Going IT Alone: The Handbook for Freelance and Contract Software Developers

Generalizing – targeting a wider audience

The opposite strategy to specializing is generalizing, which although has the risk of having you perceived as a jack of all trades, can also pay off if executed well. When using a generalist strategy, it's important to set yourself apart from specialists, which includes not using phrases in your marketing that suggest you are a specialist—there are few better ways to lose the trust of a knowledgeable customer by claiming to be a specialist in one subject/service, and then in the same conversation/marketing claim to offer a list of other services:

Figure 4.1: Would you trust an advert that claims to specialize ...