Niching Down: Jessie Van Breugel’s Three Questions for a Profitable LinkedIn Presence

In a recent LinkedIn post, jessie van breugel explores a foundational approach to building a successful client base on the platform, emphasizing clarity over volume. Van Breugel frames this method as essential, preceding even profile optimization or content creation.

Van Breugel introduces a framework designed to sharpen a business owner’s focus, which they refer to as the “One-on-One Method.” This method hinges on answering three core questions before any other marketing efforts begin. As Van Breugel states:

“Who do you actually help? 1) What do you get them? 3) How do you do it in a way nobody else can?”

The author argues that neglecting these fundamental questions leads to wasted effort and a failure to connect with the right audience.

The Perils of Vague Targeting

Van Breugel highlights a common pitfall among founders who provide overly broad answers to the first question, “Who do you actually help?” Often, responses like “coaches” or “business owners” are cited as insufficient.

“That’s not a who, that’s a phone book,” Van Breugel writes, emphasizing the need for extreme specificity. The post elaborates that effective targeting involves identifying “the specific person, in the specific situation, at the exact moment they’ll pay to get out of it.” This level of detail, according to Van Breugel, ensures that marketing efforts are directed toward an audience with a genuine need and willingness to pay for a solution.

Distinguishing Activity from Outcomes

The second question, “What do you get them?”, is crucial for differentiating between selling mere activity and selling a tangible outcome. Van Breugel uses the example of “I help with LinkedIn” versus “I get you 3-5 qualified calls a month without chasing anyone.” The latter, representing a clear, desirable result, is what clients are willing to pay for.

According to Van Breugel, “People pay for the second one.” This distinction is vital for service providers aiming to demonstrate clear value and attract clients who are focused on achieving specific results rather than simply engaging in a process.

The Power of a Unique ‘How’

The final question, “How do you do it in a way nobody else can?”, addresses a business’s unique selling proposition or mechanism. Van Breugel notes that this is often the most overlooked aspect, yet it’s critical for standing out in a crowded market.

“Your mechanism. Your take. The thing you’d argue about at a dinner table.”

This element, as Van Breugel explains, is what differentiates a business from competitors offering similar services. It’s the unique approach, perspective, or proprietary method that forms the core of a business’s distinctiveness.

The Long Game of Clarity

Van Breugel underscores that arriving at these three clear answers is not a quick task. It often requires “weeks of back-and-forth: testing lines, watching who replies, cutting the ones that pull the wrong people.” This iterative process, which precedes the development of profiles, offers, and content systems, is presented as a significant investment in building a sustainable pipeline.

The author shares a success story of a client named Julius, who, after clarifying these points, achieved significant results. “He niched down, and the first real result showed up a week later. 6 ideal clients in 3 months. Not because he posted more — because he finally knew who he was posting for,” Van Breugel reports.

Ultimately, Van Breugel encourages readers to “answer all 3 in one sentence each” as a practical takeaway. Hesitation on any question signals a fundamental issue that needs addressing before focusing on content calendars or other marketing activities.