My client are all bright, seasoned, multi-talented, and often eclectic, professionals.
And, as Martha Stewart is oft quoted as saying, "that’s a good thing!"
And, like so many ‘good things’ it has a down side.
Here’s the conundrum.
When people go looking for help they tend to want a specialist.
For example, we bought a new stove for our house and needed a range hood and fan installed. So, I asked the fellow who had installed our dishwasher if he could do the job (cause he did really, really excellent work). He said no but gave me a referral to Marty "The Vent Guy". Marty came and did an absolutely marvelous job. He was easy to deal with, clearly knew what he was doing, consulted with me during the installation to discuss possible problems and solutions, and (my wife loved this) cleaned up after himself!
Being the curious sort I asked him what else he does. His response, "Well. I install bathroom fans." Seriously, all this guy does is install vent fans! And, he’s really, really, really good at it. Talk about specializing.
And, specializing is a good thing Martha.
BUT, it too has its downside.
When it comes to things like vents, you want a specialist.
But, when it comes to more complex challenges, say like "what you want to be when you grow up" or "what do I do about my money problems" you want help from someone with a broad range of experience, talent, and knowledge — in other words a generalist.
Now here’s the problem faced by guys like me and by my seasoned, eclectic clients.
We have to promote ourselves as if we are SPECIALISTS, but our power and the results we can acheive for our clients comes from the fact that we are GENERALISTS.
How do we do that?
By creating a speciality.
For example, it took me years to conceive my specialty was helping creative, eclectic, multi-talented, independent professionals get unstuck! So, I coined a term for what I do.
That label encompasses my eclecticism, my extensive expertise as a generalist, and yet sounds like one speciality!
So, is there a way to make your eclectic abilities seem like a specialty?
