ACT NOW

How Successful Consultants

Thrive During Chaos and
Uncertainty

By Michael Zipursky
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in

Publication. Zipursky, Michael, author

Consulting Success®/Michael Zipursky

ISBN (e-book) 978-1-7750411-3-9
(paperback) 978-1-7750411-4-6
1. Consulting 2. Marketing. 3. Entrepreneurship
“The future is uncertain but this uncertainty is at

the very heart of human creativity.”

Ilya Prigogine
 ACT NOW

Table of Contents
Chapter One: The World Has Changed, and It Hasn’t..... 6
Mental Strategies for Trying Times ................................ 12
1) Focus on Opportunities Instead of Setbacks .......... 13
2) Focus on Progress Instead of Problems ................ 14
3) Focus on Value Creation ....................................... 16
4) Focus on Gratitude ................................................ 18
5) Focus on What You Can Do Right Now ................. 20
Chapter Two: What You Can Control ............................. 22
The Market Always Bounces Back ................................. 24
Don’t Bury Your Head in the Sand ................................. 34
Stay Positive and Healthy .............................................. 38
Chapter Three: Staying Afloat & Managing the Now .... 41
Trim the Fat ................................................................... 42
Ask for Discounts ........................................................... 43
What Not to Cut ............................................................. 43
Virtual Workshops and Webinars ................................... 46
Remote Coaching Sessions ........................................... 50
Stand on the Front Line ................................................. 51
Are People Buying? ....................................................... 56
Help Clients Manage the Changes................................. 59
Make Contact Now......................................................... 61
Adjust Your Payment Terms .......................................... 67
Down-sell Your Clients................................................... 69
Chapter Four: Planting Seeds to Thrive ........................ 71
Be a Little Bolder ........................................................... 73

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Reaching New Clients ................................................... 75

Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot.................................................. 77
Produce Relevant Content............................................. 79
Use the Quiet Time Productively ................................... 81
Chapter Five: What’s Next?............................................ 83
In the Middle of Chaos Theory ....................................... 85
Avoid a Lack of Inertia ................................................... 92
Boost Your Well-Being................................................... 94
Leading in the Uncertainty ............................................. 96
Clarity Coaching Program for Consultants ................... 98
Momentum Program .................................................... 100
About the Author .......................................................... 102

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1
The World Has
Changed…and It
Hasn’t

F
rom wars, natural disasters, and global

pandemics to business setbacks and personal

tragedies, calamity can hit us at many

different levels, and whatever form it takes, when

trouble strikes, it shakes our confidence. The current

crisis of COVID-19 has rocked industries, business

owners, and workers all over the world.

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As politicians scramble to stave off the worst-case

scenario, people from all walks of life are struggling

to adjust to quarantines, voluntary self-isolation,

“social distancing,” panic buying, and an uncertain

economic future.

As a consultant, you may be feeling a bit stressed out

yourself. All of the stories about shuttered businesses

and empty grocery store shelves can certainly induce

a certain amount of anxiety. How bad are things going

to get? Will you still have clients? Maybe you’ve

already lost many, if not most, of your clients. How

can your consultancy survive? You are not alone in

asking these questions.

You may already know people who have tested

positive for COVID-19, who are currently suffering

from the disease, or who have tragically passed away

as a result. One of my clients lost a close family

member recently. Though he didn’t have the disease,

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he was being hospitalized for another health

condition. When the hospital was inundated with

people suffering from COVID-19, he was removed

from a ventilator so they could give it to another

patient.

It's a heartbreaking situation, and these kinds of

tragedies are happening to people in many countries

right now. Things may get worse before they get

better.

However, even when the COVID-19 pandemic

settles—and it eventually will—there is always the

potential for some other crisis to come along and

threaten our sense of stability.

Maybe you’re dealing with a business or personal

problem that has nothing to do with the pandemic but

which has threatened your health, well-being, or

economic stability.

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The point is, we all deal with times of tremendous

instability, and when they happen, they often catch us

off-guard. It’s natural to be concerned, and under the

circumstances, I empathize with anyone who is

feeling fearful. Our daily routines have been

interrupted, and the status quo has changed.

There is a lot to worry about:

• The future of your business.

• The future of your industry.

• The future of your investments.

• The health and well-being of family and

friends.

• Your own health and well-being.

Although alarmism is not all that unusual when it

comes to news media stories, you might be

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wondering if this time they’re right. Are things really

going to get so much worse that we never fully

recover?

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with worrying

about difficult circumstances. On the contrary, worry

is a normal, even healthy, response for anyone—and

it’s especially common for entrepreneurs.

If you’re not worried right now, you might not be

thinking enough about the future of your business. I

talk about this at length in my book The Elite

Consulting Mind, but the essence of my advice is this:

Successful people worry, but they worry well.

What makes worry detrimental is when you spend

too much time dwelling on the negative, expecting the

worst, and sinking into despair. On the other hand, if

you can use your worry to help you stay focused on

the things that matter most, then it will serve you well.

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Whatever the future holds, the biggest battle in a crisis

like this—in any crisis, really—is the mental war that

we wage. If you can continue to think clearly and

strategize well, you will make better decisions to

overcome difficult situations, identifying and making

the most of great opportunities along the way. In so

doing, you can position yourself to manage the

hardships and come out the other side further ahead.

To help you do that, I want to share some best

practices, mindset shifts, strategies, and concrete

actions you can take during these challenging times

that will help you weather the storm and, more than

that, continue to thrive no matter what.

I hope this book can serve as a guide for anyone facing

chaos or uncertainty, particularly if you’re feeling

overwhelmed and unsure about the future.

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Mental Strategies for Trying Times

Here’s the reality: chaos is a constant enemy in your

mind. It doesn’t strike only during a recession,

pandemic, or personal crisis, and it doesn’t

necessarily wait until you’re ready for it. At any

moment, chaos can cause you to react in ways that

hurt your business or cause you to fail to take

advantage of growth opportunities.

However, if you can learn to master the chaos within,

you will be better prepared to deal with any challenge

that life throws at you.

More than that, if you can think clearly in hard times,

the challenges presented might become motivating

factors in improving yourself and your business in

ways you otherwise never would have imagined,

inspiring you to get more creative, push harder, plan

smarter, and act more boldly.

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To begin getting your mind in order, I recommend a

few mindset shifts and strategies for trying times:

1) Focus on Opportunities Instead of

Setbacks

During difficult times, some of the things you’ve

taken for granted—such as economic opportunities,

market trends, client behavior, or ways of doing

business—may change or even disappear altogether.

When that happens, it can shake you to your core.

In fact, some people never get over it. Instead of

adjusting to the changes, they continue to live in the

past—still trying to replay their old games and

wondering why they can no longer get ahead.

When the world changes, even if some things that you

relied on are lost, new opportunities become

available.

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If you can stop focusing on your setbacks and start

looking for those new opportunities, you may

suddenly find that you can achieve far more than you

ever did in the past.

The key is to recognize that there are always numerous

opportunities. You just have to be open to them, and

you have to start looking.

2) Focus on Progress Instead of Problems

When chaos appears, “business as usual” is no longer

as easy as it once was. The difficulties can defeat you

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if you let them, or they can reveal new strengths that

you didn’t even know you possessed.

Think of it this way: the muscles in your body only get

stronger when you work against resistance. Isn’t it

strange that lifting heavy weights builds even more

muscle mass?

The science behind it is called hypertrophy. When you

put your body through an intense anaerobic exercise,

you actually cause damage to your muscle fibers

(called microtrauma), but as your body recovers from

a workout, it begins repairing those damaged

muscles.

In the process, white blood cells rush to the injured

muscles to reduce inflammation, proteins are released

which produce satellite cells, and those satellite cells

fuse with existing muscle fibers. This repairs the

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damage, but it also thickens the muscle fibers and

makes them larger and stronger.1

It is in the tension, the resistance against an opposing

force, that our muscles become stronger. The same is

true for the “muscles” of your mind. Treat a time of

difficulty as a time to make greater progress in your

thinking, learning, and character development.

You might find that you come out the other side a far

better, more skilled, and more successful person.

3) Focus on Value Creation

Even in the best of times, most people can’t stand a

sales pitch. When times are uncertain or scary, their

contempt for being sold to only intensifies. Anxious

people are more likely to turn off the video, put the

1Dr. Rachel Tavel, PT, DPT, CSCS, “How You Can Use Hypertrophy to
Grow Your Muscles,” Men’s Health, November 21, 2018,
https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a25252586/muscle-
hypertrophy/

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email in the trash folder, hang up the phone, or slam

the door in your face.

However, all people at all times appreciate value

creation. Whether things are going well or falling

apart, if you can provide solutions to their problems,

and accelerate results and outcomes they care about,

people will listen.

Focus on creating value at all times—even when the

future seems bleak—and sales will naturally follow.

By providing value, you expose your clients and

potential clients to new ideas and opportunities that

they hadn’t thought about. Therefore, they will feel

less risk—and more confidence—about making an

investment, even during times like these, which could

result in a new project for you.

We will look at some concrete ways you can do this

later in the book.

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4) Focus on Gratitude

It’s easy to obsess over all of the things we’ve lost or

might lose. In fact, it’s natural for a scared mind to

play through worst-case scenarios and potential

catastrophes over and over again, and it’s also natural

to feel regret when we miss out on opportunities, lose

clients, or experience a decline in revenue.

However, obsessing over the things you’ve lost or

might lose doesn’t fix anything. On the contrary, it

just might motivate you to make some poor decisions

and miss out on even more opportunities.

Instead of thinking about the bad, concentrate on

being grateful for what you have. At a bare minimum,

chances are you still have access to food, water,

electricity, a roof over your head, and a bed to lie in at

night. These are things that millions of people around

the world don’t have, even in the best of times.

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Gratitude has a profound impact on your perspective.

It enables you to remain positive when others are

falling apart, and when you’re positive, you can avoid

rash decisions and keep moving forward.

As Tony Robbins has said, “Choosing gratitude and

appreciation over criticism and negativity leads to

attracting more of the things you can appreciate and

be grateful for.”2

This isn’t just a platitude. There’s actual science

behind it. According to Psychology Today, studies have

shown that grateful people are emotionally healthier,

more empathetic, mentally stronger, and more

resilient.3

2 Team Tony, “Where Focus Goes, Energy Flows,” Tony Robbins,

https://www.tonyrobbins.com/career-business/where-focus-goes-
energy-flows/
3 Amy Morin, “7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude,”

Psychology Today, April 3, 2015,

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-mentally-strong-
people-dont-do/201504/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-gratitude

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5) Focus on What You Can Do Right Now

When things are going well, people often assume

they’re in control of events. “My business is going

great. I’m getting more clients and making more

money. I must be doing something right,” they think.

“I’ve got this all figured out!”

Therefore, when things turn bad, it’s understandable

that they might wonder if they’ve lost their touch.

They feel defeated and depressed. “What did I do

wrong?” they wonder. “What happened to me? I used

to be so good at this. When did I lose control?”

The most consistently successful people know that

they can’t control events. Instead, they work

continually toward greater control of their response to

every event—good or bad.

Whenever they feel fear, anxiety, or uncertainty, they

see it as an excellent time to focus all of their attention

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and energy on making the most of the circumstances.

They accept that unpredictable events lie ahead, but

they look for the opportunities.

If you can get your mindset right, you can begin to

strategize wisely in troubling times. In the next

chapter, we’ll look at some ways you can begin to get

a handle on this.

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2
What You Can
Control

W
hen I say the biggest battle is your

mental war against fear and chaotic

thinking, I don’t mean to suggest that

your problems aren’t real.

At the time of writing this book, the current pandemic

is a very real problem with potentially devastating

real-life consequences for millions of people.

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Your health might really be in danger, the health of

friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers might be in

danger, and the economic fallout from government

attempts to contain the spread of the disease are all

real. Businesses, even whole industries, have already

been seriously impacted.

Nevertheless, we’ve been here before. COVID-19 isn’t

the first global pandemic, and it won’t be the last.

While there are aspects of the current situation that

are unique, the same is true of every crisis. That

doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it seriously.

Take recommended precautions, but don’t assume

the sky is falling. Whenever a major event impacts

world events, there’s a pervasive fear that we’re

entering an unrecoverable economic death spiral, but

we’ve been through this before. In fact, it’s old news.

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The Market Always

Bounces Back

The first stock market crash in history is generally

believed to be the bursting of the speculative bubble

on Dutch tulips in the 17th century. After prices

skyrocketed between 1634 and 1637, speculators

cornered the market, buying up all the tulips they

could get their hands on.

This, in turn, caused the interest in tulips to wane, and

the market crashed. The ripple effect sent the Dutch

economy into a tailspin. It must have seemed like the

end of the world, economically speaking, but the

market recovered.

The first major U.S. stock market crash in 1929

brought the Roaring ‘20s to an end and ushered in the

Great Depression, the worst economic downturn in

the history of the industrialized world. Caused by

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inflated stock prices, reckless speculation, and over-

borrowing, the resulting fallout caused widespread

panic.

The consequences were devastating. In the immediate

aftermath, consumer confidence evaporated, which

led to a massive downturn in spending. Production

slowed, and by 1932, worldwide gross domestic

product (GDP) had fallen by an estimated 15 percent.

Unemployment in the U.S. reached 23 percent, and

almost half of the banks in the country failed.

Because of global adherence to the gold standard,

which created a fixed currency exchange, the

economic woes soon spread from the U.S. across

North America, into Europe, and throughout the

world.4

4History.com editors, “Great Depression History,” History,

https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/great-
depression-history

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It must have seemed like the market would never

recover. In fact, it took twelve years and a Great

Depression, but the stock market did recover.

It also recovered from the Dot.com bust of 1999, which

was caused by excessive speculation in Internet-

related businesses. It recovered after 9/11.

It recovered from the Great Recession of 2008, when

the U.S. housing market bubble burst due to an

overabundance of subprime loans. Are you seeing a

trend?

As this chart makes clear, there have been numerous

bear markets just in the last few decades, and the Dow

Jones has recovered from all of them.

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The point is, we’ve been here before, and we’ll

probably be here again. When trouble of any kind hits

the economy, some see only doom and gloom. They

focus on the current loss and project that into the

future, expecting the worst and responding

accordingly—typically, by freezing up and failing to

respond at all.

It’s true that the markets historically pull back in times

of disruption and crisis, but they almost always

recover the losses—and then some—in the years that

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follow. With the right mindset, clear-thinking, and a

smart strategy, you can get through this current crisis,

as well as any and all future crises. I can say this with

confidence because many, many business owners

have done so.

During the recession of 2008, when whole industries

seemed to be collapsing, some companies managed to

survive, and even thrive, as a result of smart

leadership. Some of these companies had the odds

stacked against them.

Global consultancy Bain & Company analyzed nearly

3,900 companies to determine why some thrive

during an economic downturn while others flounder,

focusing in particular on the time immediately before

and after the 2008 recession.

Their conclusion is that the biggest losers during the

recession “tried to slash and burn their way to the

other side, under the misconception that extreme cost-

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cutting would stabilize the enterprise…Still others

tolerated poor results during the downturn, waiting

to see what would happen, and then finally took

action—too late.”

The winners, on the other hand, were wise about

taking advantage of opportunities. As the report

indicates, “While they focused intensively on cost

containment, [the winners] also looked beyond cost.

Playing offense almost always trumps simply

hunkering down, and the best companies usually gain

market share during a challenging economy…The

strongest companies coming out of recessions went on

offense early while others thought only about

survival.”5 Consider a large professional services

company like Accenture. At a time when many

companies are making bleak projections about the

5“Companies well-prepared for an economic downturn grew at 17

percent compared to zero growth among the losers,” Bain &
Company, May 16, 2019, https://www.bain.com/about/media-
center/press-releases/2019/winning-in-a-downturn/

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future, Accenture seems to have a much better

outlook.

This is particularly impressive considering the fact

that Accenture is full of consultants who regularly

travel to meet with clients. How are they handling the

current crisis when travel is highly restricted (if not

banned altogether)? How are they able to help their

clients through the turmoil?

By leaning into the opportunities presented by the

lack of travel. According to Accenture CEO Julie

Sweet, “We are deeply experienced in working

virtually and already have deployed at scale, in the

normal course of our business, the collaboration

technologies and infrastructure for remote

working…We are using our deep experience of

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working together virtually across Accenture and with

our clients to help adapt how we work together.”6

As a result, they have been able to rapidly ramp up

the number of people working remotely from home.

By leaning into the crisis and looking for

opportunities, many companies in many industries

are able to thrive in circumstances that destroy others.

Wells Fargo, a company that sells financial products,

would seem to be particularly susceptible to a

recession, yet they have survived a number of

economic downturns. In 2008, when banks were

going under, Wells Fargo kept things simple, focused

on what worked, and remained successful.

Proctor and Gamble thrived during the Great

Depression of the 1930s through a counterintuitive

6Stuart Lauchlan, “Accenture CEO Julie Sweet,” Diginomica, March

20, 2020, https://diginomica.com/accenture-ceo-julie-sweet-how-
were-dealing-coronavirus-and-how-its-impacting-our-clients-needs

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marketing strategy. When most companies were

scaling down their advertising efforts, P&G actively

pursued new marketing opportunities. Indeed, in

1933, they came up with the wild idea to produce a

daily radio serial to promote their soap products. That

program, called Oxydol’s Own Ma Perkins, became the

first “soap opera.”7

While other business leaders were sticking their heads

in the sand, Proctor & Gamble made smart decisions

and kept pushing forward, looking for improvements

they could make and actions they could take. As a

result, they benefited tremendously. Similarly, FedEx,

General Motors, and Apple are all companies that

rose to prominence during recessionary periods.

Retail companies were hit especially hard during the

2008 recession, yet Amazon saw sales rise by 25

7Ethan Trex, “5 Great Depression Success Stories,” Mental Floss,

February 10, 2009, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/20837/5-
great-depression-success-stories

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percent. While other companies retreated, Amazon

moved into new markets and launched the next

iteration of one of their most successful products: the

Kindle 2.

On top of that, they focused even more strongly on

customer service and competitive dominance,

lowering prices at a time when customers were

concerned about their income.8

As a consultant, you’re not a retailer, but like

Amazon, you can think about new offers, products,

ideas, and services that will contribute to growth even

during difficult times. Focus more strongly on

meeting the particular needs your ideal clients are

struggling with right now, lean into the chaos with

8Bobbie Johnson, “Amazon busts through recession with profit

surge,” The Guardian, October 22, 2009,
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/oct/23/amazon-
profits

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help and hope, and clients will be far more likely to

respond.

Bain & Company’s co-author on their research, Tom

Holland, put it even more succinctly: “Think of a

recession as a sharp curve on a race track—it’s the best

place to pass competitors, but requiring more skill

than on a straightaway”9

Don’t Bury Your Head

in the Sand

Wells Fargo, P&G, and Amazon are not consultancy

businesses. However, the basic mindset is the same in

any industry. In difficult times, some leaders cross

their fingers and hope for the storm to pass quickly,

while others strategize and keep moving forward.

9“Companies well-prepared for an economic downturn grew at 17

percent compared to zero growth among the losers,” Bain &
Company, May 16, 2019, https://www.bain.com/about/media-
center/press-releases/2019/winning-in-a-downturn/

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Some scale back advertising, put their plans on hold,

and hope for the best, while others make the most of

what lies before them.

Remember, hope isn’t a strategy, and burying your

head in the sand won’t get you anywhere. All it will

do is cause opportunity to pass you by, and that

coarse sand is really rough on the eyes!

Instead of hunkering down or hesitating to push

forward, we strongly encourage you to look for

growth opportunities right now. They’re all around

you, even in the midst of an economic downturn.

In her recent book Seeing Around Corners, corporate

consultant and Columbia Business School professor

Rita McGrath talks about the paradigmatic shifts in

the business landscape that she calls inflection points

which create new entrepreneurial opportunities.

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As she explained to me on a recent call, “What an

inflection point does, at its core, is change the taken-

for-granted assumptions we’ve been making about

our lives. Many of us are used to watching sports as

part of our routine, but suddenly there are no sports

happening anywhere in the world. A core part of

many people’s lives, which they assumed would

always be there, has been taken away.”

In a business context, the current crisis may be

changing the business model that we’re all used to.

The ways we get paid, the ways we conduct meetings,

the ways we connect with clients—so many things

might be different now and in the future. The key, Rita

says, is identifying these inflections points and using

them to create a competitive advantage.

“This situation is going to produce remarkable

opportunities,” she continued. “Anytime there's an

economic downturn, there's also a big rebound

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afterwards. Set yourself up to capitalize on that right

now by searching for and identifying opportunities

that are going to take your business higher.”

Your focus makes all the difference. Don’t liquidate

your investments and head for the hills. Make it a

priority to take action every day to build your

business instead of withdrawing. Move forward

instead of stepping back. Act wisely, but act boldly.

Even if the current crisis gets significantly worse, a

complete shutdown of all businesses is highly

unlikely—or, at least, won’t last very long—which

means companies are still going to need expertise and

support. Many of them are trying to navigate

uncharted waters right now.

If anything, they need your help more than ever.

Figure out what impact the current situation is having

on your ideal clients and infuse that into your

positioning and messaging.

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Later in the book, we’ll look at some specific actions

you can take during times of uncertainty, but if you

don’t get your thinking right, you won’t see the steps

you need to take to grow.

To use another well-known quote from Tony Robbins:

“Where focus goes, energy flows.”

Stay Positive and Healthy

It’s not always easy to stay focused on the positive

when you’re being inundated with bad news and

“doom and gloom” predictions about economic

chaos. Do what you can to counteract the negative.

Don’t become sedentary. Your physical health is more

important than ever, so stay active. When you’re

physically fit, you feel better, and that helps you to

think more clearly. Regardless of your situation, find

ways to exercise. If you’re stuck at home, do pushups

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and sit-ups right there. If you can get outside, take a

walk or ride a bike. Enjoy the fresh air.

Of course, your brain is part of your body, so you also

need to keep your mind sharp. It’s time to study, up

your game, and sharpen your sword. Use times of

uncertainty to master new skills and get better.

Remember, your position in the market, and in the

eyes of your clients, never stays still. You’re either

increasing demand and becoming more relevant or

you’re headed down the hill as you become less

desirable.

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Push past the metaphorical roadblock and keep

moving forward.

Think of it this way: a time of crisis gives you the

perfect chance to model the mindset that you want

your current and future clients to have. Therefore,

remain calm, be patient, make thoughtful decisions,

but, above all, take action.

Right now, there’s a good chance that many of your

competitors are drawing back in fear, so it’s the

perfect time to step up and be a leader. Grab the

steering wheel and keep your foot on the gas. Learn,

improve, grow, take advantage of opportunities, and

make decisions with confidence.

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3
Staying Afloat &
Managing the Now

T
o be clear, I am not recommending that you

act naively during a time of pandemic and

economic turmoil. Far from it.

On the contrary, acting boldly means taking some

steps to mitigate the risk, even as you look for

opportunities.

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Trim the Fat

First, I recommend cutting all non-essential expenses.

If it’s not creating value in your life or business, get

rid of it or reduce it drastically. Now is the time to

focus your resources on those things that provide

value and ROI.

A good way to begin doing this is to review your

credit card bills. Examine the things that you are

spending money on. Anything on that list that doesn’t

provide value should be cut—at least, for the time

being.

You can revisit these items once the current

uncertainty has passed, but you may find that you can

continue to do without them. In that sense, the current

crisis might be doing you a huge favor of revealing

some fat you should trim from your business.

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Ask for Discounts

Second, as part of that process, look at all of the

products and services you use to run your business

and determine which of those services are necessary.

Of the necessary services, contact your suppliers and

partners and ask them for flexible payment terms or a

discount. Many of them will say yes and will be

willing to work with you to keep your business

After all, they are trying to adjust to the same

uncertainty as you, and offering a discount is more

advantageous for them than losing you as a client.

This process can add up to hundreds, if not

thousands, of dollars in savings.

What Not to Cut

There are a few things that I’d encourage you not to

cut, even in times of economic uncertainty. Actually,

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you might need them more than ever. This includes

your marketing and advertising budgets, learning

resources such as books, and the coaches you are

working with.

It also includes the individuals and communities that

support you, hold you accountable, and will help you

grow your business in uncertainty. None of us can do

this alone. We need people to help, support,

encourage, and teach us.

If you’re not already part of a supportive community

that can provide resources, encouragement, and

ideas, join one—or even create one.

As Rita McGrath said, “Find ten to fifteen people who

you think are smart and who are willing to give

maybe an hour a week for a virtual chat. Support each

other. Share individual experiences. It can just be

informal mingling, but that kind of regular

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communication is critical for consultants, especially if

you’re more on the independent side.”

All of these people and resources will help keep you

on your feet and moving in the right direction. When

the status quo is shaken, learning resources can

prevent you from becoming timid and complacent, so

you’re able to continue getting things done. Your

marketing, books, and coaches (as long as they are

creating value) are worth keeping.

Remember, if you’re going to stay afloat, you need to

be generating business now. Timid, fearful businesses

are less likely to weather an economic downturn.

I’m not suggesting that you make reckless decisions.

Rather, I am encouraging you to focus your efforts on

those things that will keep you moving forward. It’s

time to get creative and embrace innovation. Now is a

good time to try new offers, a new hook, or a different

angle.

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Think about what you’ve been doing up to this point.

Break it down into various pieces and think about

new and creative ways to deliver your services,

offerings, and marketing. Any resource that can help

you think in new directions will be worth the

continued investment.

Virtual Workshops and Webinars

In this time of social distancing, virtual workshops

and webinars provide a perfect way to hone your

skills and learn new tactics even though you might be

geographically limited.

Recently, I spoke with marketing and strategy

consultant Dorie Clark, and she said, “Everyone is

going to emerge from this situation knowing how to

use Zoom and Skype very well. People are more

interested in remote communication. They see the

value in it, which means we finally have the potential

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of realizing the promise of a truly global client base.

There are only so many people who will pay to fly you

to Singapore or some other country to do consulting

work with them in person, but plenty of people are

willing to Zoom with you remotely, whether they’re

in Singapore, Australia, Brussels, or wherever. The

dynamics are shifting.”

If you’re creative about it, there is always a way to get

together with your clients. It may take some

adjustment as you shift more from in-person meetings

to virtual meetings.

As Dorie said, “Humans have evolved to socialize in

person. It feels better, it feels easier, and it’s a very

intuitive thing to do, but we have to learn how to

socialize virtually. We have to train ourselves to get

comfortable with the mechanics of it.”

Have you ever experienced an awkward virtual

meeting? We can all relate.

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Dorie continued, “There are some simple things

newbies struggle with that can make virtual meetings

a lousy experience. For example, where are you

supposed to look? When we’re speaking to someone

in person, we know to look at their eyes or their face.

However, in a virtual meeting, newbies will look

down, they’ll look at the screen, they’ll stare off

somewhere. They might not be not sure where the

camera is. It just doesn’t feel like a natural experience.

We’re all going to have to learn how to make the

experience more comfortable and sophisticated.”

John Warrillow, bestselling author of Built to Sell:

Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, told

me something similar: “These things are better done

in person, but you can do them virtually in a way that

is effective, efficient, and inexpensive. Business

owners crave social interaction. We all miss that

aspect of being in the office, which is why so many are

conducting house parties and cocktail parties over

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Zoom. It’s the perfect time to offer a master class or

virtual mastermind group—not just for the expertise

you can share about the current situation but to meet

the need to socialize.”

There are a few things you can do to make a virtual

meeting feel more natural. Try to remove distractions

in the background, work in a quiet room (if possible,

under the circumstances) with good lighting, and

dress well. A virtual meeting will probably be more

casual than an in-person meeting in an office setting,

but you still want to make a good impression.

When speaking to people, look into the camera (not at

the screen) and address them directly, as if you were

in person. Avoid distracting body language. It helps

if the camera is at eye level. Make sure you have a

good microphone so people can hear you clearly. Call

on people by name and get them involved.

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If someone isn’t participating, they might feel

awkward speaking up in a virtual setting, so help

them take that step. “Hey, So-and-so, what is your

opinion about this subject? I know you have some

experience with it.”

Remote Coaching Sessions

Just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean you

can’t conduct coaching or advisory sessions. Offer

remote coaching. These sessions can be either paid or

free but will plant seeds for potential long-term

relationships, and those relationships are more

important than ever when people are anxious.

People tend to lean on those who have proven

themselves as someone they can count on and trust,

so if you provide value in a time of crisis, clients will

be more likely to turn to you down the road.

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Don’t assume that people won’t want to meet.

Actually, they probably need the reassurance which

makes it the perfect time for advisory work. After all,

one of our greatest challenges as consultants is

knowing what our ideal clients are thinking. Right

now, everyone is thinking about the same thing, so

you can tailor your messaging, make it timely, and it

is sure to resonate with many, many people.

Stand on the Front Line

Personally, I am committed to helping my clients stay

focused and optimistic. We’ve tightened our support,

providing more check-ins so we can stay informed

about how people are doing.

Through a series of LinkedIn posts, informative

emails that provide concrete actions and

recommendations, as well as regular virtual

workshops, office hours and webinars, I am

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continually creating value for my clients by

addressing the changing situation.

These are ways I help ensure that my clients are still

making progress in their businesses, and they also

keep our business top of mind.

Our virtual meetings have also created an excellent

environment for clients to share ideas with one

another. The collective experiences and shared advice

have strengthened a sense of community and support

among our clients.

As growth consultant Josh Long put it, “In your

messaging, you need to provide certainty that you can

help people navigate through this…So many business

owners are like Chicken Little—they think the sky is

falling. They’re preparing for everything to blow up

in their faces, for everyone to cancel everything and

all business to stop. You can be the voice that says,

‘Wait. Just wait. Be calm. Be patient.’ You can be like

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William Wallace in Braveheart telling everyone, ‘Stand

your ground.’”

I like that image. Yes, stand on the front line. Be

visible. Be proactive, sharing the positive things: new

ideas, strategies, and perspectives.

Remember, right now your clients are being

inundated by various news media, and all of the

stories are about the terrifying, impending unknowns.

You can be a voice of reason and a source of certainty

for your clients. Be the known amidst the unknowns.

Think about the information you can share right now

that clients will find valuable. For example, I spoke

with a consultant who works in the advertising

industry. Many of her clients are having to lay off

workers because they operate in industries that have

been heavily impacted by the pandemic.

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However, she recently learned about a huge new

opportunity for advertisers selling to the government.

She was able to share this timely information with her

clients, guiding them in the best way to take

advantage of the opportunity.

As Dorie Clark put it, “People are at home more, so

they are consuming more content. In particular,

they’re very hungry for content that will help them

navigate this situation. For that reason, I have

doubled down on my newsletter and LinkedIn posts.

I'm doing LinkedIn Live broadcasts. I’m just trying to

find ways to reach out to people with helpful content,

while also continuing to build my platform during

this time so that I will have more people I can

communicate with when the world is back in buying

mode.”

You’re not limited to sharing only the content you’ve

created yourself. You can also stay top of mind with

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your ideal clients by sharing a wide variety of relevant

articles, resources, and content that other experts have

created.

The point is, there are plenty of ways to share helpful

content with clients and potential clients, even if we

all continue to be stuck at home for a while longer.

Start brainstorming ideas right now.

What creative approaches can you embed into your

offerings to provide a lot of value to clients and

potential clients? Meet them where they are! If they’re

stuck at home and scattered all over the world, you

can still find creative ways to add value as long as

you’re willing to be innovative.

However you approach it, I recommend using

multiple channels so you can reach people in different

ways. Many companies are pulling back from social

media. They’re making fewer posts, publishing fewer

articles, creating fewer videos. That creates both a

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massive need and a growing opportunity, so make the

most of it.

Are People Buying?

It’s easy to say your clients need you now more than

ever, but if no one is buying, you’re going to have a

hard time keeping your business going.

So, what are the actual experiences of consultants

these days? Are clients buying? To get a sense of how

business is going during the current pandemic, I

spoke to a number of people. One of those

individuals, Perry Marshall, one of the world’s

leading marketing experts, noted an interesting trend.

“Recently, I conducted an office-hour Zoom call for

my round table members,” he said. “It was a Friday

afternoon, and under normal circumstances, I’d be

lucky to get a fourth of my clients to attend a

conference call at that time. However, because of the

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current circumstances, three-fourths of my clients

were present on the call. Everybody was paying

attention, and they were all very involved in the

discussion.”

As Perry pointed out, people don’t have fewer

problems now than they did a few months ago—they

have more. His advice?

“As Warren Buffet likes to say, ‘Only when the tide

goes out do you discover who's been swimming

naked.’ Right now, maybe 80 percent of your clients

are swimming naked, meaning they are struggling at

this time. What are you going to do about it? As I told

one of my clients, ‘You know more about lead

generation, lead flow, sales follow-up. Even if those

things aren’t your main offerings, you can find ways

to apply your expertise to add value at this time, so

get on the phone and start calling your clients. Ask

them how they’re doing, and they will start sharing

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their problems. Then it’s time to roll up your sleeves

and get to work solving those problems.’”

Josh Long was even more upbeat. As he told me,

“There are trillions of dollars flowing around right

now. Yes, some companies and sectors are impacted

badly by the current situation, but others are growing

like crazy because of it.”

John Warrillow adds an important point. “There’s a

distinction between income and having money. Right

now, many of your clients may not have a lot of

income because they don’t have contracts coming in.

However, especially in a B2B context, many

businesses are coming off the best ten years of their

lives. The smart ones will have socked away a few

shekels for a downturn. Since more money will be

harder to make for the time being, you have to prove

that your services are an investment worth making,

not an extra cost.”

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Help Clients Manage the

Changes

Many organizations aren’t working in the office right

now, and their executives might not know how to be

productive when working from home. Kids and pets

are running around and making noise, they’ve got all

kinds of distractions, and the whole home

environment doesn’t feel like a workplace.

It might seem like they’ve entered a whole new arena.

Likewise, their employees are scattered about, and

they are probably still trying to figure out how to

work well together when they’re not in the same room

(and maybe not even in the same city or country).

Sales strategist Jill Konrath mentioned this

adjustment during a recent call. “People are still

trying to get settled into their home offices. They’re

trying to figure out how to get work done when

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everyone is dispersed. There’s still chaos. They hope

that there will be a finite end to this, but the

ramifications of doing business under these

conditions are huge.”

As an outside expert, you may be able to provide key

advice that will help them manage these changes and

still get work done. At the same time, you will need to

be very flexible when scheduling and speaking with

clients.

We don’t know how events are going to unfold in the

future, and things may change faster than we would

like. Be prepared to adjust on the fly.

As Jill Konrath said, “People tend to stay with the

status quo unless they absolutely have to change, but

it is imperative that consultants be willing to do some

things differently and help clients adjust to future

changes as they unfold.”

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Make Contact Now

While clients are dealing with downtime, lack of

options, and anxiety about their businesses, you can

provide key advice and encouragement to help them

keep going. Now is a time to become more relevant, to

create more demand for your expertise.

Use social media to gauge interest and make offers

that are mindful of circumstances. Use your email list

to reach out to existing clients or prospects. Don’t be

afraid to call people directly. Many will appreciate the

human contact during this time.

As Dorie Clark said, “If you’re in a position where you

need business now, then you have to focus on sales,

and that means doing something that is, frankly, a bit

uncomfortable and possibly nerve-wracking. You’re

going to have to call your contacts.”

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She put it very bluntly: “It’s like hand-to-hand

combat! You have to get out there and ‘work the

Rolodex’ because clients are more likely to hire you

right now than strangers. The people who will hire

you in a time like this are those people who already

know you and trust you, people who have enough of

a connection with you that they are willing to share

their actual challenges.”

We encourage you to reach out to every client, past and

present, during this time to see how they’re doing.

They will appreciate the concern, and you can use it

as a chance to offer support. If they’re not ready to

buy, don’t be pushy. Just let them know that you are

available to help at any time. Continue to reach out

periodically.

Recently, I spent time on a Saturday morning calling

each of my clients and checking on them. I didn’t sell

anything. Actually, I didn’t talk business at all.

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Instead, I just asked how they were doing and how

their families were holding up, and they were very

appreciative of my concern. Building relationships

with your clients is always time well spent.

As Dorie put it, “Just check in and see how they’re

doing. Don’t fool them with a sales pitch. Nobody

likes that. Be thoughtful and upfront. If they have a

problem you can help with, mention that you

specialize in it. You might say, ‘Hey, I just happen to

offer this particular solution. If you know of anyone

who needs it right now, I’d love to help, and I would

appreciate a connection or referral.’ As long as you're

straight up about that and you have a good

relationship with these people—and you’re not cold-

pitching random strangers—it will probably be well-

received.”

Josh Long said, “Many of our clients are nervous and

need encouragement. I see myself as a kind of first

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responder in their businesses. When they are shaken

up by something, we’re there for them. Many of them

are at capacity. They’ve reached their limit in the

number of negative stimuli they can withstand and

the number of potential problems they can process. In

many cases, clients aren’t being hit as hard as they

think they are, but bad news, cancellations, and fears

about the future make them believe they’re in trouble.

I’m telling everybody who is in a non-critically-

affected business to put Coronavirus out of mind

completely. Just look at your actual performance and

see how you’re doing. You might be doing better than

you feel like you’re doing.”

Josh makes an important point here. Fears about the

broader crisis can color the way we feel about the

performance of our business. You may not be doing

as badly as you think. The same goes for your clients.

They might feel like their whole world is crashing

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down when, in fact, they are weathering the

circumstances fairly well.

To counteract these feelings, I recommend looking at

the real numbers and encouraging your clients to do

the same. Compare your results over the last two or

three months against where you were last year. Look

at sales, new clients, revenue, and cancellations.

Ignore the hype and fear and see what the actual

numbers tell you.

Guide your clients through a similar process. They

might be surprised at what the actual numbers reveal

about their businesses.

Not long ago, Josh had a client who panicked because

he had eight cancellations in a single day for his

landscape business.

“Coronavirus is killing all of my business,” the client

said.

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Josh stepped in and helped him look at the actual

data. As it turned out, he’d lost more clients during

the same month the previous year, long before the

pandemic was even a glimmer in anyone’s eye.

Further breaking it down, it turned out that four of

this year’s cancellations were due to the weather, and

only two of them were related to pandemic-inspired

downsizing. The current crisis had made a far smaller

impact on his business than he thought.

In reality, his landscaping business was performing

better than it had the year before. He was still

growing. Fear had made him unable to see it until the

actual numbers revealed the truth.

Chasing the first responder metaphor, Josh continued,

“It’s our job to run toward our clients. Step into their

situations and start offering help. For example, let’s

say you have a client who canceled their pay-per-click

advertising because of the current uncertainty. You

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have access to their analytics, so take a look and see

what you can find. Are more people navigating to a

certain page? Is there a set of leads they need to

overcommunicate? See what the data reveals and

write copy for messaging to help them get more out

of their advertising. Think like an innovator and find

creative solutions. Keep the relationship alive by

helping clients continue to grow.”

Adjust Your Payment Terms

If someone does decide to buy, we recommend

providing all payment terms upfront so you get paid

in advance for the work you do before you start.

Remember, we’re being bold, but we’re also being

wise about uncertainty.

Don’t assume things can’t get worse for a client,

industry, or the economy as a whole. That’s not a

reason to crumble in fear. That’s just a reason to take

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a few reasonable precautions. Of course, a client

might not be able to pay everything upfront, so it’s

okay to be flexible, depending on your relationship

with the client.

Josh Long encourages reducing the engagement risk

for clients by changing the time horizon.

“When the market is scared, wallets get tight because

people are afraid they’re going to lose their last

dollar,” he said. “Maybe frame the work into bite-

sized chunks of time. Instead of selling a whole

package that lasts six months and costs $40,000, sell

two weeks at a time, with a $2,000 payment at the

beginning of each. Also, consider adding a money-

back guarantee. De-risk the relationship.”

Down-sell Your Clients

On a similar note, Dorie Clark recommends that you

consider down-selling a client rather than losing them

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entirely. As she shared with me, she had a client who

had expressed interest in a strategy session, but over

a single weekend, she lost 40 percent of her business.

Suddenly, she could no longer afford the strategy

session. Dorie recommended a more affordable online

program as an alternative. It was something that the

client needed, and something she could handle under

the circumstances.

If necessary, recalibrate your services, offering things

that your clients can afford under the circumstances

in order to maintain the relationship. While you may

have a typical fee that you charge for a project, try

offers at both lower and higher fee levels.

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Your clients need what you have to offer. Reach out,

make connections, and continue growing your

business—as much, if not more, than ever before.

In a wide-scale crisis, some business leaders freeze up,

and their businesses die as a result. You don’t have to

be one of them. Your forward actions will keep you

moving up as others move down.

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4
Planting Seeds to
Thrive

I
t bears repeating: in times like these, lean into

your existing clients. They are feeling anxious

about the future, so make sure they’re healthy

and doing well. If you haven’t reached out in a while,

now is the perfect opportunity.

As this crisis continues to unfold, spend more time

with them, provide encouragement, and help them

weather the storm. They hired you in the first place

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for your expertise, so use it now in their time of need.

In the process, you will be planting seeds for long-

term growth well beyond the current circumstances.

We’re following our own advice. We’ve opened

additional office hours so we can provide more

coaching to clients. That’s in addition to our regular

weekly community call and one-on-one coaching

calls. We make sure to stay in touch with every client

personally to see how they’re doing. It’s a small act of

kindness, and it shows that we’re concerned about

their well-being.

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Your clients need to know that they can count on you,

even in a time of social distancing. As we said before,

don’t be afraid to go through your client list and touch

base with every single person. Ask how they’re

doing—they will appreciate it. More than that, they

need it. They need to know that you genuinely care

about their well-being.

Negative thinking often grows and festers in isolation,

so strengthen those relationships. Prove yourself.

Show that you’re there for them. It should always be

your goal to provide the highest level of personal

support for your clients, and they really need

encouragement right now.

Be a Little Bolder

As Perry Marshall pointed out, your approach might

have to be a little bolder these days. He has a

consulting client who runs advertising for a company

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that installs equipment in schools. Recently, the

owner of the company said, “With these quarantines

going on, schools are not going to let us come on the

property and install equipment.”

However, the equipment is necessary and perhaps

even more helpful in the current crisis, so Perry told

his client, “Don’t try to convince the terrified

company owner to call the school. You get on the

phone, call the school, and ask on his behalf. Tell the

school, ‘I have someone who needs to install

important equipment at your school. What safety or

health checklists do they need to follow?’ In other

words, pave the way for your clients.”

In a sense, as Perry put it, “Because people are fearful,

you almost have to ask forgiveness instead of

permission for solving their problems.”

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Reaching New Clients

While much of your business during economic

uncertainty is likely to come from existing clients,

people who already trust you because you’ve proven

yourself, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also

continue trying to reach new people.

Though it might be a little more difficult than usual,

you can build trust with new and potential buyers

while working remotely. How do you this? One way

you do it is through your existing clients.

Martin Lindstrom, one of the world's foremost

business and culture transformation experts, shared

this advice:

“You can’t ask people to trust you, but you can ask

others to offer first-hand impressions of you, convey

their trust in you, and share their experiences in

dealing with you. Of course, this can’t look, and

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shouldn’t come across, as manufactured. It has to be

very natural and sincere.”

He also recommends using this time to do charity

work through your business by using your skills to

prove that what you do has an impact on the world.

Contribute to causes that people really need right

now.

As Martin put it, “If you give, share, and help others,

and due to your efforts, they express their gratitude,

trust will be developed. Again, trust doesn’t come by

you claiming it. It comes through the voices of

others.”

This is a time where the reputation you’ve built

through the work, help, and wisdom you’ve provided

can translate into meaningful testimonials that will

help your business continue to grow. Now is a time to

prove yourself, so work hard to earn the praise that

will attract new clients.

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At the same time, you can, and should, reach out

directly to your ideal clients. The services and support

you offer now can bridge gaps and create new

relationships that will bear fruit both now and, even

more, after the crisis has passed.

Plus, when you speak to people directly, the

conversations will reveal the specific problems

potential clients are facing and the kinds of help

they’re looking for, which can give you ideas for

improving the services you provide.

Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot

Bear in mind, depending on your industry, you may

have to pivot a bit in the services you provide. One of

Perry Marshall’s big revenue generators is a seminar

they run, which was planned for May 27 in Chicago.

With everything being shut down, it is unlikely that

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the seminar will occur. At best, it will get moved to

August, and it might become a virtual seminar.

Instead of fighting this reality, Perry has accepted it

and pivoted. “Nobody is thinking about the seminar

right now, so instead of pushing it anyway, we’re

looking at how we can help our clients with the

problems that are occupying their minds right now.”

To do that, he is devoting more time than ever to

contacting his clients individually and seeing what

they need. In that way, he has become even more

visible than ever.

Making your personal brand visible is very important

during this time or at any time of crisis. Not only will

it help you generate more business, but you can plant

seeds for future business. More than that, you position

yourself as an authority, someone that people can turn

to when the status quo has been threatened.

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Produce Relevant Content

Beyond contacting clients individually, it’s a great

time to post relevant content on social media. Provide

value through posts, articles, videos, podcasts,

guides, and checklists. As I said earlier, offer free or

paid webinars and send out newsletters. Consider

finally writing that amazing book you’ve been

thinking about for a while.

Some of these can actually provide passive revenue

streams to mitigate a downturn in client sales. This

has been Dorie Clark’s experience.

“I can handle things being a little slower right now,”

she said, “because I have revenue coming in

regardless of what I'm doing thanks to passive income

streams I've set up with online courses and royalties

for books I’ve written over the years.”

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A good way to reach out to your ideal clients is to

invite them onto your podcast if you have one. Or

even if you don’t have one, offer to interview them on

their area of expertise. You can then use that content

for articles and videos.

It’s a mutually beneficial outreach that creates a point

of contact which might lead to an ongoing

relationship. Find other ways to add value to your

ideal clients. Don’t be afraid to ask directly if there are

any ways you can help them.

It’s a good time to write articles, so reach out to trade

publications and pitch them a few ideas. They’re

always looking for relevant content, but they may

have temporarily lost some of their regular sources.

Staff writers or regular contributors might not be as

available as they were because of changing

circumstances, but publications still need the ad

revenue they generate from regular content, and they

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still need to provide value to their audience or

association members.

You can step into the gap and fill a need. When you

contact publications, don’t just offer your writing

services. Instead, to prove that you have value to give,

suggest one to three specific relevant or timely topics

that you could write articles about, and mention the

expertise or experience that qualifies you to write on

these topics.

Beyond writing articles, you might also consider

hosting free webinars on the publication’s website.

Use the Quiet Time Productively

If you have more quiet time than usual because of the

chaos, use the time to work on your business. Of

course, it’s entirely possible that you’ll be so busy

delivering value to clients that you won’t have nearly

as much quiet time as you might expect.

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Still, when you have a chance, take some time to work

on the internal parts of your business, so you can set

stronger foundations, develop your intellectual

property, and establish your authority. Study, plan,

write, record video, post on social media, reach out—

make the most of this time.

When you’re busy delivering for your clients, you

don’t always have enough time to work on your

business, so this is the perfect time to do it. Appreciate

the opportunity that has been presented to you and

run with it.

By staying busy, you will be at an advantage, because

many people allow themselves to become paralyzed

by fear of the unknown. Instead of cowering at home,

holding back, or simply waiting for the news to get

better, capitalize on the opening in the marketplace.

There’s less noise out there right now, so your content

will stand out.

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5
What’s Next?

W
hat does the future hold? Nobody can

say for sure, but our current crisis is

likely to continue for a while as

governments and healthcare experts try to get a

handle on it. The long-term economic impact will only

become clear over time, but there’s a very good

chance that we may enter a recession. For this reason,

it’s important to create a lean and profitable business

model.

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We run our business lean for this very reason. With

no big overhead or high costs to run our team, we are

able to survive and thrive in the midst of economic

downturns that can cripple small businesses. Don’t

wait until your business is suffering. Dial in the right

business model now so you’re ready for whatever

happens.

Remember, chaos is not the status quo. When hard

times hit, sometimes people assume they are entering

a new normal, and they begin to despair. On the other

hand, when things are going well, those same people

often assume the good times will continue to roll on

forever.

The truth is, chaos is cyclical. It comes and goes. It

would be fair to say that the only sure thing for

entrepreneurs is uncertainty.

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In the Middle of Chaos Theory

Will there be long-term consequences of the current

pandemic? Most likely. As Perry Marshall put it,

“There are going to be more disruptions to the way

consultants do business. We’re in the middle of chaos

theory right now. We’re already seeing restaurants

and schools shutting down, and more businesses are

likely to follow. Systems are going to become

overloaded.”

John Warrillow pointed out the long-term damage to

commercial real estate as more businesses shift to

remote work. “A lot of people will come through this

crisis and think, ‘We were pretty productive working

from home. Maybe we don’t need that $5,000-a-

month office space.”

Accept all of these things not as reasons to fear. Find

ways to maintain a positive mindset.

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As Perry continued, “Anything could break anywhere

at any time, but don’t run away from the chaos! Lean

into it. Yesterday, I tried to conduct a GoToWebinar

meeting, but the website was having trouble, so we

had to move to Zoom. Then we were having trouble

with Zoom, so we moved to the old-fashioned

conference call. We have to accept that anything can

break at any time, but instead of running away from

it, we get creative about dealing with it.”

Looking at the larger point, Perry said, “Wherever

there is chaos, there is opportunity. People need help

right now, so put yourself out there and be proactive.

See what your clients need right now, pivot if

necessary, and help them.”

Fortunately, chaos doesn’t mean there’s absolutely no

order or structure. As Perry explained, “I’ll tell you

how chaos works. There are predictable patterns to it.

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There are ways that you can react to it if you’re willing

to pivot.”

Jill Konrath compares the current situation to past

economic crises, and she’s not afraid to mince words

about the long-term consequences. “There will be

more layoffs. There will be fewer people in the

corporate offices that consultants call on, and those

people will be overwhelmed with work as they try to

pick up the slack. Like the 2008 recession, all sorts of

people will move from just doing their work to

suddenly being swamped, which means change of

any sort will become extraordinarily difficult for

them. As a result, they will become more likely to find

a status quo and stick to it.”

Even so, Jill doesn’t despair. She has been through

many ups and downs in the market. During the 2000

recession, she lost 90 percent of her clients over the

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course of three months, but she hung in there and

eventually bounced back. Her advice?

“Consultants must be prepared to do some things

differently. Deepen your expertise in your field. Focus

on learning more and getting more ideas. Look at the

ways you can impact your existing client base during

this time. Take a look at the problems your typical

clients are facing now and start thinking about how

you can solve them. Consider creating a low-risk

project to help them. It might have to be low risk

because people won’t want to make big decisions

right now, especially with outside vendors.”

She recommends approaching clients and saying,

“With the current problems you’re having—layoffs,

struggling customers, or whatever the issue may be—

I thought we might be able to help you out.” Then

propose a low-risk project that will help them.

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She also recommends that you continue to try to

attract new clients. If you’re losing existing clients

because of the chaos, don’t assume they will come

back. Having lost over 90 percent of her clients in

2000, she speaks from experience, so I asked her about

the mindset that helped her recover from that setback.

“At first, I got into a negative mindset like everybody

else, because we’re all human. You get down on

yourself and start questioning whether or not you’re

a viable consultant. You’re scared. One day, I opened

myself up to some other consultants. ‘It’s really

tough,’ I said. ‘People aren’t answering the phone.

They’re not responding to emails. I’m worried that

I’ve lost my mojo.’ And everyone else said, ‘Yes, that’s

exactly what we’re dealing with as well.’ Suddenly, I

realized, it wasn’t just me. This is what everyone is

facing. I wasn’t losing my touch. We were all dealing

with the same thing. That flipped a switch in my

mind. This is not a problem. It’s a challenge.”

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Indeed, seeing the current crisis as a challenge changed

her whole mindset. Suddenly, it was a thing to be

overcome, a hurdle to jump over, not a reason to

despair.

“Your brain loves a challenge,” Jill said, “so open

yourself up to new ideas.”

In her case, she began researching and experimenting

to find out what her clients and potential clients

needed.

Her advice is, “Don’t panic. People will hear the

desperation in your voice. Do everything from a

position of calmness.”

Josh Long agreed. “Helping people get more focus

and clarity so they can turn down the noise is a big

opportunity. I like dealing with the mindset of my

clients. It’s the best lever if they’re willing to tackle it.”

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Our response to uncertainty is, after all, a product of

biology. As Josh continued, “The amygdala in your

brain constantly senses fear and instills a fight-or-

flight response, so look at how you can support your

clients in the panic. Help them stop wringing their

hands all the time. There’s a huge opportunity in

helping people stay sane. When they get punched in

the gut and knocked down, what mindset will help

them get back up?”

Dorie Clark shared something similar. “Reframe the

situation for yourself and for your clients. Instead of

viewing this as some terrible circumstance that has

been thrust upon you, take a proactive viewpoint. A

lot of things that we intended to do have been

canceled, but we can look at it as a great time to focus.

Treat it as a sabbatical. What would you do if this

were a sabbatical? Maybe you would launch that web

series you’ve been talking about.”

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Avoid a Lack of Inertia

There’s always a challenge to be overcome, so make

the most of the opportunities that are before you. Be

ready for changes, and when others react with

trepidation, continue making progress and taking

action.

“When trouble strikes, some people turtle,” John

Warrillow said. “They cut expenses to the bone and

try to ride it out. Others just freeze. They become

catatonic. I believe forward momentum is better than

nothing. Great things happen when you’re in the

market.”

As he explained, “The worst enemy of consultants

right now is not COVID-19 or even the economic

impact it will inevitably produce. The worst enemy is

lack of inertia…it’s a very unique time to be a

consultant because everybody is disrupted. Every

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business model is under scrutiny, but as a consultant,

you have the opportunity to make a huge impact.”

“Some people are going to come through this crisis

and realize it wasn’t actually that bad,” John

Warrillow said. “Somehow, their business was still

pretty productive, even though everyone was

working from home.”

As he reminded me, “I’ve lived through the tech

wreck of the 90s, the economic fallout after 9/11, the

2008 recession. I owned businesses, including a

consulting business, during all of them, and I am

convinced that this, too, shall pass. Flash forward a

year from now, and we will almost certainly have a

vaccine for COVID-19. Hopefully, at some point soon,

widespread testing will be underway. We are

mobilizing an entire manufacturing sector to make

ventilators and protective gear. People are taking

action to self-isolate in order to stem the impact. It

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looks bad now, but we will get through this like we’ve

gotten through all of the other bad times.”

Boost Your Well-Being

Stay positive. Keep pushing forward. Take care of

yourself and don’t flee. As I mentioned earlier, one of

the best ways you can maintain a positive mindset is

by staying physically active. When you’re active, your

body releases endorphins, which contribute to your

sense of well-being.

The science shows that regular exercise makes you

feel more energetic throughout the day and enables

you to sleep better at night. You’re more relaxed, more

positive about yourself, more resilient, and you have

sharper memories. That, in turn, enables you to make

clear-headed decisions, and it gives you the energy

you need to keep moving

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Regular exercise even has a profound effect on

depression and anxiety, no matter your age or fitness

level. You probably don’t need as much activity as

you think to enjoy the benefits. Just thirty minutes of

moderate exercise five times a week is enough, so

don’t assume you need to devote hours at the gym or

train for a marathon. 10

It helps to pick a physical activity that you enjoy.

Maybe you like running, or maybe you prefer riding

your bike. Make a nice walk in the evening is your cup

of tea, or perhaps you’re just fine doing some aerobic

exercise in your living room at home. Then again, you

may actually be training for a marathon—that’s great,

too (and kind of impressive).

10Lawrence Robinson, Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., and Melinda Smith, M.A.,

“The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise,” HelpGuide, June 2019,
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-
health-benefits-of-exercise.htm

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Leading in the Uncertainty

Though you may feel a bit like a deer in the headlights

right now, the current climate of uncertainty is your

opportunity to lead, make great strides in your

business, and come out on top. Whatever the future

holds, you can keep working and creating a

prosperous future.

The best investments you can make during a time of

trouble are your business, your mindset, your family, your

health, and your client relationships. There is always a

silver lining—choose to believe that and act

accordingly.

Stay strong. Plant the right seeds now, and they will

nourish you for years to come.

The key is to create the right plan, implement it, and

work at it consistently. If you do, you will emerge

from this crisis—and any future chaos or

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uncertainty—stronger than before. Not only will you

survive, but you will also thrive.

Don’t wait, don’t despair, don’t overthink—act! Your

actions today create your future.

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Clarity Coaching Program for

Consultants

In the Clarity Coaching Program for Consultants,

you’ll learn the proven “Consulting Success®

Framework” which focuses on optimizing all aspects

of your consulting business, strategy, and marketing

so you can reach your full potential as a consultant.

We’ve helped hundreds of consultants from around

the world to optimize their messaging, business

model and improve lead flow during the Clarity

Program.

We have tested and developed a series of simple

steps that support rapid learning and

implementation to help you create real progress in

your business.

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The progress you make and strategy you’ll develop

translates to a solid consulting business foundation

and increased revenue.

We teach you how to develop a powerful brand and

a marketing system that attracts ideal clients and

communicates greater value for your work.

To learn more visit www.consultingsuccess.com and

click on “Coaching”

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Momentum: The Proven Online

Program to Quit Your Job and
Become a Successful Consultant

Would you like to know what has enabled hundreds

of people to quit their jobs and become high six- or

seven-figure consultants with waiting lists of clients

who are drawn to them almost magnetically?

Would you like to know what separates consultants

who control their schedules, make a great impact

doing what they’re good at, and earn enough money

to take time off and enjoy it with their families,

traveling, golfing, skiing, or just lying on the

beach…from consultants who work seventy to

eighty hours a week just to pay the mortgage?

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Would you like to know what separates a consultant

who happily turns away potential clients because

they’re not the PERFECT fit…from a consultant who

HAS to take every client they can get, regardless of

how time-consuming and hair-pullingly irritating

they will be because “beggars can’t be choosers?”

The thing that separates them is pretty simple,

actually. It's having the right system and foundation in

place.

That system is Momentum: the proven

implementation program for consultants to

transition from employee to successful consultant.

Learn more at consultingsuccess.com/momentum

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About the Author

Michael Zipursky is the CEO of Consulting Success®

and Coach to Consultants. He is a leading authority on

optimizing marketing, positioning, pricing and

business models for independent and small consulting

firms.

He has advised organizations like Financial Times,

Dow Jones, RBC, and helped Panasonic launch new

products into global markets, but more importantly,

he’s helped over 370 consultants from around the

world in over fifty industries add six and seven figures

to their annual revenues.

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His work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur,

Marketing Profs, FOX Business, among many other

publications.

Over 35,000 consultants read his weekly consulting

newsletter. Michael is also the author of the Amazon

Bestsellers The Elite Consulting Mind and Consulting

Success®, the book.

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