Pre-qualifying leads with your messaging

Kirsten Back Author

4 areas to clarify to make the right people want to work with you...

One of the biggest problems that I see in the coaching and consulting industry is that business owners are struggling to connect with the right audience and then to pre-qualify their leads for their sales conversation.

Sales conversations (face to face, in messenger or through a sales page) are much more likely to convert when prospects are entering the conversation with an understanding that you can help them and that you have a solution that picks them up at the specific point they are at right now – and takes them to the specific outcome they want to achieve.

So, before your prospects are entering a sales conversation with you, they need to know a few things about you and your services.

Your prospects need to know who you are

That means that they need to know enough about you that they believe that you can help them solve their problem – and that you are the right person to help them.

Let’s look into the latter first: Are you the right person to help them?

In other words:

• Are you qualified and have the right knowledge, experience, and expertise to help them?
• Do you possess any unique skills, talents or character traits that make you a better fit?
• Do you have belief systems and a purpose that they can identify with?
• Are you credible and have the proof that you can deliver on your promise?

Your prospects need to know all this BEFORE they enter a sales conversation with you. And they learn all this through the content that you share with your audience over a longer period of time.

Especially if you are selling a service that requires a significant investment.

Take a look at your content and answer with total honesty – are you sharing content that answers the four questions above?

Are you sharing enough knowledge with your audience so that they can benefit from your knowledge before working with you?

Do you have a way of showcasing your talents and strengths so that your audience sees that you understand them and know exactly how to get the best out of them?

This could be done by giving your audience a taster of your “superpowers” in challenges, webinars, free coaching sessions, testimonials and case studies…

Your prospects need to see that you understand them

A relationship goes both ways. Just as you are unique – your clients are too. And they want to know whether you understand them and know how to work with them.

Again, your services have to be a perfect fit for who they are and where they are at.

If you are a sales coach, you might work with clients who have a consistent flow of clients and a reasonable amount of success with selling but want more in-depth sales knowledge to increase their conversion rates. Clients who are already making $100k and want to scale to $200k by selling services that cost between $5-15k.

Or are you teaching new introvert coaches who are scared of selling, feel bad about charging more than $500, have difficulties talking about their fees, feel overwhelmed and uneasy before a sales call, and feel personally rejected when they can’t close a sale?

Do you see that the messaging for these target audiences would have to be totally different? That you would find them in different places and that you would charge them a different fee?

Do you also see that you would have to create a totally different offer for them?

Your prospects need an offer that is specifically tailored to them

Referring back to my example above – the relatively successful coach already has some sales knowledge and experience. They want to refine their approach and want to learn more advanced techniques and go into the finer details of selling.

Whereas the novice coach has no formal sales training and needs to start with basic foundational knowledge.

They have different starting points. The steps you are leading them through contain different content and the programme has a different end point too.

You need to create your programme with a specific outcome in mind.

Whereas the advanced coach might be looking for advanced listening and persuasion techniques, the novice coach would like a basic framework that leads them through the different phases of a sales call.

That means that you need to design your offer with a specific client in mind. And that means…

Your messaging needs to be aligned with you, your client, and your offer

Referring one last time to our two different types of coaches…

These coaches – and so do your prospects – need to hear different and specifically tailored messages. What you say to your prospects and how you say it, is very important. And – who says it (from a brand perspective) is also important.

Your clients need to resonate with your brand personality and how you position yourself. Your brand needs to “feel” right for them. And since you most likely “are” your brand, your strongest differentiation comes through you.

That includes the visual expression of your brand, your voice, your story, your purpose and your brand personality.

For the advanced coach, you can position yourself at a higher price level, which also makes you a more exclusive brand. Also check out my blog post on how your messaging is related to your fees by clicking on the image below. 

It’s also important that you have something unique to offer: a proprietary system, a new and personal approach, a special way of delivering your services.

The novice coach is looking for more affordable prices, a more “accessible” brand and a greater sense of inclusiveness and community.

Again, these are distinctions that you need to communicate through your messaging – through WHAT you say and HOW you say it.  

If you’d like to learn how I could help you with your messaging - then fill in the form below and send me a short message.

Categories: Brand Messaging, Brand Promise, Content Creation, Conversion