The internet has created an educated consumer with a staggering number of choices of where to invest time and attention, energy and money.

How will YOU connect with the folks you’re here to serve if you haven’t honed in on who they are?

If you haven’t spelled out who you serve and what you help them with, it will be very difficult, nearly impossible, to attract your ideal clients. This is the dilemma for coaches, creatives and conscious entrepreneurs looking to share their message in today’s marketplace. Stand out, or lose out!

Don’t try to change someone’s worldview is the strategy smart marketers follow. Don’t try to use facts to prove your case and to insist that people change their biases. You don’t have enough time and you don’t have enough money. Instead, identify a population with a certain worldview, frame your story in terms of that worldview and you win. Seth Godin

In today’s competitive online marketplace, you have to ensure you’re swimming in the ‘right pond!’ Finding your niche, WHO you serve, is a foundational element for any business. If you can narrowly define the kind of person you serve and the problems you solve, it will be easier to create programs, products and services that your niche is hungry for.

What Is a Niche and Why Bother

A niche is a target-able focused, portion of a market sector. You can think of a niche market as a narrowly defined group of customers. You can also think of them as a Tribe, as popularized by Seth Godin: a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.

A niche is simply a way of describing a group of potential customers who look at the world and tell the same story about that world. The more specific you are in choosing your niche the easier it gets to target your message and find new clients. Think… videographer vs videographer for coaching conferences, business coach vs niche marketing coach for authors, author vs paranormal romance author.

Finding your niche is crucial for creating your branding, domain name, meta keywords, titles, descriptions, and especially, your Giveaway Gift. It’s the bedrock of your magnetic message that will pull your clients to you and help you identify what specialized solutions you bring to your client’s urgent problems.

The advantages of ‘owning a niche market’ are powerful: you move from being a small fish in a big pond to being a big fish in a small pond. It’s the fastest path to expert status, because you are working  ‘inch wide, mile deep,’ within a very targeted focus.

How to Solve the Niche Puzzle

Finding your niche is a synergistic process. Some folks figure it out in one hour, for other it takes months, even years. Here are 3 elements of your niche that you’ll want to engage, explore and embody:

1. WHAT. Identify your passions and strengths. Start by looking within yourself. Inventory your passions and strengths. Leverage the skills you’ve acquired, from career experiences or through life mastery. Apply your masterful skill set in a new market. Serve the same market, in a focused fashion. Start with YOU: what fuels you – the causes, movements or possibilities – that power your being. Your passion will provide the fuel for your business adventure and your strengths will provide the perfect environment for you to shine.

2. WHO.  Define who needs and can pay for your specialized solution. This is your Tribe, those folks you know inside out and can serve brilliantly because you’ve been where they are and can lead them to where they want to be. They’re also the folks that most benefit from your specialized solution.

3. WHY. Know you’re inner why and why they should work with you. You need to be able to articulate the BIG why. Why do you do what you do? Why does it matter? This being in business is one of the greatest spiritual paths, because in order to be successful you have to navigate your ‘dark nights’ when things aren’t going so well. Your Tribe needs to know this deeper why, because they probably share it with you!

You also need to be able to articulate why folks should work with YOU. What’s different, unique or ground breaking about your specialized solution. One of the ways you can explore this is to look at the problems you have solved in your life, what challenges have you overcome? Create a specialized solution, your process, and teach it to your Tribe.

Finding your magnetic niche is the answer to creating HUGE success in a small market. Narrowly define a target market and serve a focused Tribe. You’ll then be able to nurture relationships with a Tribe that you know, and love to serve. Your business, and marketing, then become easier, more manageable and sustainable.

Interested in solving your Niche Puzzle? Check out Cindy’s upcoming program, Your Clear Path to Ideal Clients …

Listen to the full interview with Cindy Schulson…

Cindy Schulson, Founder of AttractYourNiche.com, helps coaches, consultants and other solo professionals master their niche and attract their ideal clients. In order to market yourself with ease, you have to know WHO you want to attract, WHAT solution you provide and WHY people should work with you. Cindy helps her clients put together these three pieces of the “Niche Puzzle”so they can attract their ideal clients, earn more and market less.

Cindy brings both coaching experience and over 20 years of business experience. She has an MBA and has worked in Strategic Communications for such companies as Coca-Cola and Visa International.

Cindy’s Niche Success Kit has helped guide thousands of solo professionals on the road to finding their own niche. Grab a free copy at www.attractyourniche.com

Guest Blog Post by Cindy Schulson, from Attract Your Niche. Cindy is our guest over at the Enlightened Listbuilding Cafe on Jan 10, 1pm ET. Register, and you’ll also get access to the live call and replay.

If the word “niche” is a dirty word for you or you’re just sick of hearing about it, I totally understand. That might sound strange coming from someone who helps solo professionals master their niche strategy, but there you go. If that describes you, then I’m going to challenge you to dig a little deeper with me.

What I’ve found is that there are 4 main reasons people fear choosing a niche.

1. They’re afraid of turning away business
2. They don’t want to feel boxed in
3. They’re afraid of choosing the wrong niche
4. They don’t know how to find their niche

Let’s tackle these one at a time. Before I do, let me just briefly define “niche”. I like to think of your niche as your “Who” and “What”. Your “Who” is your target market and your “What” is the solution you provide. You need to be clear about both pieces of the puzzle. Remember that people aren’t looking for products or services, they are looking for solutions. That’s true no matter what you’re selling, but it’s especially true for service providers. People want to know about the solutions we offer and the outcome or transformations we help people achieve.

So let’s go back to these four fears.

1. Afraid of turning away business

While it might seem that you’re limiting yourself when you focus on a niche, the opposite is true. Here’s why. When you target a specific group of people with a particular solution that they want and are actively looking for, it makes marketing so much easier. You can speak directly to them, using their language, touching their hearts and minds. All of your programs and services can be tailored to them. It’s easier to become an expert in your area, which allows you to charge more. You do your best work because you’re doing the work you love and working with the people you’re most passionate about helping. You get more referrals because people know who you help and what you help them with. You attract valuable joint venture partners who serve the same target market but offer complementary solutions.

The bottom line is that when you have a clear niche, you earn much more with less marketing effort.

2. They’re afraid of being boxed in.

Focusing on a niche doesn’t mean that you can’t help people who don’t fall within your niche. It just means you have a clearer focus so you can target your marketing and programs.

Also, understand that you aren’t stuck in your niche. You will ultimately grow with your niche. There are two ways you can do that. One is to take your solution and bring it to other target markets. The other way to grow your niche is to find other solutions you can offer your target market. But the key is to start with one target market and one solution, and then grow from there.

3. They’re afraid of choosing the wrong niche.

Choosing a niche isn’t forever. I always advise my clients to reevaluate their niche strategy every 6 to 12 months. And as I’ve explained above, you will grow with your niche. Having said that, you don’t want to just guess your niche and hope for the best. You have to put the time and effort into researching and evaluating your niche. Which leads us to #4.

4. They don’t know how to find their niche.

I can certainly understand this problem, because I had it myself. I knew the importance of finding my niche but I couldn’t find anything that gave me clear, step-by-step instructions on how to do it. Everything I read talked about choosing a target market. But I really believe that if you’re going to build a sustainable business, one that leverages your strengths and experiences and you’re passionate about, then you have to start with you.

So I created a step-by-step system to help solo professionals find their niche. When you take something complex and break it down into bite-sized pieces, it’s so much easier.

It’s time to take action – strategic, focused action that brings you results, and allows you to attract your ideal clients so you can do the work you love and spend less time on marketing.

Cindy Schulson, Founder of AttractYourNiche.com, helps coaches, consultants and other solo professionals master their niche and attract their ideal clients. Cindy’s Niche Success Kit has helped guide thousands of solo professionals on the road to finding their own niche. Grab a free copy at www.attractyourniche.com

Happy Holidays!

However you celebrate this season, I trust that you are on your way, or already gathering with loved ones.

I’m helping my mom out with the cooking. We seasoned the ‘pernil’ last night and we’re diving into a morning of cooking for our family meal – sure to include congri, also known as arroz moro (which is the rice cooked with black beans and chorizo) and yuca slathered in garlic and olive oil. The family will start trickling in in a few hours. We’re all pretty local.

I’m looking forward to some quality connection time with the folks I love most dearly. There will be spots for everyone and everybody. Places where you can chill solo and read your book, have a deep one on one with someone else, or the hang out in my Mom’s kitchen, or the huge sectional living room in my apartment, where I already have some of my favorite holiday movies lined up on my DVR:

• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Elf
• Meet Me in St Louis
• A Christmas Story
• White Christmas
• March of the Wooden Soldiers

We will be having a great time, weaving in and out of different groups, going off alone, having a glass of wine and listening to music, getting drawn into a raucous conversation. It’s good to be in connection, to engage and explore, express and embody Life!

As I reflect on the abundance of my life – and this season -  I wanted to share a more personal gift with you, by way of my writing.

I wrote this piece a few years ago. I was staying with my good friends Santari and Soleira Green, co-founders of The Visionary Network, in the UK. They were like little kids when it came to buying perfect ‘prezzies’ for their friends. My coaching and training was in full swing. But, I was missing home, my family, and I was especially clear on the abundance life had gifted me…

It’s Christmas eve
and as I sit
Am filled with
peace and light

Friends sharing
tales of xmas cheer
Bring heart warmed
tears to sight

As I think back
thru this past year
And all the shining souls
Who’ve graced my heart,
thru day and night
My gratitude unfolds

The pulse of life springs eagerly
It’s mirrored in my voice
My body echoes vibrantly
The Knowing is my choice

I am the heart
that beats within
Stars twinkling thru the haze
A mothers hug,
lover’s caress
A child’s adoring gaze

To all who’ve graced me with their touch
My thought to you is this
Know you are light and hope and love
For you are ALL there IS!

May this season bless you and yours, with Wild Abundance… the inner kind.

Every man dies.  Not every man really lives. Braveheart

What if celebration, at a deeper level, was really about the energy of BEING life? Wouldn’t you have reason to celebrate in any, and every, moment?

Celebration is woven into the very fabric of your being. Notice how special events and moments are honored with great fanfare. What if THIS moment were a ‘special occasion?’ It is, you know. It will never happen again. It’s a once in a lifetime happening.

Celebration is a powerful archetype that you get to embody every day. Celebration is the highest form of gratitude. It creates a high vibing experience of joy that attracts more joy and celebration into your every day world.

Celebration is a ritual that invokes a NEW reality. Starting off with celebrating the every day wins, you come to experience an avalanche of abundancce. The richness of Life enfolds you.

Celebration is an acknowledgement of the abundance that is you and yours. It gives thanks for the richness of your flow, attracting even more of it.

Celebration is a marker of manifesting your visions, of making your imaginings a palpable reality. It celebrates the promise and the pathway, as well as the ‘dreams come true.’

Celebration creates community, especially as you align around a powerful intention. Celebrating the flow of lightness in your world, as a group, creates powerful magic AND manifestation. It’s also an empowering affirmation that we ALL share in the abundance that is Life.

The energy of celebration is an alivening force that anchors you in what’s TRUE. Let’s celebrate the mystery, the magic and the wonder of BEing … here and now!

Image: Dandelion Fireworks, Aussiegall

There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
Albert Einstein

It’s easy to be thankful for gifts and presents, it’s a natural consequence of receiving. However, there’s a deeper wellspring of gratitude that gets tapped when it occurs as a result of life’s more difficult moments.

The joy of thanks for ‘stuff’ is quite different than the joy of ‘being.’ Think of those moments when a torrent of gratitude has been unleashed in your world: the overwhelming sensation of life-infused breath, the expansion of your heart into infinity, the unbounded grace that clothes a specific instant in paradox. It could be the birth of your child, the death of a loved one, the achievement of a longed for goal.

These moments stop the clock and suspend you in an infinite state of being. They are worlds apart from mundane moments. A routine ‘thank you’, or ‘you’re welcome’ pales in comparison. Your whole BEing resonates in thanks. Your every breath is a cosmic communion, your body movement is deliberate and imbued with conscious intent, your rapt attention brings everything alive in a new way.

The grace of gratitude transcends the ‘ordinariness’ of giving or receiving. Gratitude graces YOU with the gift of BEing…

Image: Nature’s Graph, Wild Xplorer

You most likely have heard of the ‘Mozart Effect.’ There’s been plenty of research that Mozart’s music delivers all kinds of benefits, from improved creativity and clarity to raising your IQ.  In the field of positive psychology there have also been some interesting studies. Gratitude also has an effect, and unlike Mozart’s Effect, it lasts more than 15 minutes.

It’s affirming to know that perennial wisdom endures even the trying times. It embodies what’s true, which is the thruline running through your life, the warp and the woof of everyday moments.

Here are three areas of your life, that will experience the Gratitude Effect:

1. Who You Are.  You come to discover a ‘You’ you never knew before. One of light, love and Life! A capacity to easily let go and lighten up; to enjoy and be in joy. You’ll come to discover the infinite ways in which you gift the world; the difference you make and being YOU shifts everything.

2. How You Relate. You come to know that there is NO separation between you and anything. Everything and everyone will sparkle with aliveness and potential. You discover the infinite expression of Source and relish each and every one. You marvel at the infinite nuances of partnership and how it’s SO much more to play with others who share an aligned intention.

3. What’s True. You come to experience the heart beat of Life, the pulsation of Source as it breathes and brings you into being. You understand that the come and the go are wondrous and exciting to experience, but your Essence rests in the Embrace of the stillness of spaciousness. There is nothing for you to do, nothing to be, you ARE a miracle and your Life is a wondrous experience.

Once you experience the quantum shifts in these 3 areas, EVERY THING in your life changes. As the bandwidth of your understanding and experience evolve. So do you. That’s how shifts happen!

Image: See told ya he’s late again, Linh Ngan

Although many of us may think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, biologically we are feeling creatures that think . . . Take responsibility for the energy you bring. Jill Bolte Taylor

Every moment seems to be graced with infinite awareness. That’s quite miraculous! It wasn’t that long ago that outside stuff always triggered something what seemed out of my control. Ever experienced that?

Control can seem like the ultimate power tool, until you savor its bitter emptiness. Control is a one-player game, and once you find yourself in the victor’s throne  you discover its illusory influence. It’s attainment is an empty promise, devoid of any trueness.

Surrender, on the other hand, delivers much more than you bargained for. What to surrender? Your thoughts, feelings, judgments, assumptions? How about your labels, your version of reality, what you think is possible?

What IF you entertained the possibility that your point of view wasn’t entirely accurate? What IF you opened to the possibility of an expansion of your ability to know? What if you said “Yes!” to a systems upgrade, a download that would change the world as you know it?

It’s right here. It’s right now. Grace is dancing with delight, ready to ride the cosmic highways and byways with you. Grace is ready to deliver magical moments and exquisite synchronicities. All you have to notice is your abundance. All you have ‘to do’ is acknowledge it with a simple acceptance: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Every moment is graced with infinite awareness. Say, “Yes!”

Image: Pleasure Is a Thing That Also Needs Accomplishing, The Hills Are Alive

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when
our hearts are conscious of our treasures. Thornton Wilder

Gratitude as a soulful practice creates all sorts of abundance and happiness in your world. For those reasons alone it’s a wise investment, but it also shifts your energy in subtle, and powerful ways.

Gratitude creates changes at the emotional and mental levels, it also changes your body at a cellular level. There have been plenty of studies demonstrating how gratitude reduces levels of stress and that is reason enough to focus on your abundant flow.

But, it’s difficult to get to that place on a consistent level, unless things change in your programming. Here are 3 reasons gratitude shifts energy and the powerful point of view that becomes your default way of seeing and being in the world:

1. Shifts your focus to the present moment. Even though the actions, or experience, you might feel grateful for occurred in the past the energy of gratitude is present moment focused. Gratitude shifts your state of being, as you focus on the infinite flow of goodness pouring through you. The present moment is where everything IS! It connects you to what’s true, to the dynamic aliveness of right now… the best place to BE!

2. Creates a new orientation. It doesn’t matter whether you’re from a dysfunctional family, or you’ve suffered extensive trauma or depression, gratitude creates a new default groove – just like a music track on a CD. The positive focus and easy flow of energy become the new YOU. You experience incredible resilience in being able to navigate the stumbling blocks of everyday living. Gratitude propels you out of ingrained disempowering stories and creates a new story that you live into powerfully and playfully.

3. Establishes an indelible partnership with Source. There is nothing that will make your connection to the Source of Life more real, than experiencing gratitude. Your focus on gratitude expands your bandwidth of feeling, sensing and knowing. As you experience the infinite flow of life, in your moment to moment experience, you will come to trust and KNOW that what has been passed down by perennial wisdom is not a cool story, but is TRUE. There is nothing better than to experience gratitude in your body being and know that you ARE a child of an abundant and loving universe.

Shifts in energy create shifts in being. Living as the dynamic flow of life creates a life of miraculous synchronicity and infinite abundance. Life is a joy and a wonder.

Gratitude is a powerful transformation tool. It changes you and the world you live in!

 Smiles: Eflon

Want to instantly upgrade your energy? Go where there are concentrated doses of goodness!

Environments are key in shifting your energy from ‘absence of’ to ‘appreciation for.’ When you’re feeling fizzled out and need to recharge with some gratitude vibes, shift your playground.

There’s no better way to soak up and revel in the abundance that Life has on display than to immerse yourself – body, mind and spirit – in the wonder and awe inspiring richness all around you.

Here are seven spots, sure to inspire and incite, the grace of gratitude:

1. Natural Preserve. The natural world is a playground of infinite abundance. Visit your local natural preserve, hike the trails, visit with the wildlife and feel the raw beauty of the Earth, in all it’s splendor. Communing with the trees and soaking up the sounds of nature, will recalibrate your body and your being.

2. House of Worship. You can find a moment of respite from everyday worries and problems in your local house of worship. Sit quietly, soak in the sacredness, breathe in the bliss. The collective intention, and high frequency vibration of all the worshipers’ heart felt prayers and invocations, will easily deliver you into a moment of grace.

3. Botanical Gardens. Explore a tropical rainforest, dance through a desert, meander through marshlands. These orchestrated natural habitats are a microcosm of the infinite splendor of Mother Nature. Bask in the beauty and celebrate with her!

4. Museum. A day at the museum is as close as it gets to time travel. Visit with impressionist painters, walk through Roman arches and wonder at Egyptian sacrcophagi. Nothing like revisiting with history to get a sense of the epochs of mankind. The relics and remnants of ancient civilizations and foreign lands will easily remind you of the gifts of which you are a happy recipient.

5. Library. Nothing like walking in the hallowed stacks of thousands of books to feel the collective wisdom of man. You might not be able to visit the Library at Alexandria, but your local library has a plethora of learning material at your disposal: books, periodicals, audios, videos and even access to the World Wide Web. Get grooving with your know how and acknowledge your appreciation for collective wisdom.

6. Historical Site. Nothing like standing at the site of a turning point in time or heroic actions, especially if you are the direct beneficiary of the epic acts. Time travel and give thanks to those who their lives in service to future generations.

7. Zoo. Here you’ll find an exquisite variety of Life’s handiwork. Relish and enjoy the animals from near and far and imagine what it’s like to be in the wilds. From your perch, right outside their natural environ, you’ll get a peek into the wildlife of savannahs and forests and an inside view into untouched corners of the earth.

It’s easy to find gratitude when you’re looking for it. When you set out to find it by visiting in these gratitude hot spots, you will ensure the encounter.

Gratitude is just a step away!

Image: Is It A Flower, Anderson Mancini

Wouldn’t it be great to know exactly what your clients really want? You could serve them easily, no bumbling and fumbling around. No hit or miss programs and services. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

However, there is a way for you to find out more about your clients and customers. A short and targeted survey can be used to gather quality information that can be used to improve many aspects of your business

One area where you can benefit immensely is with your online events and trainings. A survey will not only help you improve them, but you’ll be able to glean specific information about how to best serve your clients  and customers.

One way you can solicit feedback from your customers and subscribers is to send a short survey. Of course, not everyone will jump at the chance to complete a survey, but there are ways to set up your survey for optimal outcomes.

4 Ways to Increase Survey Participation

Most people have lots of  things clamoring for  their attention. Since they’re pressed for time you need to make it easy and worthwhile for them to participate. Here are some things you can do to increase your survey responses:

1. Share What’s In It For Them. Let them know what you’re going to do with the information they give you. Are you going to use it to develop a new product or program? Will it help you improve customer service? Will you use their feedback on your website? Let them know. They need to know what you’re going to do with the information and how it will benefit them.

2. Let Them Know How Long It Will Take. People want to be helpful, especially if they have had a positive experience with you. However, you need to let them know how long the survey will take.  Tell them up front how many questions, or how many minutes. Most folks will readily spend 5 minutes, don’t ask for 20. Make it easy to say, “Yes!”

3. Thank Them in Advance. Your customers and subscribers don’t have to give you feedback. That’s why you need to be really nice and show them your appreciation. A simple “thank you” in advance goes a long way.

4. Give Them a Gift. Offering an ethical bribe will increase your chances of getting your survey completed. You can offer a recording, a special report, a video or a great discount on a future purchase. It’s a great way to say, “Thank you.”

How to Structure a Simple Survey

One of the easiest survey formats is a simple set of 4-questions that will help you identify your Tribe’s key problems, identify your marketing differentiation and elicit testimonials for your programs & services.

Here are four suggested questions that will help you glean priceless information:

1. What has been the most valuable thing you’ve gotten from [Event Name]?

This question clarifies the benefits experienced during your event. Even better, it gives you the specific language your Tribe uses to describe the specific results experienced. This is key when you are drafting ALL your copy: squeeze page, promotion emails, social media posts and sales pages.

2. What has been your experience of [Your Name] as host for [Event Name]?

People are not only attracted to work with you because of the results you deliver, but also because of who you are. This question will elicit not only what’s brilliant about you but  how you deliver the solution to a problem they have.

3. What questions do you still have about [Core Problem]?

You’ll want to know what other problems your clients still have. Even though they may have just participated in your online training, or event, there is more you can help them with.

4. Any other feedback you’d like to provide regarding [Event Name]?

Your survey respondents have an opportunity to share additional information, that may not have been covered in the previous 3 questions. Often folks might not connect with your language, but a simple request for feedback might elicit a torrent of information.

Here’s the last thing element I’d add to the survey, make this totally optional:

I’d appreciate featuring your feedback on my website and blog. If you’re a YES! Please provide your name and website.

If you’d like to see an example of a survey I’m using for one of my current programs, you can check it out here.

Surveys are a powerful tool, to gather testimonials, identify your Tribe’s hot topics and clarify your authentic message. Don’t postpone gathering the information that will help you serve your Tribe and grow your business.