Have you ever felt super awkward on a call before with a potential client? Maybe you didn’t know exactly what to say to a common objection, like pricing. Or, maybe you just plain avoid discovery calls because they terrify you.
Well, no more! You’ve got this.
Discovery calls are a great way to get to know your clients, book out your services, and screen clients to see if they are a good fit. I have a proven 6-step process that will show you how to nail discovery calls as a health and wellness pro.
Keep reading to see exactly how to get more people to sign-up and how to organize a successful discovery call as a wellness pro. You’ll be booking out your schedule in no-time!
Make It Easy to Sign-Up
It should be easy for your potential clients to sign-up for a discovery call. A few common mistakes I see on websites are:
- Using a generic contact form for client requests
- Only including a link to your email address or your phone number for contact info
These leave things too open-ended. They require the client to make a big first move of reaching out with no directions.
Think about it. They have to no idea what to say to you to get the process started and set you up for success. But you do.
Here are two ways that you can fix this:
- An Inquiry Form that leads to a Discovery Call
- Direct Sign-up for Discovery Calls
Option 1
This inquiry form allows you to gather information in a strategic way. You can also use this to screen potential clients to see if they would be a good fit for your service/offering before booking a discovery call. This is great if you want to eliminate unnecessary calls.
Option 2
This makes it really easy for potential clients to sign-up with just a few clicks for a call. This is great if you love talking with potential clients to get to know them. You’re likely to book more discovery calls but will need to be good a screening potential client to see if they are a good fit on the call.
It can come down to what your availability is and how you like to gather information from potential clients. Which option will you choose?
Mindset & Boundaries
If you’re introverted, like me, discovery calls might make you feel a little nervous. Or maybe you’re just afraid that you’ll sound sales-y…like you’re pushing your offering.
These are limiting beliefs that are keeping you from getting to know your potential clients and booking them. You’re making less income because of these false beliefs. It’s time to leave them behind.
Looking for more info on overcoming your limiting beliefs? I’ve got you! Check out my blog post: How limiting beliefs are holding you back from business growth.
If you’re having some trouble then I recommend journaling or meditating to work through this. Focus on finding the root of the problem. Where does this fear come from? How can you overcome it?
If you’re just feeling a little anxious before the call then have a few positive affirmations handy to say allowed right before it happens. This will remind you that you’re a powerful, amazing businesswoman who has her shit together. Or whatever you want to say to yourself…that’s your call.
You’ll also feel more comfortable if you have boundaries in place before the call happens. Things can get uncomfortable fast if a potential client is expecting free personalized advice or coaching on the discovery call. A great way to establish boundaries is to limit the time to 15-20 mins and send over an outline of what will be discussed on the call ahead of time.
Which leads me to the next tip…
Have a Plan
Preparing for your call will make you feel more confident and capable. Plus, your client will feel like a million bucks because it’s obvious that you care about them.
Make sure you have a little intake form to gather some information about your potential client so that you can learn more about them before the call happens.
You can either do this by using the intake form option, mentioned above, or you can include a few questions when someone directly books a call with you. No matter which option you choose, you should have this general info before the call.
Pull out a few key things that you noticed your potential client said they are struggling with or want your help with. Then re-iterate those things on the phone to them to show that you’re prepared and hear them.
Finally, you’ll want to have an outline ready that you use on every single discovery call. Send this outline to your potential client a day or two before the call so that they know what to expect.
Once you get on the call simply go over the outline before you jump into the first item. This will not only keep things on track, but it reminds your client that you’re organized, have boundaries in place, and will take care of the process for them.
Tip: Acuity Scheduling and Dubsado allow you to schedule calls and send questionnaires really easily. These are my go-to tools for booking discovery calls!
Listen to Them
On a discovery call, you should be listening to your potential client more than you’re talking. They really just want to be heard.
Since you’ve done your homework, you can get the conversation started by bringing up one of the paint points your client mentioned in their intake form. Ask them some questions about how that affects their life or makes them feel to get them talking.
Then, reassure them that you can help when you start working together. Only if you can, of course! Ease their mind and let them know that they found the right person to help them. You can even mention specific parts of your process that will be particularly helpful for them.
Questions
Questions are important for everyone involved in the call. You and the potential client.
You should have a few questions prepared to keep the conversation going and to see if they are a good fit for your service. These can be general questions that you ask everyone or specific follow-ups to the intake form they sent you.
Also, save 5 minutes at the end of your call together for questions. Put it in the outline so that your client knows they will have a chance to ask their questions. That way they can prepare a few and ask anything they want.
The goal here is for everyone to get a chance to talk. You want to leave the call knowing that your potential client understands how your process works and what everyone is responsible for.
Close the Sale
This is the part that is usually intimidating for most business owners. You don’t want to feel like you’re coming out of left field selling something all of a sudden.
The reality is that your client already knows they are on a sales call. They are interested in your service and if things are going well…probably want to book you.
You don’t need to be pushy to sell things. Selling is simply letting your potential client know that you can help them with their pain point, think they would be a good fit, and telling them what the investment is to get what they want.
If your client has any objections or follow-up questions make sure you respond on the call. You can even have a list of common objections or questions handy to help you if you’re feeling a little flustered.
A common objection is pricing.
The classic, “That sounds awesome, I wish I could afford it.” We’ve all heard it and maybe you didn’t know what to say when it came up. On one level, you understand and respect their money situation. But on another, you know that you could make real change in this person life.
No need to be pushy! Simply go over how the program could help them solve their pain points and that you think it would be really beneficial. Also, If you have any payment plans available then this is a good time to mention that.
Ultimately, if your client says they need to think about it, then let them do so. Send them a “proposal” via email so they have all the details in one place and can book you there.
Note: I put a proposal in quotes because you could send them a sales page, canned email, or a proposal that is generic and created for everyone using Dubsado to streamline things. It doesn’t have to be custom for each client.
I hope that these tips help you feel more confident about your client discovery calls. In my opinion, it all comes down to confidence and good listening skills.
Bottom line, be honest with your potential client on your booking call. Is this service or offering really a good fit for them and YOU?
If you need a little more help getting people to inquire about your services and sign-up for discovery calls then you probably aren’t crystal clear on who you’re actually marketing too. The Wellness Website Workbook will help you niche down and start booking your schedule out in no time!
