Should You Be Marketing & Selling During a Pandemic? My Rebel Answer.
Table of Contents
Tune into the episode or read the post below
You’re not going to like it or maybe you will…the answer is…
…I. Don’t. Know.
But you do.
I want to ask you some open-ended questions to help you decide what's best for you and your business when it comes to marketing and selling during a pandemic.
If you look at social media, there are all kinds of conflicting advice.
One of my favorite business mentors said “No. We should be generously giving our knowledge away for free knowing that it will come back to us.”
Another said, “Yes if you can serve help people. Make your offers with care.”
Other people are shaming anyone who even DARES to make money during this crisis.
Rebel Truth: You’ve got to figure out what’s the right answer for you. No one can tell you.
No one knows what works because we’ve never been here before (well 1918 but business did not exist in this way then).
Let’s face it — this pandemic is not going anywhere. It’s going to ebb and flow across the world for MONTHS.
Living in Seattle, I’m at the epicenter. I have clients across the US and around the world who are checking in on me because they know the shit has hit the proverbial fan here.
I’ll most likely be through this thing first (yay…I guess) and my friends in NY and California are not much farther behind.
Unless you have tons of money in the bank, you are going to have to market and selling during the pandemic. It’s not a matter of if it’s a matter of when.
It’s like the extremely smart Lacy Boggs, the Director of the Content Direction Agency and former guest of the Rebel Rising podcast said on Facebook, don’t disappear during this time.
I agree.
How do you know WHEN it’s time to start marketing and selling?
Here’s what I’m asking myself.
How’s Your Nervous System?
How anxious are you? How stressed are you?
Take a moment and check in with your body? Are your shoulders tight? Stomach clenched? Thoughts racing?
Are you waking up in the middle of the night planning out the worst-case scenario?
Rebel truth: Your business’s biggest asset is YOU!
Stress wreaks havoc on your immune system and with the Covid-19 running amok, you want your immune system strong.
Right now, my nervous system is a bit fried.
My stomach is clenched. I’m constantly scanning my environment for clues of upcoming threats.
My hubby came home from work the other night, I was creating a Google Spreadsheet of all our supplies on hand.
11 boxes of Mac & Cheese, 4 cans of chili, 2 boxes of Minute Rice, 1500 tablets of acetaminophen (because I heard a story that there will be supply chain issues).
I was in full-on panic mode.
If you’re stressed like me and are finding yourself in fight or flight, putting marketing and selling on pause for a few days to take care of you is a great idea.
What I am doing?
Brodie reporting for snuggling duty.
- Breathing for 2-minutes multiple times of day using my Fitbit
- Go out for walks (there’s no one on the street)
- Reading fiction and learning new business stuff
- Streamlining systems in my business (yes, I find this calming)
- Cuddling with my big orange cat
- Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or Tapping
- Reaching out to my support network (friends and communities I belong)
- SLEEPING!
- Hydrating
- Leaving reviews for podcasts and books (a great way to give back)
Make a plan to take care of yourself before you start worrying about marketing and sales.
You’ll be far more creative, grounded, and better able to serve if you’ve taken care of your nervous system and yourself first.
What’s your bank account saying?
Let’s be practical for a hot second, here.
There are people judging others for being slimy, gross for selling right now (you bet I’ve got something to say about that).
There are others saying to be generous and give it away for free.
I’m saying to check your bank account, yo!
- How much money do you have right now?
- What’s your sales pipeline look like right now?
- Are you still getting leads?
If your business is anything like mine, you’re probably supporting other small businesses.
The one thing I do not want to do is let any of them go. I need my coach right now and my podcast team saves me loads of time.
This means I need to market and sell to support these business owners so I can keep paying them.
I love this article about how a fine dining establishment in Seattle, Canlis, is shutting down their dining room and opening THREE to-go restaurants to keep their employees employed during the outbreak in Seattle. (you bet I’ll be visiting — it’s in walking distance of my house)
I’m lucky.
I have some runway in the bank. I’m still making sales. People are still booking sales conversations with me to create their 3 Word Rebellion and their messaging.
I’ve got my eye on these metrics every week.
I can afford to slow down a bit and take some time to work on my anxiety before selling again.
If you’re not in a good spot, then get back to marketing and selling as soon as you take care of your nervous system.
Look at your numbers, let them guide your decision.
A Note on People who Shame You for Marketing & Selling During a Pandemic:
F@#k ‘em. Seriously, F@#k ‘em.
Block ‘em. Unfriend ‘em. Don’t listen to ‘em.
They don’t know you or your business.
You’re doing this intentionally. You’ve asked your self a series of questions to come to this decision.
You’ve got a family to support. You’ve got other businesses or employees to support.
So f@#k ‘em!
/rant over.
What do I need to change to feel GOOD about marketing & selling right now?
This is a great prompt to take to your journal and free-write on.
Think about your business model.
Do you need to change up your business model like Canlis? What could you offer that could be of great service right now? Anything that you’ve held back on that could really help people who are feeling uncertain and anxious?
My friend, Tara Newman at the Bold Leadership Revolution, says now is a great time for business development. She means taking to your journal and dreaming up new offers and revenue streams. Have fun with it!
Think about your marketing & messaging.
Could you change the way you do your marketing? Could you reposition your message? Could you use more humor or less humor? Could you use more empathy? Tell more stories? Be more direct or less direct?
Maybe nothing needs to change in your business model, marketing and messaging in order for it to feel good. Maybe everything needs to change.
I don’t know, but you do!
I just want you to show up and market. I want your business to keep going (and even thriving) during this time.
For me, even before this pandemic started I’ve been thinking about how I can help more people with their messaging and their marketing.
I’ve got so many ideas. Will I still be offering 1:1 work through the 3 Word Rebellion Messaging Intensive? Yes.
Will I be offering lowering cost ways to get my support in small, intimate environments? Hell yes.
Am I ready to market and sell that now? No.
Do I need to today? No.
Will I need to in a week or two? Yes.
And that feels good.
I want you to feel good about your decision about what you’re marketing and selling.
Make Your Own Decisions
Don’t hide. Don’t disappear. Make your own decision about WHEN you’re going to start marketing and selling during a pandemic.
Coronavirus is not going anywhere and neither is your business.
Only you know what’s right for you and your business.
You don’t need a guru to tell you what to do. You’ve got you.
If you have questions, want support or want to tell me what decision you made, feel free to leave a comment or find me and send me a DM on Instagram @drmichellemazur
