Are You Targeting Your CREAM Clients?

Source: Wix Free Images, used with permission.

Some coaches do not understand the profitability of narrowing their brand to a specific segment of consumers (i.e., your niche market). Most try to cater to everyone. You know the saying, “Jack or Jill of all trades.”

But this approach can backfire. When your message conveys that you are everything to everyone, people are more likely to overlook you. If you are speaking to everyone, you cannot be speaking to anyone.

As such, consumers want specialists and individuality. They want to know your product or service will either solve their specific problem, meet their specific need, or give them something specific that they want. However, if consumers cannot identify how you can help them, they are more likely to patron a coaching business that demonstrates it can.

In coaching fellow coaches and entrepreneurs, I discovered there are two primary reasons why business owners (specifically coaching business owners) may avoid narrowing down their niche:

1. They have not defined who their target market “really” is, so they try to capture everyone.
2. They think they will increase profits if they generalize. What my clients learn is that setting themselves up as a subject matter expert (SME) allows them to focus their respective brands towards their CREAM coachee or client, which is much more profitable.

What is a CREAM client (or coachee)?

This is an individual who is:

C = Current — They are presently engaged with you and follow you on social media.

R = Reliable — They read or sign up for your newsletter, watch your videos, or listen to your podcast.

E = Evaluated — You have pre-evaluated them via surveys, your landing page, or website contact form.

A = Accessible — You know where they are, how they are, and what they like.

M = Motivated — They are ready and willing to buy your services or products; they refer others to you.

For example, my brand focuses on two primary segments:

1. Mindful and motivated coaches of color who want to develop their core-coaching skills and pursue their credentials
2. Individuals and organizations who want to implement mindfulness coaching practices to improve their overall well-being and goal attainment

Therefore, I know these two markets. I understand trends, where they hang out, what they want, and what their pain points are, personally and professionally. Does this mean I don’t know or can’t coach men or help other businesses implement different types of coaching strategies in their organizations? Not at all.

But my specialty or niche is using a mindfulness approach to coach other coaches, particularly coaches of color, and offering rigorous coach training to coaching professionals. Therefore, I can identify how my CREAM clients can best position themselves as entrepreneurs within the coaching industry. I know their pain points, and I have experience in many areas they do because I am also a coach.

You can find articles on Inc, Forbes, and Entrepreneur or search academic studies to read supportive data on the value of niche marketing or marketing segmentation to reach your ideal clients and maintain steady, consistent revenue. And you can do your own evaluation by studying other brands with which you are familiar. In fact, many big businesses understand this approach.

Look at McDonald's (affectionately called Mickey D’s), Burger King, and Wendy’s. Mickey D’s is famous for their French fries and burgers, and they target busy families. Burger King targets the individual and allows you to have your meal “your way.” Wendy’s focuses on busy adults who have more grown-up taste buds if you will.

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Each of these fast-food chains targets its message to a segment of the population and a specific food item. However, they each sell breakfast, coffee, salads, and other food and beverage varieties. Also, when their message changes, you can see how this impacts their market segment. Just watch commercials or read ads, and you can usually identify who the business's CREAM clients are and how segmentation impacts the company’s bottom line.

Keep in mind that your target client or coachee can change over time. Why? Because people’s problems, needs, and wants change.

For example, people are much more health-conscious, so food manufacturers are rebranding for health-conscious consumers. When you know your consumers and how they behave (or what causes changes in their behavior), you can adjust accordingly. But, when you do not know your clients or target your message for their specific needs, it becomes challenging to know when or how to redirect your message.

So, branding your message to focus on your CREAM client can set you apart from your competitors. It also establishes you as an SME or specialist in a targeted area. If you don’t know who your CREAM clients are, then it’s time to do your research and develop a CREAM Client Profile. Once you know your specific consumer, you can fine-tune your message and focus on how to reach and attract them.