There are a lot of problems with having purely generalist positioning.
The main one, though, is that potential clients don’t know what you’re actually good at.
So they’re left to figure that out for themselves—and there’s no way to tell what you’re actually good at until they work with you.
But by then it’s too late.
The best prospects will go to someone who looks the most qualified on paper. They will spend top-dollar with them to do things right.
And that means you’ll be left with the less-than-ideal clients.
The ones who don’t understand just how nuanced the work is to do right—which means they won’t value your work enough to pay you well.
They’ll be price shopping and have unrealistic expectations based on naive perceptions that things are easy.
Yes, I believe you can be a generalist and specialist at the same time. You can build around your best skills and ideal niche until you don’t need to take on other clients.
But that’s largely out of necessity and to hedge your bets while you build a more specialized business.
Having purely generalist positioning is a recipe for running a business you won’t enjoy running. And that means something.
Listen to this 15-minute episode of Mindshare Radio for a more detailed perspective or subscribe via your favourite podcast player