M02.06 Niching into the Niche

About 18 months ago, I started getting Friend requests from Japanese people on my FaceBook page. For years I'd been urging people here to get involved, now finally – in their own time – it was happening. Hurray, at last! Up to then they had all been crazy about a thing called Mixi, an anonymously driven FaceBook-type service that was totally inaccessible to my challenged Japanese-language Self. I thought: "Oh, at last FaceBook has arrived in Japan!" I was curious, so I went online to see how big it was and I got a huge surprise. At the time I looked, only 3% - THREE PERCENT – of all of Japan was on FaceBook. Huh? Then why are so many people around me doing it? Then I got it – anyone who does Alexander Technique, at this stage of its development in Japan, is an innovator type. In 1962, Everett Rogers published a seminal book Diffusion of Innovations which helped lay the foundations for Malcolm Gladwell's much later book Tipping Point. How do phenomena such as FaceBook or the iPod spread in society? In one of the offshoots of this blossoming concept, there's a great talk on TED by Simon Sinek where he also talks about the diffusion of innovation idea, along with some other great ideas. Ideas. That's what we have. So how do ideas spread? By the kind of people who study Alexander Technique! In Japan, they were also the ones to utilize FaceBook first, it's natural. So how many people like this live your niche? Are there innovator types? There will be, because they exist everywhere, but the ratios may be different, although I have no evidence for that. However, the point is, when you consider a niche, recognise that you are seeking out a particular kind of person in that niche. Look at the Alexander Technique world – are all teachers in our community here: reading this blog, doing the worksheets, challenging their ideas about what a blog is, asking deep questions about business, communication and this work? No, they are not. You are here, but you are an innovator, that's my guess. In Tipping Point, Gladwall also asserts – some studies dispute it – that new ideas are spread by "connector" types. In your niche, you are also looking for "connectors" to spread the message. Every one of us has met and loved at least one connecter: these are the kind of people who have vast networks of friends across different areas who love to introduce you and your work. If a connector were to approach you now – are you ready for them? Do you have a plan in place on how you can effectively leverage their enthusiasm so both of you get what you want out of the transaction? Erika Whittaker once told me that Alexander loved to autograph his books with Shakespeare's words: "Readiness is all." In this case, being ready for that person means the difference between a big boost to your business, and a missed opportunity. Are you ready?