Thought I’d pass this article along. I enjoyed it, and thought you would too.  Until next time.

Marketing attracts your ideal client to you.  But, once a prospective client shows interest, many small business entrepreneurs don’t know how to get through the sales process to get a prospective client to commit working with them.

Following are some simple sales tips to keep in mind when you are talking with a prospect, so that you identify their wants, goals, get them engaged with you—and you don’t spill your candy box by giving away your precious expertise free!

1. Shorter telephone calls are better than longer calls.

Keep sales calls no longer than fifteen minutes in length.  Any longer than this, and you risk giving away too much information, excitement and energy fades, and you’ll have a tendency to give away free coaching.  The result: the client talks herself out of needing you!

2. Prequalify candidates with a questionnaire.

I used to meet potential coaching clients for coffee, or even worse, lunch…spend an hour or two with them…only to walk away knowing this person was not a right client for me for any number of reasons.  The result: I wasted a lot of time finding out this person was not ready for my services.

A better approach to prequalify candidates is when someone sends you an inquiry expressing interest in your services, send them a prequalifying questionnaire they must complete and send back to you, before your speak with them.

By doing this, if a person is truly interested in working with you, they will take the time to send the questionnaire back to you.  Then, you can review their answers to the questions, prior to calling them for an interview.  You will also have an idea even before you speak with them if they are a qualified candidate for your services.  The result: you’ve saved yourself potentially thousands of dollars of wasted time.

3. Keep your candy in its box.

Save your knowledge and expertise, and don’t give away too much information too soon (this ties in with Tip #1.)  Use time you are speaking with a prospect (after you’ve received the questionnaire) to fact-find, understand their situation, problems they need solved, and goals and results they want to achieve.

You will also ‘spill your candy’ by rushing into sharing aspects of your services your potential client may have no interest in, or does not understand.  This moves them closer to saying “No” to your services, because they appear not to fit in with their needs.

4. Let your prospect do the talking.

Your prospect should be talking 70% of the time.  If you are doing all the talking, you’re not discovering their wants and problems, and they are not articulating them.  Let them discover how you can help them through the thought-provoking questions you’ll be asking them.

Also, don’t flaunt your expertise by using technical jargon or buzz words your prospective client may not understand.  It makes you seem smart, but makes them feel less so.which is another reason for them to say “no” to working with you.

5. Ask your client what solving the problem will mean to them.

Asking this question gets them emotionally engaged with you, and the problem they are trying to solve.  By tapping into the emotional reasons, you will hit a vein of gold when they discover how solving the problem they are experiencing will change their business, and their life for the better.

Keep these tips in mind during the next conversation you have with a potential client.  By doing this you will be more successful in getting them to communicate their wants and problems to you, and getting them to say “Yes” to working with you!