SHOULD PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS HAVE TO COMMIT BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE DISCOVERY SESSION?

“You must force potential clients to commit to your program before they leave the discovery session…otherwise you will lose them forever.”

If you’ve been in the coaching industry for any length of time, I bet you’ve heard this claim from at least one business “expert.”

And if you are a heart-centered, spirit-driven biz owner, I bet the idea of forcing potential clients to commit to work with you before they leave the discovery session feels totally icky and out of integrity.

I know it did for me. When I was a new coach, this is what I was taught. And I believed it must be true if these experienced “experts” told me so.

But when I tried it out, it felt terrible.

I didn’t like forcing my potential clients to make a huge commitment of time and money without thinking it through, and my potential clients didn’t like how this sales tactic made them feel, so they said “no”, left the discovery session and never returned. Let’s just say, I didn’t attract many clients this way.

Choosing to ditch this tactic and find my own way, I developed a strategy that felt in integrity with my style and also got me the results I was looking for - prospective clients saying YES to working with me!

Do you want to hear what it is?

How to get a decision from potential clients without feeling pushy or sleazy:

First, let me be clear that while I’m not a fan of forcing potential clients to commit before they leave the discovery session, I’m also not advocating that you end the discovery session with, “It was nice talking with you. Why don’t you sleep on it and be in touch when you decide if this is something you’d like to do.”

This completely lax way of enrolling clients is the opposite end of the spectrum and doesn’t work either. You’ll never hear from 90% of these potential clients again.

Here’s what to do instead:

At the end of your discovery session, after you’ve gone over your program and pricing with your prospective client and they confirm that, yes, this is indeed something they’d like to do - they just need to think it over, talk to their partner, move some money around…or whatever ducks they need to get in a row before officially committing.

Say this:

“Great, let’s schedule a phone call for tomorrow, after you’ve had time to think it over. At that time, you can let me know your final decision and we’ll get you enrolled into the program.”Then get out your calendars and schedule the call right then and there. Make sure they have your number and request that they call you at the scheduled time.

I offer my prospective clients a significant Fast Action Savings when they make their decision within 24 hours. This gives them extra incentive to call at the scheduled time and rewards them for being decisive - a quality I look for in my ideal clients.

Offering the Fast Action Savings and setting up the follow-up call the next day creates urgency and accountability, while at the same time feels more respectful of the fact that this is a big decision and 99% of the prospective clients I meet need some time to get their ducks in a row before making the commitment.

What’s your discovery session strategy? Do you force potential clients to make their decision before they leave the discovery session? If this strategy feels icky and you’d like a new way, I invite you to try my way. Please let me know how it goes!