Are less clients more?
I have come across an interesting challenge. Is it better for me to work with more businesses (in a relatively shallow way) or is it better for me to work with fewer but in a more intense way (and therefore more long-term benefit to the select group of clients)?
When working in Africa I FELT sure that the broad but shallow effect wasn’t really that effective; my preference was to work longer and deeper with fewer people - by handing over the tools I was able see more benefit and by creating ‘champions’ I could see the legacy of locally-owned and adapted tool kits being used.
But does this theory (“better to go narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow”) hold in the UK?
Applied to your own business (and specifically to your marketing) is it better to narrow your focus and look for deep knowledge in a narrow field or is it better to go broader and shallower
Case Study One: the business coach who only sells to dentists charges four times the going rate because of his narrow focus/niche expertise.
Case Study Two: the ‘tart with a heart’ business will sell anything to anyone and does make sales but she gets known for what she does and becomes known as a ‘jack of all trades’, endlessly creating new product offering and never knowing quite what she is an expert at as she says ‘yes’ to any question she is asked.
Case Study Three: local hardware store that competes and wins against the big boys because of better product knowledge, empathy and service. It focuses exclusively on DIY activity and can help you and advise you on any DIY project. I will always go there first for DIY.
So, it looks like going deep into your niche is the way forward if you have got the bottle to carry it through.
