Last week I gave away 30-minutes of business breakthru coaching free to anyone who wanted it. Here are the top 3 common issues among entrepreneurs and solo-professionals.
1. Follow-up
One coach who specializes in working in training young athletes stated that once they fielded a phone call from a student asking for advice. While the coach was willing to speak with the child, she was unsure how she could turn this child into a paying client.
My suggestion was to assure the young athlete their conversation would remain private, however; since he was a minor, she needs to have contact info for his parents. (This particular situation, the coach didn’t already know the parents)
Most kids understand and aren’t concerned with giving up their parents contact info. This allows the coach to follow-up with his parents and create the “know, like and trust” factor to develop into – a paying client!
2. Money
How do I talk about my fees? This one is really easy for me… I simply state:
“Ok, Mr. Client, we agree to work together… now, lets talk about money”
(just put it out there and be confident!)
“My fee is $$$ to ______, I accept payment, in full, up front, via Paypal – which email address can I send the invoice to?” “Once I receive payment, we can get started!”
You must keep clear and firm boundaries!
If I get any bartering, bickering or so forth, I simply say, “I’ve gotta put groceries in my fridge, and I cannot accept anything less than $$$.”
I find that when you bring up groceries, that paints an image of you and your family cooking or shopping at the grocery store… no one wants to take food out of anybody’s mouth, right?
That statement works every time and usually stops hagglers dead in their tracks. Plus, it humbles you.
PS. don’t take haggling personal or as an insult, some people just like to see if they can get a discount… it’s in their DNA!
3. How do I get more clients?
You must be visible. In your community, and online. I can recommend three extraordinary books to help you get into the mind-set of creating a system to get more clients:
- “Get Clients NOW!“, by CJ Hayden
- “Endless Referrals”, by Bob Burg
- “The Go-Giver”, by Bob Burg and John David Mann, for your mindset.
Final thoughts…
Accountability is key. You must be in ACTION and you must be accountable to your peers. I highly suggest you plug yourself in to a mastermind or accountability group. You are welcome to join one of mine for a very modest price of $17.97 a month. Check out The Web Coach INSIDER here.
What are YOUR thoughts?
Do you have questions based on what I covered?
How can I help you better understand?
Please ask questions, leave comments or suggestions below.