08/22/2025
👉 Today's Theme: Creating Urgency. No Hurry, No Harvest
Without urgency, not much happens in life.
Think about it…
Urgency means something is important and requires swift action.
Sometimes it comes from within.
At times, it’s set by others.
Often, it’s forced by our circumstances.
We control some urgencies and are bound by others.
Without a start time, who would show up to work or school?
Without a tax deadline, who would bother filing?
Without a departure date, who would leave for vacation?
Simply put, things get done when there’s urgency.
As a solopreneur, you know this all too well.
Last week, we talked about the skill of listening and how it’s your secret weapon in the sales process.
Sales isn’t about convincing someone to say yes. Especially when they don't want to.
It’s about uncovering what they truly want, then positioning your offer as the bridge to their desired outcome.
This week, we’re focusing on something just as essential: urgency.
And not just urgency for you because you might need a sale.
We’re talking about how to ethically use urgency to help others make timely decisions that serve their interests.
Did you realize there are two types of urgency?
When you learn to harness both with honesty and skill, you’ll close more sales in your business (and with less pressure.)
Let’s explore how…
📖 Verse of the Week:
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“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
— Romans 13:11
You might be surprised to see this verse connected to creating urgency in the sales process.
To be clear, Paul is urging Christians to live rightly while under the heavy influence of Rome. But look closely, and you’ll see a powerful appeal to urgency.
Paul is encouraging a standard of living that is both good for them and pleasing to Christ. That’s internal motivation. But he doesn’t start there.
He begins by pointing to something outside of them—an anticipated event, the return of Christ, meant to inspire how they live now.
In essence, Paul is saying, “Hey guys, wake up and live right before Jesus gets back. It might be sooner than you think.”
That earth-shattering event is still on the horizon, even if we lose sight of it most days.
The key principle here is that Paul stirs their internal motivation by pointing to external circumstances that have consequences.
Yes, the main message of this verse is about living rightly in light of Christ’s return. But there’s also a timeless principle that applies to your sales process.
Look closely, and you’ll notice two distinct forms of this powerful force we call urgency.
🔥 Key Insight: Two Types of Urgency Drive Decisions
There are two types of urgency that influence human behavior: internal and external.
👉 Internal Urgency:
This comes from within. It’s rooted in desires, goals, or pain points. It includes:
Wanting to fix a frustrating problem
Feeling behind or overwhelmed
A personal goal or dream you’re eager to achieve
A financial target you want to hit
A desire to grow, scale, or change something
👉 External Urgency:
This comes from outside forces—deadlines, circumstances, or limited windows.
Application deadlines
Expiring discounts or promotions
Limited capacity or supply
Looming events (tax season, holidays, travel plans)
As a solopreneur, you're familiar with both.
Internal urgency drives your ambition.
External urgency is often forced on you by deadlines, financial pressure, or clients.
But here’s the truth: your prospect doesn’t share your urgency. (And why should they?)
They have their own reasons. That is, if they have any urgency at all.
Effective selling is about setting your personal pressures aside and tuning into theirs.
Because people don’t buy based on your needs.
They buy based on their motivation to solve a problem or reach a goal. Ideally, within a certain time frame.
And it’s your job to uncover the urgencies that matter to them.
📖 Bible Principle: Diligent (and Urgent) Hands Will Rule
There’s a short but sharp Proverb that makes the point plain:
“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.”
— Proverbs 12:24
What’s it saying?
There are two types of people: those who are driven by internal urgency to act, and those who wait until someone else tells them what to do.
Can you spot the employer & the employee in this verse? (Each is present.)
Which one will you be? As a Christian solopreneur, there’s only one path forward.
Diligence means steady, earnest, energetic effort. But we’re not just talking about being a self-starter.
We’re talking about cultivating urgency in your sales process.
So how does this apply to sales?
Take a look at the retail world. Think of stores like Target or the latest car commercial on TV.
👉 You’ll also see two groups at play:
Those creating the urgency to make sales, and those responding to it by making purchases.
The first group “rules,” in a sense, because they’ve learned how to drive action.
They use things like limited-time offers, holiday deadlines, end-of-year clearances, and low-inventory messages to nudge us forward.
And we know the game. These companies control the timelines.
They could extend deadlines, restock inventory, or run the promotion a little longer. But they don’t, because creating urgency works.
We’re wired to respond to it. No one wants to miss out.
So here’s the question:
Why not create urgency in your own sales process to help your prospects make a timely, wise decision?
And more importantly…why not do it ethically?
Creating urgency in sales isn’t about high-pressure tactics. It’s about putting their reasons to act front and center, and helping them understand the cost of delay.
The late Ron Willingham, in his book Integrity Selling, emphasized a values-based approach to sales that aligns with how people actually want to buy.
He focused on understanding real customer needs rather than pushing a product.
In short, urgency is not something you force. It’s something you uncover.
Your job is to help the customer see the cost of doing nothing and the benefit of moving forward today.
The core idea is this: people act when they recognize the pain of inaction and the value of choosing a timely solution.
That’s internal urgency, but there are external cues to work with, too.
For example, you might say:
"Mr. Prospect, you mentioned you ultimately want to accomplish THING as a result of working with me. I have a question for you…
How soon do you want to achieve that?"
Focus on the cost of waiting, not on pressure.
And remember, external urgency is everywhere.
Just look at your inbox or drive past a billboard. Retailers constantly use urgency to drive action, and they do it because it works.
Now it’s your turn.
🤓 Smart Business Tactic: Create Real Urgency Without Gimmicks
Last week, we focused on asking strategic questions and listening for internal motivation. That helps you surface the why behind their interest in your offering.
This week, we’ll add external urgency to your process. (And do so ethically.)
Here’s how:
1️⃣ Communicate your real capacity.
If you’re a service provider, chances are you have a natural limit. Maybe it’s 5 or 10 active clients or 3 project slots per month. Don’t hide this.
Let prospects know where your availability stands.
You might say:
“I’m excited about helping you with THING, especially since that connects to the OUTCOME you mentioned earlier. I typically only work with X clients at a time so I can deliver what I promise. Right now, I have some space, but that could change quickly. When are you planning on making a decision so I can keep availability open for you?”
As a follow-up to their response, you can say:
“Ok, I can hold a spot open until [specific day]. Could we reconnect by then to see if it makes sense for both of our timelines?”
This keeps the door open, shows respect, and creates natural urgency without applying awkward sales pressure.
2️⃣ If you sell physical products, show your supply.
No one expects unlimited stock. Let customers know when items are almost gone, or when restock timelines are uncertain. Use real numbers. Keep it honest, but let them know it's not unlimited or forever.
3️⃣ Plan promotions around natural urgency.
Most people shop with a deadline in mind: holidays, birthdays, vacations, school schedules, etc.
You can build urgency around:
Black Friday
End of year planning
Back to school
Quarterly goals
Industry-specific timelines
Your slow times
Pro tip: Plan these out in advance. Sit down and map out your promotions for the entire year. That way, you’re not scrambling or reactive when deadlines roll around. You'll have your messages queued up and ready.
Remember: People don’t need to be pressured, but they often need help deciding.
And they need a reason to decide today.
Urgency, when used ethically, serves that purpose.
🙏 Prayer:
Lord, help me act with diligence and create urgency for those I serve. Show me how to speak directly, and guide my conversations with courage and boldness. Help me to use urgency, not to manipulate, but to help others overcome their indecision and make progress.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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