3 Fast Acting Small Business Marketing Tips During Turbulent Times…

I was on a prep call yesterday with one of our experts for our Influence Mastermind Coaching program.  This person is a success strategist (name can not yet be revealed) who has trained foreign militaries, professional athletes, Fortune 100 CEO’s, worked side by side with Tony Robbins, and acted as the CIO for companies like E Trade, and Bank of America. 

This person, we’ll call him “Larry”, reminded me of a fundamental truth that Wallace Waddles preached when he wrote The Science of Getting Rich, back in 1910: nature is and always will be an abundant store of riches and resources.  

How does this help you in your business when consumer spending is down, loans are harder to come by, business spending is put on hold, and your business has no current strategy for overcoming the possible – maybe inevitable – further crashing of the economy?  

Could it drop to below 8,000, 7,000, or even 6,000?  (Don’t say I and others didn’t warn you.)

Am I trying to stir your fears?  No.  Am I trying to keep you ahead of the game? Yes!

Here are 3 Fast Acting Small Business Marketing Tips During Turbulent Economic Times

1.  Shift Your Market.  It’s always important to consider who we are targeting when the economy is shaky.  Whenever possible, go to those who are last and least affected.  If you sell consumer products, focus on the baby boomers and the wealthy.  If you sell to businesses, focus on companies, businesses or individuals who dominate their markets.  

2. Shift Your Message.  Here is one example of shifting your message… instead of connecting with your current sphere of influence about selling your product, try this: 

Become an information resource for your prospects.  Delivering information is practically free, and everybody wants it – especially in ’scary times’.  

People are even more interested in knowing what they should be doing, thinking, buying, selling, etc.  Whatever industry you are in, use your ‘expertise’ to justify giving out information that your prospects will benefit by.  if you can teach people ways to ’save money’ right now, even better.  When they are ready to spend money, if you have been the person they come to for information, they won’t help but decide you are the one to spend money with.  (Hint: I’m sharing a “long term” perspective here, because to succeed in a turbulent economy, you must think long term.  Everybody else is thinking short term, and that’s why they will fail.  Hear more during our ‘no cost’ teleseminar on the 25th.)

On our ‘no cost’ teleseminar on the 25th, I’m going to be sharing at least 4 steps to becoming an information resource, and how to do this immediately with little or not cost, even no effort. 

3. Shift Your Media.  This will not only save you money, but might also build your customer list faster than ‘traditional’ advertising.  

An example of shifting your media would mean instead of investing heavily in print ads and/or direct mail, go on a spending diet by offering informational telephone seminars.  They are free, attract interested parties only, and also create a personal connection that any other form of advertising doesn’t allow for.  (I’ll be giving at least 2 other examples of ’shifting media’ on our Turbulent Times Telephone Seminar.)

There are some simple resources that would allow anybody to put on effective telephone conferences teaching something of value to a group of prospects, for very little cost.  

If you sold kitchen products, run a call on 7 ways to save money in the kitchen right now.  If you sell financial services -boy is this the perfect time to pick up clients – run a call on what to do and not do during the turbulent markets.  if you sell printing, run a call for local business owners on 3 ways to save money on printing, and 4 tips for increasing advertising effectiveness.  

The point:  Use the current emotions of the masses, fear, worry about money, to position yourself in front of your prospects right now and make sure they know that you are the person to trust, listen to, and eventually buy from when the time is right.

JB

Jon Berghoff is the founder of Global Empowerment Connection.  GEC has a history of creating sales, leadership, and entrepreneurial success through ‘harmonic influence’ over ourselves, others and the world.  Subscribe to Insights on Influence, our free e-zine at www.geconnection.com. 

Tags: economy, Entreprenuership, marketing, Sales, success