Today’s guest post is from Seth Godin. Earlier this week Seth was talking about the choice businesses must make when deciding what market they are going to serve: a passionate group or a mainstream one.

photo credit: sherseydc

Are you the local cafe that serves coffee, or are you the best place to get the best, gourmet coffee anyone can find within 100 miles?

Do you sell any old religious item that can be found in any store, or do you sell only high quality items that aren’t made in China?

Do you sell mountain bikes that someone can find at Wal-Mart, or do you sell only the finest Rocky Mountain custom mountain bikes to people who wouldn’t dream of buying a bike “off the rack”?
It’s an important choice, especially given the things we talk about here.  One of those markets requires you to be a lot more personal, to have a much stronger relationship with your clientèle.