3 Magic Questions That Will Help You Close More Clients, Instantly
Erin Halper, Champion of Independent Consultants
Founder & CEO of The Upside || A global community of top consultants who come together to gain support and advance their businesses || Always striving for excellence || Artist at my core
When I first started The Upside back in 2017, we were not a community or an accelerator. In fact, we were a matching platform bringing together consultants and companies. So why did I change the model after 18 months?
Because I kept seeing consultants make the same mistakes over and over again when prospecting the clients I was matching them with. I realized that everyone’s biggest pain point was not finding great clients, but rather knowing how to prospect and close great clients.
I started training them with the following advice on how to increase their client close rates….and it worked.
These 3 magic questions will help you close more clients, instantly.
1. Tell me why you agreed to meet with me today? -or- Tell me why you asked to meet with me today?
This open-ended question lets the client start to reveal their pain points in their own words, enabling you to learn the language this client speaks. Then you continue asking questions that peel back the onion layers and reveal their true end-goals.
2. What do you stand to gain by achieving [goals discussed]? -or- What do you stand to lose if you don’t solve [insert problem]?
This starts the conversation about the value the client places on the problem or goals. Are they looking to save $10 million this year? Are they looking to grow their revenue by $10 million this year? What is the dollar amount they place on the problem or goal?
3. How soon do you need to start tackling this [problem/goals discussed]?
This question allows you to pace your follow-ups to avoid that awful feeling of being ghosted.
If they say, “Yesterday,” then you know they are prepared to sign a contract quickly.
If they are unsure or start talking about the next 6 months, you know that this isn’t a here and now client. You can follow up with: “Why isn’t this [problem discussed] an immediate priority?” to get even more perspective on their situation.
Try this strategy the next time you have a prospective client meeting!
🧭On-demand digital bus dev advisor and marketing specialist consulting to b2b service-based leaders around the world to communicate value positioning when expanding new markets | 7x entrepreneur | trainer | 5x author
3yI've used some form of only some of these. You make this clear and powerful.