Let me set the scene. You’ve received an e-mail from a potential client requesting a telephone call with you to discuss your services and their needs. The phone call is set and you’re excited about this new prospect. The day of the call arrives, you pick up the phone, call the potential client and the call, for one reason or another, bombs. You hang up feeling disappointed, frustrated and angry at yourself for not delivering the perfect potential client call.
So, what happened?
Well, a number of factors could have played into it but most of the time it boils down to two things. Confidence and knowing what to say.
The confidence part can be worked on by practicing these phone calls. Practice with your colleagues, friends and family before making these calls to figure out what to say and what not to say. You can also gain confidence by doing other speaking opportunities. Join your local Toast Masters or host a teleseminar where you deliver free content to an audience.
The not knowing what to say part is a little easier to master. Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions you’ll get from a potential client and how to answer them.
(1) Tell me about yourself.
This is probably one of the most asked questions that I get and it’s easy to get a bit sidetracked with this one. When the potential client asks this, it’s not their way of trying to find out everything about your life history. It is their way of asking about your professional history. Start with when you started your business, your attitude towards your work and anything else about your work ethic you think they would like to know.
(2) What do you do?
This question is the client’s way of trying to find out what you do for your existing clients and the services you provide in your business. Even though it might be tempting to just say ‘Virtual Assistance’, don’t. It’s too generic and your client won’t see the benefit in it. Instead, say ‘I help my clients increase sales and decrease their operating costs by managing their marketing campaigns.’ While that is just an example, it’ll help show your client exactly what it is you do rather than just list out a myriad of services.
(3) I need X, Y and Z done – how much does that cost?
Since you don’t know the client or the business well enough yet, it’s always a good idea to estimate the approximate time it may take but be clear that since you don’t know enough about their specific project needs yet, you can’t guarantee those times. This way, the client can’t come back to you later if something takes one hour longer. You’re protecting yourself while giving them an estimate.
These are just three of the top questions but I hope it gives you some insight into how to start answering those potential client calls. I’ll do another feature on this at a later date.
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