Ep 53 - What Makes People Click, Book, and Buy

Episode Show Notes

Have you ever felt like your message just isn’t landing? You’re posting on Instagram, writing emails, updating your website, maybe even blogging or running ads, but the response isn’t what you’d hoped for. When someone does reach out, they’re unsure, vague, and often just asking, “How much do you charge?” before disappearing.

If this sounds familiar, it might be a messaging clarity issue. In this episode, I dive into why not having a niche, or having one that is too broad or not in demand, could be the reason your business feels stuck. I share my story of starting out as a general paediatric dietitian, what changed when I finally niched down, and how you can apply those same steps to get unstuck in your own business.

Episode Summary

In this episode, I tackle the fear of niching down and why it is the key to clarity, connection, and a thriving business. I talk about how staying broad can keep you blurry and why specificity in your messaging is what makes your dream clients say, “Yes, that is me.”

I share my journey from being a jack-of-all-trades paediatric dietitian to becoming the go-to expert for fussy eaters, and how that decision transformed my business. I also walk you through the five steps to finding your niche:

1. Identifying who you get the best results for.

2. Pinpointing the specific problem you solve.

3. Understanding their audience and emotional needs.

4. Checking for demand in the market.

5. Declaring and owning your niche with confidence.

If you have been stuck in generalist limbo, this episode will give you the tools to finally niche down and create a business that flows with ease.

Key Takeaways

• Specificity is key: Broad messaging keeps you blurry, while clear and specific messaging makes you unforgettable.

• Fear of niching is normal: It is not about locking yourself in a box, but about choosing a direction and building clarity.

• Solve urgent problems: Focus on bleeding neck problems, not stubbed toes.

• Know your audience deeply: Understand their daily lives, secret worries, and what keeps them up at night.

• Demand matters: A niche is not just about passion, it needs to be something people are willing to pay to fix.

Let’s take action

Take 10 minutes today to reflect on your niche. Answer these four questions:

1. Who do you get the best results for?

2. What specific problem are they struggling with?

3. Is it an urgent problem or something they can live with?

4. Are people already paying to solve this problem?

When you find clarity in your niche, everything else falls into place.

I'd love to hear from you, click the link to 'text' the show directly

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Episode transcription:

Sarah Almond Bushell: [00:00:00] Have you ever felt like your message just isn't landing? You are posting on Instagram, you are writing emails, you are updating your website, maybe even blogging or running ads, but you're still not getting the response that you hoped for. And when someone does reach out, they're a bit vague, a bit unsure.

They're usually asking, how much do you charge? And then going off to think about it. Well, if that all sounds familiar, what's likely missing is messaging. Clarity. Clarity about who you help, what specific problem you solve, and whether that problem is something people are actively looking to fix right now.

In other words. This might be a niche issue. So in this episode, I'm gonna walk you through why not having a niche or having one that's too broad or not in demand might be the reason your business feels stuck. You're going to hear my story of starting out as a general paediatric [00:01:00] dietitian and what changed when I finally niched down, and how you can apply those same steps to get unstuck in your own business.

So if you want to become the go-to expert for the right people, this one is for you. So let's get into it. Let me start with a question. When you think about niching down, really narrowing your focus to one type of client or one very specific problem, what's the first thing that comes up for you? Is it fear?

I ask this because I hear it all the time from healthcare professionals, especially those of you working in private practice. You know, they might say, if I choose a niche, I might have to turn people away. Or if I really narrow down what happens if I don't get enough clients or what if I back myself into a corner and nobody wants what I've got to offer?

You are worried that choosing a niche might mean saying no to everyone else. And when you are trying [00:02:00] to grow your business, especially in the early stages, saying no feels terrifying. It feels like you are missing out on opportunities. It feels like you are locking a door before you even know if anyone's going to knock.

And I completely understand that You've trained for years, you've got the skills to help lots and lots and lots of different people, and you care really deeply. The last thing you want to do, is limit your ability to help or to reduce the number of people that you could support, and so you tend to keep your options open.

You say yes to everything. You help anyone who comes your way. You tell yourself that more services equals more reach, which equals more clients, which equals more income. And it feels logical, but it's actually the reason. Your business can get stuck because what no one tells you early on is that trying to help everyone often means no one sees you as [00:03:00] the person to help them, and that's when things start to feel quite heavy because you're probably doing all the things like posting on social media, like blogging and emailing, updating your website for the fifth time, maybe even dabbling with paid ads.

But your diary isn't full. You get the odd inquiry, but they're fairly inconsistent. People seem to feel unsure when they're reaching out. They're really price sensitive. They're shopping around. They'll say, I'll think about it, and then they disappear. Your content often doesn't get the response that you'd hoped for either.

Your Instagram posts get little engagements. Your blogs don't result in more inquiries. You feel like you're working so, so hard, putting things out into the world, but they're just not landing. And often what follows is you start second guessing yourself. Is it your prices? Is it your branding? You may even start to compare [00:04:00] yourself to other people in your field who seem to be getting lots of traction and wonder, what is it that I'm missing here?

And more often than not, what's missing is specificity. It's not that you're not qualified enough, it's not that you are not working hard enough, it's just that people don't understand exactly how you can help them. And the reason is usually this, you either haven't refined your niche or you haven't been specific enough and thorough enough in your choosing.

So, I know what might be bubbling up for you in your brain right now. Do I really need to niche though? Maybe you're thinking, can I just say I help with a bunch of different related issues because I don't really want to put myself in a box and you know, what happens if I choose the wrong thing? What happens if I turn people away and I miss out on some really lucrative work?

Does that sound familiar? Because you wouldn't be the first to say that. I hear this often [00:05:00] from dietitians, especially when they're still finding their feet in business, but here's the truth bomb that no one tells you. Having a niche doesn't shut doors. It actually opens them. It doesn't mean that you'll never work outside of it again.

It just means that your marketing becomes clear, it becomes powerful, and it becomes really effective because here's what happens when you try to appeal to everyone. You actually end up appealing to no one because your messaging goes a little bit wishy-washy, a bit vanilla, a bit forgettable, and you end up saying things like, I help people improve their energy levels and their health, or I support women with their relationship with food, or I help families with nutrition.

And while all of those sound perfectly reasonable, they also sound like every other dietitian on Instagram. They don't spark curiosity. They don't make someone stop scrolling. They don't tap into [00:06:00] real lived experiences. They don't make your dream client think, oh my god, she's talking about me. And that's the bit that you need for them to click for them to book and for them to buy.

Because let's be honest, there's a lot of noise out there. And if you don't cut through that noise with a message that lands like a lightning bolt, your content will just get swallowed up in the scroll. So specific messaging honestly equals clarity, connection, and conversations with people. And that's not just marketing fluff.

That's how people decide whether you are the one that they've been looking for. So let's clear something up because this is where lots of people get a little bit tripped up, and that is just by defining what exactly even is a niche because I hear it all the time. I hear people say things like, my niche is intuitive eating.

My niche is gut health. My niche is paediatrics. Lovely topics. [00:07:00] Brilliant areas of expertise. But here's the spoiler alert. They're not niches. They are modalities or specialisms or approaches. They describe how you work, not who you help, and what urgent problem you solve. So I'm gonna tell you about a client of mine.

She is amazing. She is. Deeply passionate about intuitive eating, all about helping women find food freedom, and when we first spoke, she told me that was her niche. It sounds beautiful, doesn't it? It's heart-centred. It's empowering. It was totally aligned with her values, but it was way too vague.

Here's the thing, food freedom doesn't tell you who the woman is, what she's struggling with day to day. Why is she seeking help right now? It doesn't speak to pain points with urgency, and it definitely doesn't answer the question that every client is secretly asking. Can you help someone like [00:08:00] me solve this problem?

So what did we do? We got a bit forensic here. We dug into who was already engaging with her, who was asking questions, who was clicking on her links, who was actually buying, and it turned out that her most aligned audience were women aged 45 to 50 women who had. Dieted since their teens, they often had either PCOS or metabolic issues.

And you know what? They were completely burnt out from the constant start stop cycle of yo-yo dieting. They were fed up of feeling out of control. Their bodies had changed because of the menopause, and they were at breaking point. They didn't want another diet, but they also didn't wanna feel like they were spiralling, so we took her original message, I help women find food freedom through intuitive eating, and we reframed it, and this is what we came up with. I [00:09:00] help women in their mid forties ditch dieting and feel in control around food again without obsessing over calories or cutting carbs. Boom, everything shifted for her. Suddenly her audience just got it.

They saw themselves in her words, her inquiries tripled actually, and her sales went up as well, and she finally felt like she was speaking to the right people. And I tell you this story because this is what happens when you nail your niche because your niche isn't your passion, your niche. Isn't your specialty?

It's not your personal food philosophy, and it's not a fancy clinical label that you use to describe your work. Your niche lives at the intersection of actually four things. A specific person with a painful, urgent problem that your uniquely qualified and excited to help with, and who's ready and willing to invest in a solution.

And that's it. And when you get those [00:10:00] four things clear, your content starts working, your audience grows. You stop getting ghosted after someone asks about a price and you start hearing things like, I need to so badly. How do I book in? Or it's like, you've been reading my mind, or You're exactly who I've been looking for.

And that is the power of having a real niche. So if you're still clinging onto the idea that helping anyone with gut health is gonna be enough, or you're holding back from niching down because you don't wanna lose opportunities, here's a little gentle nudge, because staying broad honestly doesn't keep you safe.

It keeps you blurry and blurry content just does not convert. A strong niche means standing for something. It means being specific enough that someone can say, yes, that's me, or Nope, not for me. And honestly, that's when your business gets easier because you're no longer chasing [00:11:00] clients. They're actually coming to find you.

And if the idea of choosing a niche still makes you feel a little bit twitchy, well take a deep breath because that fear that you're feeling, that's completely normal. That's exactly where my story started actually. And so I'm gonna take you back to the very beginning, back to when my private practice was still a little side hustle.

I'd finally decided to take it seriously and start building something of my own. So, I was really excited. I was buzzing, but I was also quietly terrified about this because whilst I knew that I wanted to leave the NHS and work on my own terms, I had absolutely no clue of how to actually get clients unless they were referred by a GP or they stumbled across me on the Bupa consultant finder.

So I did what many of us do when we're first starting out. I just said yes to everything. It was cash after all. So fussy eating. Yeah, no problem. Constipation. [00:12:00] You bet I can do that. Allergies? Well, of course. An adult with type two diabetes. Hmm. Yeah. Why not? It could be absolutely anything. Honestly. Weaning weight gain, faltering growth.

I was handing out yeses like Oprah gives away cars, I even remember one family who lived 140 miles away asking for a home visit. Would I lose an entire day of work and travel for that one session? Yep. Of course I did. I said yes, and I did it because at the time, no felt like failing actually.

I honestly believed that being flexible, being helpful was the key to filling my diary, but guess what? It wasn't. Instead, my messaging became really muddled. I didn't really know how to explain what I did because I was just trying to do it all. I'd sit down and try and write my website copy and just stare at the blinking cursor.

[00:13:00] Totally stumped my Facebook posts. That's what I used at the time. They were just all over the place. And Instagram. Well, let's just say the only people liking my content were other dietitians, which was lovely, but not exactly my target audience. And then one day I scrolled past a post by a weaning expert and, something just clicked. So she wasn't a dietitian, she wasn't anyone qualified, but she had her marketing nailed. She had clarity. She knew exactly who she was talking to and exactly what the problem was that she was solving her comments section was actually just full of parents tagging their other mummy friends saying things like, Ooh, this is us, and oh my goodness, you have to follow her.

And meanwhile, I was stuck in this sort of generalist limbo, trying to help everyone, but actually speaking to no one. And that's when it hit me. I was trying to be [00:14:00] everyone's dietitian, and in doing that, I was becoming, no one's go-to expert, and so I got a bit honest with myself who were the clients who really lit me up, the ones that I felt really confident and energized and excited to help.

It was the fussy eaters, not just because I'd seen the impact in clinic. It was because I'd lived it. I knew what it felt like to worry about every single mouthful. I knew the heartbreak that meal times, filled with tension felt like, and I knew the magic that happens when you turn that around within a family. I love the detective work.

I love to do mealtime observations, getting really curious about what was actually going on at the table. Looking at things like sensory processing, looking at things like behavioural patterns, family dynamics. Literally just peeling back the layers and the more that I leaned into that. The more I realized I was [00:15:00] really, really good at it when I surveyed my audience, the number of people who had success was actually really high.

It was up 96%, and so I niched. I went all in. I changed my messaging, my socials, my content. I created a signature method that spoke directly to exhausted parents dealing with extreme fussy eating, and then the floodgates just opened inquires started landing in my inbox from the right people, people who already trusted me before we even spoke.

People who were ready, people who actually didn't need convincing. They weren't comparing prices or asking to have a think about it and chat with their husband. They would read my content and say things like. It's like you've been listening in on our dinner table. I feel like you're in my head. Where do I sign up?

And so I went from being this jack of all trades, paediatric dietitian. You know, I had 22 years of experience, so I could have carried on like that regardless. But what I [00:16:00] did was I changed from that person to become the go-to expert for a very specific problem. And that changed everything. So if you're sitting there thinking, well, this all sounds great, Sarah.

How do I actually find my niche and what if I pick the wrong one? Or what if I go too narrow or actually what I'm just, what if I'm not narrow enough? Well, actually, all those questions are completely valid, and they're the exact ones that I help my clients navigate inside my programs every single day.

But there is a mindset shift that I want you to hold on to. Because choosing a niche isn't about locking yourself in a box forever. It's simply about choosing a direction and going with it. It's a focus that gives you clarity in your messaging, consistency in your marketing, and confidence in terms of how you show up.

And you know what? You probably already know your niche. You just haven't paused for long enough to truly define it yet. [00:17:00] So should we do that next? Why not? Let me walk you through the same steps that I use with my clients to get crystal clear on who they help, what they solve, and how to build a business around that clarity.

So step one, who do you actually get the best results for? That's the question you need to ask. So start by looking at who you already support. So whether that's in the NHS, whether it's in your private work, or even back when you were a student in clinic. You know, just ask yourself, who do I consistently get amazing results for?

Or who do I get secretly excited about helping? Because I know that I can make a real difference to their lives. And this is the clincher one. If I only got paid once my clients had achieved that transformation in their lives, who would I confidently choose to work with? So that last question there, that cuts through all the noise, doesn't it?

It skips the [00:18:00] faffing, the people pleasing, the but what if I picked the wrong one questions? And it helps you zero in on your zone of brilliance because those clients, the ones you love to help and who get epic results, they're your people. So we've gotta start there always. And I'm not saying that you have to offer guarantees or anything like that.

We wanna know who do you actually get the best results for when you work with them. That's where we start. Step two, we then look at what kind of problem we're solving for them. So once you know who you help, the next step is just pinning down what you actually help them with. So this is something that I say to my coach and clients all the time, and if anyone's listening, you'll have heard this a million times and you're probably sick of hearing it, but you've got to solve a bleeding neck problem.

And not a stubbed toe. So I know it's a slightly gruesome [00:19:00] metaphor there, and I'll give thanks to Perry Marshall. This is not mine. But it gets the point across, doesn't it? A bleeding neck needs sorting immediately. It's messy. It's urgent. It's non-negotiable if you want to survive. But a stubbed toe, well, yeah, sure it hurts, but most people will just limp on or they'll DIY it, or they might just ignore it altogether.

And if your ideal client thinks that their issue is a stubbed toe, what they'll do is they'll screenshot your posts, they might download your freebie, they'll read a couple of blogs. They won't book in with you, but if their problem is painful enough that it's keeping them up at night, if it's messing with their confidence, it's affecting their relationships or their ability to function, that will.

So it's the kind of thing that they're Googling at 3:00 AM They're in the forums asking for advice. They're talking to their mates about it over wine or tears, and they're ready to pay for [00:20:00] help. So you need to ask yourself, is the problem that I solve one that must be fixed now, or is it something that people can live with?

For now because urgency cells, and when your niche is built around an urgent high stakes problem, your content doesn't just land. It literally grabs people, and that's when your marketing becomes truly magnetic. Okay, now we're on to step three, and this is about knowing their details. So this is the demographics and the psychographics.

So. We're gonna zoom in a bit here. We know who you help and we know what you help with, and that's a really great start. But we need to get really specific, actually, we need to get creepily specific, but in a good way. So here's what a true niche includes. So demographics, the tangible stuff. So what is their age, their life stage, their job, their health diagnosis.

Are they tired? New moms? Are they men with pre-diabetes, are they teen [00:21:00] athletes trying to balance sport and school? You need to know what their day looks like before you can connect with them in a way that actually makes sense to them. So that's why we need to look at their demographics, the psychographics, the emotional landscape.

This is what they are. Secretly worried about, it's the thing that they are embarrassed to admit even to themselves. What are they dreaming of? What are they longing for? What are they feeling frustrated by? What are they typing into Google at 3:00 AM. Here's what I always say, you should know your ideal client well enough to guess what they're hiding from their partner.

That is how close you need to get, because once you understand both what they're living and how they're feeling, your content goes from, oh, well that's quite nice info to, wow, how did you even know that? And that is how you build trust. Okay, step four, [00:22:00] we are checking for demand.

So it's time to put your business hat on. Now you found your person, you've defined the problem. Now we need to answer this. Are people. Already paying to solve this problem. Now, this is the part that often gets skipped, but it's absolutely crucial because this is the difference between a niche that's a lovely passion project and a one that actually becomes a sustainable business.

So here's how you do that. First thing you do is you Google it. You look to see if there are books on the topic. Are other people creating downloads, courses, products already being sold in this space? It doesn't mean that there's not enough room for you. It's actually a really good sign. It means that people are buying it.

Then we want to hop over into Facebook groups and forums like Reddit and just listen. What people are asking about is this problem being [00:23:00] brought up and discussed quite a lot. Then number three, we're gonna look at our competitors. So we are not gonna copy them, but we are going to use what they are doing to confirm if this is working for other people already, because that is a really good sign.

And your sweet spot is the overlap of those three things. So it's something you care about, something you are skilled at, and something people are willing to pay to fix. And when those three come together, that's your niches sweet spot. That's when things really start to work for you. And then the fifth and final step is to declare it and to own it.

So you've gotta be brave. Now. You've done the thinking, you've joined all the dots. Now it's time to stop hiding behind, I do a bit of everything and start owning your niche. So you're gonna need to update your Instagram bio and your Facebook page. You need to tweak your website [00:24:00] to reflect what it is you actually do.

You need to write content that speaks directly to your person. Use their words, not polish, dietician speak. Say what you do with clarity and confidence, even if your voice wobbles a little bit at first, which it might do. Because this is the truth here. It might feel scary, and yes, you might worry about losing potential clients and turning people away, but when you're speaking to everyone, nobody really hears you.

When you speak to someone, some one person, you become unforgettable. And that is the magic of a niche. It gives your dream client the chance to say, yes, that's me. I need you. When can we start? And that's when your business starts to flow with less stress, with more impact, and actually far more ease. All right, let's wrap this up with something that you can actually do today, because you know me.

I'm not here for just the [00:25:00] motivational stuff. I like to back everything up with an action step. So here's what I want you to do. Just take 10 minutes, that's all. Grab a notebook or open a Google Doc or hit record on your voice note. While you're out for a walk, because who says business clarity can't come with a bit of fresh air and a flat white, hey, and I want you to answer these four questions. 

 So number one, who do I get the best results for? Not just who can I help, but who do I help Brilliantly. Where do I feel in flow with that? Where do I feel confident, competent, and totally energized? That's your first question. The second question is, what specific problem are those people struggling with?

And be honest here. Be detailed. Go beyond relationship with food and dig into what's actually keeping them. Lying awake in bed at night. The third question is to ask, is this a bleeding neck problem or just a stubbed toe? Do they need it solving now or can they scroll on? Save [00:26:00] your post for later and forget all about it?

And then the fourth question is, are people already paying for help with this?

This is to help you work out if there's a real demand in the market. Are other people thriving in this space? They don't have to be other dietitians or healthcare professionals. We just want to make sure that people are already paying for help with this particular problem. That's your green light. So if you can answer those four questions clearly, you're not just playing with a niche idea.

You're actually building the foundations of a business that actually works. And this is the bit that I want you to tattoo on your brain. Specificity is what makes your message land. Demand is what makes your business thrive. And we've gotta put those two together because when you do, that's when your marketing becomes easier.

That's when your sales get smoother. You stop chasing and you start attracting. And yes, you actually start making decent money. So with your contents, feeling a bit meh, if your [00:27:00] bookings are a bit slow, if you've been stuck in that. Generalist limbo. This is where you've got to start. So 10 minutes, four questions.

Massive clarity. So there you have it. If your business has felt a bit stuck lately or your content is not landing, or if people keep asking, sorry, what is it that you actually do? The answer isn't to work harder. It's to get crystal clear, because the moment you stop trying to help everyone and you start speaking directly to the right person with the right problems.

That's when it all clicks into place. Your messaging sharpens, your content connects with people. Your dream clients start raising their hands and saying, yes, I need this. And when you build your niche around a problem, people are desperate to solve. Your diary fills up and your confidence grows with it, and your business starts to feel easy and fun more for you, because vague messaging will bring vague results, unfortunately, but clear specific in [00:28:00] demand messaging. That's the bit that builds a thriving value led business. So if you've been waiting for a sign to finally niche down, this is it. Alright, bye for now. I'll see you in the next episode.