We know there are millions of customers searching in the holistic marketplace for ideas, products and services to make their lives healthier, more meaningful and purposeful. Now let’s start to explore how we as holistic practitioners can tap into this marketplace to build successful and prosperous businesses.
I’ve recently finished reading “The Law of Success” by Napoleon Hill. Written in 1925, this groundbreaking work is the forerunner to all of today’s popular books on entrepreneurship and the law of attraction. Hill conducted extensive research and interviews with business and industry leaders of his day in order to distill their common traits into 16 key ingredients for success. “Singleness of purpose,” what he also called a “definite chief aim,” tops his list. Hill explains why:
[Each person] acts always in harmony with the dominating thoughts of his or her mind. Any definite chief aim that is deliberately fixed in the mind and held there, with the determination to realize it, finally saturates the entire subconscious mind until it automatically influences the physical action of the body toward the attainment of the purpose. … The subconscious mind may be likened to a magnet, and when it has been vitalized and thoroughly saturated with any definite purpose it has a decided tendency to attract all that is necessary for the fulfillment of that purpose.
Hill made it his own definite chief aim to help others uncover their purpose in life and fulfill their potential. He believed our best chance for success in life comes from the pursuit of what we love to do. Consequently, he interviewed thousands of people to help them discover their definite chief aim, asking questions like:
For a holistic business, having a “definite chief aim” goes hand-in-hand with identifying your particular niche market. Says Peter Geisheker in Niche Marketing Strategy: “A niche market is group of consumers or businesses that all have a very specific need or want.” By providing exactly what customers are looking for, demand for products and services naturally follows.
Laura Lake in Defining Your Niche Market suggests some questions for better understanding your own niche:
Also consider your geographic area — if your services are hands-on, your niche may be more local. But even if your business can sell worldwide, don’t be afraid to focus narrowly. It gives you a way to concentrate your efforts and meet the maximum number of true potential clients — the ones who are looking for exactly what you offer.
And now it’s time to write down your niche statement. Your niche statement needs to communicate how what you offer will help improve your clients’ quality of life. It speaks not about what you do, rather about what your clients’ need and how you can help. The distinction may seem subtle, but it makes all the difference in the world to your eventual success.
Susan Reid in How to Define Your Niche for Your New Business shared a fabulous formula for writing a niche statement.
“There are just four things you need to include in your niche statement: your niche, their problem, your solution, your promise. Stated simply, the niche statement formula: niche + problem + solution + promise = success. Here’s what it looks like in more detail:
I/we work with __________________________(your niche),
who haven’t/need to ____________________ (their problem).
If you’re ready to/it’s time to _____________ (your solution),
I/we can/will ___________________________ (your promise).
In going through this process, you may discover that you have several market niches for different aspects of your business. That’s normal. But for purposes of this Adventure, I suggest you start with just one. It will help you harness your power of concentration if you focus your energy on a single, “definite chief aim.” Once you’ve mastered the principles on one aim, you can confidently move on to another.
Once you’ve written down your clear and concise statement, place it where you can see it. Look at it every night before you go to sleep and every morning when you awaken. Since your subconscious is more open to suggestion at the threshold between sleep and wakefulness, these two times of the day are the magic moments for impressing your desires deeply into your mind. Do this every day, and in just a few weeks you’ll begin to see shifts occurring in your life.
In upcoming weeks we’ll begin to formulate a plan to bring your “definite chief aim” into reality, so stay tuned!
Questions to Consider
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This is really important and I’m glad you took the time to put it together. I work on this material every day and have written on this subject in “The Career Astrologer” in every issue since 1989.
Often astrologers struggle to earn a living because they have not clarified their intentions or understood their market. This is one of the reasons we formed OPA, the Organization for Professional Astrology….join us. opaastrology.com
The Astrologer is so dedicated to their craft, the figuring of the planets and their proper interpretation for the client, that they isolate themselves in various ways. In any casual conversation we forget to mention the benefits of what we offer, preferring the conversational isolation of astrological jargon.
The opposite tack, that of carefully integrating the language of the prospective client helps to get the point of your expertise across more quickly. Consider also the seasons and holidays, and hook your consultation to the experiences of the current moment and culture to maximize a tailored “target” in time and space for the all-important marketing message.
Your example exercises are excellent for getting the process of presenting and selling to someone who is not familiar with “progressions” or “solar returns” to formulate a message that clearly says, “This stuff is beneficial (to you) because… ” Now, if astrologers could just start with their “services” page and name it “benefits” instead, we’d be on our way.
In a deep conversation with a friend experiencing Neptune on her Venus within the context of her marriage, I sent her to a top astrologer who could most clearly consult with her, and provide a deep insight. She called this astrologer on my reference. After a few minutes’ conversation, the astrologer spelled out the link for her services page and sent the client there for the answer to the final question, “How much do you charge?”
The result was “no sale.” Why? Everything on that services page conveyed the education, experience and qualification of the astrologer. It did not address anything about marriage or deception, which were the client’s concerns. The price tag was too high all because the concerns of the client were not there for her to confirm she was in the right place.
Astrologers need to define our primary intent for our clients. Your article is a clear and concise way to acheive some of that goal.