... And the Clients Went Wild!: How Savvy Professionals Win All the Business They Want

Chapter 9. Find Your Niche

Corner the Market One Segment at a Time!

Many years ago, then-president Charles Brower of advertising agency Batton, Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BBD&O) wrote that, "There is no such thing as 'soft sell' and 'hard sell.' There is only 'smart sell' and 'stupid sell.'" May I suggest that those business and professional men and women who see the whole world as their marketplace and who try to be all things to all people probably fit into that latter category.

How much better it is, then, to follow the advice of the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who said, "I believe the true road to preeminent success in any line is to make yourself master of that line." In other words, the key to success is specialization —or niche positioning.

Playing Your Position

The word "niche" is defined as "a place or position suitable or appropriate for a person. . ." as well as "a situation or activity suited to a person's ability." Interestingly, the word itself is derived from the French se nicher,which is translated as "to build a nest." Finding your niche—whether it is sports, personal hobbies, and pastimes, or the business and professional world—is exactly that: building your nest.

In the early days of professional football, every player was on the field for almost the entire game, playing both offense and defense. There were no such things as "special teams," or designated punters, place kickers, or kick returners. Substitutions were limited by rule and were few ...