The moment you open a conversation with your prospect start the closing process.
Give as much value as you can so you have them thinking …
“Wow, if she’s giving all this away for free, her paid stuff must be utterly amazing!”
Many coaches, consultants and service providers are scared of giving away the store.
They think that once their prospect has the knowledge they need to solve their problem they no longer have a reason to ask for help.
That’s simply NOT TRUE.
They may already know what they need to do in order to get the result they want.
But chances are they still need guidance and support on how to get there.
So drop your fear of giving away too much.
You can give it all away and trust that no other person in the whole world can deliver the way you do.
How to use consultative closing to win the sale
If you enrol clients through discovery or strategy sessions, this is where you get the opportunity to ask relevant, in-depth questions.
To find out if you are the person best positioned to produce the results they want and need.
What’s more, you get to decide whether or not they are the sort of client you’d like to bring on board in your business.
Make no mistake, that decision must ultimately rest with you.
Skillfully guide your conversation in the direction you want it to go.
Prompt them when necessary.
And make sure your prospect is the one doing most of the talking.
Be sure to listen carefully as their story unfolds.
And take lots of notes.
Resist the temptation to offer any advice until you are in full possession of the facts.
If you decide the relationship is a match, suggest to your prospect what he or she could do to bring them one or two steps closer to their goal.
If you’ve done your job properly they should readily agree with your recommendation.
That sets up the question as to whether they want to do this for themselves.
Or if they’d like your help in getting there.
In my experience, if you’ve connected well.
If you’ve taken the time to truly understand their situation.
And you’ve offered well-considered actionable advice that will ultimately lead them to their desired outcome …
The only person your prospect will want to take with them to the finish line is YOU
And if things don’t work out …
Take heart …
There’s only one of YOU, but there are plenty of them.
I tend to get a gut feeling early on as to whether my prospect and I will work well together.
That’s my primary focus.
Because more often than not I pre-qualify my sales leads.
If you don’t already, I suggest you pre-qualify your sales leads too.
If my prospective client and I are not on the same page from the outset …
There’s a good chance our relationship could be fraught with misunderstandings.
That sends up a red flag and I will have no hesitation in pulling the pin.
Make sure you work with your right people
Over the years I’ve worked with people from all walks of life.
Some clients are a dream to work with.
They turn up on time to scheduled meetings.
And they complete all their tasks.
Less than ideal clients are often no-shows.
They tend to run late for appointments.
Never finish their homework.
And are usually full of excuses.
More than that, they have the cheek to complain about not getting the results they expected.
No matter whose fault it is, a poor outcome leads to a dissatisfied customer.
And a dissatisfied customer always makes more noise than a happy one.
One comment from a dissatisfied customer spreads like wildfire.
It can ruin reputations.
And destroy businesses.
Justified or not.
No-one wants to work with difficult, unrealistic, headache-inducing customers.
Be very particular about who you invite into your business.
Make sure they tick all the boxes on your ideal client checklist.
If you found this article interesting, here’s another you might like to check out: HOW TO CONVERT LIKE AN EXPERT