Divorce Coaching – The Secret to Success is Picking a Niche

People often mistakenly refer to Divorce Coaching as a niche – when it is really Specialty Coaching.  I suppose from a 30,000 foot level it is like a niche – as it focuses on a specific problem experienced by a defined segment of the population.  But when we drill down on who gets divorced and what their biggest challenges are, we can see that there are some distinct differences between their needs.  The secret to success in divorce coaching is finding the right niche for you.  That requires that you really understand the niche challenges and can help the individuals in that niche get the results they want.

Exploring Four Niches

Here are 4 niches we will use as examples:

• A parent divorcing who has young children
• A mature woman divorcing after a long marriage
• A senior executive in a growing company facing divorce
• An individual divorcing in a high conflict situation

Certainly there are many overlapping concerns among all of them such as assembling the right team to support you in your divorce, getting organized for the process, or deciding what it is you need in your next chapter and being able to articulate those needs clearly.
And there are unique needs for each of these four defined niches.  This means that is you are to attract the people to you that you want to serve, you have to understand how it is they express these needs and how they describe the results they most want so that all of your messaging about your practice can include that.

A Parent with Young Children

For example, when talking to a parent, say a father with young children, the father’s challenge might be feeling prepared to take care of a young child when the child is cranky and sick; or dealing with a co-parent who feels they are the only one who is really able to provide the kinds of attention the child needs; or knowing what to make holidays meaningful to the kids.

A Mature Woman Divorcing after a Long Marriage

A mature women has none of those concerns but may be worried about how she is going to survive on her own, not knowing who she is without her husband, and fearful of taking over many of the jobs her husband managed in their household – from finances to home repair, as an example.

A Senior Executive

A senior executive feels isolated and alone at work and knows there is no one he or she can really discuss their difficulties with; she has to stay on track at work and keep focused on the team getting results and overcome the overwhelm she feels almost every hour when thoughts turn to all of the details of the divorce she has to handle outside of her busy work schedule.

A High Conflict Divorce

And a woman divorcing in a high conflict situation is faced with dealing with someone who is generally not engaged in a rational thought process; and may have been conditioned for year to walk on eggshells or comply with their husband’s demands.  The divorce only exacerbates that and makes daily living almost untenable. And as the parent, even with adult children, she is still trying to protect them from the irrational behavior and demeaning comments of the other parent; and the constant delays and obstacles created in the process of the divorce.

Each of these specific niches requires a different understanding of the challenges and a different response in helping the client find a solution.  The difference will also require different referrals to be made – attorneys who focus on children first, or expert litigators who can deal effectively with high conflict divorce; or therapists who specialize in personality disorders or addictions; or a knowledge of community resources which might be available to support people in transitions.

You as the Go-To Person for This Niche

When you can be seen as the go-to person for helping individuals with these problems, people who know you will understand who they should refer to you; clients will see immediately why they need to work with you; and you will have that aura of confidence that will attract not only people who are part of this specific niche, but also those who recognize that they aren’t but want to work with someone as confident as you!