“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best option is today.”
~ Anonymous
“I told you once before that there were two times for making big money, one in the up-building of a country and the other in its destruction. Slow money on the up-building, fast money in the crack-up. Remember my words. Perhaps they may be of use to you some day.”
~ Rhett Butler
Are You Worried About the Economic Impact of Coronavirus, Bushfires, and other Disasters on Your Business?
You’re not alone.
Many business owners around the world are nervously watching the stock market and wondering what will happen next and whether their business will still be around in a year’s time. I get that… and you’re especially likely to feel depressed and anxious if you are watching the news and talking to other people.
Here’s why:
- The purpose of journalism is to make people anxious. Good news doesn’t make headlines and positive news stories are often labelled as Pollyanna-isms. Fear and disaster make much more impact than recovery and resilience. Even when there is truth behind the story, it’s still one-sided.
- The business owner attending a networking event or discussing the outlook with peers is likely to be called a liar, an ostrich, or an opportunist if he doesn’t join the chorus of Cassandra’s foreseeing doom.
What I’m not saying…
- Just keep on with business-as-usual and don’t change anything;
- You won’t have to make any tough decisions;
- It doesn’t matter what is going on around you, if your business is sound today, you’ll be fine tomorrow.
I am saying that panic doesn’t solve anything and that panic stricken actions will lead to business disasters. Whatever your business structure and industry is, now is a good time to look around and ask:
- What doors or opportunities are closing in my market and industry?
- What doors or opportunities are opening in my market and industry?
- What action do I need to take to position myself advantageously?
- What do I need to discover or learn, or what knowledge do I already have that I can use in this situation?
- Is my market segment really dying?
It’s not until you’ve carefully answered those questions that you need to worry… And even then… You’d be better off taking strategic action to recession-proof your business.
So what actions are you going to take to improve the situation?
… if you are a business or sales professional then you know the first place to ramp up your efforts is in your marketing because your customers and your competitors are going to change and if you don’t stay top-of-mind, you’ll lose out.
Direct Response Marketing Methods Thrive on Fear and Uncertainty
Historically, the businesses that survived and thrived recessions are those who listened to their customers and who built solid relationships with them and direct response marketing is the perfect vehicle for relationships as well as sales. It’s a great opportunity to keep your finger on the pulse of what your customers are buying and thinking and respond to the insights they give you.
Hopefully, you’ve already been using direct response marketing so you know what response rate you’re expecting, but even if you haven’t you can quickly learn what you need to know to respond with accuracy and elegance to changing conditions so that you can outplay, outwit, and outlast your competitors and continue to serve your customers for many years to come.
The Biggest Marketing Mistake You Could Make Now is to Cut Back on Your Direct Response Marketing!
Yes, it’s time to market aggressively and cement (or build) those relationships!
You definitely want to use your cash resources wisely so that you’re not scraping the bottom of the barrel to pay expenses, but this is the time to take stock of the marketing assets you’ve been building over the lifetime of your business and think about how you can deploy them most effectively. If you don’t have direct response marketing assets, then you’d better get building. They don’t need to be complicated… It’s better to deploy what you have.
I was talking to a travel agent last week whose specialty is cruises. His bookings have increased significantly, and his profit margins have increased as well, on the back of some strategic direct response marketing initiatives and savvy negotiations that he took on the back of the Diamond Princess disaster.
Last year I received enquiries about Magnetic Marketing and copywriting from several real estate agents on Australia’s east coast… two of them told me it was too expensive (one had already been burned by someone who offered to help them implement the program) but I ended up working with another person who bought the program, then hired me to amplify his results when he saw how effective it was at getting listings and also attracting qualified buyers. He is now the ‘go-to agent’ in his area and he has a wait-list of young agents who want to join his staff.
If You Don’t Already Own the Magnetic Marketing Program…
For a limited time, I can offer you a bonus copy of Dan Kennedy’s Personal Operating System (POS): the principles of time management and productivity he has used to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of consulting and speaking opportunities, write 3+ books per year, thousands of words of copy and hundreds of articles, teach his principles to thousands of people each year and more when you purchase the Magnetic Marketing Program through Hilton Copywriting.
Email support@hiltoncopy.com with the subject line: “How Can I Get Magnetic Marketing and Dan Kennedy’s POS?” and I’ll let you know what you need to do to claim your bonus.
P.S. If your copy of Magnetic Marketing is sitting on a shelf gathering dust… Or still wrapped in plastic on your desk, now would be great time to dust it off and start paying attention to the principles it teaches.
