Bringing In The Business (eBook)

Without Sounding Like A Salesperson

Henry DeVries, David Goldman, Mark LeBlanc (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
122 Seiten
Indie Books International (Verlag)
978-1-957651-42-2 (ISBN)

Infos

There has never been a better time to serve and succeed in professional services. Your ability to connect with a prospective buyer will set you apart from your competition and build your book of business. You can find and develop high-paying clients when you discover and excel in the subtle art of enrollment. When you improve your conversational skills, you will build trust and develop client relationships for life. The bonus is an increase in word-of-mouth introductions.

MARK LEBLANC, CSP, CPAE runs a speaking business in Minneapolis. His presentations create extreme focus and build momentum for desired results. He is the author of Never Be The Same and Growing Your Business! He has conducted nearly 200 business retreats called The Achievers Circle.

Textauszug

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How Smart Professionals Enroll

Offering a great product or service is not enough.

Success in business extends beyond offering a topnotch product or service. Many professionals are averse to being perceived as salespeople, preferring to grow their businesses, expand their clientele, and receive referrals without the stigma of “selling.”

The good news is that acquiring high-paying clients is less about sales and more about a process of enrollment. The question then becomes, how can you effectively guide potential clients through this journey?

At your best, you enroll individuals into the possibility that your product or service can transform their lives. This process unfolds through four distinct phases: the attraction phase, the meaningful conversation phase, the decision phase, and the agreement phase. As you progress through these phases, your chances of success and the potential for lasting relationships multiply in your favor.

Attraction Phase: Begin by introducing yourself and your work in a way that captures interest. When asked, ‘What do you do?’ respond with a phrase that magnetizes your ideal clients towards you, piquing their curiosity.

Meaningful Conversation Phase: This is usually the first, official meeting with a potential client. During these interactions, establish a foundation of rapport. It need not be complex or time-consuming. Initiating with a question like, “Why did you want to meet with me today?” lays the groundwork for your relationship. Within this phase, three vital sub-conversations emerge:

1. The Conversation For Possibility: This is the pivotal step, creating the possibility that your product or service could meet their needs. This conversation must come from the other person, not you. Ask questions that uncover desired outcomes, deepen the connection, and strengthen the relationship.

2. The Conversation For Value: Here, the other person reveals the value of achieving their goals. Inquire, “What would it be worth to you in real terms, in your life, if I can help you make your dreams a reality?” Get a real number. This insight is important in the discussion about fees.

3. The Conversation For Opportunity: Now, you get to talk about your program or service, aligning it with the person’s needs and desires. You also are assessing if your offering aligns with their goals. If it’s not a fit, gracefully suggest an alternative resource.

Decision Phase: This is where you issue the call to action. Regardless of how smoothly the previous phases went, you must ask for the business. Be prepared to answer questions and gauge their readiness with a question like, “Does this make sense?” or “Are you ready to start?”

Agreement Phase: Once the person signals readiness, you enter the Agreement Phase. Here, discuss scope, options, fees, and terms. The enrollment process is not complete until both parties agree, either verbally or in writing, to commence working together. Often, this results in an invoice for the fee or a deposit to initiate the process. Managing this phase effectively fosters trust and frequently leads to more referrals.

The secret to generating referrals lies in your client’s satisfaction with the enrollment process and their delight in your services. Meeting the best of what your client needs and wants, becomes the cornerstone of your relationship. It’s the difference between having a satisfied client who never refers you and having an enthusiastic client who becomes a champion for your services.

In summary, success in attracting high-paying clients lies in the art of enrollment, not traditional sales. It’s about inviting, not selling.

Listen Carefully And Respond Appropriately

By Mark LeBlanc, CSP, CPAE

When you list all of the skills necessary to succeed in your career, the skill I would rank number one is listening. Do you remember taking a listening course or class in high school or college or any secondary learning institution? Usually not. I was fortunate to meet, listen to, and learn from Dr. Lyman K. (Manny) Steil when I was twenty-two years old. I have been blessed to call him a friend and mentor for over forty years.

Manny is considered one of the foremost experts on listening around the world. He has spoken, consulted, and written on communication and specifically listening for over fifty years. He impressed upon me the importance of listening at an early stage of my development, and it is a skill I continue to sharpen even today. When I listen well and respond appropriately, it is as if I am charting a course to respect, trust, and honor with the people I serve. If I listen, respond, or react poorly, I am at risk of losing the sale and opportunity for my next lifelong relationship.

Over time, as I began to improve my skill, I noticed four mindsets in the people I interacted with and served. I heard a thinking mindset, a doing mindset, a struggling mindset, and an achieving mindset. Unlike a personality profile assessment, it became clear to me that we all move among these four mindsets on a daily basis depending on what the task or challenge is before us in the moment. It even worked at home with my wife or with my parents, nieces, and nephews.

In the next seventy-two hours, no matter who you are engaged in a conversation with, listen carefully and he or she will reveal their current mindset in less than sixty seconds. Armed with a simple response, you will increase the likelihood of a positive result, or you may put a ding into your relationship.

When you hear, I am thinking about…or I was wondering…or I am considering…you get the idea. You are engaged with another person who is a Thinker. Slow down and make sure you are answering their questions, satisfying their concerns, and providing them with the information they need to make a better decision.

When you hear, I want to get started…or we would like to be up and running by the end of the year…or how soon can we get started – you are in a conversation with a Doer. Focus your responses with one or two action items, a sense of urgency, and a spirit of enthusiasm.

When you hear at the beginning of your conversation, how much will this cost…or how long with this take… or anything that resembles doubt or uncertainty, you are possibly with a Struggler. A Struggler is not a bad person, nor is it a consistent mindset. The other person may be having a hard time, not able to see the bigger picture, or may have been upset, hurt, or burned by another service provider. In that moment, you have the ability to convey optimism, a can-do attitude and “I’ve got your back” mentality – you are taking their moment of challenge and turning it into an ocean of possibility.

When you hear, we are looking for someone to work with…or we need to work together…we want someone we can add to our team – you are in conversation with an Achiever. An Achiever likes to think things through before they decide, and once they make a decision, they are focused on doing the right things in the right order. When a problem or obstacle arises, they shift into a creative or brainstorming moment to explore how to move through a valley or challenge. Achievers put together a plan to keep them focused and on track, surrounding themselves with the right resources, advisors, and partners for the long term.

Before you write this information off as too simplistic, give it a whirl. In time, I expect you will create magic in your work and home life. It might be my most important concept or the one thing that has helped me be not only successful, but significant with the people I interact with often or even on rare occasions.

Bonus Phase: Referrals

Getting referrals is easier when the enrollment process is smooth, and you help the client produce the results they are seeking.

Remember that you control the enrollment process, but the other person controls the answers. When done correctly, the other person feels in control during the entire enrollment process. A positive emotional feeling can result in generating referrals.

You want them to feel you really understand them, and that they are seen and heard. They also must feel you have a proven process for solving problems like theirs. Then they are usually much more open to and happy to refer you.

Enroll On!

By David Goldman

It was June 1989, in a Chicago, Illinois, hotel ballroom, theater seating. I was one of 120 participants in a leadership development program where we were learning how to be leaders in front of a room. And this was the enrollment weekend. We were going to learn how to enroll someone into the possibility of what their life could be. Sounds very exciting.

I came into the sales arena in the 1970s in what is known as the J. Douglas Edwards era, which I define as, “You have my money in your pocket, and my job is to get it.” It was very confrontational, almost combative. It was certainly argumentative. I hated it. I got pretty good at it, mind you, but I never liked it.

The technique was that in an hour-long presentation, there was no questioning. There was no interviewing the person; you were putting on a show. So, in the first twenty minutes you...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 8.4.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Wirtschaft ► Betriebswirtschaft / Management ► Marketing / Vertrieb
• ISBN-10: 1-957651-42-3 / 1957651423
• ISBN-13: 978-1-957651-42-2 / 9781957651422