In 2004 (I think) I wrote a “special report” about the PROFIT strategies of drug dealers and prostitutes. After all, these folks can’t exactly “get their name out there,” or advertise in the yellow pages or (a more current example) advertise on facebook… at least not in most areas in the United States.
In the report, I spoke to the fact that people will (cheerfully) PAY for that which they have the LEAST of. Interview any madame worth her weight in salt, and she’ll tell you that she sells “sex” but what men REALLY pay for is something else entirely.
Back then, the commodity that was MOST lacking for humanity, that “thing” that they would be willing to cheerfully pay for was undivided attention. While wives were “freed up” (by the pill) to have recreational sex with their husbands in the 60’s — which incidentally made QUITE A DENT in the oldest profession at that time — by the 2000s the “problem” had shifted. Women were free to have sex without fearing pregnancy, BUT they were burdened by something else. The role of women had EXPANDED (from 1960’s on…) to include SO MUCH MORE. Many women were working outside of the home while STILL being the primary caregiver and home keeper. So, it wasn’t NECESSARILY the sex these men sought, but the ATTENTION.
*****Side note: I am not justifying a married man looking for paid sex. I think it’s despicable. And I am not making an excuse for these men. “Poor guys…. starved for attention.” lol… I am MERELY stating the facts of one industry and how the WILLINGNESS to pay for that which we have too little of…. plays into your marketing. *****
The drug industry is similar. The TYPE of drugs being used — and gaining in popularity — always reflect what we as a society have too little of.
So, back to YOUR business,
which I trust is NEITHER
sex nor drugs. 
What will YOUR people pay CHEERFULLY and HANDSOMELY for?
The ALWAYS answer: That which they have the least of.
The RIGHT NOW answer: Certainty, Confidence & Optimism.
This applies not only to politics and medicine, but coaching and speaking, dentistry and attorney services, consultants and veterinarians, therapists and personal trainers, plumbers and financial planners.
Right NOW,
at THIS MOMENT,
your people need to see
CERTAINTY from you plus
CONFIDENCE
and OPTIMISM.
They need to be reminded of who they are,
what is possible for them,
and how you can help.
They need YOU to BRIDGE their own certainty / confidence / optimism gap, which we all have. This does NOT give you a license to lie to them. This DOES require you to figure out where your OWN certainty and confidence and optimism lives. This requires you to PUT IT ON display, to OOZE it, to nourish it in your own heart and spirit … and in theirs.
So, certainty. What are you CERTAIN of? Pertaining to your work and what it can bring to your market… explore the boundaries of your own certainty. For instance, the viru$ is what it is. I can’t contain it. I can’t make it go away. And Governors can be unpredictable. If you are in a heavily governed (usually licensed) industry, you may have SERIOUS implications — even moving forward — based on shut down orders, etc. BUT I am certain (and have proven over and over and over again) that I can help you CREATE and UNCOVER additional (Non-regulated) income streams that can help you weather the storm and increase your personal income…. even while others in your industry are shutting their doors.
This is just ONE area of certainty for me. It stems from my personal belief that “There is always something that can be done TODAY, by you.”
What are you CERTAIN of? How is it coming out in your marketing?
Confidence. Are you showing up CONFIDENT for your market? The six “magical” words I have taught now for 15 years are the following:
“I can help you with that.”
WHY so magical? Because people LONG to be told that there is help for them and that you can usher in that help. ESPECIALLY in dark times. ESPECIALLY in uncertain times. ESPECIALLY in times in which VERY LITTLE is “normal.”
So what are YOU confident you can do for / with your market? And how are you communicating this confidence? Because AGAIN, they may need to rely on YOUR confidence as they re-develop their own.
And OPTIMISM.
Guys… people want to know, are CRAVING to hear that it WILL be alright. And, incidentally, it will. We as individuals, we as a nation, we as a collective humanity HAVE endured and made it through worse. We have made it through 100% of our worst days AND….
AND
AND
for anyone WILLING to look,
for anyone whose mind has been TRAINED to see,
there is IMMENSE opportunity right now.
MANY HAVE ASKED IF I HAVE SHIFTED MY WORK
‘IN SUCH A TIME AS THIS’
The truth is, I have not.
I had no need to.
Women who WOW has ALWAYS had a three-pronged purpose:
To ENCOURAGE women entrepreneurs (“You CAN do it!” )
To EMPOWER women entrepreneurs (“You SHOULD do it! It’d be IRRESPONSIBLE NOT to do it!”)
and
To EQUIP women entrepreneurs (“This is HOW to do it!”)
So, no. I’m fortunate that I haven’t had to shift my message. I haven’t had to re-org my content strategy. I haven’t had to pivot much at all despite an incredible shift in circumstance.
And the truth is,
even AFTER this “season”
passes,
your market will STILL need to see certainty, confidence and optimism from you.
So, how will you begin putting it on display?
P.S. Doors to WOW are always open. No “forced” launches with arbitrary “doors closing” messages reminding you that there’s 4-3-2 -1 HOURS LEFT!! No obligatory and always surprising (said sarcastically) “WE BROKE THE INTERNET, so doors will remain open for a bit longer!” lol….
Women who WOW is here.
For the driven ones,
for the rebellious ones,
for those who don’t settle,
for those who won’t give in,
for those who INTEND to live on their own terms
Join us.
