Anyone can make money when the economy is booming, but when times are hard and customers are inclined to hold their purse strings a little tighter? How’s your cashflow then?
Are you already making plans? Or are you embracing the doom and gloom camaraderie? Settling for a me-too mentality is not acceptable when you’re running a business—not if you want to a successful business anyway.
Knowing how to thrive is tough. It’s a skill that you need to learn, but once you master it, it’s a skill that gives you security for the rest of your life. That is what we are aiming for, the first F—financial security.
How to master the skill to survive and thrive
You’re trying to sell your services to people who are, right now, trying not to spend money. They’re worried; every penny needs to count. If they don’t think spending money with you will count, they are definitely going to be less inclined to do it. You can’t push people to buy from you, which means that they need to see your service as a necessity, not a luxury.
You’ve got to get people to want your help, and see working with you as an investment.
How do you start? If we’re cooking up a recipe for success, there are some essential ingredients. And remember, these are not ‘hacks’ or tricks. Tricking people into buying from you may work once or twice when they feel flush—it’s not a reliable strategy for the long-term, and it’s not a good strategy, ever.
Here’re the first steps to financial security:
- Identify the problem. Find out what really matters to your market—the problems they are facing that they fervently wish would go away.
- Have a solution that solves the problem—and be different from everything they have tried before.
- Be the only solution. Position yourself so that you’re the only place they can get what they need.
Identifying the problem is only the first step
It’s easy to say, “Do this and you’ll have income security for the rest of your life.” They are simple steps, and don’t underestimate how powerful they are. But when you try to apply these simple steps to your own business, you might find it’s not as easy as it looks. And doing it on your own can be even harder. Isn’t just following the crowd—being one of the ‘me-too’ businesses—easier? Well, yes—but are you following them on a downward spiral?
Getting your strategy in place is a science mixed with art. When you get it right you don’t need complex funnels and big audiences. Remember that we don’t want to be chasing the same leads as everyone else. We want to attract the right people to us—the ones who want to invest in us.
When you have the right solution, you hit the sweet spot of getting exactly what your audience desires and at exactly the right time.
So, what will you do now? Are you still indulging in the doom and gloom camaraderie? Or are you going to take the lead in your business and start making plans?
- This article originally appeared here.
- Looking for strategic advice on how to navigate 2023? Sign up for one of Evolve’s Strategy Days here, and let us know how we can help you!