Should Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners Market More Than One Offering At a Time?

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]too-many-offersHave you ever heard the saying “too much of a good thing is a waste?”  I have and I have to admit, the more I think about it I am starting to agree.  You see, I used to say “no, no way could too much of a good thing be a waste,”  but then I got to thinking it all the way through.  More specifically, I started looking at it from the business owner vantage point and then it hit me:

If you’re trying to do too much or offer too much, it is a waste because then people will look at you like you’re a generalist and not a specialist.

I once was out networking and I met a woman who, when I asked her what she did, proceeded to tell me no less than 7 things that her company did.  And they were not a natural progression, these 7 things.  Imagine someone answering the “what do you do?” question this way:  I’m a financial advisor, event planner, image consultant, life coach, adult toy distributor, massage therapist and book editor.  Once I picked my jaw up from off the ground and said, “Oh my.”  I began to look for someone, anyone, to rescue me from that woman. The end result was that not only was I confused because the offerings weren’t congruent but her “supposed” expertise was watered down because she was trying to do too much.  I was probably a bit forward for doing it, but I told her the same thing I going to say to you:

Pick a lane and stay in it.  And more importantly ride it all the way to the bank. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

You see, I believe that small business owners and entrepreneurs don’t specialize because they buy into the fallacy that if you narrow your focus you’ll leave money on the table. But the fact is, when you’re doing too much, you’re not making ANY money.

And I know lots of small business owners and entrepreneurs believe this too, which is why I couldn’t wait to answer Adreana’s question:

“Hi Darnyelle.  I fear that this may be a loaded question but I’m going to ask it anyway.  Can you market too many programs at once?”

Watch my response to Adreana’s question in this week’s episode of Incredible Factor TV:

Like I said in the episode, my answer is Yes and No.  And it depends.  If we are talking one on one offerings that are shared via a phone conversation or discovery session, the answer is yes.  You want to have multiple options to meet your ideal clients needs.  You want to allow them to pick the best way to invest in themselves through your products and services.  For your client offerings, you want to have a few options that after you  assess their needs you can offer what is the most viable option to solve their problem.  In this case, one option equals take it or leave it and most will leave it.

But, if you’re talking about doing a product launch with mostly an online strategy, the answer is no.  You want to have one robust offering to share that will meet the needs of EVERYONE who falls into your Audience of One™ for that specific offering. In order for a product launch to work, you have to have done your due diligence to identify the ideal recipient of your offering.  You must speak directly to them with your marketing and when they respond you want to give them the ONLY choice they need to solve their problem – yes, just one choice.

Keep in mind that there’s nothing inherently wrong with having more than one option for clients to engage with you because it’s not likely that one solution will work for everyone.  BUT you’ve got to be strategic and clear with your messaging to avoid confusion for your Audience of One™.

To keep everything straight, you’ll likely need to create a launch/editorial calendar so you know when you’re focusing on what.  And you have to be clear about what is for whom so that you avoid confusion.  When it comes to launching a new product or service, you should only be focusing on one thing at a time.  You want to be clear on the who, what, when, and why for that specific launch offering.

So, should you market more than one offering at a time:  “Yes” and “No” and “It Depends.”

Thanks for letting me clear that up.

Now I want to hear from you, what’s your two cents?:   
How do you feel about marketing too many programs at once? Have you done it?  What were your successes and lessons? What would you add that would be helpful to the Incredible Factor community?

©2014 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, MBA, The Incredible Factor Speaker, Business Coach and Marketing Mentor, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises.com, Incredible Factor University® and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System®, a proven step-by-step program for more clients, more income and more leverage in your business. For more information and a FREE audio CD “7 Critical Mistakes Entrepreneurs Must Avoid When Unleashing Your Incredible Factor So You Attract More Clients, Make More Money and Gain More Leverage” just fill out the form below.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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