I bet that if I asked 100 entrepreneurs what, other than marketing, makes them nervous and fearful, they’d say sales. As in closing the sale. Yes. The thought of asking people to pay you for your services is hard for you.
I use to feel the same way, but then I heard something that changed everything for me: It’s as honorable to sell as it is to buy.
Once you learn how to create marketing that consistently attracts clients, if you’re honest with yourself, a new problem will arise. Much like it has for Taquila:
“Hi Darnyelle I notice that my problem is not attracting clients, the problem that I have is asking or closing the sale with confidence, so how can I breakthrough this fear that I have and start closing more clients that seek me out for my services?”
Watch this week’s episode of Incredible Factor® TV to see my response to her.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to this:
You, Incredible One, have the cure to cancer AND, unless you get comfortable in knowing that it’s as honorable to sell as it is to buy, you won’t get to help more people. Period.
I can give you the mechanics of how to close the sale effortlessly but you have to have the mindset that supports that you are more than enough, fully qualified and ready to serve others through your gifts and talents. And more than anything you are deserving of each client you attract. Without a personal belief that you can and will bring transformation to your prospective client, there’s not much I can tell you.
First: Get your mind right. Until you get the hang of it, you will likely be shaking in your boots before each and every sales conversation. When faced with the ever-looming fear of rejection, try this exercise:
Step 1: Write about the result you desire when you are having a closing the sale conversation that you have a tremendous amount of fear around.
A. write about the clear result you want (example: I want to welcome a new client in my top package that is excited and ready to do the work so that they get great results and write me an amazing testimonial)
B. write about the fear that stops you
Step 2: Look fear in the eye and ask yourself….If I had to be bold, confident and courageous to break through this fear or rejection, what would that look like? How would that feel for me?
Step 3: How would I have to act in the circumstance that gives me the fear of rejection so that I would emerge with a new client as well as bold and confident?
As a bonus, I will share that I always make sure that I face my “Wall of Fame.” It’s filled with all of my accolades and proof that the work that I do matters and changes lives.
Second: Be sure that you have done your due diligence and have attracted a prospect who has self selected him/her self as an ideal client for you. The best clients are those who find you because they have the problem that you are known to solve and they resonate with you and feel that they can get value and transformation from you. There are a few ways that you can get prospects to self select. My favorite is to build your Audience of One™ profile. By being able to clearly highlight who they would say that they are, what they are struggling with and what they need to stop struggling, they can read the description and easily say, “yes, this is me.” Or “no, I need to keep looking.”
Third: Give them pre-requisites to establish their commitment level. Take it from me; no one wants to work with clients who aren’t committed to doing the work and getting the results. No one. So, the way to gauge their commitment level is to ensure that BEFORE they talk with you, they have a few things they need to do. This will also help you to see how they are going to be as clients. You can decide what these things are, but make them good and relevant to working with you.
Four: Have a clear closing the sale conversation flow that works. Yes, I said one that works. There are so many ways you can handle this conversation but you better make sure that you have at least these 4 phases so that at the end you are welcoming a new client. I have used this format and I teach it to my clients and collectively we enjoy a 90% closing rate of welcoming new clients:
- Phase 1: Build Rapport and Establish Expectations
- Phase 2: Discover the Cost of the Problem
- Phase 3: Transition from Problem to Possibility
- Phase 4: Offer your solution
Five: Be ready to welcome a new client, take their deposit and start giving them access to their transformation. You may think this one goes without saying, but the number of people who aren’t ready to get a client is staggering and contributes to your mindset and belief that there is no way they will sign up to work with you. Well, defy the odds and prepare to welcome them. This reminds me of the story of two farmers – both needed rain and prayed for it. But only one went out and prepared his fields for it. PREPARE!! You’ll be so glad that you did.
So, to close the sale is as much mindset as it is skill. You have to tap into your confidence and self-esteem and recognize that YOU are the right fit for them to get the transformation that they need.
Special thanks to Taquila for asking this question.
What say you? What’s your two cents? How do you break through your fears so that you effectively close the sale? Is there a ritual that you perform before a sales call to get yourself ready to go? What have you done to ensure that you are able to get more clients to say yes? I can’t wait to read your comments and I know that those in the community will benefit from your responses as well.
Need help closing the sale? Consider joining us in July at Get Paid: How to Package, Price and Successfully Sell Your Incredible Factor. To learn more visit, www.getpaidintensive.com
©2013 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, MBA, The Incredible Factor Speaker, Business Coach and Marketing Mentor, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises.com, Incredible Factor University® the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step-by-step program for more clients, more income and more leverage in your business. For more information and a FREE audio CD “7 Critical Mistakes Entrepreneurs Must Avoid When Unleashing Your Incredible Factor So You Attract More Clients, Make More Money and Gain More Leverage” just fill out the form below.
