Most people have a 2 a.m. problem.

Something that keeps them up, or leaves them tossing and turning in the middle of the night. I’m sure that you have one, too. I know I do!

If you’re struggling to find your niche, try to think of the 2 a.m. problem you can best solve.

Now, who is having this problem? How can you target them?

Try to nail down the problem that you can solve for your target market. How can you solve it? In what way is this problem impacting your
clients? How do they feel about it? If there’s something that’s keeping your clients up at night, they’re going to feel a huge burden lifted
off of their shoulders if you can resolve it for them.

For example, if you were an exterminator, your clients have infestations they’re worrying about. In this case, they may literally be kept up
at night by insects or other pests. You can alleviate this problem by delivering quality service and getting rid of their mice, or cockroaches,
or whatever else they have going on.

But it goes deeper than that.

When your client is having these deep-seated fears, it goes deeper than the problem being solved. They’re experiencing strong emotions
that rattle them to the core. You can get rid of their pest problem, but they might still be kept up at night with fears of it happening again.

This is where you really build your brand, your niche. You’re getting rid of the their roaches, sure, but you can go a step further. Get rid of
their fears in a specific way.

For example, I work with entrepreneurs, who of course are starting or growing their businesses. I help them scale up and get to 6-figures
and beyond. When they wake up, they’re overstressed. They’re overwhelmed. They’re feeling that they need to be making more money –
that they’re working so hard and getting underpaid, like nobody understands their value. It’s really discouraging and makes them feel less
than when they aren’t seeing success in their business.

You have to get into your client’s headspace, and think about their actual feelings and experiences with their problem.

Once you know how your clients are, and what their 2 a.m. problem is, you want to get into their psyche. What are they experiencing?
How is their emotional state?

Can you start to see where I’m taking it deeper? It’s important to know what you do, the benefits you offer your clients, and the features of
your services, but there’s more to consider. What’s the mindset of your audience? Of your ideal client?

If you speak to your client’s stressors, to the actual root of their problem, to what keeps them laying awake at night, you will see a huge shift
in the way your business attracts and retains clients.

I held a workshop recently, and I had the experience to speak with some amazing women running businesses, and they were struggling,
hitting a wall, because they couldn’t clarify their marketing message. They weren’t sure of the value they were really offering their clients.
Of course, they knew what they did. Most of them even knew who their audience or ideal client was. But they were stuck on their elevator
pitch. Hi, I’m x and I do y for z. You know?

Your pitch lands differently when you speak to the source of your clients’ stress. When you not only see them and hear their struggles,
but have the ability to take them out of that state… that’s really powerful.

It’s about being able to connect and vibe with them.

I could say that I help intelligent women of color make more money in their business.

But it’s so much more powerful when I say I help overwhelmed, overstressed women that are drastically underearning make six plus
figures in their business.

It’s not just about having a well-crafted statement that you can pump out at people during a networking event. Once you’re able to connect
and vibrate with your clients and audience, you’re really landing with people who have problems that you can solve.

If you heard my statement above, you might think, oh my god, that’s me. She sees me. She gets me. She might be able to solve my problem.
And that’s a potential client I might not have landed with the weaker statement. It doesn’t land, connect, or inspire in the same way.

Even if it doesn’t land with that person, you may be describing in perfect detail someone that they know and could connect you with. Instead,
they might think wow, my best friend is going through that right now. She’s been trying to build her business for years, working overtime and
not seeing any results. I know she needs to make more money. I know she’s overwhelmed. Referrals, branding, and positioning are so powerful.

In the same vein, I want you to go in front of a mirror and make your pitch. Assess the experience. What is jumping off of you when you do this?
What is your presence? How are you showing up when you pitch yourself? You could do it hunched over, biting your nails, telling potential leads
that you’re pretty sure you can solve their problem. Or you can do it confidently, standing up straight, speaking clearly, and articulating exactly
what you can do for your client. This is the vibration you’re giving off, and it has such a huge effect. The feeling you give that potential client can
range from, “I’m not sure she can help me,” to “I’m SO glad I met her, and I’m confident that she will be able to help pull me out of the rut I’m in so
I can start earning what I’m worth.”

One of the women I spoke to during this workshop was a stylist. She targeted older women that were more established in their professional careers.

People, of course, hire stylists when they have trouble putting outfits together for themselves. They want to feel good, confident, and take the
guesswork out of it. But who’s going to pay someone that’s pitching their services as helping you feel good about yourself? There are so many style
advice and self-help articles on the Internet, for FREE.

So what is it that makes someone hire a stylist?

Through working together, she realized that the value she brings and the problem she solves is the results the client will get from this confidence.
She’s going to make them look and feel good, and it’s going to help them land that promotion and feel charming and attractive on a date. Right there,
she can sell her services beyond face value. You’re not just hiring a stylist, you’re hiring someone that’s going to help you advance professionally
and romantically, because you feel good about yourself.

And who doesn’t want that?

So, to summarize:

• • Don’t lead with what you actually do. If you’re an exterminator, we know that you get rid of bugs. But how do you make us feel secure
    after the infestation is gone?
  • You need to access the deeper pain points your clients are experiencing. They aren’t just looking to make more money, they’re drastically
    underearning no matter how hard they work.
  • Anticipate the problems your client is experiencing. Sure, they might be interested in stylist services because they have a hard time with
    their outfits. But how are their poor outfit choices impacting their lives? Is it holding them back socially, professionally, romantically?
    How is it affecting their confidence?

Are you having a hard time nailing down your niche? Book your FREE, no-obligation discovery call with me today and we can hammer out
some of the details of your business.

I look forward to hearing from you 🙂

Phyliss Francis, MA, CLC, PCC Business Coach, Strategist & Speaker

For 22 years, Phyliss has been coaching and facilitating motivational and educational programs for entrepreneurs, executives and visionaries. She has extensive
experience in the areas of business, personal growth and spirituality.

Phyliss helps entrepreneurs find where they are leaving money on the table through her Profit Mapping System, and assists with maximizing revenue by streamlining
systems, and restructuring packaging, marketing and sales. Phyliss is a faculty member of two International Coach Federation (ICF)-accredited coach training
programs, and a Professional Life Coach.

Contact us at: admin@phylissfrancis.com with any questions, comments or inquiries.

Photo Credit: Cathryn Lavery on Unsplash