Hey! If you’re feeling uncertain right now, and a little stuck, I wanted to share three things you can do right now for your business to feel busy and productive. And read on for an invitation from me. xo, Leah
“It feels wrong to do anything right now…”
I heard that a lot this week.
I heard it from the coaches and consultants I work with and who are worried, like we all are, about the effects of a global pandemic on not only our health but our economic system.
I heard it from women whose clients are canceling projects, postponing work, and delaying payments.
And in this time when things feel up in the air, the women I’ve spoken to also feel… stuck.
“It feels inappropriate to be marketing myself right now. So what do I do for the next few weeks to stay busy and be productive?”
In the B2B Consultants & Coaches Circle, I did a Facebook Live about this very topic. You can catch the full video here, and here’s what I shared.
The first thing for all of us to remember is that this is temporary. This isn’t going to last forever, and things will go back to normal.
So here’s what you can do right now.
1) Don’t shrink back… get visible instead
In times of crisis, or at least uncertainty, our tendency is to go dark, get quiet, and sort of recede from view. This is the exact opposite of what you should be doing.
In fact, right now is the time to get more visible than ever.
That’s because one thing that hasn’t changed is that your clients need to go through their own education process before they bring on a provider. You need to help them build the Know, Like, and Trust factor with you.
This education process that your clients go through is part of the sales process – in fact, clients go through anywhere from ⅔ to 90% of the education process on their own, before they reach out to a provider.
This education process is totally hidden to you, because your clients are consuming information about you on their own, away from view.
If there’s nothing for them to learn from you, how are they going to learn about you?
That’s what I mean when I say that now is the right time to get visible.
It’s not about getting visible and trying to sell…. That’s the salesy stuff we all hate and can smell from a mile away.
It’s about getting visible and sharing your POV, illustrating how you approach your work, and standing out with thoughtful content that positions you as an expert.
Because when life gets back to normal, clients will hire providers again. And the people who’ve been showing up this whole time will be known to the clients who are ready to hire them and will have that Know, Like, and Trust factor… while those who have been silent will be stuck at the starting line.
2) Focus on your pipeline, and get proactive
I talk to a lot of women who have gotten clients almost in spite of themselves because they haven’t done anything to get clients, clients have sort of just… found them. Or they’ve come through word of mouth.
In uncertain economic times, clients just… finding you… that’s going to slow down for the next few months.
So now is the time to get proactive about filling your pipeline.
And for the next few months, I would recommend increasing your “pipeline coverage”.
I normally recommend that B2B coaches and consultants have 2-3X in “pipeline coverage” – 2 to 3 times as much in their pipeline as they hope to make in the next 6 months. That’s because even in normal times, projects may get pushed or canceled.
That’s also going to happen more now – one of my SIGNED students had 5 big leadership consulting projects postponed until the fall.
So right now you’ll want 3-5X in your pipeline instead, as clients are making tough decisions or delaying payments.
(Read on below to find out how you can do that.)
3) Make sure your work is a painkiller, not a vitamin
A painkiller is something that solves an acute pain, whereas a vitamin is something that we all should be taking, but most of us don’t (um, including me ).
If it’s not clear to clients how your business is different or better as a result of working with you — even in the very first sentence of how you describe what you do — then your work is a vitamin. And clients can go a loooong time without taking their vitamins.
So now is the time to make sure that your work is a painkiller, not a vitamin.
What acute pain is your client experiencing, that your work solves? You need to be able to communicate VERY clearly how your clients’ business will be different as a result of working with you, and how exactly you fit into their business.
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If you want even MORE of this… more details, more things to try, more answers to questions, you should check out the Facebook Live I did on Friday in our private B2B Consultants & Coaches group – you can find that here.
And if you’re ready to get a strategy in place that you can start implementing right now to set up your business for success during times of uncertainty and beyond, I’m teaching a live workshop this week called “Become A Sought-After Consultant on LinkedIn”… and you’re invited.
You’ll learn simple strategies that position you as an expert, helps your clients start learning about you, and brings your ideal clients TO YOU.
This is the exact strategy I use in my business, every day.
Since you’re on my subscriber list, all you have to do is click one of the links below and you’ll have your seat saved for you.
And if you show up LIVE you’ll get a special BONUS gift: My 25 Highest-Performing LinkedIn Posts – grab them, tweak them, put them to use right away. (But it’s only for those who show up live!)
Click the link below to save your spot now:
>> Register for the Tuesday, March 17th 2pm EST / 11am PST Training – Click Here << >> Register for the Thursday, March 19th 12:30pm EST / 9:30am PST Training – Click Here << We are here for you. And we can all support each other. If there’s anything I can do to support you right now, please send a message and let me know. See you this week, Leah
