Do you ever make the rookie mistake of talking past your business coaching prospects?
For my first couple years as a business coach, I struggled with how to get prospects to really understand I could help them.
I’d gotten good at building rapport, sniffing out problems in their businesses, and uncovering emotional hot-buttons–but closings were still slower coming than I wanted.
I finally realized it was because I hadn’t found a way to clearly communicate my problem-solving value. They’d present me with problems…and I’d respond with vague, convoluted explanations of how we’d fix them!
Though I had complete confidence that my bag of tricks would generate incredible results, getting prospects to catch the vision was tough. Sometimes, it felt like we weren’t even on the same planet–let alone the same page!– as I tried to help them understand what the process would be like.
I knew I had to DEMONSTRATE my value somehow if I was going to get my business coaching prospects to cut huge checks right on the spot.
Enter the 21 Silver Bullets
Then, one Saturday morning, it dawned on me: there are about 21 common problems I see over and over. If I could assign compelling names to their solutions, it would completely revolutionize my sales process!
I jumped out of bed and ran to my computer. And two hours later, my “Silver Bullet” system was born!
I organized all my bullets into “buckets”–time, team, and money.
Here they are:
TIME
- Apprenticeship plan
- Operations and training manual
- Time management plan
- Comprehensive Exit Strategy
TEAM
- Employee Acquisition Plan
- Psychometric Profiling Process
- KPI Measurement System
- Lean Manufacturing Program
- Performance Incentive Plan
- Strategic Plan
- Leadership Development Plan
- Team Meeting Rhythm
- Organizational Plan
- Team Building System
MONEY
- Current Business Plan
- Break-Even Plan
- Revenue and Profit Plan
- Cash Gap Plan
- USP and Guarantee
- Sales Management System
- Tactical Marketing Plan
Why it Works
As soon as I began using these magical Silver Bullets in my sales process, conversions skyrocketed–while the amount of time my business coaching prospects spent hemming and hawing plunged!
That’s because I showed them simply and succinctly that I could help them…thanks to my clear vocabulary for diagnosing AND solving their problems.
Just imagine what it would do for your sales if you could have compelling conversations like these…
COACH: Well Ms. Prospect, from what you’re saying it sounds to me like you’ve got a problem differentiating yourself in the marketplace. Would you agree?
PROSPECT: Absolutely.
COACH: So, let me ask you this. What kind of a USP and Guarantee do you have in your business?
PROSPECT: What do you mean by that?
COACH: Good question. I can help you put together a Unique Selling Proposition and Guarantee so that your ideal clients feel absolutely compelled to do business with you INSTEAD of your competitors because you’re different than all the rest. Are you open to some help with that?
PROSPECT: Sure!
COACH: Okay. So, the very first thing we’ll do in your coaching program is implement our USP and Guarantee process. This will clarify the MOST profound, powerful reason people should do business with you and your competitors won’t know what hit them!
The response I received to this system was incredible. Suddenly, my business coaching prospects could picture themselves working with me, because they saw I had a clear vocabulary for communicating solutions. They began to envision how much happier they’d be when we “slew” their problems with my Silver Bullets.
Suddenly, my business coaching prospects could picture themselves working with me, because they saw I had a clear vocabulary for communicating solutions.
Here’s another example…
COACH: Well Mr. Prospect, from what you’re saying it sounds to me like you’re just dying from lack of cash flow. Would that be fair to say?
PROSPECT: Absolutely.
COACH: So, let me ask you this. What kind of a Cash Gap Plan do you have in your business?
PROSPECT: What do you mean by that?
COACH: Good question. I can help you put together a Cash Gap Plan to help you quickly collect outstanding receivables, get your customers to pay on time, and improve your terms with vendors so that your bank account always has plenty of cash it. Are you open to some help with that?
PROSPECT: Sure!
COACH: Okay. We have more than 13 easy-to-use strategies to help you generate cash flow QUICKLY. So, one of the first things we’ll do in your coaching program is implement a few of these…
Think you’ll close more sales that way?
Absolutely. Heck, I sure did!
For maximum results, I recommend you shoot AT LEAST THREE Silver Bullets before you ask prospects for the next step. Teach your salespeople, telemarketers, and associate coaches to do the same.
For more great tips and tricks on becoming a business coach, check out my FREE ebook, How to Become a Business Coach.
