I think we’ve all heard this phrase before in some place or another. In watching how online businesses are continuing to grow, particularly in the area of freelance work, I’ve decided that this way of doing things is pretty bad.
Let’s say you are a copywriter. You offer services including press release writing, article writing, blog post writing, sales page writing, copywriting reviews and editing, proofreading, and more.
That might seem a little outrageous to you, but believe me this really happens. Just the other day I became curious about what getting some content written for me would cost and I was appalled; not by the prices, but by how much these copywriters professed to be able to do. Can they really do ALL of those things very well? Maybe, but probably not.
If a person needs a sales letter and has the decision between you (who professes to do anything and everything) and someone who specializes in only sales letters; Who do you think they will choose to give their business too? I would choose the specialist, maybe I’m weird I dunno.
Shouldn’t you strive to be the best at what you do? Don’t you want to be the go-to person in your area of expertise? This is hard if you claim to do it all. Does Naomi at Ittybiz claim to know how to successfully run and market for a Fortune 500 company? No, she specializes in small business, and I think shes the best in her niche. I’m not the only one who thinks that either.
Don’t water down your talent, influence and reputation by spreading yourself out too far.
Instead of being a jack of all trades, master of none… Why not be the best darn sales page writer out there? Why not write the most engaging and well researched articles available?
Find your area of expertise, build your audience/followers/clients, and focus on that. The idea is quality, not quantity.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Good post, Nate. I agree for the most part. Some areas of expertise are closely-related enough to combine into your “thing” but it’s really easy to spread yourself too thin. Totally agree with your IttyBiz example, too. Naomi rocks! Every time I visit her blog, I either learn something valuable, or laugh until I’m crying. Usually both.
@ Tammy – You are certainly right about some areas of expertise being closely related enough, perhaps people just need to put more thought into new products or services and the effect they could have before they pursue them.
And yes, the same thing happens to me over there at IttyBiz; and it’s almost always both.
Nate,
Great observation. If you go with someone who specializes in one or two related areas, you know what you’re likely getting. But if you go to a jack-of-all-trades, it might be a gamble…maybe not in all cases, but, like you, I’d probably choose the specialist.
Scott