How do you decide if you should go the “extra mile” to land a client? Sometimes a prospect will ask for an extra step in order to close the sale. For example, he or she might want to meet you in person before making the commitment to work with you.
When you are starting out, you might be willing to accommodate a request like this. Initially, I met people in person, offering to meet them just a 15-minute walk from my apartment and the whole process could take nearly two hours to close. In time, I realized I could speak with two to three prospects by telephone in the same amount of time it took to meet one in person. And when you have 25 – 30 clients, your time becomes more limited and you won’t be able to do this type of thing.
Another place to draw the line is when a prospect doesn’t complete your questions prior to your consultation call. Early on, you may be tempted to go ahead and do the consultation anyway. But, what you might be doing is wasting time on a prospect who will not be your ideal client. A person who does not comply with your initial requests can turn into a time waster and drag you down.
With time you will see how non-ideal clients can suck your energy dry. While you want to help people, you also want to train them in how to best work with you. I recommend having your VA call a prospect who hasn’t sent in his or her questions to reschedule the call to give them time to complete their homework first.
There will always be people who won’t do the work and this way you can weed them out early so they don’t waste your time. It may seem harsh, but the truth is you can say this in a caring manner and even invite them back when they feel they are ready to work and follow through.
In the beginning it’s sometimes good to take on these wishy-washy clients because it will help you develop a tough skin and clearer view of people who are not your ideal clients. You’ll learn what you don’t like and discover what works better. After a while, you’ll become compassionately ruthless about who you work with and who you don’t. The last thing you want is to be resentful about taking on a client who is not ideal, which will only make your heart sink.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
This week, as you speak to prospects and conduct your consultations, notice who your ideal clients are. And also take stock of those wishy-washy people who are not your ideal clients. Be brave, be direct and let them go if it appears they are not your ideal. Give yourself permission to walk away and instead put time into seeking clients who are ready to do the work and achieve the success they desire.
Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.
One of the quickest ways to get more clients by getting referrals from your network and to get out there in a BIG way is to start telling your Centers of Influence (COIs) what you’re up to in a face-to-face meeting. This can be in addition to sending them the introduction letter and this can be either in a café or at their office (where they have their Rolodex handy).
Centers of influence are people who like and respect you and who come in contact with enough people on a daily and weekly basis to be able to regularly refer you to the right people. They are some of the most influential people you know, natural networkers who seem to know everyone, “bridgers” who love putting people together, just for the fun of it.
If you’re looking to get more clients from the people you know best – the center of influence is the way to go. These are business people who are well established, are great networkers and who can lead you to the kind of clients you are looking for.
You want to surround yourself as much as possible in the network of several Centers of Influence to get more referrals and get more clients.
Just one meeting with some of these COIs over coffee or lunch (your treat), on a regular basis will start revving up your reputation and referral engines. People will start hearing about you and you’ll probably get new clients this way fairly shortly.
Your Client Attraction Assignment:
Make a list of the 20 most influential people you know. These are usually natural networkers who run into lots of people and would be happy to tell others about you when appropriate. Call five of these COIs this week to set up coffee or lunch in the next two weeks. Do the same the following week, and so on. Educate them on what you do for clients, your System and who your Ideal Clients are. And of course, offer to do the same for them.
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Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System®, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.attractclients.com.
