It’s Possible If You Follow These Steps

Are you tired of meeting with prospective clients and not closing sales?

A few weeks ago I chatted with a brand new client family member who joined my program.

He said to me, … “if only I could sell”. I said that selling is a skill and was something he could learn.  

Based on what I shared with him, he encouraged me to write this article.

I can relate to the belief of not knowing how to sell. When I first started in business I had no idea what selling meant.

I had no business, sales, or marketing background. To succeed in my first business, I decided to learn to sell.

I got really good at sales and discovered that I enjoyed selling. By becoming good at sales my very first business quickly surged to the million-dollar level.

When I became a business consultant over 27 years ago, I had 30 clients in 30 days because I enjoyed selling.

I have never looked back and maintained a steady and consistent flow of prospects daily.

In this article, I will share the selling skills you need to develop to increase your sales as a business coach.

Develop Selling Skills To Increase Sales

Every business owner needs to develop selling skills so they can close more sales and also close MORE on every sale.

In my experience, business coaches typically lack sales skills. They are great at coaching and not at selling.

Learning selling skills and practicing these skills regularly will increase sales for your coaching business and also increase your earnings.

In fact, when you sell following the tips in this article, you will actually endear prospects to do business with you and then have them as loyal clients long-term.

Skills Needed

The ability to instantly build trust and rapport.

You must learn how to probe to isolate the needs of your prospects as well as their opportunities and wants. If you have not isolated their dominant buying motive, the prospect will most likely not buy.

Once you have identified their buying motive then you can present your products, services, and solutions.

Finally, you must have a way to motivate prospective buyers to take action.

The Selling Attitude

There is only one question to focus on during any sales conversation.

That question is, “How can I help this person get what he/she wants through the use of my products/services?”.  

One of my newest client family members shifted her attitude by mentally focusing herself on this question.

This became her internal sales motivator.  Within 4 days of just making this one shift in her attitude, she had a 27% increase in sales!  Just this one shift.

Before you get on the phone or a Zoom, take the time and get yourself motivated to help the person you are speaking with and to discover what they need and want.

Start with this mental shift. This can make ALL the difference.

Opening The Sales Conversation

I find that many coaches have no idea how to open the sale. If you keep in mind that people love to buy and they hate to be sold, then your opening becomes logical.

You always open with a question that encourages your prospect to do the talking.

Your opening is designed to build trust and rapport. 

You can take away all the potential pressure or fear of sales that your prospect has by finding out about them and their needs.

What questions work best?  Any that are probing questions starting with:

Who 

What 

When 

Where 

How 

Why 

You are looking for the dominant buying motive of your prospect and these questions will help unlock this information.

Filling The Dominant Buying Motive

Once you clearly know your prospect’s dominant buying motive your job is simple.

Be enthusiastic about your coaching. Believe in the results you will generate for your prospect.

Be certain to talk just a little bit about features. Talk mostly about advantages and the benefits and results your prospect will get from your coaching.

Always give 3-4 forms of evidence to back up what you say.  As an example, in my consulting business, I have a 200% ROI guarantee, I have over 1800 video case studies and over 3,000 written testimonials.

All of these things are evidence that what I claim works.

Another example is from one of my client family members who is a doctor who shares before and after photos of her patients (with their permission), also an article from a medical journal that she wrote, as well as her guarantee.

Reaffirm The Dominant Buying Motive

Be certain as you chat with a prospect that you get an agreement by saying things like, “isn’t it true that…”, “don’t you agree that…”.

Reaffirm their decision by painting visual images of your prospect enjoying your services and the results they will have through your coaching. They must see the vision clearly.

If they have objections, be ready and willing to help them through their objections so they can get the results they told you they wanted. 

Overcoming Objections

When you hear an objection smile and try to understand how the prospect feels. Explain how what they perceive is not a problem and how your program can help them.

Be sure you respond to every objection with a smile on your face and in your voice.

Objections are part of decision making. Every objection brings you closer to “yes”.  Be grateful that you are hearing them.

One objection we hear is,  “I can’t afford your program”. I find that a GREAT objection and I welcome it. Why?

Because we have 9 different financing programs and options to offer so that the program will be affordable. I just hadn’t brought them up and now I can.

Closing The Sale

When you have overcome objections fully, it is time to close the sale. Begin by asking a few closing questions. Always assume the person is going forward with your coaching.

When you ask for the sale, be quiet. Allow the person to process your request and then respond to your closing question.

I usually ask, “So, do you want to get started with me?”. I sit quietly and I listen to their response. 

Upsell

As soon as your prospect agrees to become your client, you want to upsell. Upselling is easy when you have properly packaged your coaching services.

I offer a one-year group program and upsell private Zoom sessions once someone agrees to my yearly program.

The reason is many of my client family members add that on at some point working with me.

So, I offer this at the outset, and over 50% of those signing on with me add on private consultations, too.

My entire focus in every conversation is about the other person and their interests, not what I desire.

If I did not offer this private time, I would be short-changing my client family member’s success.

I am not offering it so I can make more money. I am offering it to give a more complete solution and to not be a band-aid solution for them.

Shifts To Make Now

My new client family member that was concerned he could not “sell” told me that when he began to focus on the prospect’s needs, wants, and desires, everything changed. 

If you make the shift as he made, you can also close more sales, like he is. 

I told him I was writing this article and asked if he had advice he wanted me to share with you. He said: 

1. The more I educate and create value, the more people I reach.
2. The more I offer packages, the more sales I have.

To sum up:

1. Learn the 3 selling skills.
2. Create the right selling attitude
3. Create a list of potential questions to open the sales conversation
4. Listen for a dominant buying motive
5. Solve the dominant buying motive
6. Reaffirm the buying motive
7. Overcome all objections
8. Close the sale
9. Upsell packages/programs

For more help, join my community and attend the live free masterclasses offered there.