Law of Expansion - Persuasion Strategies - Pt. 10

This will be the final installment in my Persuasion Strategies series.

Today's Law of Persuasion, the Law of Expansion, was triggered by the current news in the stock market. Right now, things aren't looking too rosy economically are they?

And if you're a typical business owner, you may be worried about how the economy will affect your business. If you're not worried, you know something I don't know!

What do we do when we worry? We contract, we pull our heads inside our shells and hope things will change. If things don't change, we worry more and contract even more.

Another way of saying this is that we put all our concern and attention on ourselves, our survival. This seems to be the right thing to do, but it's not. It's the exact opposite of what you need to be doing when the economy is contracting.

When things are contracting, the best strategy is to expand.

If you have an expansion strategy you are seen as more visible, more credible, and more valuable. Expansion doesn't necessarily mean spending a lot more money on marketing. It may mean doing many more low-cost marketing activities.

I'll bet you could expand the following activities by 10% to 20% in your business in the coming months:

Networking

Networking will never go out of style because it creates business relationships faster than anything else. The Woody Allen rule: "80% of success is just showing up." Show up at more social and business functions and be ready to talk about your business.

Resource: Filling the Pipeline

Follow-Up

It doesn't take a lot of money, time or effort to pick up the phone but it can have a huge impact on your business results. You need to master the telephone follow-up if you want more appointments, more sales and a steadily rising income.

Resource: The Art of Telephone Follow-Up

Strategy Sessions

A strategy session is a meeting with a prospective client to explore working together. The old paradigm was 'sales meetings.' Instead, position strategy sessions as a complimentary, yet valuable service. "I'd be happy to meet with you to explore the opportunities to grow your business."

Resource: Free Sessions That Sell

Presentations

Talks, speeches, and presentations of all kinds have always been effective marketing tools as they give prospects a no-risk sample of what you're offering. Speak at chambers of commerce, professional groups and service organizations. There's no better strategy for positively increasing your credibility.

Resource: Speaking as a Marketing Tool

Web Content

You probably already have a web site. But is the content doing its job? Is the information on your site giving your visitors what they're looking for? Is it stimulating them to take action? Is it generating new, qualified leads? If not, it's time for a content overhaul. It won't cost you much, just time.

Resource: The Web Site ToolKit

TeleClasses

A teleclass is simply a presentation by phone. Last week I did one with about 100 participants from my home office here in Boulder Creek California. Cost: $0. If you haven't caught onto teleclasses yet, it's not too late to learn. You can connect with prospects around the world and share the value of what you offer.

Resource: The TeleClass on TeleClasses

Yes, the same things you need to do in a good economy, you need to do in a bad economy. But you need to do them better and do them more frequently. You need to expand, not contract.

To make it easier on you, you can get any of our high-value, low cost marketing products and programs for a discount of 25% this week only. Just click here: Marketing Expansion Sale

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The More Clients bottom line: When the economy is contracting, it's no time for you to contract as well. In fact, you want to expand. Expand your visibility, your credibility, your value, your offerings.

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What expansion strategies are you planning for your business? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Comments

[mjballou]

Just what I needed to read! Complimentary CDs were delivered to potential corporate clients today.

[Louise Barnes-Johnston]

Your article is a breath of fresh air Robert! I'm sick & tired of hearing nothing but doom & gloom. I agree absolutely that we need to keep on taking action; perhaps be a little more creative than in the past; and watch out for the opportunities that are still out there.
Thank you for brightening my day.
Louise