Last week, a consultant told me they spent $3,000 on LinkedIn ads, resulting in zero qualified leads. When I looked at their messaging, I knew exactly why.
If you’re a small team juggling sales, support, delivery, and marketing, here’s the hard truth: you can’t afford to be vague.
Trying to market to everyone is like standing in the middle of a trade show and yelling, “I help businesses grow!” No one hears you or cares because it doesn’t speak to them.
The Real Problem: Vague Messaging Makes You Invisible
Most VARs and consultants say, “We implement ERP for small businesses.”
Okay. But which businesses? What problems do you actually solve? Why should anyone choose you over the eight other firms they Googled today?
Let’s compare what generic versus focused messaging looks like:
Generic: “We implement ERP for small- to medium-sized businesses.”
Focused: “We help warehouse managers at Vancouver-based auto parts distributors eliminate inventory chaos and speed up fulfillment using an ERP system.”
See the difference? One sounds like everyone else. The other sounds like someone who gets it.
The more generic your message, the more invisible you become. When someone in your target industry lands on your site and sees that you speak their language, you’re already halfway to a conversation.
Why Industry Focus Works
When you narrow your focus, your message gets sharper. Sharper messages attract sharper leads.
One of my clients went from 11-month sales cycles to 6-month sales cycles after focusing exclusively on food manufacturers. Why? Instead of explaining ERP basics to every prospect, he could jump into conversations about FDA compliance and traceability requirements.
When you understand one industry deeply, prospects immediately recognize you as the expert who understands their world.
But What If I Still Want Other Business?
You’re not shutting the door on everyone else. You’re choosing where to focus your time and effort.
You’ll still take that referral or inbound lead outside your niche. But your marketing should point in one clear direction. Think of it as fishing with a spear instead of a net – you might catch fewer fish, but the ones you catch are exactly what you want.
How to Pick Your Niche
If you’re not sure where to start, ask yourself three questions:
1. Who was your easiest win? Think smoothest projects, happy clients, no drama. Look for patterns in company size, industry, or specific challenges.
2. Who’s under pressure right now? Are packaging companies dealing with new sustainability regulations? Are food manufacturers scrambling with supply chain transparency requirements? Are automotive suppliers facing tariff impacts? Pressure creates urgency, and urgency creates buyers.
3. Who do you enjoy working with? If you dread every meeting with certain types of clients, that’s not your niche.
Start Simple: The 90-Day Focus Plan
You don’t have to commit to a niche forever. Just test one for 90 days.
Here’s what that looks like:
Week 1-2: Update your homepage headline and create one industry-specific page. Instead of “ERP implementation services,” try something like “Helping Ontario packaging companies cut inventory carrying costs by 30% with ERP.”
Weeks 3-12: Write 1 LinkedIn post weekly with insights, tips, or stories specifically for your niche. Share industry news, regulatory updates, or case studies that matter to them.
Track everything: Which leads come in? How relevant are they? Are your sales conversations faster and more focused?
It’s enough time to see if you’re getting better conversations, a stronger fit, and faster sales cycles.
Ready to Get Focused?
Message me with your top 3 easiest client wins, and I’ll help you spot the niche pattern that could transform your marketing.
Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Pick your lane, own it, and watch what happens to your lead quality.