Believe it or not, some people don’t like me. Okay, maybe it’s not me they don’t like, they don’t like my writing.
They think my ideas “aren’t for them”. My writing style makes them uncomfortable. They don’t think I understand them or can help them.
You know what? I don’t care.
For one thing, I never hear from them. They quietly leave my email list or stop visiting my blog. They’re gone, like a fart in the wind, and will probably never return.
The other reason I don’t care is that they aren’t my target market. I don’t write to them, or for them. If they don’t “grok” me, they probably don’t trust me and my ideas and thus they aren’t going to hire me or recommend me.
If I cared about what they thought and tried to appeal to them, I would have to water down my style or homogenize my ideas. If I did that, I would be doing a disservice to the ones who do like me: my prospects and clients.
So, I ignore them and continue to do my thang. And the more I do that, the more I attract people who like what I say because they know I’m talking to them.
One of the reasons I pound on the idea of targeting niche markets instead of marketing to “everyone” is that it allows you to connect with the people in that niche on a deeper level. By your examples and stories and yes, even your style of writing, they think, “he gets me”. That synergy leads to more clients, more referrals, and more positive word of mouth.
That doesn’t happen when you try to please everyone.
Seth Godin put it this way recently:
When we hold back and dumb down, we are hurting the people who need to hear from us, often in a vain attempt to satisfy a few people who might never choose to actually listen.
It’s quite okay to say, “it’s not for you.”
Write to the people who get you. Ignore the ones who don’t.
Marketing is easier when you know The Formula
