How to land a consultation call
Mar 30, 2021
A consultation call is the first phone call between you and a potential client. A free consultation call is essential for the potential client to get to know you and decide if you and your services are the right fit. It’s your chance to book the client. Here are four tips to nail your consultation call and up your chances on booking the client!
1. Keep the call around 30 minutes
It’s important to set aside a certain amount of time for the phone call. Keep it short - 20-30 minutes is perfect. That’s just the right amount of time to get to know one another. If there’s not a predetermined time-frame for the call, it can last for hours. Sometimes potential clients might be trying to dig for free advice, even if they don’t know necessarily mean to do so. It’s okay to give a few pointers here and there, but it they want more from you, they should schedule another call for a fee.
2. Talk to your potential client as if they have already booked you.
If you talk to them as if they’ve already hired you, it makes you seem confident which in turn makes the potential client feel confident in you. Replace the “If you choose me, we would do this and that” with “Once we begin, I will do this”. Wording it like this will also make it easier for the potential client to envision how things will actually go.
3. State your price with confidence
A lot of times people feel awkward when revealing their prices and often times they back up their price with something like “I know that seems like a lot, but we can work something out and I can give you a discount”. I had the hardest time with this when I first started out. I used to tell my clients my price, but then back it up with something like “But we can work something out that works for the both of us”. This always resulted in the client paying less and leaving me looking insecure. This insecurity tells your clients that you don’t think you’re worth that much. Simply state your price or rate and leave it at that.
4. Be professional, yet personable
Don’t try and impress the potential client with the technical terms relating to your field. Yes, this shows you’re an expert, BUT it will leave the client feeling confused and overwhelmed. Instead, speak to them as if they're a friend, while still keeping it professional.
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Picture for a moment what it would be like if you could consistently increase your income. Imagine how you’d feel if convert more calls to clients. Just picture how joyous life would be. The good news is that dreaming about converting free consultations into paying clients isn’t just a fantasy – it CAN happen. And all you have to do to increase your closing rate is implement a few tried and true strategies. Here’s how…
• Learn about the client before the call by having them fill out a brief application before the call. Find out what their needs and expectations are. This will provide you with some key talking points for the call.
• Don’t solve the potential client’s problem for free. The purpose of a consultation call is to understand their situation to see how and if you might be a good fit to help them. It is a time to explain how you work with clients and how your process can help.
• Set expectations for the call. During marketing, you can outline what you’re willing to discuss during your consultation and what your business does and doesn’t do.
• Stay on topic. A 15-minute call should not last much longer than that. If a call lingers on and goes off track that is not good for anyone. Time is money. Be polite, yet firm in ending the call.
• Develop an outline for the call.
o Introduce yourself and your business and highlight your track record.
o State your understanding of the potential client’s concern to ensure clarity.
o Assure them you can solve their problem by sharing a success story of a client with a similar problem.
o Set expectations for the relationship; what they can expect from you and what you expect from them.
o Allow them to ask any questions about the information you have shared.
o Thank them for their time and stress that you think that you’d be a good fit for each other (if that is the case).
• Be prepared for objections
o Price. Emphasize the big-picture and return on investment gained from working with you. Money-back guarantees and payment plans can ease your potential clients’ minds.
o Track record. Share any positive reviews and testimonials you have.
o Time. Note that getting started with your business is a not a complicated process. Emphasis why now is the “perfect” time to do business with you.
o Approval. If a prospect says they need to speak to their spouse or partner before committing, it’s often a good idea to let them. Be willing to follow up if necessary.
Congratulations – you now know how to convert more free consultation calls to paying clients. So, the next thing you need to do is take action. Because the sooner you do, the sooner you can consistently increase your income.