Gill Moakes (00:03.214)
Welcome, welcome to the Heads Together podcast. I'm your host, Jill Mokes, and thank you so much for joining me again this week. If you are new here, new to the podcast in 2025, welcome. I'm so happy you've stumbled across me and yeah, it's good to have you here. Okay, so what are we talking about this week? I got a spicy one for you.
I'm going to be talking about niching down. And I know this is going to make some of you break out in a cold sweat and hold on tightly to your, I can help anyone with a pulse business strategy. But please listen, if you are resisting this deal, if you're a coach who is still insisting that anyone could be an ideal client for you, because you can really coach anyone because what you do is so kind of
this, that or the other, that it really does apply to everyone. If that's you, you are not just leaving money on the table, you are leaving money on the table, but not just money. You're also leaving potential impact that you could be having with the right clients on the table. You're leaving bigger opportunities on the table. And actually, you're leaving the, the freedom that you
Take out the bit about freedom. Let's just leave it at, I'll just go back and redo the opportunity one. And you're leaving bigger opportunities for yourself on the table. All right. So let's dive in. We're going to dismantle all of those excuses that you've got for staying really vague, really vanilla. And going to really make a commitment to getting bold.
and beautifully specific. That's our goal here. Let's dive in.
Gill Moakes (02:08.782)
Okay, so a lot of coaches think of niching and this I used to be one of those coaches. A lot of coaches think of niching like a diet. Okay, I'll give it a go. But as long as I can cheat on the weekends, right? The problem is, when you cheat on your niche, you're cheating on your brand clarity.
I'm going to tell you something right? In the coaching world, clarity is currency. I am going to say that again, because I really like it. I'm going to use that more often. Where did it come from? I love it. In the coaching world, clarity is currency. Super important.
Here's the thing, when you try and serve everyone.
you're not casting like a wide net. It's not like fishing. What you're doing is you're scattering tiny breadcrumbs in the wind and hoping that the right client miraculously finds one. Okay. And the truth is that your ideal clients are out there and they're desperately searching for a coach who really gets them.
who understands their exact problem. They're not looking for vagueness. They're not looking for that kind of coach speak that we see all over the internet, right? It's everywhere. Coach speak is everywhere. If you're speaking coach speak, I want you to stop, please. Because that's not what your ideal clients are looking for. They want precision.
Gill Moakes (04:07.606)
If you can give them exactness, if you can give them specificity, easy for you to say, then that is boom, that is instant trust, that is deeper connection. Right? That is what has people saying, shut up and give, let me do that. Sorry, Lena, I'll say that again. That is what has people saying, just shut up and take my money.
Honestly, if you can't speak directly to that person's exact problems, frustrations, pain points, desires, then they're not going any further with you. They're just not. And CoachSpeak doesn't do it. CoachSpeak doesn't talk to those problems. Do know what really does?
The messaging that a coach can only come up with when they have done deep, deep, deep work on who their ideal client is. And if they've done what I teach in the coaching business academy, they have had conversations with actual real people. Real people, would you believe, to really listen to the words and the actual pain points, not the ones that they've dreamt up in their head are the things that their clients struggle with.
the actual things that clients struggle with. Okay. And you can't do that if you haven't niched down, if you can't identify exactly who your ideal clients are. You can't do that.
Honestly, there is a really good reason though, why niching down feels like a risk. Even though it's not, it's the exact opposite. But the reason it feels like a risk is that there's this voice in your head that says, what if I choose wrong? So what if I miss out, because I've made the wrong choice on who my niche is, or what my niche is.
Gill Moakes (06:17.546)
we've got a bit of a plot twist here because the real risk is staying broad. That's the truth. If you stay broad as a coach, you will find it really hard to build credibility because you're trying to be everything to everyone. You're also going to struggle to build your own confidence because you will be constantly second guessing your offers because and with
Absolutely, rightly so, because it's hard to build perfect offers for just anyone. You need to be creating the perfect offers that are just for your ideal clients.
And of course it risks your bottom line because you know, we know don't we that wishy washy messaging just doesn't sell. It just doesn't. And you can't get on point messaging if you don't have the clarity around who you serve.
Gill Moakes (07:19.896)
So, think of it like this,
Say if you were hiring a photographer, I think this is a good analogy actually, if you're hiring a photographer who said, yeah, I take pictures of things.
Or if you came across a photographer who said, I specialize in capturing authentic moments for adventurous couples who are eloping to get married. Imagine going that specific. I was just going to say, I specialize in capturing authentic moments for adventurous couples.
But imagine if it was, I specialize in capturing authentic moments for adventurous couples who are eloping to get married. Oh my God. Now you might be thinking, well, there aren't enough of those. Yeah. Do you know what? I think that is, that would be a great niche for a photographer. Does that mean that's the only photographs they take? No, but what a bloody brilliant position. What a great way to talk about what they do.
Right. Specificity wins every time.
Gill Moakes (08:40.024)
So as a coach, we have to do the same thing. We have to be really clear about who our ideal clients are. What is our niche?
Gill Moakes (08:55.854)
because niching, doesn't just simplify your business, and it does simplify your business, trust me, but it also amplifies it, okay, because it means you get known for something, you become a go to coach for a specific problem. You're the one that people talk about.
And then that is when the opportunities come along. That is when opportunities that you didn't even know existed, start showing themselves. Because you become known in a certain circle. Okay.
And when your niche is clear, and you know, probably should have clarified what I mean by niche before now, but when I'm talking about niche, it's, know, who you serve and it's how you serve them.
bugger, no, it's not. Take that bit out about clarifying the niche, we won't bother with that, Lena. Let's talk about this bit. So when your niche is really clear, it doesn't feel like a hard sell when you're trying to sell your coaching, right? Because your offer suddenly feel like a no brainer. When, when your ideal clients look at your offer and the way you've positioned your offer and they think, my God, that was actually made for me.
The work she does or the work he does. I mean, I work with women, so let's take out he Lena. When people look and think, my God, the work she does, the work that coach does is exactly the thing that I've been struggling with for so long.
Gill Moakes (10:46.862)
Can you see how the more specific, the more likely it is that someone is actually going to think that?
Right?
I also think that a really clear niche absolutely gives you the foundation to scale your business. If you have got an eye on group coaching programs on retreats, you know, if you've got your signature framework lined up and you want to scale from that, it becomes much more tangible when you have a solid niche. Marketing without a solid niche is really hard.
And you know what, as a one-to-one coach, we can rely a lot on referrals. I built my coaching practice based on referrals, which is brilliant. And it gets you so far. But if you are someone who does want to scale by bringing in group programs, retreats, I say, mastermind groups, all of those kinds of things, then really a clear niche is what makes that possible for you.
I also think that
Gill Moakes (12:03.166)
In a crowded market like coaching, crowded arena that we're in, it's only the specialists that stand out. If you're a generalist, you know what, you just blend in. It's so hard to stand out unless you are courageous enough to put your stake in the ground and say, this is my niche. This is what I am expert in.
And here's my thought leadership around it. And here's how I am courageously visible in this niche. This is my unique contribution. All of the things we talk about in the academy when we're working on our thought leadership, right, without a niche, that would be impossible.
Gill Moakes (12:52.994)
So enough theory a minute. You know, I like these episodes to be actionable. So let's think about what you need to do to actually identify, to find your niche. Well, first of all, I want to remind you about what I define ideal clients to be. Ideal clients for you are the clients who you love working with, the clients you get the best results with.
And who can afford to hire you, they need to meet those three criteria. So from that as our starting point, let's think about these four kinds of things that you need to take into account. So what do you love coaching around? So be honest, right? What lights you up? What is the thing that can actually make you forget to check your phone? Surely that is the modern day proof.
that you are clearly obsessed with something is if you're no longer checking and mindlessly scrolling your phone, right? Your niche should find it should feel exciting like that. It shouldn't feel like something that you have to that feels like a chore to create content around, for example, it should be the thing you want to be talking about all the time. So what is that? What is the subject you love coaching around? And then
The second question to ask yourself is who are you obsessed with helping? Again, think about those dream clients, what's their story? Right? What is their story? The more vividly you can imagine an ideal client for you the better. So that's going into their pain points, their frustrations, their desires, all of those things. What is their story?
Gill Moakes (14:53.254)
And the third question, what results do you deliver like no one else you've ever met? Because your niche isn't just what you love, it's what you're amazing at as well. So what are those transformations that you through your coaching, you know, you can consistently deliver? Right. And then the fourth question,
is probably the biggest one. What is your unique edge? So we've got to stop pretending that all coaches are created equal, they're not. Okay. What is it about you that makes you special? And this is about your learned and lived experience. So your story, what is everything that you've been through that has brought you to this point?
to this coaching practice, right? What's your style, your vibe?
What is your unique authentic voice? Because that's all part of your niche too. That's going to help you identify your niche for sure.
Gill Moakes (16:10.574)
So I want to remind you of something.
Actually, it's not, no, let me say that again, Lena. Now I want to tell you something that you may not have kind of realized before, just because niching down is so scary and we all resist it so much. But you know what? The narrower your focus, the wider your opportunity. Because when your niche is really sharp, people notice you. They refer you. They know who to refer you to.
They invite you onto their podcast. They want to interview you for their YouTube show. They don't blink at your premium coaching fees. Right?
That changes the narrower you go with your niching and the better you are at positioning yourself for that niche.
Gill Moakes (17:16.386)
And you know what the most important thing is to is like, you stop feeling like everyone else, you stop feeling like you are competing with everyone else. We've all had that comparisonitis when we look at other coaches who seem to have the business that we want, but we don't quite know why we don't have that. Well, you know what? They've probably really niche down. They're probably crystal clear about what
represents an ideal client for them.
They have clarity. Remember what I said earlier? My new favourite expression, clarity is currency for coaches.
And you know what, if you can get to a point where you have the confidence to say, this is who I am, this is who I help, and this is why I'm bloody brilliant at it.
Now we're talking, now we're talking about a coach who is going to absolutely stand out.
Gill Moakes (18:24.738)
So here's what I would love you to do this week.
Have a brainstorm. If you don't have a clear niche, have a brainstorm. If you think you have a niche, but you suspect it's not quite specific enough, have a brainstorm. Use our French at GPT. Great brainstorming buddy. If you're a member of a group, know, use what you've got to be able to get some input for brainstorming on this.
because it's so important. If it's something that you want support with, definitely book a call with me or email me to find out more about the Coaching Business Academy because honestly, in the first module of the Academy, we nail this like you will have never nailed it before. We've just been through a round of feedback from
first cohort of the Academy. We're on cohort three now, but the first cohort have been submitting to me some feedback this week and my goodness, it's blown me away the clarity that they've got now on their unique edge and their niche. Honestly, this is gold, this stuff.
So.
Gill Moakes (19:53.888)
Okay, that is it for this time, I'll pop some links in the show notes. So a couple of links, links that I want to share with you one is obviously to the coaching business academy, like I just note mentioned, the other one is a resource that was actually created by the Institute of coaching studies, which is has loads of different niches that you might like to use for your as part of your brainstorming if you're not clear yet on your niche. So I'll pop a link to that as well.
in the show notes because that's a really handy resource and you know how much I love the Institute so you know that if I'm recommending a resource from someone else it's going to be good because otherwise I'm always recommending my stuff. Yeah I want to leave you with one thing actually if you are still on fence about how deeply you're willing to niche down
I want to leave you with this because the magic isn't in trying to please everyone. It's in unapologetically serving the people you are meant to help. Who are you meant to help?
Okay, time to own your space.
All right. So if you love this episode, please could you think about leaving me a review and rating it I'd be so grateful. And again, if the coaching business academy is the support that you need to help you take this work to the next level, you can absolutely join us. And the link will be in the show notes, as I said. All right.
Gill Moakes (21:40.704)
Okay, have a fantastic week everyone and I will see you back here next week. Same time, same place. Bye for now.
