Yesterday I learned the lesson once again of how assumptions can hurt your business. It was hard and painful and yet I feel so grateful for removing a blind spot I had.
I hope this helps you too. Please let me know if and how this resonates with you…
You know that moment when you realize that you made an assumption that caused the potential client to not sign up with you. And then you go into over-selling and trying to backtrack, wishing you could rewind the conversation and start again?
Let me tell you the story.
Now, I work as an online business coach and I help coaches, authors, consultants and other service and knowledge-based entrepreneurs to create best-selling online programs and build a prosperous online business.
So, I don’t just help someone to create their program, I help them to set up their online business as well.
Yesterday I had a discovery call with a potential client. My ideal client. I listened to her awesome vision and where she is at now and then I proceeded to show her how I could help her.
But I missed one important vital piece of information she gave me that I did not explore as how that would fit in with what I offered.
She said that she was busy doing a course on social media and branding to set that all up for her. And I then spoke about that going through how I work with my clients covering that exact same thing and missed the reason she came to me for.
She wanted me to help her create her program. Now that is part of my business program, but I did not highlight that for her. Then it looked as if what I do is only setting up an online business.
Designing a program and creating the content for it, is the most natural thing in the world for me. I used to do that in my IT career. I design a new program in an hour!
So of course she lost trust. The momentum was gone.
And as much I explained to her that creating a program was one part of what it takes to get it out there successfully and that my clients definitely design and create their programs working with me, she was not buying.
And I went into over-selling. Not a good idea, because it looks desperate. I guess it was from my side, for the reason that I knew we were such a good fit and I felt I let her down.
That is the sad part. When you know you should have been able to give the client what she was looking for and did not. She lost out on a competent coach and I lost out on working with an ideal client.
Lessons learned:
- The important thing of course is to get the lesson and let it go and not beating yourself up for the missed opportunity.
- Be prepared for different requests of your overall offering.
- Listen to your client and make sure that what you offer is what they want, before you make them an offer.
If your discovery calls do not convert into sales, check which of the following assumptions are behind it:
- You don’t believe in your value and the value of your program, and then you stumble when you start talking investment and that sends the client running.
- You are not clear crystal about your niche and what you offer is not exactly what the potential clients who show up for discovery calls want.
- You assume that your potential client does not have the money, and that speaks about your relationship with money that needs to be shifted.
- You assume that your potential client is investing in you and this is not true because they invest in themselves through you.
- You don’t believe that you will get them the results you promise, which can be a sign of over-responsibility for your clients.
- You are not prepared for different offers depending on what part of your offering you client may want, as I described above.
Conclusion
It’s crucial to never make assumptions about what your client wants, but to listen, be curious and flexible to provide them what they need.
To learn more, get my Free eBook Ignite Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and Become a Money Magnet on my website.