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Trying to be 'all things to all men' is fruitless. Far better to develop a laser-focus on the one or two things you are outstanding at and exceed the needs and wants of a smaller number of clients or customers in a way that keeps them coming back for more and recommending others to you.

Although you may be reluctant initially to narrow your options for fear of missing opportunities, the benefits of being niche are tremendous:

You become expert at what you do because that’s all you do

You may enjoy yourself more as your depth of knowledge deepens and you become more highly skilled

You become more memorable and ‘top of mind’ when needed

Your products, services, messages and positioning are more clearly defined and better understood

You are able to differentiate yourself more clearly from supposed competitors

You are less likely to be distracted by ‘opportunities’ that consume time and money that could be better spent elsewhere

Your perceived value and worth increases and you're likely to be able to charge higher prices for proven greater value

If you haven’t identified your niche yet it’s worth doing. Niches may be industry or sector specific; product, service or expertise specific; location, demographic or activity specific for example.

It's tempting to think the broader the offering(s) you provide the more clients and customers you'll attract, but the reverse is true. The more niche you are the more attractive, and valuable, you become.

'Generalists' face more competition than niche providers and often find themselves being compared with others fairly or unfairly. Niche providers rarely have these challenges.

Business and opportunity comes to them because of their reputation for being the best in their field. Of course it goes without saying that you have to deliver high-value, high-quality products or services that meet or exceed your client or customer’s expectations on time, every time. If you don’t customers will be unlikely to use you again, or recommend you, and it won’t matter how niche you are, they'll simply find another provider.

Trying to be all things to everyone is a recipe for disaster. Be known for being outstanding at what you do and you’ll have people queuing up to tap you on the shoulder and engage with you. So, what’s your niche??