Have you seen the endless, overly complicated advice out there from so-called experts about converting prospects into paying clients?
You’ve been told you should… create epic content… develop a sales funnel… segment your list… send surveys… re-engage people who aren’t opening your emails… split test everything… and on and on.
If you’re like most of my clients, many of the tactics you hear about don’t align with the way you want to run your business.
You don’t want to treat your prospects like just another cog in your sales machine. Manipulation? No thanks. Scare tactics? Never. Quantity over quality? Not for you.
You’re like me and want to build your business on trust, integrity, and uncompromising standards. (I love this about you!)
You want to create meaningful connections with your followers so that they know, intuitively, that you’re the person who can solve their most pressing problem.
When you’re able to do that, your consultations run more smoothly, your readers engage more with you, and your client roster fills up fast.
But the marketing gurus will tell you that you need to master the art of psychological triggers, buy fancy sales funnel software, and dive deep into your traffic data.
Well, I’m going to cut past this ridiculous BS and level with you:
It’s not that complicated! And you don’t have to do most of that stuff until your business is way further along. In fact, it would just waste your time to focus on that stuff now!
I want you to know this:
Converting your perfect prospects into paying clients comes down to three simple steps.
I’m going to walk you through each step right now, so you can build trust with your prospects and grow your business in a way that serves your prospects and keeps you in integrity.
PLUS, I’m going to show you real-life examples of exactly what I used in my own business when I was just starting out. (I’m going back all the way to 2012!)
Step #1: Remind Prospects Who You Are
Have you ever received an email from someone and you couldn’t remember who they were or how you got on their list? (Admittedly, this has happened to me more than once!)
Like you, your prospects are bombarded by emails daily, so they might not remember when or why they signed up for your list!
The solution? Remind them who you are. Here’s my favorite way to do this:
Send a Welcome Email
This is so simple, you might be tempted to skip this step. Don’t!
Welcome emails typically have the highest open rate of all the emails you’ll ever send to your list. That means you have a huge opportunity to build trust with yours.
Along with your freebie, your welcome email should include some information that helps them know, like, and trust you.
This can be a short story about yourself, a quick overview of your philosophy and what makes you different, or some helpful advice.
If you want, you can also send a personal email to everyone who signs up for your list. (I recommend doing this if you’re newer to business and are looking for clients.)
Click to TweetProspects buy from businesses they know, like, and trust.Step #2: Tell Them How You Help
Now that your prospects remember who you are and have created a connection with you, it’s time to tell them exactly how you can help.
It’s not always obvious to your readers how you can help them, so it’s your job to explain the problem you help them solve.
This isn’t about trying to sell them something. It’s about creating value and helping your prospects see how your advice, techniques, and services can make a difference in their lives.
How do you do it?
Send Valuable Content Every Week
Notice I say “valuable” content. Not “perfect.” Not “epic.” Just valuable.
The most important thing is to consistently stay in touch with your list. This helps build trust and demonstrates how you can help them.
“But, Jenny,” you might be wondering, “how can I tell if my content is good enough?”
Great question. Good, valuable content does two things.
First, valuable content solves a problem your ideal clients are facing. The best way to do this is to switch from selling “life coaching with me” to selling “I help you solve this specific problem you’re having in your life.”
When people come to your site (or anyone’s site, for that matter), they’re looking to know that you GET them—meaning you understand their struggles and their desires—and that you are able to help them.
Second, good content is in your prospect’s language. If you’re not using your client’s language, it means you’re stuck in The Jargon Trap.
The good news is that once they get out of it, all of the business-building and client-getting work they do starts to pay off, they write better copy, and they fill their client rosters.
To escape the trap, ask yourself, “Would my target client use those exact words?” If not, adjust your content to reflect your client’s language.
Step #3: Tell Them How to Hire You
Once your prospects know who you are and how you can help them, they’re squirming in their seats ready to hire you. Yay!
The last step for converting prospects into paying clients is to tell prospects how to hire you.
Sounds like a no-brainer, right? But this is an easy step to overlook. Plus, the thought of asking someone to hire you outright might make your stomach churn.
Here’s how to painlessly tell your prospects how to hire you.
Include a Short Pitch in EVERY Email
If you send a regular newsletter to your list (and you should), include a short pitch that explains your services and the action people should take if they want to hire you.
Before writing your pitch, ask yourself some important questions.
What problem does my ideal client have?
What does my ideal client want?
How am I going to help them solve their problem or get what they want?
Once you’re clear on what solution you solve and how long it will take to help a client solve that problem, you’ll be able to write your pitch in a way that inspires the exact right people to hire you.
If you’re the kind of person who loves examples, here are three newsletter pitches I used in my business over the years.
April 2012
May 2013
January 2015
Perfect Your Work with Me Page
Your newsletter pitch should link to your Work with Me page, so be sure to write compelling copy for your offers!
The most crucial part of your Work with Me page is one that business owners often overlook: You must outline the specific steps to take to hire you.
This is so important that I wrote a whole blog post on it, including the exact lines you should add to your website copy to ensure more people hire you. (Read that blog post here.)
After you’ve taken these three steps, there’s one more thing to keep in mind…
Don’t Give up Too Soon
Converting your email list into paying clients doesn’t take a few minutes, days, or weeks. Building trust takes time.
To start, share personal stories and engage with your followers so your prospects get to know, like, and trust you.
Next, create consistent, valuable content that gives your prospects a chance to become fans before they become clients.
And, when your prospects are ready to hire you, tell them exactly how to do so.
Before you know it, your client roster and waiting list will be jam-packed with clients you love—and who love you.
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