How to Take Discovery Calls from ‘Maybe’ to a Resounding ‘Yes’
As a life coach, one of the most important steps in growing your business is the discovery call. This is the initial conversation you have with a potential client to understand their needs and see if you’re a good fit for each other. However, not all discovery calls turn into paying clients. Many may leave you with a “maybe” while others may ghost you entirely.
In this blog post, we will explore strategies that can help you take your discovery calls from a “maybe” to a resounding “yes.” From building trust and rapport to addressing objections and closing the sale, you’ll learn how to effectively communicate the value of your services and turn those “maybes” into paying clients.
Understanding the client’s needs during discovery calls
The first step in closing a sale is understanding the client’s needs. You need to understand what their goals and challenges are, and how you can help them achieve their desired outcomes. This is important because it helps you tailor your services to their specific needs and communicate the value you can provide.
One way to understand your client’s needs is to ask open-ended questions that encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings. This can help you get a deeper understanding of their needs and challenges, and it can also help you build trust and rapport with them.
Another technique for identifying and addressing the client’s needs is to use active listening. This means paying close attention to what the client is saying, and then summarizing and reflecting back on their thoughts and feelings. This not only helps you understand their needs better, but it also helps the client feel heard and understood.
Building trust and rapport in discovery calls
Building trust and rapport with your clients is key to closing a sale as a life coach. Trust and rapport are the foundation of any successful relationship, and they are especially important in a coaching relationship. Clients need to trust you and feel comfortable with you in order to open up and share their personal thoughts and feelings.
There are several strategies you can use to build trust and rapport with your clients. One of the most effective is to be genuine and authentic in your interactions with them. Clients can sense when you are being genuine and when you are not, and they will be more likely to trust and work with you if they feel that you are authentic. Active listening, as mentioned above, is another great way to do this. When clients see that you are 100% focused on them, they’re more willing to open up and trust you wholeheartedly.
Another strategy for building trust and rapport is to be consistent in your communication. This means responding to emails and phone calls in a timely manner, and being dependable and reliable. Clients will be more likely to trust and work with you if they feel that they can count on you. Some coaches even like to offer text messaging and email as ways to get in touch with them for some “quick coaching” in between sessions.
Selling on discovery calls
Once you have built trust and rapport with your client and understand their needs, it’s time to move on to the sales process. The sales process for life coaching typically involves:
- Presenting your services: This is where you explain what you do and how you can help the client achieve their goals. Focus on addressing how your service will ease their pain points and address their critical needs.
- Addressing objections: This is where you anticipate and address any concerns or objections the client may have about working with you. Use this as another opportunity to leverage active listening and meet each concern with a clear counterargument; many times the client needs help reframing their thinking to focus on the benefit your service will provide instead of solely thinking about the cost.
- Closing the sale: This is where you invite the client to work with you. Only offer this to the prospects that you feel will be a good fit and be committed to your program. Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale, as it is a natural step of the process.
During the sales process, it’s important to use persuasive language and to focus on the benefits of working with you rather than the features of your services. For example, instead of saying “I offer one-on-one coaching sessions,” you might say “I will work closely with you to help you achieve [insert addressing key need here].”
It’s also important to be prepared to handle objections. Clients may have concerns about the cost of coaching or the time commitment involved, and it’s important to address these concerns directly and effectively. Ask for the sale and as one of our coaches likes to phrase it, “if it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no!”
Follow-up and retention after the call
Closing a sale is just the beginning of the journey with your clients. Once they have committed to working with you, it’s important to follow up. Following up is important because it helps you ensure that your clients are excited to work with you and are not experiencing any buyer’s remorse.
From your first initial session with a client, following up is crucial for the success of your business. Following up allows you to check in on your client’s progress and ensure they are satisfied with your services. It also provides an opportunity to address any issues or concerns they may have and make any necessary adjustments to your approach.
Additionally, following up helps to maintain a relationship with your clients and increases the likelihood of them returning for future services. We recommend an end-of-session survey where they can provide anonymous feedback as well as a halfway checkpoint (at the midpoint of the total sessions you offer them) to evaluate what is going well and what could be better for the client’s progress towards their goals.
Retention is also important in maintaining a steady flow of clients and revenue for your business. By providing exceptional service and consistently delivering results, you can increase the likelihood of clients continuing to work with you in the long term. Additionally, consider offering special promotions or discounts for repeat clients to incentivize them to continue working with you. After all, it is much easier to sell to existing customers than to sell services to entirely new customers.
It is also important to have a system in place for keeping track of your clients’ progress and communication with them. This could be a CRM tool or even a simple spreadsheet where you can log your interactions, set reminders for follow-up and track progress. By effectively following up and retaining your clients, you can ensure a stable and growing business.
Time to try it for yourself!
Discovery calls are a crucial step in growing your life coaching business. By understanding your client’s needs, building trust and rapport, addressing objections, and closing the sale effectively, you can increase your chances of turning those “maybe” clients into paying ones. Remember to always stay authentic and true to yourself, be consistent in your communication, and always focus on the benefits of your services. And don’t be afraid to ask for the sale, as it is a natural step of the process. By implementing these strategies and techniques, you can take your discovery calls from “maybe” to a resounding “yes” and continue to grow your business.
Note: This post was written with the help of ChatGPT. If you’re late to the party, go check out this amazing tool and see our post on how it can help your business!