Who Would Your Friends Refer to You?

Last week I taught a class on spiritual marketing at The Chaplaincy Institute during their Spiritual Direction program. Like all of my clients, the students in the class were smart, multi-talented women who have many possible paths they can take with their work.

Their greatest challenge wasn’t knowing how to market, it was knowing what to market and to whom.

They aren’t alone. Many of my clients get stuck in precisely this place. Naming and defining a niche can be challenging. (A niche is a unique, specialized service.)

When I work with people I suggest they create a niche by finding that sweet spot where their interests overlap with their community’s needs.

Sounds easy enough, but for multi-talented people it can be hugely challenging. They often have unrelated talents that make it difficult for them to focus their ideas into one lifework path that works.

Additionally, they are interested in working with different demographics, like “women” or “people in transition” but aren’t sure which group to choose.

As we discussed this dilemma, one of the students had a brilliant idea. She suggested we go around the room and focus on one student at a time, sharing with her the type of people we would refer to her.

In other words, if people were helping me focus my work, they might say, “Amy, to you I would refer people who like dreamwork, people who want to use creativity to feel more connected to the Divine, and people who are stuggling with finding lifework they love.”

This exercise proved to be worthwhile and enlightening to all involved. Since it is often difficult for us to see our own strengths and unique qualities, it can be useful to have other people illuminate our potential for us.

If you are struggling with what to market and to whom, I suggest you gather a group of people who know you and

Ask your friends, “What type of people would you refer to me?”

Have them focus on a variety of areas such as

1. Demographics

i.e women, men, elders, youth

2. Potential problems

i.e people in transition who feel uncertain about their future, people with chronic illness

3. Qualities and characteristics

i.e. quiet and reflective people, people who love to dance, intellectual people

4. What the people might be hoping to accomplish

i.e. a new spiritual practice, more self-esteem, balance

Defining a niche

After you’ve collected the information from a group of people, see if there are any patterns in what has been shared with you. If several people offered similar information, and you resonate with what they said, this may be a clue about who you can help most effectively.

When it comes time to defining (or redefining) your niche, open your imagination so you connect with what brings you great joy. Play around with ideas until something feels like a good fit. Then experiment. Sometimes the only way you’ll know if you have the “right” niche is to work with it for awhile and see what happens.

Until next time, here’s to growing somewhere great!