Defining Who You Are and Who You Aren't = Specializing

Who you aren't (see my last post) often comes up when discussing who you are.

A brilliant comment to that post from my friend Marijean Jaggers (of Standing Partnership, a PR firm) inspires me to post more on this subject.

The result of the "who are you" question ends up being a specialization definition. Problem is, the bigger a firm is, the less comfortable they are "eliminating" anyone. Seat squirming begins.

To illustrate, I'll use some extremes. How about this firm, not only BOLDLY illustrating whom they DO serve, but using copy to entice (hmmm, perhaps a bad word choice?) their prospective clients by stating that they should no longer be shunned by other firms.

"Have an adult business your accountant doesn't understand or wish to deal with..."

Hey, I said it was an extreme example.

Anyway, my point is, the specializing approach isn't going away. In fact, more and more firms, particularly newly emerging boutique firms, are employing this strategy. It makes sense! As laws and regulations get more and more complex, it's just getting too expensive, and FAR too risky, to "generalize."

So, here is a much more tame example focusing on the restaurant industry.

Again, my point -- stated in a different way -- is that nothing is more compelling than representing your limits.

• All things to all people is compelling to absolutely no one.
• A couple things for a couple groups is somewhat more compelling.
• All things for one group is significantly more compelling.
• A limited number of really strong things for one group is the most compelling.

Comments?

Comments

[Marijean]

While we've been encouraging specialization with clients, we've also watched the PR industry go in fragmenting directions. Some firms have dabbled in Web development, advertising or other non-core pursuits. At Standing, we've identified our specialization as reputation management. Need a new Web site? We bring in a partner. Need advertising? We contract with a media buyer -- who specializes in just that. We're more focused on our clients' needs this way and it keeps us on track for meeting their needs and goals. Great post, Michelle.

[Hugh Duffy]

We work with a lot of small to medium size accounting firms providing marketing and practice development help. One of our the tactics we encourge with our clients is to be out there with a niche and use it to draw clients in. It not only gives them the opportunity to show off their knowledge in a particular industry, but it allows them to target the kind of clients they like to work with. Win Wing

[China Law Blog]

Excellent post. I concur.

[David Rachford]

Hi Michelle,
Great article in the AAM newsletter on Blogging. It's so true. You said that without enough content, or the right kind of content, your site will be invisible.

This is a great post too: I'm wondering where you found Naked Accounting... very interesting find!