From Crisis to Catalyst: Inspiring Ideal Clients to Action
Being able to illustrate what your client is struggling with through their symptoms and red flags in our earlier article helps people feel seen, even when they may not be ready to take action yet. In the client transformation arc, the crisis & catalyst points are where the rubber hits the road. Think of it as the full-blown boiling point. Folks who don’t go to see the doctor or manage their chronic conditions get the choice made for them when they have a heart attack or are hospitalized.
Something’s gotta give. While we as the experts don’t want people to get to this point, it’s inevitable for some, maybe even most, to get to experience crisis before they’re going to take action.
Our reptilian brains are resistant to change, even when we know it’s good for us.
People will often put a lot of blame on themselves when they’re in crisis. The rose colored glasses come off— this is where the hindsight of the symptoms and red flags kick in. If they didn’t see it before, they’re certainly seeing them now.
With your marketing, you want to be careful and conscious at this point. This is not the time to say “I told you so.” It’s not a time to agitate or pour salt in the wound to “get them ready to buy.” Supportive client communication sets the tone for each interaction.
It’s a time to hold space for them and acknowledge the challenges and barriers they have faced to address the problem. This is where you describe both your own crisis (if it relates) and to those of your clients. What we want to do is acknowledge their pain and help them realize they don’t have to stay that way.
Keeping people in shame and blame does the opposite of what you want it to do. It paralyzes them. This is where we begin to help them make a mind shift into what is possible DESPITE the crisis and challenges they’re currently facing.
We can help folks realize that despite what our culture may tell us, it’s never too late to take action and make a positive change. Whether that’s for our health, in our community, to invest in our relationships, or turn our business around.
Marketing that Holds Space for Customers & Meets Them Where They Are
Some people can stay stuck in their crisis for a while before entering the catalyst stage. No judgment here— Lord knows that’s been true of me and my own mental illness spirals. I think most of us at some point, have wondered how many times we’ve had to learn the same lesson over and over.
As I said about experiencing a crisis, our reptilian brain is extremely resistant to change. There comes a point in time where staying the same has become too painful than the change itself. We’re now committing to making the change in our default state.
They’re now actively looking for a solution to their problem. They may be doing this with some urgency or still weighing their options, unsure of whether to commit. While a catalyst is often the trigger for action, some people may feel overwhelmed with all of the choices and need help overcoming decision paralysis.
Using Catalyst Moments to Guide Your Marketing Strategy for Keyword Research, Lead Magnets, and Webinars
Catalyst moments are where people are most ready to take action. In the world of SEO copywriting, we call that “high intent.” Marketing is often a matter of timing – when you’re able to capture the attention of someone who’s actively searching for a solution like yours, your marketing is more impactful.
From a content marketing standpoint, this is where a solid lead magnet can help to take small steps towards their goal. If you have something from your paid offer that can standalone, you can use that as a part of your lead magnet strategy. Building up that momentum towards their aspirational result gives them a taste of what’s possible if they keep working toward it.
If you’ve made them to feel seen during the previous stages (or recognize where they once were), you’re building client trust and connection.
When people can clearly articulate our problem, we believe that they can better solve it.
Describing the catalyst moments in your marketing and sales content can show them that working completely by themselves on the problem can only take them so far. We often need another person’s help to get us across the finish line.
Webinars or other events work well for this because they’re getting a sense of your approach and get clarity or a quick win, and it makes the next steps toward working together feel more natural.
What people don’t often talk about when advising on marketing strategy or sales is that the timing of when someone receives the message is just as important, if not more so, than the message you’ve created. People have to be ready to receive.
This can be discouraging, but in a lot of ways, but it’s also liberating. Even though there may be other people saying similar things, you can be the unique messenger who they saw at just the right time that moved them and inspired them to action.
