When someone contacts you to ask about how your Virtual Assistant services can help them, how does the conversation flow?
Do you tell them about your service offerings?
Do they ask how you can help them?
How often do you sign the client when you are on that consultation call? All the time? Most of the time? Only some of the time? Hardly ever?
If you are not closing the sale all or even most of the time, it could be your approach that’s the problem.
I teach my students that it’s more important to listen than to talk on consultation calls.
The client will let you know what they need if you ask them the right questions.
Here are a five great questions that you can ask prospects when you are having a conversation with them (and don’t forget to take notes!):
1. Can you tell me a bit about your business?
This is one of the most important questions to ask … and a great way to start a consultation call. Even if the client is one of your ideal clients, and you know basically how their business runs, it’s important to get them talking about how they do things. Remember everyone runs their business differently, and you can pick up valuable cues about how you can support them simply by listening to them describe what they do.
2. What types of things do you need VA support with?
Asking the client what they are considering getting support with is a good starting point. Usually they are calling you about something specific. It’s best to get that on the table as soon as possible. As you continue your conversation, you can flesh out their actual needs, as opposed to the initial reason for the call. You will also get a good sense of whether they know what they need, or whether they will need you to make suggestions for them.
3. Have you worked with a Virtual Assistant before?
If people are just beginning to get support, you may need to explain to them in detail how things work. If people are experienced with VAs, it’s important to ask how they are used to working with a virtual partner. It may not be the way you work. This question will give you a really good idea of where they are right now, and give you an idea of whether they might be a good fit for you as a client. It’s a good part of the conversation to include!
4. What is your budget for support?
Let’s be honest. If you are considering working with anyone, you need to know if they can afford your services. If they are going to be cheap, now is the time to find out. You can’t shy away from asking about the money – so talk about it in terms of budget and it makes it more comfortable for everyone. If their budget is low, give them an idea of how much support they will get for what they are budgeting, and then continue your conversation from there. Most of the time you will find that clients are surprised with how affordable support can be, and they will eventually sign for more than their original budget.
5. Where did you find me?
It’s important to know where your leads are coming from. Even if you see that they are following you on social media, ask this question. It opens the door to conversation about how they network, which you will want to know if you are going to work with them. You also want to keep track of your own marketing efforts, to be sure that they are working for you.
Consultation calls, or sales conversations, whatever you want to call them, are a regular part of your business. By really focusing on asking questions and then listening for the answers, you can get a lot more information from your prospect, and that can help you turn them into clients a lot more easily.
If you are having trouble closing the deal on your sales conversations, check out this post: You Are Standing In The Way of Your Own Success! and click on the link at the bottom to book a free consultation with me to get moving in the direction of success!
This was very helpful! Thank you 🙂
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