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What's the *second* thing you do when you target your niche as a service business owner?

Of course you need to focus outward - on your audience. But once you've identified your niche, your next question becomes, "How can I motivate them to know, like and trust me as a problem-solver?"

You can begin by telling your own story. It's what I call your origin story: "How I Got To Be Here."

This story answers questions like:

"Do you feel my pain?"

"Were you once in my shoes - so if you can do it, I can do it?"

"Are you qualified by experience as well as credentials?"

Some marketers argue that you have to come across as human and vulnerable. You need a hard luck story. Maybe you were sleeping on a floor because you didn't have enough money to pay the rent, let alone buy a house ... and now you live in a mansion. Or you packed 200 pounds on your 5-foot-seven frame and now you're modeling in local fashion shows.

(1) Tailor your presentation to fit your niche and your services. For example, if you are a cancer survivor or have a child with a drug problem, you need to decide how to discuss these facts - or whether they will be relevant to your audience at all.

(2) Show that your background will qualify you as a unique resource for your prospective clients. You need to "spin" your story without providing false or misleading ideas.

(3) If you just don't have a hard luck story - and some people don't - talk about how you came into the field and how you started helping people meet specific challenges.

You can say something like, "As a bank officer, I saved dozens of people from losing their savings with just a few words of advice. My friends started asking me for help with their financial affairs, and now..."

Finally, make sure you finish with a few words of what you do now. I would recommend focusing on your successes with clients, rather than your own wealth accumulation. At one time, a jaw-dropping close might include a recital of your own material success. However, this approach has been overdone. Nowadays I suspect audiences just roll their eyes and mutter something like, "Who cares?"