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How to Network Effectively and Get More Clients (2 of 2)

6 min read
 | Feb 5, 2015
  1. Home
  2. Business Coach
  3. How to Network Effectively and Get More Clients (2 of 2)

Do you struggle to get clients?

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Do you find it hard to get people interested in what you do?

If so, these two sessions are for you.

Following on from last session’s elevator pitch, I now move on to teach you how to create, what Michael Port has coined, “the conversational elevator pitch.”

If you want to obtain rapid growth in your coaching business, this is a two-part series that you won’t want to miss.

Episode outline:

This is the second session of a two part series, so if you haven’t yet, go back and listen to part 1 of “Who Wants More Clients? Then Let’s Learn To Network.”

Have you taken action?

In the last session, I explained the importance of going out and practicing the elevator pitch before listening to this session. Have you? If not, remember that for any of these sessions to work and for your business to accelerate into rapid growth, you have to take action. Do yourself a favor: Decide you’re willing to go out and experiment.

I also told you that what I was sharing was all foundational. In this session, I give away the key to simple and easy customer acquisition: the conversational elevator pitch.

This is the formula I use every day of the week to turn an awkward, “What do you do?” into, “Wow, that’s amazing. Tell me more!”

Formula preparation:

Question 1 – Who do you help?

                Covered in part 1 – The clients you get your best results from.

Question 2 – What do you think they were looking for when they went into business for themselves?

Think about why you did, but also remember their motivators may be different. It could be anything from a desire to leave a legacy, freedom to work their own hours, or just to get rich.

Question 3 – What three or four challengers could be stopping them from getting there?

Many people who want the things mentioned in question two realize they don’t know how to create the systems necessary for a successful business, or how to market and sell their products and services (to just name two). Remember, these will be unique to your segment (the answer to number 1).

Question 4 – What high level problems do the challengers from question three present?

For many people, the challengers from question three can cause stress, embarrassment, a feeling that people have lost faith in them, or a loss of love for what they do. This list is endless and again must be tailored to your segment from question 1.

Question 5 – What do you offer to help?

This could be anything from coaching, live seminars, or information products.

Question 6 – What successes have you had?

                Numbers count – What has been your success rate? What are your success stories?

Question 7 – What are the biggest joys the customer experiences when the problem is gone?

                I have seen amazing changes in a person’s belief in themselves, love of their work, and feelings of family acceptance. (Generally the opposite to question four).

Question 8 – What is the next step?

                If you are speaking to the person with the problem, you can offer a 30 minute FREE Business Needs Analysis. This will be explained in session 7.

If you’re speaking to someone that knows someone, perhaps you can offer them a FREE copy of your book, white paper, or video series to give their friend in exchange for getting their details.

Let’s put it all together:

The formula – Do you know how many (answer to question 1) go out looking for (answer to question 2), however, wind up (answer to question 3). Do you know anyone like that?

Wait for response.

If them – It is very common, do you also (answer to question 4)?

If not them – So, you probably can see them (answer to question 4).

Wait for response.

If them – I certainly understand, and it’s important for you to know that you’re not alone; in fact, your problem is so common that I (answer to question 5).

If not them – I certainly understand, and it’s important you tell them that they’re not alone; in fact, your problem is so common that I (answer to question 5).

And (answer to question 6).

So trust me, you can fix this.

Wait for response.

It really will make such a difference to overcome (answers to question 3), however, it will also make you/them finally feel (answer to question 7).

 Wait for response.

How about we do this (answer to question 8)?

So, is it magic?

No, it’s not. It is simply having a game plan or structure to the activity. Do you really think that McDonalds would have the same success without their systems and processes? This is no different. By creating your conversational elevator pitch, you are just giving yourself the best chance of success.

Take action:

As I said in part 1, this is an awesome formula, while also a waste of time if you don’t use it. So:

  • practice
  • test
  • experiment
  • perfect

This is your key to getting customers with ease, so if you were only going to learn one thing this year, make it this.

Keep me in the loop:

I’d love to hear your new conversational elevator pitch! Lay them on me, in the comments section below:

Don’t miss a thing:

As the podcast will have sessions both in video and audio, make sure you subscribe to both the audio and video versions of this podcast.

Here are the links:

Video podcast – Click here to subscribe

Audio podcast – Click here to subscribe

So please subscribe!

While you’re there, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE – leave a review and the star rating you feel this is worthy of.

Thank you in advance!

To find out more about me or the show, feel free to check out:

My profile – https://matthewpollard.com/aboutmatthewpollard

The full show write-up – http://betterbusinesscoachpodcast.com

Items/Links Mentioned:

  1. BBC 002 : Part 1 – Who Wants More Clients? Then Let’s Learn To Network
  2. Michael Port, author of Book Yourself Solid
  3. BBC 007 : Part 1 of 2 – First FREE Worksheet – The Business Needs Analysis

 

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About Matthew Pollard

About Matthew Pollard
Called the real deal by Forbes, Matthew is a small business advocate, introvert champion, Rapid Growth® Coach, and keynote speaker. Responsible for five multimillion-dollar success stories before the age of 30, today Matthew is an internationally recognized sales and networking expert, author of the bestselling Introvert’s Edge series, and host of two top-ranked podcasts. His work has transformed over 3500 struggling businesses to date.

Read the Transcript

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Better Business Coach Transcript

This is Better Business Coach session number three.

Hello everyone, and welcome to Better Business Coach. My name is Matthew Pollard, and as always, I am your rapid growth guy.

If you haven’t already, please take a second to subscribe to both the video and audio version of this podcast. The audio will give you all the ideology and training you need to be the most successful business coach possible, while the video podcast will give you step-by-step instructions on how to use the worksheets and templates that I have spent over a decade creating and perfecting. These are all available for download from MatthewPollard.com or BetterBusinessCoachPodcast.com in the session notes for each one of the worksheets that we run through as we go through them.

Now, this is part two of the two part series, so if you haven’t already, please go back and listen to part one of Better Business Coach, where we cover why you’re potentially not getting the results that you need out of your networking events.

We also talk about the three-step elevator pitch that you can use when you’re at networking events to change the entire outcome from “I deliver coaching” and “Oh, okay. I had a bad experience with coaching once,” and the conversation finishing, to “Really? How exactly do you do that?” and getting the client asking you to tell them more about your products and services.

This was a very simplistic approach and actually sounds very scripted, but the reason I started with that is that I really want you to see how something as simple as that change can provide such a different outcome at any networking event. This will give you confidence that what I’m telling you about networking really works. We’re now going into the next step, step two, what Michael has coined as the conversational elevator pitch, which will make a great deal of effect on the success of your business.

Also, if you haven’t had a chance yet, make sure you go out and actually put this advice in action. So many people are learners and learners only. Go out actually use this information. If you haven’t got a networking event lined up, go to meetup.com and find somewhere to go with the intention of just experimenting and practising.

Let’s talk about conversational elevator pitches. To do that, we have to do a little bit of preparation. In the last session, we discussed the segments that you were working, and we discussed that there could be several of these. What I want you to do is grab a piece of paper and divide it into four columns, and in the column on the far left, write every one of the segments that you feel comfortable working with or in which you get your best results. This could be anywhere from a person that wants to start a new business, to somebody who has been working in a business for 30 years and needs help in getting out of their business, to somebody who is struggling in sales and needs assistance with that.

In the next column, I want you to write what they were looking for when they started their business. Maybe they wanted to put their name on something, or maybe they wanted to earn the money their boss was earning. Maybe they wanted a better work/life balance. Whatever you think it is for those segments, write them down. Quite frequently, a lot of the things could be similar, so don’t be afraid to write the same thing twice.

Next, in the third column, write down what challenges are preventing them from getting what they are looking for. This could be unmotivated staff, struggling to find the right staff, no understanding of the sales process, systems that don’t work, causing them to say in the office and fix things, all financial control; the list is endless. Write down the ones that you think are most likely to apply to your customer segment.

In the fourth column, I want you to write the bigger problems, i.e. my staff don’t perform or I can’t find good staff, which means I feel uncomfortable and anxious, every time I leave the office, or I feel like I’m never going to get to a stage where I am in control of my business, or I feel like I’m no longer interested in my own business that I used to care about so much, or I feel devalued, or I’ve lost confidence in myself. These are the higher problems that people can really identify with; they will think that you understand their problems and what’s happening to them. These are problems that you may have experienced yourself in some stage within your business, so don’t be afraid to list some of the things that you really struggle with, because these are the same concerns they might be having.

Okay, now that we’ve got this down, let’s workshop what you say when a prospective person says to you “What do you do?” Your response should be “Well, do you know how a business owner opens up their business, and they have dreams of creating their own brand for themselves, getting that work/life balance that they really want, and earning the money that they’ve seen their employers earn for years and years and years, but for some reason, they find themselves struggling with managing staff and getting them to perform, getting the sales that they need for their business, and getting the system set up to allow for them to actually provide their services and products efficiently without things going wrong and customers getting upset with them? Do you know anyone like that?”

And what you will generally find is that somebody will say “Yeah, I have that problem,” or they know somebody that does. What you’ll then say is “Oh, okay,” and you’ll then talk about the bigger challenges. And you’ll say, “Do you find that they’re always stressed out when they leave work because they’re anxious that their staff aren’t going to be performing while they’re away, and they can never seem to take any time off, and they seem to have lost faith in themselves or confidence in what they’re doing, and it’s almost like they want to go back to work because they’re just over the entire circumstance?”

And you’ll generally a responsive of, well, you know, maybe they’re not that bad, but they do have this problem and this problem, and I agree with you here, here, and here. You can then respond by saying “Look, let them know,” or “I want to know that you’re not alone. In fact, your problem is so common,” and this is where you introduce what you do fix it, “I have created a seven session coaching breakthrough session that takes people from the brink of losing faith in their business to getting their business back on track, getting the structures that work, and actually actively working on their business, not in it. This has been so successful that I actually have gotten –” and this is where you talk about the results you had. “I have actually received results from my clients that give me a 92% success rate in not only paying back the services that I charged for, but doubling their profitability within the period of that coaching. So there is hope for you,” or “There is hope for your friend.”

Then they’ll reply, and this is where you transfer it into a potential sales opportunity for the future. If you’re talking to that person, you say, “So there is hope for you. What I’d like to do is set up a free 30 minute session where we sit down and work out what your problems are and figure out whether or not I am a good fit to help you work with those, and whether or not my seven session plan will be effective.” And what I do is I do a full business needs analysis. I will show you how to do this business needs analysis in one of our video sessions coming up, so remember to subscribe to that.

Then you say, “So how about I pull out my calendar. I’ve got something available.” Then you give them two options, morning and afternoon. So you can say, “I’ve got a morning next Tuesday, and I’m free Thursday afternoon. Which one best suits you?” You get out the calendar and you book in the time there and then.

And then, once they book in a time, you say “Know what? I’m actually really excited about this, because every time I work with a business…” and you give them some example stories of other people that you helped, and then you leave them with that note that they’re going to get to sit down with you during this half an hour session.

Now, don’t give away all of the goodies of that session in that networking event, or you will have no reason to catch up with them again. Start talking socially. The deal is done, job finished. If are not talking to the person that has a problem, say to them, “Okay, well, I’ll tell you what. What if I do this? What if I provide your friend my e-book or my white page on exactly how they can start working on this problem, and I will also give them, on behalf of you, a 30 minute free session where we will talk about their issues and work out whether or not I am a good fit to help them fix their problem. And if I am, we can discuss further the details of the seven session plan that I have to absolutely transform their business. So what I will do is – look, I’ll tell you what. Have you got an email address, and do you have their email address?” Then you get their details and send them an email. When sending the email to your potential client, specify that you’re doing it on behalf of their friend whom you met at the meet up because they felt it would be a good service for them.

Now, I know people’s worry of wasting their time going out and seeing people that perhaps won’t have the money or perhaps won’t engage with you. I come from call sales, so my belief is that once you actually have a physical appointment with the person, it comes down to your ability to close as to whether or not you get the client, and with the business needs analysis that I’ll go through with you in a few sessions, that’s going to turn them into absolute putty in your hands. Therefore, as a result of that, you will be able to close that customer, no problems. So my suggestion is book as many people as you can, or send that email with the intent of booking as many people as you can to ensure that you get the opportunity to practice the business needs analysis coming up and your ability to close, because trust me, that’s going to happen much more frequently, and we’re going to get your business to rapid success.

Okay, so I hope you’ve enjoyed this session, and I hope you got a lot out of it. If you had a chance to network already, I’m sure you already benefited from it. If not, the main thing I want you to do is take action. If you don’t take action, you will never get the success that I have planned for you, because taking action is the only way you can obtain these skills, practice these skills, and obtain success for your business. The world of studying and continually learning to make your business better doesn’t exist. Unless you actually take action to make this happen, it will never work, so make sure you go out and do that.

If you haven’t currently taken action to subscribe to this podcast and the video podcast, do so now, and while you’re there, if you’re on iTunes, please do me a favour and post a review stating what you think about this podcast. Any of your comments would be more than welcomed, as well as the star rating that you feel this podcast deserves. Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to sharing the next session of Better Business Coach Podcast with you. Cheers.

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