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How to stop losing out on clients
It is easy to have a large network these days. With just the click of a button you can connect with hundreds of thousands of people on social media. So it may not seem like a big deal to lose out on a client here or there. After all, within your connections, there’s bound to be others that also want the same things…
But the truth is, out of all of those hundred of thousands of people, only a handful of them are going to be your ideal client at any given time. This could be due to a handful of things like their fit as a client, the stage of their business, or what they are looking for, among other things. So even though others may become your ideal client in the future and new ideal clients will also funnel in, it is also important to make sure that you keep a hold on the people who are interested RIGHT now.
Today, I’m going to talk about how to identify if a part of your funnel needs a system or strategy to maintain your ideal client.
The relationship building phase
The first place you can lose a client is not keeping them engaged. In order to keep someone engaged, you need to know two things: 1) who they are and 2) what they want.
You need a system to keep track of who they are—I mean literally know who they are. I’m not suggesting that you keep track of every single person that you interact with. But once someone starts showing some engagement, I would start making note of when I last interacted with them and in what capacity. This way you can make sure that you don’t lose track of people who are ready to convert (I do this inside ClickUp!).
You need a strategy to cater to what they want (within reason). Whenever I connect with someone new, I always introduce myself and try to get to know them a little more. This way, I can help identify which part(s) of my engagement strategy are most suited to their needs. For example, is this person someone who would gain the most from being on my email list, engaging with me during a live video, or both?
The conversion phase
The second place you can lose a client is missing when they are ready to buy. If someone is ready to buy and you don’t act on it, you risk passing them onto a “competitor”.
You need a system to figure out when they’re ready. Whether you have a formal lead scoring model or a few key signs you look out for, you need a way to keep track of how likely each of your leads are to buy. This way, you can try a soft sell when they’re about to be ready and a harder sell when they are ready.
You need a strategy to make the sale. Using all of the information that you’ve gathered about the person throughout your relationship, you need a way to relate it all back to what you’re selling. Often, I find it useful to create a strategy around problems and solutions, and conveying how your services are the solution to their problems.
I probably don’t need to say this because I attract very compassionate and heart-centered entrepreneurs, but it's important to not use manipulative selling tactics. Your strategy should be service focused - are you the right person for them to work with right now? Why? How can you support them? How can you save them time or money or headaches? That’s the part they need to hear. Find a way to empower them in the selling process so they feel confident taking that next step with you.
The maintenance phase
The final place you can lose clients is when they’ve already made a purchase. Most often this is because your client is not satisfied with their service (maybe you both weren’t clear on what they needed or the problem you solved) or they already got what they needed (congrats!).
You need a system to keep track of client work and make sure you’re delivering what you promise. The relationships that you have with your current clients may be the most important ones in your business.
You need a strategy to keep your clients coming back. In other words, you need a way to get your clients to keep buying, whether it is an ongoing offer or a way to add on to what they’ve already purchased. Now that they’ve achieved this milestone, what’s next for them? How can you support them in that next step or phase of their journey?
If you need help figuring out which systems and strategies you need to maintain your client base, consider downloading my Focus Framework.
