This Works Better Than Picking a Niche
… It's how I've helped over 1,000 health professionals build a profitable coaching business
If you’re like many of the health coaches I’ve worked with, you were probably told by a marketing expert that you have to pick a niche.
Truth be told, I used to say the same thing. But there are 3 things that made me change my mind.
#1 So many coaches feel stuck trying to pick a niche
They don’t want to limit themselves to helping just one type of person. They think about all the other people they could be helping and feel bad about ignoring them (and leaving money on the table). Some are also afraid they’ll become known as the “[whatever niche] person.”
If you stay stuck here, it’s going to be hard to move forward.
#2 They aren’t shown how to pick a profitable niche
I’ve personally watched many “nail your niche” trainings … I’ve even bought courses and workshops about it … and I’m stunned by how incomplete they are.
The end result is many coaches follow along and end up picking a niche that will keep them broke.
#3 No one “buys” a niche
They buy an offer. This is a very important reframe.
Because if a coach focuses on a niche, it’s often more about what they want to do and not necessarily about what people will buy. (This is a very important topic that I’ll go into it in more detail in a future article.)
The bottom line is this:
The “pick a niche” approach often creates a limiting mindset that keeps coaches stuck.
So today, I’m going to tell you how to create a health coaching offer. But not just any kind of offer…
I’m going to show you how to create an irresistible breakthrough offer that gets people excited to work with you!
The Secret To Getting More Clients
To get us started, I’m going to tell you a story about my “professional alma mater,” Nickelodeon.
Yes, I’m talking about the kids’ TV station. I’m going to tell you how Nick got its start because it’s very relevant to you, as you’ll see.
It was back in the 1970s. Cable was new and struggling to get established. If it was going to work, it needed more customers. But there was a lot working against it.
People had never paid to watch TV. They just bought a TV set, plugged it into the wall and voilà! Instant TV! So why should they start paying for it now?
The cable execs found their answer.
When they started talking to people about what they liked and didn’t like about TV, parents in particular had a lot to say.
Turns out parents hated letting their kids watch TV. They thought it was mind-numbing.
Not only that, shows like He-Man and Strawberry Shortcake seemed more like 30 minute commercials. This caused a lot of family arguments because kids wanted to watch TV and the parents didn’t want them to. So mom and dad always felt like the bad guys.
The cable execs saw this as a golden opportunity. If they created a commercial-free cable channel that was 100% kids’ shows … and the shows were the kind that parents felt good about letting their kids watch … it would be a win all around!
Kids would get to watch shows made for them whenever they wanted. Their parents would feel like rock stars because they let them watch TV without an argument. And the cable company would get more subscribers.
So Nick debuted in 1979 as the first TV channel 100% dedicated to kids programming. They aired high-quality shows for kids 6-11 without any advertising.
Nick’s lineup of shows was very different back then, but I’ll save that story for another time. Suffice it to say, the shows got parental approval and even won prestigious awards. And the cable company achieved their goal of getting more people to pay for TV because parents wanted Nickelodeon.
Here’s The Part That Matters Most …
For 9 years, Nick only offered one thing – shows for kids 6-11.
It wasn’t until 1988 that they started to expand their offering. First they created Nick Jr for kids 2-5. Then they expanded into other lines of business, such as consumer products. They sold things like Gak, Slime, and Ren & Stimpy T-shirts.
They also sold their shows in international markets, which is why they hired me in 1993. I joined the company to lead the consumer products initiative outside the U.S.
By the time I left 12 years later, I had launched consumer products programs in 42 countries. Nick dominated kids TV in the U.S. and in 70 markets around the world. They also had movies, live stage shows, theme parks, and much more.
But …
It all started with just one offer – a TV channel for kids 6-11. And they only focused on that one offer until the time was right to expand.
In fact, that’s the way every successful business starts … with just ONE offer.
And so should YOU (even if you have no intention of becoming a mega brand).
How You Can Use This To Build Your Coaching Business
So how do you translate this proven success model to your health coaching practice?
By creating an irresistible breakthrough offer. (Since I’ll be talking about this a lot going forward, I’ll call it an IBO.)
There are 5 ingredients that go into creating an IBO for a successful health coaching business. I’ll give you a quick overview of each of them here. Then I’ll take you through them in more detail in future articles (including exactly how I help health coaches and practitioners create their own).
The Irresistible Breakthrough Offer Formula™
Ingredient #1: Problem
The first IBO ingredient is Problem. The problem you focus on is essential. It literally makes or breaks the success of your IBO. This article shows you how to pick the best problem for your IBO.
Ingredient #2: Process
The next ingredient is your Process … or how you get people results. People want to see you have a proven process that will get them where they want to be. (FYI – This isn’t the same thing as your program. That’s something different.)
Your process is a marketing message. It helps people understand how they’ll get the transformation they want.
(This is one of the advanced marketing techniques I teach. When you do it right, your process gets people excited about working with you.)
Ingredient #3: Proof
The 3rd ingredient is Proof. People want to see evidence that your process has produced results. If you give people the right kind of proof, they’ll be eager to sign up with you.
Ingredient #4: Passion
You must have some degree of passion about helping people with your IBO problem. If you’re not passionate about it, you won’t enjoy it. And the goal is to create a business you enjoy and also makes you money!
The good news is, your IBO is just a starting point, as you saw with the other company examples. It’s not your “forever niche.”
Ingredient #5: Pixie Dust
Yes, you need some Pixie Dust! This is the magic ingredient that makes you stand out from all your competition, even if you’re in a saturated market.
The amazing thing about Pixie Dust is it …
Helps people understand the real reason why they have the problem
Releases them from any guilt they may have about having the problem
Explains why they haven’t gotten results from other things they’ve tried
Gives them hope that this time they’ll get the results they want
Positions you in as the best person to give them those results
Powerful stuff, eh?
So here it is …
The Irresistible Breakthrough Offer Formula™
I’ll be writing more about all these ingredients in the coming days, so stay tuned!
If you’d like more help with this, Founding Members have access to a training that goes into each of these ingredients in more detail.
See more benefits of becoming a Founding Member here.