Dr. Lynda Falkenstein     "The Niche Doctor"

The Piano Competition-- 
A Lesson In Niche
When I turned on my local PBS television station the other day to watch a special piano competition, I had no idea I'd be thinking about niche before the hour was over. 
     It was a competition of child prodigies. Each played incredibly difficult and equally beautiful pieces. I watched in awe as their fingers flew over the keys, landing just where and when they were told. But the most interesting part came at the end when one of the judges was interviewed. He was asked a simple question. As he answered, I realized his comments had meaning well beyond the world of piano.
     The question: "What do you look for when you are judging? What do you look for in a winner?" In essence, he said, "Of course, we expect all contestants to lay the piece down with excellence. Their technical proficiency is a basic expectation." He went on saying, "The most important thing we look for is what the contestant has to say about the music." The judge was saying what we already know about the process of making a niche— it's not what you do most often, but how you do it. Your approach. Your style. In this case, not the technical skills of playing the piano, but the young pianists' commentary on the piece. If there is no commentary, the piece is bland, boring, and impersonal.
     As I listened to the judge, I thought about the implications of his comments for each of us growing a business, especially if it's a professional service of some kind. The fact is, technical excellence is a basic expectation. Just as with the piano prodigies, we are expected to have mastered the basics and deliver them proficiently. And similarly, our commentary— what we have to say about what we do— our editorial— is what sets us apart from everyone else. It is that extra ingredient. That overlay of Specialness on the skills, knowledge, and products available to everyone else. The question then, of course, is "What's your commentary?"
           With best wishes from Niche World Headquarters,
           Dr. Lynda Falkenstein