Photo: ColorJoy Stock — **Photo:** ColorJoy Stock

When I first started my coaching business, the thing I dreaded the most was hopping on Zoom for an intro call with a potential client. The term “sales call” made me nervous and at times it even felt like the walls were caving in when I thought of making an offer.

Ever felt that way? If so, you’re not alone.

Pitching your services in real-time with a person staring right at you can feel daunting, and in the beginning, it was definitely a challenge for me. I would do all these breathing exercises and meditations right before but still felt uneasy and ungrounded going into them.

Now? I've grown to enjoy sales calls, or what I like to call sales conversations because they're such a great way to build trust with a potential client.

They also usually convert between 35-50%, which is much higher than email offers, which convert at 1%, or webinar offers which convert between 3-5%.

So if you’re anxious when you do these calls, or even dread doing them in the first place, that’s ok! And it’s also important to embody the truth that they’re a chance for you to serve someone, get to know them in a deeper way, and potentially work with them long-term.

Many of my clients, most of whom are also in the coaching, healing, and consulting industry, tend to struggle with this if they’re just getting started. But once they integrate a few key (and very simple) things, they’re off to the races.

Here’s a list of the most important tips and tricks that help boost confidence (and sales) on intro calls.

#1. Focus on the potential client getting clarity and confidence around their goals.

One of the first questions I ask on these calls is, “If you could wave a realistic magic wand, what would you achieve in the next six months to a year?” This helps the person on the call get in a space of possibility and clarity about what they really want. What a gift!

With the focus on them and their needs, you can really tune into their desires and establish a solid rapport with them. And the more presence you bring to the clarity process, the more people will trust you and feel that you care about them.

People buy from people they trust so a side-effect of this is that it increases the likelihood of them investing in you and your services. Win-win!

#2. Keep asking open-ended questions.

The #1 thing I advocate for when it comes to having profitable and feel-good sessions is to not coach during the session. If this is difficult for you, remind yourself of this intention: be of service and bring them to a place of clarity.

By asking great questions, you can reveal what they most need and want, but it’s not usually helpful to try and solve all their problems in one go. Once you get to the offer portion, the same applies. Tell them the basics of your service, let them lead with questions, and if they’re not sure about something, ask an open-ended question.

For example, if they say they don’t feel ready to invest, you can ask something like, “What would make this a yes for you?” or “Tell me more about that.” This often works better than attempting to convince or persuade someone into buying something, since people tend to naturally get defensive.

If you have great questions at every stage of the sales process, your prospect will be more receptive to hearing more about your offer, asking deeper questions about it, and potentially sign-on.

#3. Help them make a decision that feels good to them.

If your goal is to ensure your prospect is happy with their decision, they're more likely to sign on with you on the call or in the future. If they end up signing on at the end, yay! Signing on with you should feel like a celebration for both parties involved.

And if they don’t, make sure they “walk away” from the call feeling good. You never know when they might reach out to hire you! So release any attachment to that outcome and stay open to what may be because ultimately, it’s all of the highest good.

In short, the best rule of thumb to follow for these types of calls is to follow what feels good. This will guide you towards the most intuitive and effective sales process and subsequently lead to more sales. Your gut never lies! So here’s to bringing more ease and flow to this.

Kimberly Lucht.jpg — “If your goal is to ensure your prospect is happy with their decision, they're more likely to sign on with you on the call or in the future.”

—Kimberly Lucht, Business Coach

About the author: Kimberly Lucht is a business coach who helps women make their first six figures doing what they love. She’s been featured in Money, Business Insider, Well + Good, Greatist, Create & Cultivate, and more.