Niche marketing is a bona fide and well-tested approach to strategic selling. Some firms have had stellar success building their business around their pursuit of specialized niches. They say it pays to know your niche as well as your name.
Pitchmanship is a term I use to describe how to apply niche marketing principles to pitching yourself in a job search. There are some perilous myths surrounding niche marketing. Similarly, there are dangerous assumptions you steer clear of when you pitch yourself and your credentials for a job.
Myth one: A pitch has to be chic. Don’t assume that organizations are always on the prowl for cutting-edge talent. Some companies posture themselves so low-key that they expect their people to have state-of-the-art skills, but the culture demands they present themselves with “Aw, shucks!’ understatement. Study the organization and the style of the CEO in speeches and articles. It may be impractical to tailor your resume for each and every company you pursue, but your cover letter should reflect some understanding of what the organization is about.
I call this the turtle Wax Lesson because of how this old car-care staple is marketed. Turtle Wax has held a dependable-and sizable-share of the car-wax market for decades. This task is synonymous with something people hat to do. They do it with a product that has a reputations for being harder to apply than others, by exploiting a niche out there of people who literally “love” their cars. What better way to show dedication to your set of wheels than by lavishing care and devotion on the object of one’s affections? Working hard to get a shine that shines through. Romantic stuff, huh?
Turtle Wax-style employers don’t like people with instant, easy solutions. They cherish people who love to apply elbow grease in liberal quantities. And they tend to be skeptical of people who are finished products-people whom they can’t change or polish in their own style. Read More.
For more tips on how to find a job and how to get a job check out my book Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door.
