’s a connection between someone as a human. When I share what I do, I love including something that is current for me in my business. That makes it so much less plastic and rote, and it really infuses some aliveness into what I do.

How we go about shifting from underneath this pressure, while still honing our niche and helping us communicate clearly what we do, is simple. That’s all. Though not necessarily easy. And I do understand that you’re probably not going to leap at this. It’s to share what you know about your niche now with the world.

People. And with the intention to get feedback. Yup. Even if it’s not right yet, or even if you’re not ready yet, or even if you’re not sure, or even if you might change it, because you will change it. And all of that can be true, and you can still share it with people. If this ask of you to share what you have now feels scary, you absolutely can, and it would benefit you too, start with those that you feel safe and comfortable with.

People in your life who are genuinely encouraging and curious, and who care about your success. Think about people you know who ask really great questions. and then use their feedback as neutral data. This is about learning and improving, not judging yourself or what you know or where you are on this journey.

Of course, getting help from friends and other practitioners can be really helpful and it’s not the same as having a professional eye and ear on what you’re sharing and how you’re sharing it. Now, it does not have to be me, but working with a marketing coach that has quality perspectives

I’ve found that some of us can be quick to judge ourselves when we receive any kind of feedback. You have the option of receiving this feedback as information to help you shape how you share what you do and how you can be even more accurate. The more feedback you get, the closer you will get to having a clear and compelling way of describing your work in the world and attracting those soulmate clients who you are excited to show up with and serve.

One of the most critical shifts that We can make on this entrepreneurial adventure that we’re on is from seeking perfection to embracing progress. It makes your everyday experience in your business more compassionate and enjoyable and honestly, easier to face. Entrepreneurship, and marketing especially, is about continuous learning and improvement.

Be kind to yourself in this process. Every attempt brings you closer to clarity and confidence in your niche. One strategy to refine your messaging through feedback is doing market research. And by market research, what I really mean is having conversations with cool and interesting people. It’s really about sharing what you know at the time, asking them some questions and letting them ask you some questions.

This process can create really strong connections with your audience. And even grow your business. Even if that’s not the intention that you go into that with. Okay, today was all about not letting the pressure of perfection hold you back. And we hopefully turned this myth on its head, the one about needing to have a perfect one sentence niche statement, to start sharing your work.

Because the pressure to get it just right Can be what keeps you from taking action in your business, and it can also be what makes you feel salesy and icky. Instead, focus on sharing what you currently know about your niche, no matter how many sentences it takes, and to use the feedback you receive as data to refine your message.

The one thing I want you to take away from today is to embrace progress over perfection. And you’ll find that over time, your niche becomes clearer and more compelling. Thank you for being here and being on this journey together. Until next time, stay courageous.