One of the best things to do to quickly establish
credibility, get massive exposure, and attract new clients,
is speaking. Hands down. Whether you organize your own
seminars on a regular basis to continually fill the
pipeline (the way I did for years), or get booked for talks
to "pre-formed" groups like associations, it works like a
charm—provided you give very good info.
If you deliver the talk properly, there's always a group of
people at the end of your talk who rush up to the podium to
chat with you. Some will tell you how much they enjoyed the
talk, some will be e-zine readers who've wanted to meet you
for years, some will want free advice or to "pick your
brain." But, there's one question you'll almost always get
and it comes in two parts. The first part's the good part;
"I'm interested in working with you." The second one is the
tricky part; "What do you charge?"
There's ONE fundamental problem with answering the second
part of that question. If you answer it right there on the
spot, you'll most always lose that client on the spot.
Here's why.
When making a purchasing decision, if they're only focused
on price, there isn't any room for VALUE or RESULTS. And I
believe people buy in three ways: by emotion, by results,
and by value (what they're paying for what they're
getting). If you don't get the value part right, you might
as well not even bother. They'll always go into sticker
shock.
The solution? Don't give them your rates on the spot.
Instead, invite them for a conversation to be held at a
later date where you can fully describe the value they'll
be getting from working with you. I call mine the
"get-acquainted session," you may call yours a
free-consultation, whatever. The important thing is that's
where the magic happens. That's where you can find out more
about them, get to the root of their problems, describe
solutions, and they sell themselves into your services,
based on value.
Now, by the way, this situation doesn't just happen at the
end of a speaking gig. If you've got a kick-butt elevator
speech that makes them say, "Wow, that's exactly what I
need, I want to work with you," then you'll also get the
question at networking events, at the cocktail hour of your
friend's wedding, or simply when someone contacts you by
email or phone. The answer is always the same though.
Invite them for a get-acquainted session.
Your Assignment:
Never give your rates cold. You'll almost always lose the
sale right there on the spot. Instead, invite them for a
conversation. Here's what I recommend that my clients say
to their own prospects:
"I actually offer several different programs, depending on
how quickly you want to get results, and of course, on your
budget level. What I usually recommend is that we set up a
get-acquainted session. Not only do you want to find out
more about me, my programs, etc., but I want to find out
more about you and your situation to see if you're going to
be the right fit for my programs as well. Shall we set that
up?"
Done. The prospect almost always lets out a sigh of relief
(it's almost as though they didn't REALLY want your rates
after all) and then you're all set. Now, you're ready to
close the sale. Easy.
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Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is
founder of the Client Attraction System™ and
http://www.ClientAttraction.com , the proven step-by-step
program to attract more clients, make more m'oney being
self-employed, while having more time off to enjoy it all.
To receive your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and get weekly
how-to articles on attracting more clients, visit
http://www.ClientAttraction.com .
