For years, I have been trying to convince my clients that “everyone” is not their customer. Many small business owners are afraid to focus on a niche, because they are afraid they will miss out on an opportunity.

Selecting a niche and targeting your message on a specific segment will not prevent you from working with others.   Targeting simply forces you to focus your resources and attention on the most profitable segment.

Seth Godin hit the nail on the head when he said:

The problem with “everyone” is that in order to reach everyone or teach everyone or sell to everyone, you need to so water down what you’ve got you end up with almost nothing.

So stop trying to sell to everyone, get really good at selling to the right people and the rest of your business will fall into place. This isn’t just theory.  I have put this into practice in my own business lately, focusing my messages more and more on planning.  The result?  We are getting more calls about planning, which is the most profitable part of my business.

If it works for me, it can work for you!  And as Seth says:

As soon as you start focusing on finding the right someone, things get better, fast. That’s because you can ignore everyone and settle in and focus on the people you actually want.

I am not ready to ignore everyone else, but I am enjoying the conversations we are having!