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Monica and Travis own Best Friends, a dog-grooming business that they
operate out of their home. Since they started, they struggled for
customers. They placed several ads in local papers, posted notices on
bulletin boards, and used the Yellow Pages. Each ad highlighted how dogs
would get a great grooming job or how Best Friends is the best in town.
Unfortunately, 25 other grooming businesses said about the same thing.
Business was slow.
The prophet Amos wrote, “Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it?” (Amos 3:5 ESV). While I don’t think we need to trap our customers, a bird will not enter a trap unless something good is there, like a special meal. A trap set without any bait may catch something sooner or later, but the well-bated trap will yield greater results.
Best Friends was trying to be everything to everybody, and as a result, was failing at establishing any clear message to their target customers. I suggested that they focus on a segment of the market. Several other competitors specialized in show dogs, so breaking into that segment would be tough. Others had a location in town with convenient hours, which allowed customers to drop off while errands were run, but Best Friends was a bit out of town.
Monica and Travis decided to convert an older van into a mobile grooming studio and to bring the service directly to the customers. Others also offered mobile service, but there were not that many competing in this field.
The last change in the market focus was to create an opportunity for customers, including kids, to watch through a window. The new target customer became stay-at-home moms who had little time to haul the dog off to the groomer and with young children who would be entertained while “Mike” the dog got his bath and trim. Best Friends was able to create a new and different experience that appealed to a specific segment of the market. Over time, as advertising and Yellow Page ads were changed, business grew.
Each business needs to work through the unique hook they create in the marketplace. This is hard work and requires you to take an honest look at your greatest strengths and how you can leverage those strengths in the marketplace.
Paul wrote, “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating air” (1 Corinthians 9:26 ESV). When we determine our niche — those customers we can serve very well — we are forced to stay disciplined. Monica and Travis came to understand that show dog owners would call a specialist and those who wanted to drop off Fido would choose one of the storefront locations. Families with small kids became the bread and butter of their business. Both Monica and Travis were good at putting on a show and had participated in theater in high school. Often, the neighbor’s kids would come down the street to watch, which created a new customer in the process.
It is our human nature to want to drift off and lose our focal point. The key is to stay focused on the key customers you have worked hard to identify and market. Stay focused and don’t lose what you have gained.
In nearly every business some undiscovered opportunity is waiting. Psalm 118:22 tells us, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” While the Scripture is talking about Christ, we can use the example in our businesses. When searching for your special niche, start with inventorying your greatest strengths, those competitive advantages that give you an edge. Then look for opportunities where that advantage will hit an under-serviced market. We can look for stones — those opportunities left behind — and build a strong business.
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