Whether you’re ready for your first client or your thousandth, it’s easy to fall into a deadly client-repelling trap without realizing it. I see them far too often, which is sad because they are easy to fix and fixing them will instantly help you attract new clients.
Today I’m going to share with you three client-repelling traps you must avoid if you want to fill your client roster (and waiting list!).
I’ll also share with you the surprisingly simple fixes to each trap so you can turn each one into a client-attracting magnet.
Trap #1 – Your website
If you’re like most go-getter entrepreneurs I know, you have a website you created specifically to help you market your business online. But is your website helping or hurting you in attracting new clients? Here’s how to tell.
Navigation
Does your navigation menu make it very, very clear how someone can learn more about working with you?
If you’re a coach, use something as simple as “Work With Me” or “What I Offer” in your navigation bar. Don’t use “Come Dance With Me” or “Soul Journeying” if what you do is coach.
Clear, simple language will make it easy for visitors to learn more about what you can do for them. Your job is to make it painless for them to hire you. Straightforward navigation is a great start.
Of course, that navigation item should link to a page on your site where a visitor can then learn more about working with you.
If they’re interested
Once a visitor navigates your site and learns about what you do, is it clear what they should do next? Do they schedule a consult? Do they need to pay you first? Do you offer a free session?
Many service providers make it difficult for a visitor to understand the next steps. If a visitor likes what they read on your site but can’t figure out how to hire you, they may leave your site and look to hire someone else.
Make your prospects’ next steps very clear. Lay them out in detail on the same page where you describe your services. On my Work With Jenny page, I detail the next steps for getting started with me.
When people know what to expect, they’re ready to take the next step toward hiring you.
Trap #2 – Your consultation
Nothing is more frustrating than a business owner who gives away a free session or consultation but doesn’t tell the prospect how to hire them.
I once took a coach up on her offer for a free 15 minute session. At the end of the session I was ready to hire her, but I had to pull pricing and next steps out of her. It was painful! She almost lost me as a client because she was so passive in the interaction.
If someone signs up for a consult or a free session, they are expecting you to tell them how they can work with you (really, they are!). Tell them what you offer and how they can hire you. Being forthright about your offerings makes it easier for someone to hire you.
Trap #3 – Your follow-up
You will always have potential clients who need to “think about it” before they commit to working with you. It’s normal! However, letting someone “think about it” without offering to follow-up is practically guaranteeing that you’ll lose that person as a client.
As I keep saying, make it easy for people to hire you. We are all busy, including your prospects. Make it easier for them to hire you by following up with them after the consult or free session.
Before you hang up from the consultation, tell your prospect that you’d like to follow up with them in a few days. Would Monday be okay? Make a note in your calendar and send them an email on Monday. It shows you’re interested in working with them and that you care. Who wouldn’t want to hire someone like that?
Your Next Steps
You now know the top three client-repelling traps: your website, your consultation, and your follow-up. I’ve even told you exactly how to fix each one and turn them into client-attracting magnets!
The next steps are up to you, and I can’t wait to hear them.
In the comments below, tell me…
1. Were you falling into one of these client-repelling traps? Which on and why?
2. What is one step you’re going to take TODAY to turn that trap into a magnet?
I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got!
Hey Jenny!
You hit a homerun with this post.
For me it’s being ready to talk price on the free consult. Most people I talk to do not have a clue about pricing. So its up to me to put on my big girl pants and talk about it. I am coming to grips w how shy I am about pricing.
I love your honesty, Susan! Talking about price is awkward, no doubt about it! The more you do it, the more you’ll be comfortable with it.
One approach I often suggest to clients is this…
During the consult, after you’ve honed in on the prospect’s issue, say, “How about I tell you how I work and what we can do to [achieve the results they want]?” Then go on to explain your process. End with, “What questions do you have?” Inevitably, one will be, “How much does it cost?” To which you reply with the pricing. That way you’re not shoving it awkwardly in their face, but you’re also not making it difficult for them to get the answer.
Another tip to help you get comfortable with pricing is to practice saying it. Stand up (right now!), pull your shoulders back, and say, “That package, including [whatever it includes] is $xx.” Say that 5 times, each time owning it more and more.
I know you’re great at what you do, Susan, and that you get results for your clients. A little practice, and I know it will become effortless for you to claim your value!
Hey Jenny, I can totally see how I’m not making it easy for clients to hire me in the consultation. Even though I’ve been at this awhile I think I will be writing up a script for the consultation, as well as being clearer about the process on my website – those next steps aren’t clear either! Thanks!
One of the great things about you, Hanna, is that you’re always looking to improve how you do business without getting caught in a nasty thought spiral! Small, straightforward changes will make it so much easier for all of those amazing non-profit and government leaders and teams to see what a fabulous coach you are and how they can hire you!
Thanks Jenny! My follow up is what needs fine tuning. I’m going to go update my internal procedures right now because you’re right! I’m loosing business!
Yay for doing it right now, Ellen! I love go-getter action-takers!
I’m redesigning my site but that doesn’t mean I can’t fix up the work with me page NOW to make it crystal clear that I offer complimentary mini sessions! Will get this fixed up today! Curious what your thoughts are on putting pricing on the website?
Yes!! You can do it right now even amidst a site redesign. A quick change on your site will make it so much easier for people to hire you.
As far as pricing, that’s a heated topic! I put my pricing on my site because I was getting a lot of people who thought they could hire me for a few hundred bucks and was wasting a lot of time on consults. (I’ve also switched to an application process to help with that.) I like pricing on sites because I like to know what I’m going to have to pay someone. That said, there are a lot of people who say not to put pricing up because the you attract price shoppers. That can happen, but I haven’t seen it to be an issue. If you’re really good at what you do and provide tremendous value to your clients, they’ll want to work with you just because you’re so great!
Pricing is such a personal choice and as long as you stand in confidence with your decision, you can’t go wrong.
Thank you Jenny! I love hearing your “why” when it comes to which side of the pricing debate you fall on. Truly helps me see it more clearly so I can choose what’s best for me based on MY why!
Jenny,
You are always full of great insights, that seem so simple to implement, yet we constantly overlook.
I’m going to think about how i leave a client at the end of a yoga session, and figure out a way to make sure they come back.
Thanks for sharing your briliance!
Great idea, Danielle! I think you’ve got lots of options there, like creating private session packages or offering discounts if they book their next session right then and there. If you know your students’ goals in terms of doing private yoga with you, you can help them keep moving toward those goals and make it easy for them to stay on track.
Thanks for being here!
Hi, Jenny!
Thanks for sharing these strategies in such a concise and easily implementable way. Looking forward to using them as I continue building my website!
You’re welcome!
Jenny,
I’m notoriously bad at self-promotion.
I am much better than I was a few months ago but I still have a ways to go before I can be completely comfortable pimping out my business.
I will be sure to keep your advice about free sessions in mind if I do them in the near future to generate business 🙂
Thanks!
Try this reframe, Jenna.
Instead of focusing on self-promotion, think about generously sharing your wisdom. I don’t mean give away everything for free; I mean, be yourself, be generous, and share your idea with others. Focus on how you can solve their problems, whether with your blog posts, in a FB group, or during a consultation. If you’re focused on serving them, the question of “Oh, gosh, how do I tell them about my pricing and how to pay me?” turns into, “If this is the solution you’re looking for, here’s how I can help you get it.” It becomes about them and not about you!
Does that help?
Jenny,
One of the things I love about your blog is that it is always full of how to’s that I can implement today. The consult is one of the best things we as online business owners can give away but often times it can feel icky or pushy as the call wraps up. Learning how to ask for the business in a non threatening heart felt way can add to your bottom line faster than anything.
Thanks Jenny for sharing your amazing tips each week. They have changed my business.
You are one who certainly knows how to nail consults, Kendrick. That’s for sure.
You’re totally right: it’s possible to ask for business in a non-pushy, non-threatening way so you support your prospect without making it awkward.
Thanks for chiming in here!
Hi Jenny, thanks so much for this and how simple, yet how many of us arent following these rules. I have just realised that i am not very clear on all my site pages about how to hire me. and how i need to make it as easy as possible for my prospective clients to do just that! thank you!
Excellent, Sonia! In looking at your site, just a few small tweaks will make such a difference. A little navigation tweak and a clear “how to hire me” section will make it so easy for visitors to say, “Yes!” to you.
Hi Jenny thanks for looking at my site and the great feedback. Could you point me in the right direction with regard to navigation tweak? thanks again!
sonia
Sure! I’m interpreting “You and Me” to be the section that describes where/how you help/coach people. If that’s the case, it does lend itself to requiring interpretation. Same with “Mums-To-Be.” I’m not saying you have to use “Work With Me,” but something that’s very direct will really help people see where on your site they can learn more about hiring you.
Does that make sense?
Hi Jenny, that makes perfect sense and thanks again!
Hey Jenny,
You said you changed to an application process. What is that? I understand what an application is but not what you mean by process. I love how you work with people and if it works for you then I am certain that it works!
Love,
Susan
Hey Susan. Happy to share!
It used to be that anyone could schedule a consult with me (the link to my scheduler was on my site). However, I was finding that I was getting consults with a lot of people who weren’t the right fit, even though I thought I did a good job “screening” them with my coaching package descriptions.
I decided to have people fill out an application first. That application helps me sort out if prospects are likely the right fit for me, before I get on the phone for a consult. If, based on the application, they look like a good fit, my assistant sends them a link to the scheduler. If they don’t seem like the right fit, I have my assistant email them some follow-up questions about their business. Sometimes I direct them toward another resource or coach, if that seems appropriate.
Now, when I get on the phone for a consult, I’m pretty sure that person will become a client. It has saved me sooo much time to prescreen like this. I don’t at all regret having done tons and tons of free consults up until this point. It was really useful information to talk to so many people about their businesses. I probably am losing a few potential clients from the application process–but I’m filled up almost through the end of the year so it doesn’t really matter to me. I just reached a point now where I needed to be a tad more discerning with my time. I was doing too many consults with people who weren’t the right fit, and it was time to adapt my process.
For you and your biz, keep doing what you’re doing. You’ve got a great approach and as you’re filling your roster with perfect clients, you’ll learn a lot from your consults in the mean time.
Hope that helps!!
Great post Jenny! I am falling into traps 2 & 3. My portfolio is out there, but I need to tell people what the next steps are. Will set this up a.s.a.p. Thanks for sharing this x
I love that you brought this up, Liesel! This idea isn’t just applicable to service providers–I definitely had my blinders on. For you as an artist, yes, it’s equally important that you make it easy and obvious for people to know how to buy your art!
Great, great point and thanks for bringing that up here!
I was *just* telling myself I needed to get better at #2 (you know what I mean, lol) so this is super timely advice to help it *stick* in my mind.
My free consultation (Plan-A-Palooza) is much like yours in that they first fill out an application, I review, if I feel it’s a good fit I send an invitation with a link to my scheduler and then tick-off when I’ve emailed them, held the consult, and sent the follow-up so I don’t lose sight of anyone along the way. It really does help keep track of it all! I’ve also started to use Contactually and am finding that helpful in giving reminders to follow-up based on certain criteria.
Thank you!
Thanks for this, Jenny! I just updated my website to include specific instructions about what to do if someone wants to hire me. I put it at the bottom of my “Services” list and my “Coaching Packages” pages. I might add it in a few other places too! Thanks again!