What is your prospect feeling RIGHT NOW?

Depending on your market, it could be any of a number of different feelings.

But you know the headlines they’re reading…

— Coronavirus pandemic.

— Public gatherings canceled.

— Regional quarantine.

— Schools closed.

— Stocks crashing.

If you’re in a health market, especially one that skews older, they’re probably especially concerned about the virus right now.

If you’re in a financial market, they’re likely licking their wounds on their stock losses, and wondering what to do next.

If you’re dealing with working parents, they’re probably a bit panicked about how to manage kids out of school plus their job and what the heck happens with all that.

Some are trying not to panic.

Some are buying a 12-year supply of toilet paper.  (Seriously, Google news keeps feeding me that headline and I refuse to click.)

The dominant emotion?  Uncertainty…

A mere month or so ago, it was unbridled optimism.  Confidence.

We were on top of the world.  The stock market was on a historical bull run.  Unemployment was pretty much as low as it had ever been.

Sure, there were some underlying issues.  But nonetheless, the positive progress persisted.

Today, not so much.

One day, the stock market is up 1,000 or more points.

The next, it’s down 1,000.

In fact, the Dow had its biggest point drop in history this week.  It fell more than 2,104 points, or nearly 7.8%.  That was the biggest decline since the depths of the 2008 crisis.

As I write this, it looks like today could be worse.

What does your prospect want in all this?

Hope.  Confidence.  Certainty.  A return to normal.  A return to optimism.

Safety.

In my Emotional Direct Response Copywriting course, I talked about our SHADOW.

That is, our repressed nature, the part of us we don’t want to admit.

The fear and shame and dark emotion that motivates a massive amount of our behavior.

In a crisis situation, often our shadow is laid bare.

All those negative emotions we keep hidden in the day-to-day are suddenly pulled to the surface.

We become more reactive, less proactive.

We go into panic mode, we choose short-term relief over long-term consequences.

We go into fight, flight, or freeze mode.

But in this moment, we are also looking for a lifeline.

Your prospect wants your leadership…

They want a calm voice of reason.  They want certainty.  They want someone to stand up and be willing to take decisive action.

Your message will likely have to change.

In my High-Velocity Copywriting program, I teach the three types of big ideas…

— A 10X Opportunity.

— An Urgent Problem.

— An Imminent Prediction.

In a 10-year bull market, a lot of 10X opportunity pitches were working well:  I’ll show you how to 10X your current results.

Unless we get a quick turnaround (still possible), it’s likely those will be less and less effective.  Perhaps for years.

(Observation: The most pessimistic investment pitches were most effective in the 2009-2011 time period — when it paid to be most optimistic.  Likewise the most optimistic investment pitches have been most effective in the last couple years — when history may show it paid to be pessimistic.)

Assuming we don’t get a quick recovery, the next few months and years may be dominated by urgent problem pitches.

That is, “Here’s the problem you face (or we face), and here’s the solution.”

Pitches coming from a place of help.  Pitches coming from a place of problem-solving.

Pitches that recognize your prospect is suffering, and that offer clarity and help.

In the even shorter term…

Your prospect may feel like they’re in a burning building.  And they need a firefighter to come rescue them.

Calm, clear, decisive under pressure, and aimed first and foremost at providing safety.

They’re also likely to want change.

They were doing what they were doing.  Then this happened.  Now they’ll want something different.

(There’s a reason “Hope and Change” won at the ballot box in 2008.)

People tend to react to crisis by trying to make things different.

Recapping…

Your prospect just got whiplash.

They went from unbridled optimism to total uncertainty in a matter of weeks.

They’re uncertain, and likely a bit afraid.

They’re no longer looking for the latest hot opportunity.

They have real problems and challenges they want to have solved.

They want a leader.

And they want a new leader.

Someone in their corner, who will give them hope and certainty for the future.

Someone who will help them out.  Help them get through.  Someone who is there to serve their best interests.

Will it be you?

Yours for bigger breakthroughs,

Roy Furr