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Why do some businesses quickly sell out their offers while others struggle to get clients?
Why do prospects decide not to hire you—even when they’re a perfect fit?
How can you get those “perfect fits” to say yes to your offers every time?
The truth is, it takes more than expertise and a great offer to turn a perfect prospect into a paying client.
To sell out your services, you have to learn how your ideal clients think so you can create clear messaging that speaks directly to them.
Click to TweetIt takes more than expertise and a great offer to turn a prospect into a paying client. To sell out your services, you have to learn how your prospects think.Here’s what happens when you get inside your prospects’ heads:
You know what to say every time to get them to eagerly ask, “Where do I sign up?”
You’d fill your roster. Heck, your waiting list would have a waiting list! (Wouldn’t that be awesome?)
So how do you uncover exactly what your prospects are thinking… so you can grow your business faster?
Today I’m sharing three can’t-fail ways to get to know your potential clients so you can create offers they love, market your services like a pro, and fill your client roster to capacity (and then some).
… And no, conducting a survey isn’t one of them!
Tip #1: Ask the Right Questions.
The first step to understanding your clients is to ask them questions.
Sounds easy enough, right?
Well, it’s important that you ask the right people the right questions. If you don’t, it could lead to you making some bad business decisions.
That’s why using surveys to get in the minds of your prospects is a horrible idea when you’re just starting out. Newer business owners ask the wrong questions and the answers they get lead to even more confusion, not greater clarity.
The solution? Pick up the phone and talk to your clients. (Yes, on the phone. Or Skype. Or Zoom.)
“But Jenny!” you might be thinking, “I don’t have clients yet!”
No problem.
If you haven’t worked with clients yet:
Start by offering free sessions to people who you think are a good fit for your services.
And remember what I said earlier: Your goal is to find the right people.
That means you should look for people who would get the most out of your services, and who you would love to work with.
During your session, ask questions like:
What’s your biggest challenge right now?
Why are you ready to tackle this challenge right now?
What do you think will change for you after you overcome this obstacle?
Write down their responses word for word, and refrain from adding your own jargon.
Use their words when crafting your website copy, opt-in offer, blog posts, and emails.
Click to TweetTo sell out your services, you have to get inside your clients’ heads. But how? Don’t miss these three tips from Jenny Shih.If you’ve worked with people for free but haven’t sold an offer:
Create a Bite-Sized Offer and begin selling it for a nominal fee.
This is something we teach in great detail in the Make It Work Online ® program, but here it is in a nutshell:
A Bite-Sized Offer is a small offer that allows your clients to test you out. It’s generally a 90-minute session with a short follow-up session via phone or Skype. I recommend charging around $99, so that it’s a no-brainer decision for someone to hire you.
The key to crafting the right BSO for your audience is to first identify a small, bite-sized, tangible result that you can create for your dream client.
No, you won’t help them lose 100 pounds or rewrite their entire website, but you can create one result that will get them moving in the direction of their goals.
The beauty of a BSO is that it will continue to evolve and grow as you gain experience, fill your client roster, and build your reputation.
You can start by working with 5 to 10 people for $99, then adjust the offer based on your experience and raise the price.
Click to Download7 Steps to Make It Work Online (Free PDF)If you’ve worked with paying clients before:
First, make a list of your all-time favorite clients.
Then, set up phone calls or Zoom/Skype meetings with them to get insight about their dreams, frustrations, and the results they want most.
The key is to ask them to go back to what they felt like before they worked with you. This ensures that you’re using the right language (no jargon!).
Again, the right questions make all the difference. Here are 14 questions for juicy marketing gems.
Tip #2: Find Other Ways to Listen.
Asking your clients questions directly is one of the most effective ways to get in their minds.
But what if you don’t have time for interviews right now, you’re not ready to sell a bite-size offer, or you’re just super shy and afraid to interview people?
There are still lots of ways you can listen to your potential clients. Here are a few of my favorites.
Client sessions: Already have sessions booked? Take advantage of this time! Pay attention to the words and phrases your clients use as they describe their challenges and goals.
Also, keep notes of the things you find yourself continuously telling your clients. These ideas can help you come up with blog topics or new offers.
Social posts: Practice “social listening,” by joining Facebook groups, Twitter chats, or online forums that your ideal clients participate in.
Here, you’ll act like a fly on the wall (every introvert’s dream!). Take note of the questions your ideal clients are asking, as well as what they’re confused about, complaining about, or celebrating. And of course, be of service to them when possible.
Blog comments: Browse the comments on your own blog, of course. But if you’re just starting out, look at popular sites that appeal to your audience. These more popular blogs can be a godsend because you’ll have direct access to your potential clients’ opinions, even if you don’t have a large audience (yet!).
Client feedback: Always request feedback after working with a client, so you can continue to refine your services and copy as you gain experience. Use this client feedback template to get started.
Click to TweetAlways request feedback after working with a client, so you can continue to refine your services and copy as you gain experience.Tip #3: Put Yourself in Their Shoes.
This final option is a good choice if you’ve “been” your client before; you’ve been where they are now. Although you haven’t had clients yet, you probably have an idea for an offer you want to make. My guess is this idea came from somewhere—most likely from your own life. In other words, you’ve been where they are and have successfully made it to the other side.
Go back in time and remember what it was like to be in the space that your ideal clients are in now. Remember when you were in that “before” state. You were frustrated because you had a vision, desires, or dreams … and you didn’t know how you were going to get there.
Grab a notebook and ask yourself the following questions. Write down everything that comes to mind.
- What did your day look like?
- What prompted you to look for help?
- What were you thinking, doing, and telling yourself?
- Before you discovered what the real problem was, what did you think the problem was?
- What result did you want?
- What questions were you asking?
- What were you feeling?
- What were you most frustrated about?
- What desires did you have?
Use your own experience to imagine what your clients are feeling and what they need to hear from you.
But beware:
The big mistake most people make when doing this is using jargon, rather than the words a potential client would use.
You have to use the words you used before you solved this problem. Don’t use the words that you know now. Use the words from before your own transformation, because those are the words that are going to resonate with your clients.
If you’re a life coach, you shouldn’t use words like “the stories from our past,” “negative thinking,” or “limiting beliefs.”
Instead, think about what you were looking for before you knew those phrases. You probably said things like “I want to be happy again,” “find a new career,” and “decide what to do next in my life.”
The more you can use plain language—something any fourth grader could understand—the more likely your prospects will say, “That’s exactly what I’m looking for!”
Take Action Now
Armed with all these options, it’s time for you to step up and take action.
In the comments below, tell me…
Where do you think you could improve the most: asking, listening, or putting yourself in your clients’ shoes?
Which method are you committed to trying in the coming weeks?
How do you plan to use these strategies to improve your copy and offers?
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I totally get the approach of using clear and everyday language and for the most part, I think I’m pretty good at that. Where I could improve is determining exactly the specific pain points of my clients. I have about 500+ on my email list, so I guess I could send out a survey, but starting with a few conversations first would help me formulate the survey questions. So, my next action is to book a few phone calls with people.
Surveys are tricky because what people say in writing (and especially in a survey) is never what they’re really thinking. It’s funny how what’s in their heads doesn’t translate in writing. I’ve seen this happen so many times!
Have you worked with paid clients before? If so, ask if you can chat with them and ask them questions about working with you. Then in return, give them a half-hour session for free. Your favorite clients will lap it up in an instant.
If you haven’t worked with paying clients, I suggest you start by working with clients for free. Then if you like that client, do what I just suggested — hop on the phone and interview them about month after they work with you.
Be careful of getting input from “random” people on your list, because they might not be your favorite clients, and they may want things from you that you don’t really want to do. The best thing is to talk with people you know you like serving, because they’ll point you in the right direction.
Good luck, and have fun!
Hi Jenny, I’ve had paid clients for a while, so I’ll do what you suggested and offer them a 30 min freebie in exchange for asking them questions. The people on my list are those who have subscribed to my free downloads on how to effective resume writing techniques. I’ve also reviewed many other their resumes and offered them a free evaluation and given the a report with useful “how to” information. Some of these people I’ve also offered a free, 20 minute consult and many of them asked for a quote but didn’t buy. So, you’re saying that I shouldn’t survey any of these people also? I would have thought there would be value because maybe their pain point is different than my clients. Like maybe I should ask them why they didn’t purchase a service frome. Maybe it’s a price point issue. Anyhow, your feedback would be appreciated.
Talking with previous clients is PERFECT!
As far as other people who didn’t buy, I wouldn’t suggest surveying them because likely they won’t give you useful answers. Often people don’t know why they don’t buy, or they try to give you an “appropriate” answers which isn’t helpful!
Instead, there are 2 things I’d have you check on with yourself. First, some people are just freebie seekers, and that very well could have been the case with these folks. Second, how you sell people is CRUCIAL and a big reason why people don’t buy! There’s probably some missing language and selling tactics that would make all of the difference. Not price — language!
Good point. But I’m not clear of what constitutes a better selling tactic and what I should be saying to these people in terms of the language. Could you share on how to do that?
That’s certainly more than I can answer in a blog post. We’d need to do a full analysis of your sales process and the language you use 🙂 It’s something I work on with my Make It Work Online and Make $10k clients — because it really isn’t something that boils down to a blog post. Sorry I don’t have a quick an easy answer for you!
No worries, I thought you’d say that! 🙂
I love asking my clients questions! One of the hardest things for me is getting all my market research boiled down to one particular pain point. Because I help entrepreneurs define and promote their brand message, they usually don’t know that’s the problem. Instead, they talk about lack of consistency in content creation, or feeling frustrated and confused when they market themselves, or fearing that they come across as confusing and can’t attract communicate effectively with their right peeps. Gah!
You’re thinking along the right lines! You have to focus on the pain points they think they have in order to connect with them.
You don’t have to have just one pain point; you can have several. I often coach my clients to use “or” in their copy.
For example…
Maybe you’re struggling to connect with your target client. Or wish you could more easily tell people what you do. Or just wish that when you go someone on the phone you could convert them into a paying client. Whatever your situation, you know you need help with getting your message clear and concise, so you can reach more people and grow your business.
That’s just a made up example, but it’s a-okay to use OR examples in your copy, especially when your prospects identify with several different pain points.
I hope that helps!
Great advice, Jenny! You rock!