Listen To My Latest Podcast Episode:
Redefining Success for YOU with Erica Barnhart
jane atkinson speaker launcher

PODCAST

SUBSCRIBE TO JANE'S PODCASTS:

Narrowing Your Lane Fearlessly with Jane Atkinson

Narrowing Your Lane Fearlessly with Jane Atkinson
Listen to this Episode (00:15:58)
1x
0:00
00:15:58
Subscribe to our podcast!
Never miss a new podcast! Subscribe today!

I have read and agreed to your Privacy Policy

Quote: “Being the ONLY choice for your clients is the ultimate goal!” Jane Atkinson

Here’s another quickie podcast to get you thinking about your mindset and some ideas on how to scale your speaking business.

I’ve been pondering about how all of my most successful clients have narrowed their topic to a very niche subject and how it can benefit you as well. On this episode of The Wealthy Speaker Show, I am sharing some tips about how to become the go-to person in your area of expertise.

Narrowing your lane is a phrase that we use often, and we have learned from many successful speakers that it can pay off! It can be challenging or even scary to think about taking options off the table for your clients, but history keeps on telling us that in most situations, it’s the right move.

 

Read Full Transcript

1
00:00:02.190 --> 00:00:15.000
Jane Atkinson: hey welcome everyone to the wealthy speaker podcast today it's just me myself and I and i'm going to do a quickie podcast and the topic is narrowing your lane.

2
00:00:16.049 --> 00:00:33.240
Jane Atkinson: Now, based on all of the mindset work that I have been doing over the past few years, I will say that one thing needs to be in check prior to even starting the process of maybe going a little bit narrow in your lane, and that is.

3
00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:50.670
Jane Atkinson: You need to become fearless about this, you when you come from a place of fear, while making decisions, it does not allow you to go narrow and the benefit of narrowing your lane is that when.

4
00:00:51.270 --> 00:01:06.870
Jane Atkinson: The people who need you find you and they see exactly what it is that they need, they can easily say you become a category of one like Joe calloway says, and they can easily say yes that's my person.

5
00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:17.760
Jane Atkinson: that's the person that we need this is the only person that really does this work, this is what we need, so think about what problem.

6
00:01:18.360 --> 00:01:32.670
Jane Atkinson: That you want to be helping to solve what problem, do you want to help solve ultimately so many of you have it narrowed down to kind of three problems.

7
00:01:32.940 --> 00:01:47.280
Jane Atkinson: And I would say, maybe there's an opportunity for you to go all in on one, perhaps, perhaps not that's, this is just a conversation okay i'm not saying you have to do it this one way i'm suggesting that the people who do.

8
00:01:48.540 --> 00:02:00.240
Jane Atkinson: have benefited from it greatly but but but But what if I don't list this topic on my website and somebody wants that.

9
00:02:01.740 --> 00:02:08.700
Jane Atkinson: Okay, but what if a whole bunch of more people see that you're the expert in this one space.

10
00:02:09.690 --> 00:02:26.070
Jane Atkinson: And and just remember this phrase given to me, years ago, I believe it was a multimillionaire named Peter leg, who told me this little tidbit that has served me quite nicely in my life decisions based on fear are typically wrong.

11
00:02:27.270 --> 00:02:38.250
Jane Atkinson: Okay, so we're not coming from a place of scarcity, when we make this decision we're coming from a place of calm confidence now i'll give you an example.

12
00:02:39.090 --> 00:02:59.460
Jane Atkinson: of someone who probably have all the examples i'm going to give you has benefited the most from going this narrow Greg schenkel I meet Greg and become his coach oh gosh over 10 years ago anyway we're still friends today and.

13
00:03:00.750 --> 00:03:19.530
Jane Atkinson: He is delivering programs on a whole host of subjects everything from leadership to sales and team building and time management everything he's basically got a training company which is fine if you want to own a training company that is totally acceptable.

14
00:03:20.610 --> 00:03:41.940
Jane Atkinson: But he was going broke and very not well health wise and so he decided to pick a lane, and he now had his focus to leadership, which was a really, really, really good move for him, but wait there's more.

15
00:03:43.200 --> 00:03:57.240
Jane Atkinson: He in going out and working the leadership market discovered that there was a niche for him within this leadership round, some of you might have heard me talking about it before.

16
00:03:57.810 --> 00:04:12.840
Jane Atkinson: And he recognized a need in manufacturing and you all know that when you're on a manufacturing line if you do your job really well there's a good chance that you'll get promoted into supervisor role.

17
00:04:13.200 --> 00:04:22.500
Jane Atkinson: or some sort of management and that's what happens and people don't get the job because they're good leaders they get the job because they're doing good they're good at doing their job.

18
00:04:23.070 --> 00:04:32.400
Jane Atkinson: And so Greg saw an opportunity there and went all in even further leadership training for frontline manufacturing.

19
00:04:33.630 --> 00:04:44.280
Jane Atkinson: And what he discovered very quickly, was it was almost like it was just him and maybe a couple of other companies doing this exact work.

20
00:04:44.640 --> 00:04:58.320
Jane Atkinson: He was almost a category of one and so he started to be able to drive these million dollar contracts seven figure contracts and year over a year i've been watching him do that.

21
00:05:00.150 --> 00:05:11.130
Jane Atkinson: Working mostly within manufacturing so that's kind of twofold what i'm talking about is narrowing his lane is lane was originally.

22
00:05:11.670 --> 00:05:22.830
Jane Atkinson: leadership and then kind of even more narrow to supervisor training, but then he added on that the only niche he was going to speak to was manufacturing now, I say that.

23
00:05:23.130 --> 00:05:34.890
Jane Atkinson: But he's also done work for some retail organizations and a few other things kind of using the same types of trainings so he didn't limit himself, I like.

24
00:05:35.280 --> 00:05:45.630
Jane Atkinson: The leader of my school Jen mcdonough talks about 80% of our business is kind of focused on people who do community service.

25
00:05:46.440 --> 00:05:54.330
Jane Atkinson: Community jobs in the Community, so it could be Credit Union she started out speaking just for first responders.

26
00:05:54.870 --> 00:06:00.420
Jane Atkinson: And, and then kind of broadened it slightly to people who serve the Community.

27
00:06:00.990 --> 00:06:16.770
Jane Atkinson: And she said that 80% this 8020 rule I really like 80% of our business is within her focused arena, but 20% is where she just goes and plays for anybody who's anybody in any market.

28
00:06:17.400 --> 00:06:37.110
Jane Atkinson: And so community service 80% 20% you know just getting out there and having some fun with it and finding out that hey wait a second insurance people really like me or real estate or whatever it might be so just know that this 8020 rule might be a good one for you to apply.

29
00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:50.250
Jane Atkinson: kendra hall as you've heard me talk about in the past as well, she has always been only about storytelling.

30
00:06:51.120 --> 00:07:05.310
Jane Atkinson: Now she has adjusted the applications for storytelling i'm just going to pull up her website, right now, so I can kind of tell you what most current thing is so her kind of.

31
00:07:05.940 --> 00:07:18.630
Jane Atkinson: brand is the irresistible power of storytelling and her promises to create change expand influence and inspire growth in business and life.

32
00:07:19.050 --> 00:07:31.200
Jane Atkinson: now used to be a little bit more focused, maybe, perhaps a little bit more with a little bit more service a sales band, perhaps to it and so she has expanded in terms of.

33
00:07:31.710 --> 00:07:54.720
Jane Atkinson: What what the applications are of storytelling but kendra has always been known since the day I met her and she staked her spot and said i'm going to be your next ride esters which she has incredibly well she's you know gone from zero to a million and beyond best selling books.

34
00:07:55.950 --> 00:07:58.410
Jane Atkinson: Massive following on instagram.

35
00:07:59.490 --> 00:08:07.500
Jane Atkinson: And so from minute one though it was always about storytelling always about storytelling.

36
00:08:08.880 --> 00:08:23.250
Jane Atkinson: elaine phrase, she is someone who is long as i've known elaine for over 30 years now, first we were friends and then she coached with me for a few years, has always been.

37
00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:36.960
Jane Atkinson: focused on the agricultural sector and so elaine helps farm families have those difficult conversations about transition and succession planning.

38
00:08:38.040 --> 00:08:50.790
Jane Atkinson: And it's always been the agricultural space for elaine but she's even now to further to really helping farm families transition, and I think that that's brilliant.

39
00:08:51.420 --> 00:09:07.170
Jane Atkinson: it's brilliant when you can say that you've had 30 years in one space and so when they need somebody and they want this particular topic, of course, who they going to go to they're going to call elaine phrase.

40
00:09:07.890 --> 00:09:25.620
Jane Atkinson: Now a new client of mine, Richard Brian he also talks about succession planning, but not just for agriculture it's really based on his own experience, turning around his own family automotive business in the UK.

41
00:09:26.070 --> 00:09:36.810
Jane Atkinson: His family owned a lot of car dealerships employed a lot of people and he took over and turned it around and now he's the person that he wishes, he had.

42
00:09:37.260 --> 00:09:47.040
Jane Atkinson: back when he was taking over his family business so he's coming from that really, really firsthand place so.

43
00:09:47.400 --> 00:09:55.410
Jane Atkinson: He doesn't talk about a whole bunch of stuff and succession planning he's kind of known for succession planning.

44
00:09:55.710 --> 00:10:06.270
Jane Atkinson: elaine phrase is known for helping farm families have difficult conversations kendra hall is known for storytelling Jen make Donna.

45
00:10:07.170 --> 00:10:30.750
Jane Atkinson: is known for resilience and she has had some very particular markets like first responders and then people who work in the Community who she has delivered that to Greg schenkel is known in the manufacturing space as being the go to guy for frontline leadership training.

46
00:10:32.070 --> 00:10:41.940
Jane Atkinson: So when you go to do this narrowing of the lane do it fearlessly do it fearless Lee.

47
00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:58.620
Jane Atkinson: Another client from the UK her name is Charlotte K had quite a number of different topics and she landed in the dei space, and I will say that di, we all know and di be some say.

48
00:10:59.820 --> 00:11:04.830
Jane Atkinson: With diversity equity inclusion and be being for belonging.

49
00:11:06.990 --> 00:11:14.250
Jane Atkinson: Is a good speech her emphasis on that is empathy and equity.

50
00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:36.390
Jane Atkinson: And so she's put her own spin on it and she's getting booked on a lot in this space and I don't see that going away for a while, because a lot of companies have a lot of work to do in that space so good for shola she's coming across the pond quite a bit these days.

51
00:11:37.470 --> 00:11:47.760
Jane Atkinson: heather wealth Lee speaks really has gotten more and more narrow there were a lot of things that she could speak about when we first started working together.

52
00:11:48.240 --> 00:12:03.870
Jane Atkinson: And she's now got it down to empowering women to overcome perfectionism and imposter syndrome, which I think is absolutely fantastic and and so needed out there in the world.

53
00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:07.230
Jane Atkinson: Julie Henry.

54
00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:19.590
Jane Atkinson: talks about how to drive and survive change through her wisdom of the wild which is informed by her work in zoos and aquariums.

55
00:12:20.100 --> 00:12:36.690
Jane Atkinson: Coming at kind of the whole leadership driving survive change from a totally different angle, but she could have spoken on lots of things and has spoken on lots of different things, and has gone narrower more and more narrow.

56
00:12:37.950 --> 00:12:46.890
Jane Atkinson: When you go one of the winners and a client of mine Jason oh Harris, he was a winner in the best website contest, a few years ago.

57
00:12:47.460 --> 00:13:08.790
Jane Atkinson: it's always been about trust trust has been at the core of all jason's work and I love the tagline on his website trust your people like your business depends on it that comes from his background as a military pilot.

58
00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:16.560
Jane Atkinson: there's one more that I really want to share with you amy green Smith.

59
00:13:17.670 --> 00:13:30.090
Jane Atkinson: Her tagline is speak up for yourself, without being a Dick and amy and I discussed, you know whether or not being a little bit edgy in her.

60
00:13:30.510 --> 00:13:42.570
Jane Atkinson: You know, speak up for yourself, without being whatever speak speak up for yourself, without being a Dick is her phrase, and whether or not to put that out front and Center and the thing is.

61
00:13:43.110 --> 00:13:55.320
Jane Atkinson: If she wanted to be like everybody else, then we would have erased it but guess what amy green Smith is incredibly original in her approach to everything.

62
00:13:55.890 --> 00:14:04.890
Jane Atkinson: And it was really important for me, for her to continue being her most authentic self and so.

63
00:14:05.550 --> 00:14:17.910
Jane Atkinson: Not every single conference will adopt that title, but I think that when somebody's looking for a different speaker somebody who was a little bit edgy and.

64
00:14:18.300 --> 00:14:28.560
Jane Atkinson: A little much more creative in terms of the language that she uses, I think that they will bond to be reaching out to amy green Smith, because.

65
00:14:29.850 --> 00:14:59.100
Jane Atkinson: they've seen a lot of the same old same old out there, so how can you narrow your lane, while staying true to yourself and become that go to person as Joe calloway wrote the book becoming a category of one is the ultimate goal being the only choice for your clients is the ultimate goal.

66
00:15:00.540 --> 00:15:11.280
Jane Atkinson: So the spin a little podcast quickie i'm going to do a podcast in the future on questions from you, and I would love to hear what your questions are.

67
00:15:12.210 --> 00:15:21.510
Jane Atkinson: Rather than me trying to figure out a social media network, where all of you are living i'm just going to have you email them to me Jane at speaker launcher calm.

68
00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:32.880
Jane Atkinson: And let me know what your questions are make sure you put podcast for the title, so I know that this is what we're talking about all right we'll see you soon all the speakers bye for now.

 

Highlights you won’t want to miss:

  • What problem do you solve? [0:30]
  • Don’t make decisions based in fear. [2:30]
  • Getting narrower can be profitable. [4:30]
  • You can always adjust. [7:00]
  • This can work for you long-term. [8:30]
  • Put your own spin on it. [11:00]
  • The ultimate goal. [15:00]

If you would like to hear some strategies that will help your clients realize that you’re the best choice for what they need by narrowing your lane, you simply can’t afford to miss this episode!

I hope you’ll download and learn.

Links:

Jane’s email: jane@speakerlauncher.com

The Wealthy Speaker School

Jane’s LinkedIn profile

Sharing is caring!

Podcast Reviews
Our Latest Podcast
Podcast Managed By
Learn more about their podcast services HERE.
Podcast Music Provided By

Now Available

Our Latest Blog Post