You Can’t Sell to Everyone (With Bonus Leadership Coaching Tips)

If you’re thinking about expanding your business (as you should be – because if you’re not expanding your business, you’re killing your business), then you are probably wondering, “Where am I going to get these new customers?”

Let me first ask you – who are your customers?

What is your niche?

You may have read the title of this post and thought, “Sure I can! I can sell to anyone!” and that’s not what I’m saying in this post. You may be the best sales person ever, but if you don’t know who to market to you’re going to throw this wide blanket out to everyone and it’s not going to be anyone’s favorite blanket (if you get my drift). Would you rather have dedicated customers that know that you’re in it for THEM or would you rather have 10,000 likes on your Facebook page but none of those “likes” converts (i.e., nobody buys)?

So back to the questions – who are your customers? What is your niche (i.e., an activity or place that fits your talents or personality)? Most of my customers are 25-45 year old women who have disposable income and professional jobs. They are moms typically and are looking for a way to “feel more chic” or “dress up themselves.” Jewelry does that for them. Because I am similar to my customers, I can market to them as a niche easily because I have an idea of what they would be interested in.

You may notice that because I have my niche, because I know my customers, I can easily think of ways to find more. For example, I can think of what other direct sales reps to pair with to expand my network – beauty and clothing companies will work well with my niche. By knowing my customers and what they’re looking for, I know how to help them in other ways and I know where to find them. Schools, parks, the grocery store – these are all places where I can find my target demographic and use conversational selling to get them interested in my product.

Since I know my target demographic, I can use messages that “speak” to them in my online marketing (instead of trying to use a blanket strategy that doesn’t emotionally appeal to anyone). I can use things that appeal to them (pictures of kids, discussions of how jewelry makes me feel when I get ready to go out) in order to help them see how my product can help them do what they want to do. Because really, sales is all about answering a question or fixing a problem for your customer. If you can do that, then you can have a customer for life. Whenever they have a problem relating to your product, they are going to come find you. And when their friends mention that they have a similar problem, they are going to refer their friends to you.

What is your niche? Who are you good at helping fix problems? Haven’t found one? Keep working on it. Understanding your niche and your target customers will help you to focus your strategies for marketing and make your plan for finding new customers that much easier. In the comments below, tell us who your target market is and one innovative strategy to market to them.

Leader feature - are you a leader of a direct sales team? Download this Niche Marketing Leadership Coaching Guide to learn Ninja Coach strategies to work with your team members!