What's your niche?

[Chris Howell]

What's your niche?

What's a niche? I looked up the Webster's definition and saw this: A niche is a specialized market or skill

How about diversified?

There's a difference between being diversified and having a niche. A dollar store is diversified. Their shelves throughout the entire store are filled with diversified pieces of junk made in China! Simply being diversified is not enough. Because MANY of your competitors are also diversified. In fact, their diverse services are often the same as yours. But having a niche skill is different.

So what's a niche? A niche is something that's unique that no other (or at least very few) people are offering. And THAT'S what will bring business to you....because they basically have no where else to go to get the service. A niche skill will also always result in higher income. Think about this for a moment: Which doctor earns more money.....the one who does a general physical exam or the one who can operate on a rare brain disorder? Obviously the specialist is going to earn more. AND....people will come from around the country (and around the world) to see this specialist because they can't get the service anywhere else. The doctors who can only do physical exams are a dime a dozen. Large towns and cities are saturated with them. Many of them either don't make it or barely survive. The specialist's business just keeps on growing and eventually all of their business is by word-of-mouth. They no longer need to advertise or market their services. In fact, they often will get to the point where they have people on a waiting list to see them. That's where we are at.

Remember this: Once you become recognized as an expert, people will come to you.

I recommend that everyone develop a speciality. A niche. It doesn't have to be color repair. But it should be something that's not offered by every other company out there (such as what I see in the Yellow Pages).

Having a niche separates you from everyone else. And it will be what keeps you busy because people who need the service will be coming to you year-round because it's not available anywhere else.

 

[Onfire_02_01]

We follow the IICRC guidelines on how to properly clean a carpet for both residential and commercial carpets. Most in my area don't and just promise clean carpet.

 

[Chris Howell]

We follow the IICRC guidelines on how to properly clean a carpet for both residential and commercial carpets. Most in my area don't and just promise clean carpet.

Nice. Do your customers know this? If so, how do they know?

How do you define this as a niche?

 

[Mikey P]

We're the best, no ifs ands or butts.


and the most expensive.

 

[Old Coastie]

We're pretty dadgum good for a buncha hacks.

Must be blind luck.

 

[Jack Zipper Zerkie]

Dirty white carpets are my specialty and that's from my customers not me. I have that on my truck and cards and do get calls about that. jz.

 

[Onfire_02_01]

Nice. Do your customers know this? If so, how do they know?

How do you define this as a niche?

I will give you an example.
I received a call on Tuesday for a commercial space. The owner knew the owner of a company I bought out. They wanted to get a price so I said. "Well mam, I can tell you right now that I am not going to be the cheapest that you will call (oh, sounding degected), I charge .20 a square foot to clean commercial carpet but I do things that most other cleaners won't do. I clean to the IICRC standard on how to properly clean a carpet. So I will pre-vacuum the carpet, most will not do this; pre-condition the carpet; scrub that into the carpet to help loosen more soil, nobody does this; clean the carpets; and use air movers to speed dry the carpets, again most will not do this. (ok, that sounds great can you come out and do an estimate or how does that work?) Can I come out Friday Morning and measure everything up? (sure)."
I arrived at the office this morning and no joke the first words out of her mouth were "hello, thanks for coming, when can we schedule you to do the cleaning?" I said, well, let me look around your space and get some measurements for the quote first. Once I was done we talked a little and she asked about me coming to clean her house. She is going to check her schedule at home and call me to schedule her house.

My Niche is that I will clean your carpets properly, following proper steps and procedures.
All the companies that I know in my area will only spray, squirt, suck and walk.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

My niche would be wealthy older...but not always older... women who enjoy an older gentleman who can speak in full sentences.
These ladies are mainly looking for someone they can trust, so well groomed, clean and no ponytails, nose rings or facial tats.
These ladies are not price shoppers and the only way you get to work at their home would be a referral from a trusted source. So we charge plenty but don't rip anyone off.
They wouldn't wait 3 months for anything.
They like to talk and they keep adding things for me to do...carpets, upholstery and surface clean rugs if they ask. Sorry rug fags...
They also want their hard floors cleaned and everything protected.
They are my specialty and the niche I fill almost all by myself.
Very little competition there Chris.

 

[encapman]

In my cleaning business my niche has been Commercial Carpet Cleaning along with Commercial Floor Care since the 1980's.

I agree that having a niche is essential. It always served us best to stay dialed in to 1 thing. When folks would ask us if we could clean their residential carpet, I'd say no. Our entire focus - equipment, staffing, the whole ball of wax, was always geared toward commercial carpet care.

For the past 15 years, I've held to the same concept with Excellent Supply. Our focus is COMMERCIAL carpet cleaning products. We don't specialize in residential. Sure, we can cross over into residential a little. But our true niche is commercial.

 

[Cleanworks]

I will give you an example.
I received a call on Tuesday for a commercial space. The owner knew the owner of a company I bought out. They wanted to get a price so I said. "Well mam, I can tell you right now that I am not going to be the cheapest that you will call (oh, sounding degected), I charge .20 a square foot to clean commercial carpet but I do things that most other cleaners won't do. I clean to the IICRC standard on how to properly clean a carpet. So I will pre-vacuum the carpet, most will not do this; pre-condition the carpet; scrub that into the carpet to help loosen more soil, nobody does this; clean the carpets; and use air movers to speed dry the carpets, again most will not do this. (ok, that sounds great can you come out and do an estimate or how does that work?) Can I come out Friday Morning and measure everything up? (sure)."
I arrived at the office this morning and no joke the first words out of her mouth were "hello, thanks for coming, when can we schedule you to do the cleaning?" I said, well, let me look around your space and get some measurements for the quote first. Once I was done we talked a little and she asked about me coming to clean her house. She is going to check her schedule at home and call me to schedule her house.

My Niche is that I will clean your carpets properly, following proper steps and procedures.
All the companies that I know in my area will only spray, squirt, suck and walk.

For that kind of service, you may want to raise your price.

 

[SamIam]

I once had a ball named niche

Or was it zitch?

My ball zitch

 

[BIG WOOD]

What's your niche?

What's a niche? I looked up the Webster's definition and saw this: A niche is a specialized market or skill

How about diversified?

There's a difference between being diversified and having a niche. A dollar store is diversified. Their shelves throughout the entire store are filled with diversified pieces of junk made in China! Simply being diversified is not enough. Because MANY of your competitors are also diversified. In fact, their diverse services are often the same as yours. But having a niche skill is different.

So what's a niche? A niche is something that's unique that no other (or at least very few) people are offering. And THAT'S what will bring business to you....because they basically have no where else to go to get the service. A niche skill will also always result in higher income. Think about this for a moment: Which doctor earns more money.....the one who does a general physical exam or the one who can operate on a rare brain disorder? Obviously the specialist is going to earn more. AND....people will come from around the country (and around the world) to see this specialist because they can't get the service anywhere else. The doctors who can only do physical exams are a dime a dozen. Large towns and cities are saturated with them. Many of them either don't make it or barely survive. The specialist's business just keeps on growing and eventually all of their business is by word-of-mouth. They no longer need to advertise or market their services. In fact, they often will get to the point where they have people on a waiting list to see them. That's where we are at.

Remember this: Once you become recognized as an expert, people will come to you.

I recommend that everyone develop a speciality. A niche. It doesn't have to be color repair. But it should be something that's not offered by every other company out there (such as what I see in the Yellow Pages).

Having a niche separates you from everyone else. And it will be what keeps you busy because people who need the service will be coming to you year-round because it's not available anywhere else.

View attachment 68812

My niche is busting your balls.

 

[Desk Jockey]

We are 85% restoration, its our niche.

 

[PrimaDonna]

We're the best, no ifs ands or butts.


and the most expensive.

Same niche here

 

[Mikey P]

Same niche here

I guess The Best is all relative..

to some it means compared to the local idiots.


for others, the planet.

 

[bob vawter]

i OWNED the south side of Pontiac which has a pop of 60k.......
inside of that south side i had 12 to 18 hunnert steady custys.......

anywhere from 4 to 8 or 9 times a year.......small

little old black widow wimmins that got a pension AND a SS check every month
i was doing grandkids of my first custys

and they callt me MR BOB!!

now that's a niche!!!

 

[Cleanworks]

i OWNED the south side of Pontiac which has a pop of 60k.......
inside of that south side i had 12 to 18 hunnert steady custys.......

anywhere from 4 to 8 or 9 times a year.......small

little old black widow wimmins that got a pension AND a SS check every month
i was doing grandkids of my first custys

and they callt me MR BOB!!

now that's a niche!!!

Don't forget your sponge pants, Mr. Bob

 

[steve_64]

I'm the only cleaner referred by the chamber of commerce.

 

[PrimaDonna]

I wanna call you Mr Bob.

 

[Josh]

I spray the baseboards down real good with my prespray and then rinse them with the wand!

 

[bob vawter]

I spray the baseboards down real good with my prespray and then rinse them with the wand!

a must!

 

[Chris Howell]

Some great replies here and some.....errr.....replies

 

[Harry Myers]

My niche .

 

[Harry Myers]

Some more.

 

[Harry Myers]

One more rug

 

[Chris Howell]

My niche .

View attachment 68824

View attachment 68825

View attachment 68826

Looks good. How is this different from others in your area?

 

[Willy P]

My niche is churches. I do them for $1,000,000 and then discount the job down to a few hundred and donate the difference back to the church in the form of a donation. I won't have to pay taxes for 1000 years. I would never misrepresent anything to a church because I'm a good Christian man.

Oh yeah - I forgot. I light my farts in front of the customer. It leaves a lasting impression and I guarantee they NEVER forget me.

 

[Chris Howell]

My niche is churches. I do them for $1,000,000 and then discount the job down to a few hundred and donate the difference back to the church in the form of a donation. I won't have to pay taxes for 1000 years.

Oh yeah - I forgot. I light my farts in front of the customer. It leaves a lasting impression and I guarantee they NEVER forget me.

Nice. You have a marketless niche.

 

[Willy P]

I'm also an expert at separating buckwheat from bull$hit.

 

[wilpath]

here we go,,lol