You’re on a discovery call with a potential new client. They’ve brought in the decision-maker and two of the people you’d be working with on the team. The conversation is going really well — there’s rapport, everyone is in a good mood.
They describe the problem they’re facing and ask your opinion.
You know, just from the way they phrased the question, that what they think the problem is, and what the actual problem is, are different – you see so clearly what the actual problem is and how to fix it.
This is your wheelhouse. Your zone of genius.
This contract is yours to lose. You can taste it.
You lay it all out for them, in exquisite detail. Smiles and nods all around. Deeper questions. More in-depth answers.
You are in your element. On fire. You are solving problems and offering up killer ideas.
And you have just lost the sale.
The worst part is, you don’t even know it. You finish the call, and you’re on a high.
But the client doesn’t reply to your emails.
The followup call is rescheduled… and rescheduled again… and then “put on hold.”
You can’t figure out what’s wrong. They loved you.
You gave them everything they wanted.
And that, right there, is the problem.
You slept with the client on the first date. The mystery and intrigue is gone, and they’re never going to call you again.
When your business is your expertise, when people hire you for your expertise, it’s natural that you want to share that expertise. But there’s a time and a place, and a right way and a wrong way.
When you start solving problems without a solid sales process in place, you will give away your expertise — your power — and you will lose sales.
You’re left feeling resentful. Gun shy.
Some of my students even tell me they feel used when this happens.
Why should I bother putting myself out there?
Or you think something must be wrong with you. Your pricing is too high. You don’t offer a service people want. You need new branding.
Nothing is wrong with you.
Your pricing can actually be even higher.
People definitely want your service.
And for the love of all that is holy, you do not need new branding.
What you do need is a sales process. What you must have is training on exactly how to run early conversations — which is exactly what I teach my SIGNED students…
You need a proper framework for your discovery conversations so that you don’t wind up giving away your expertise for free.
Your discovery call needs to show the client what the outcome will be — how their business will be different as a result of working with you.
When you know the right way to run a discovery call, something amazing happens. The call is actually better. You get really good information, and the chance to understand — deeply — what’s driving the client to seek a solution.
You’ll come off the call knowing if the client has the funds to hire you, what the hiring process looks like, and how urgent the need is for them.
You’ll know if they’re actually ready to move forward — or if they’re just window shopping for now.
Even better, they will hand feed you everything you need to write your proposal so that it hits every single one of their needs.
Listen, you aren’t just supposed to know how to do this discovery call thing.
You didn’t learn it in school, you’re not born with a “talent” for it…
You need a training ground, somewhere to learn from other successful coaches and consultants who’ve done this work before, and who can show you what is working in the real world.
That’s exactly why I created my signature program, SIGNED. (We just closed the doors on our latest SIGNED class, but send a message if you want to talk about our October class- spots are already filling up! )
Because if you’re going to have great sales conversations, you have to have potential clients to sell to.
To your success,
Leah
