Everyone wants more clients. This blog doesn’t contain some mysterious “secret sauce” but it does contain practical advice for ensuring you meet the criteria for the number one thing that will make – or break – your sale. It is really not rocket science, but I’m also going to tell you how to increase the chances you will have to make sales happen. Ready? Don’t blink.

The number one thing that will tip the scales in your favor every time is how easy it is to do business with you. When people have an issue, they want an answer. The easier it is to get to that answer, the more likely you will close the deal. It makes sense, right? We all want our needs met as fast and easily as possible. So, as long as people call you when they have a need and you make it as easy as possible to do business with you, you will pick up new clients and new referral sources.

You could argue that people are not going to call you if they don’t (know they) need your services, which I will address in a minute, but when they do call, the easier it is to get started and do business with you, the better the chances of you getting the client. Simple, right? So, make sure that:

• The sales process is not protracted or overly burdensome,
• You show empathy for their issue and demonstrate the ability to solve the problem,
• The prospect understands what you plan to do to fix their issue, and
• The cost for the solution is something they can more easily handle (more on this in a moment).

For example, think about how you feel when you go to a doctor’s office and they leave you sitting there well beyond your appointment time. And how do you feel when you ask how much longer it will be and the office staff gives you a vague answer? Doesn’t that generate negative feelings? We do business with those we know, like, and trust. Do the exact opposite of what the doctor’s office did.

When it comes to cost, I’m not suggesting you reduce your price to fit their budget. I am suggesting that you be prepared to offer payment plans or take a variety of payment forms to make it easier for them to afford you. Affordability and price are not synonyms. If you want to discuss pricing strategies, contact me and we’ll set a time.

But how do you increase the chances that the prospect will call you? Get them to call you even when what they need is something you cannot directly help them with. Be a resource to them, not just a vendor. Help them find the right vendor for any issue they have. That’s a good use of your network.

In other words, build the kind of relationship that will encourage people to call you even if they know you are not the right person for them at that moment. And then make it easy to do business with you.