For about two years, I’ve been focused on the Credit Union industry as the target market for my company, The Reluctant Networker. I’ve been developing specific products to fit their needs, I’ve been calling on my contacts in the industry to get their advice on how I can better serve them. I’ve even reached out to decision makers at various institutions to interview them to find out how they use networking in running their organization. With this latter effort, I turn around and write up an executive profile that I post on my blog and social media. I also send it to the interviewee to do with as they please.
I’ve begun to see some minor success in this area. Here’s the funny thing, though. In pursuing my target market, I’m also becoming known in some associated markets. One of my executives posted her profile to LinkedIn where one of her contacts, an officer at one of the Chambers of Commerce to which her credit union belongs, read the article. She thought her Chamber members would benefit from hearing these same ideas.
Shortly after that, an association of financial professionals in the healthcare industry also contacted me to speak at their Fall conference. Guess where they heard about me? Yep, that same executive profile.
It’s funny how when we talk about dedicating ourselves to focusing on a single narrow target market, we feel a lot of resistance. It feels like we’re giving up on so many opportunities. The irony is, by the very pursuit of that market, we become known to a much larger audience — an audience which might come calling, hoping to buy.
This article appeared originally in the March 2017 issue of the Connext Nation Newsletter.
Photo by Wikipedia user Sensor.
