What do you think of when you hear the word sales? Does it make you excited, do you feel indifferent, or do you feel uncomfortable? Many people seem to feel uncomfortable around the word sales because so many people who try to sell do it poorly, giving the whole endeavor a bad name. Yet, without sales skills it’s hard to grow a business.
Do you want to attract the right clients WITHOUT being salesy?
Effective consultation conversations are not about ‘selling someone’ or ‘quick fixes,’ they’re about supporting people to solve real problems. Problems that keep them up at night, challenges they have, situations that keep them stuck, or circumstances that cause them to suffer in some way, shape or form.
By working with you, you are offering them a solution that will transform their lives! You are offering them a Band-Aid to stop the bleeding and maybe even prevention techniques to avoid getting wounded like that again.
Have you ever been in a consultation conversation with a prospect who says:
“Thank you so much for all of this great information! You are amazing!” (…and then they walk away never to be heard from again.)
What else have you heard? What are some of the typical stalls or objections that you hear from your prospective clients?
How about these ones:
- “This sounds really good, but I have to think about it.” (…and thinking turns into an excuse for not making a decision.)
- “Send me your proposal and I’ll have a look at it.” (…and they never answer your follow up emails or phone calls.)
- “I can’t afford it. Can you give me a discount?” (…and they don’t value your offering.)
- “Let me get back to you.” (…and that day never comes.)
So, here’s the thing, I know you are an expert in your field and I also know that you can spot the right solution for somebody a mile away when you hear the right words – am I right?
But, just because YOU know why they are having that problem and what solution is right for them, THEY might not know it yet. And that’s where you might be getting tripped up in the consultation conversation.
Simply telling them the solution is NOT going to inspire them to say YES to working with you. This is where the art and science of the sales conversation comes into play.
One way to sell your programs and services is directly from a signature talk – from the stage. And if that doesn’t match your style, then another way you can sell your programs and services is directly from a one-on-one conversation instead; engaging in a two-way dialogue with your potential client. This technique has traditionally been called Consultative Selling, during which the salesperson (you) acts as an expert consultant for your prospects, asking questions to determine what the prospect wants, and then delivering a solution that matches their expressed needs.
I know what you’re thinking. “Michela, but I’m a service provider, designer, healer, teacher, consultant, or coach – I’m NOT a salesperson.” But the reality is that if you are communicating your ideas with another person – you are in sales. We are ALL salespeople – all the time. You wear many different hats in your business.
And if you are serious about wanting to grow a six-figure business and attract the right clients (and this is not just an expensive hobby) then you will wear at least six hats, plus the one you love most – delivering your service. I talk more about this in my ebook (Stop Giving it all Away and Start Getting your Clients to say YES! Consultative Secrets that Work.) that you can sign up for, on my website. In that PDF, one of things you’ll get to do is a mini assessment to see where you are now in terms of the different areas of skill building.
Service providers don’t have to be salesy, but they do have to generate sales.
No sales = No business
Here are two tips to attract the right clients, without being salesy:
- People buy transformation, not information. Get crystal clear on what you are actually selling and the transformation that people get after they work with you. You are not a pushing a commodity – you are facilitating a transformation!
- Diagnose symptoms and deliver prescriptions. Get really good at asking powerful questions and listening globally. Your job is to accurately diagnose the root cause of the prospective client’s situation and then confidently deliver your expert recommendation for solving the root problem. You are not an order taker – you are an expert consultant!
The beautiful thing is that effective consultation conversations are not about selling, or about quick fixes — they are about supporting people to solve real problems. And your solution transforms their lives!
Whether or not they tell you, these clients will be the ones that think of you with gratitude for years down the road because you helped them commit to themselves and to what they needed to do, in order to create success for themselves.
When I work with my clients, one of the things they appreciate about me is my ability to be their mirror and to reflect back to them what they cannot see for themselves. As a business owner, being trapped inside of your own perspective can leave you feeling ill equipped to recognize problems and come up with solutions. Sometimes you might feel like you’re spinning, you can’t see the forest for the trees, or you’ve lost perspective.
Because the sales process such an intricate framework, I go through this in my coaching sessions thoroughly, provide you with templates and scripts that I’ve refined over the years (which have led to an 80% conversion rate), plus lots of hands-on support. And because I am really invested in your success, I even go over the top by listening to your sales consultations and providing a deep dive assessment with recommendations to strategically improve what you’re doing. This totally speeds up the process for you to attract the right clients with fewer struggles.
If you want to fast track your results, grab your free copy of my guide to “Stop Giving it all away, and Start Getting your Clients to say YES!”, get all the details and subscribe here.