Have you been wondering what would take to grow your business at a rate faster than the market? Many business owners keep their nose to the grindstone. They work hard at their craft and delight in serving their customers. Unfortunately, though, working that hard takes time away from building the business in more time-effective ways.

Sure, you go to networking events, make phone calls (you do make calls, don’t you?), maybe advertise in certain places, or encourage people to make referrals on your behalf. But still, not enough profit in your bank account leaves you feeling exhausted, confused, and frustrated. “What’s a body to do?” you ask.

In my more-than-a-decade of helping business owners improve their situations, I’ve discovered that it takes three things to rise above the herd and outpace the market in terms of sales in your category.

1. A killer niche
Without a clear niche, you’ll likely never make any headway in your industry. People will struggle to understand what you do and won’t know why they should work with you versus any other provider of… (you fill in the blank).

You will likely struggle yourself to position yourself against the competition. Your lack of clarity will keep your confidence level suppressed, resulting in timidity. Your message to the market will be muddled. No one will hear you. No money will flow to you. Sales will come only through a lot of hard work.

2. Pricing that maximizes your profits
When you’re crystal clear about who you serve and how, your next challenge is packaging your products and services to garner the highest levels of profitability for your business. You may struggle with this, doubting your “deservability” factor. Perhaps you hear a voice in your head shouting “Who do you think you are?!?!?”

That doubt can cause you to leave money on the table. A clear niche will make you appeal to people who are ready to work with you. When you understand their issues and have solutions for their problems, they will place a high value on your work and happily pay you for it.

3. A business plan to monetize the first two
Many business owners, even those who know what they’re worth, have floundered because they lack insight on what it takes to take a product or service to market. Let’s face it, you have to do some sort of marketing in order to gain the visibility you need to land clients. They won’t just fall in your lap because you’re a good person. You must have a proactive plan that includes goals and action steps to achieve them. The Get Clients Now! strategy works because it lays out a framework for making your mark on the world.

Once you have these three elements in place, life and business success can finally become attainable.