Your #1 job as a coach or consultant is to help your clients get the results they’re after, right?

Well, sort of. If you can’t convince prospects to become your clients to begin with, then you have zero chance of helping them get the results they are after.

So, I’d argue that your #1 job is to convince prospects of your ability to help them. And how do you do that?

You convince them with an offer (rather than your “service”) that matches their needs so perfectly that they can’t resist. So in this post, I’m going to show you how to craft that offer so your prospects can’t help but want to become a paying client. Here we go…

What Exactly Is Your “Offer”, and Why Does it Matter?

So, let’s say you’re a relationship therapist. You think you’re offering counseling, right?

If so, then you’re not making a very compelling offer to your prospects, so don’t be surprised if they’re not that interested in becoming a paying client.

You see, what you’re currently offering is a SERVICE. But what they really want is a RESULT, not a service.

And, the result they want is a “transformation” from whatever their current situation is, to their new, desired situation.

That little distinction alone makes a world of difference in how you’ll communicate your offer to your client, and in how closely your offer matches up to your clients desire for your service.

See the difference?

The Ultimate Goal is to Give the Prospect Clarity

When you first consult with a prospect, they are confused. They often don’t know exactly what they want to achieve, but rather just that they aren’t happy and are irritated with their current situation.

They also don’t know what you can do for them, other than provide a service that may or may not help them achieve some rather vague goal that they haven’t even determined for themselves yet.

In that condition, they are in no position to make a financial decision about you or your service. So, you need to remove the confusion and give them clarity. How?

You’re going to take the rather vague, unhappy and irritated state they are currently in, and turn it into a crystal clear picture of their current situation and their desired situation, and then position yourself as the perfect solution to help them bridge that gap between the two.

First, Find Out Their Current Situation

It's impossible to sell a prospect your service if you don't thoroughly understand their current situation and problem.

And not only do YOU need to understand their current situation, but THEY need to understand it and all the painful implications of staying in that situation.

After all, if they don’t feel their current situation is really that big of a problem, why would they pay for your services, right?

It’s important that, at this point, you NEVER feel like you’re selling them your services. Rather, let go of any desire to get them as a client at all.

Instead, imagine yourself as a doctor consulting with a patient for the first time. You’re gathering all the data you can in order to make an accurate diagnosis.

Give the prospect your full attention, honestly trying to understand their situation and trying to make a determination of whether you really can help them or not.

Believe me, when you do this, the prospect will sense your desire to help, and will let their defenses down in a way they never will if they sense you’re trying to sell them something.

Because you’re NOT trying to sell them something. You’re diagnosing their situation and only trying to determine if you can help them.

And just like any doctor, if you don’t get all the information, your diagnosis of their current situation could be wrong, and your prospect will know that you don’t understand their situation, and won’t have faith that you can help them…

...and won’t be willing to spend their money on you.

Cause Some Self-Inflicted, But Helpful, Pain

Let’s face it… your prospect has probably had their problem for some time, and they haven’t taken the steps to resolve it.

They have some mental block that’s keeping them from doing what they need to do, so they keep suffering as the problem continues to grow worse and worse.

Although it seems cruel, often the kindest things you can do is rub some salt in the wound to make them understand the true gravity of their situation, and that they need to take decisive action now in order to get past their current situation that’s causing them, and possibly their loved ones, agitation, pain or diminished quality of life.

The most effective way of doing this to ask them questions about their current situation that makes them realize they need a transformation.

If you’re a relationship therapist, it could be questions like “How many hours per week do you spend arguing with your partner? How does this affect your children, family or friends’ lives?”

If you’re a fitness coach, it could be questions like “How many pounds over your ideal weight are you? Does this worry the people that love you?”

Next, Find Out Their Desired Situation

Remember, what they really want is a transformation. So you need to help them define the desired situation they want on the other end of that transformation.

And, remember also that you’re giving them clarity. So, you need an EXACT desired future situation that can be measured in some way, not a vague response like “to feel better.”

This is crucial. The clearer their desired future situation, the more you are able to position yourself as an expert at helping people achieve that exact desired future situation.

Again, let’s say you’re a fitness consultant. Which of these is going to make a prospect want your services more…

Their vague desired situation: “I’d like to lose weight”

Your offer: “I help men to lose weight”

Or, their specific desired situation: “I’d like to have six-pack abs 6 months from now”

Your offer: “I help men to develop ripped six-pack abs in 6 months or less”.

You can see how much more your offer resonates with the client, simply because you got them to tell you the exact future situation they desire.

Finally, Position Yourself as the Best Way to Bridge That Gap

Ok, now that you have helped the prospect get clarity on their current situation and their desired situation, the rest is easy.

You simply tell them that your expertise is helping people make the EXACT transformation they just told you they wanted.

Did an older female prospect just tell you they are still in love with a previous partner, and want to get over them and find new love?

When you tell them “I specialize in helping women over 60 to quickly let go of past relationships and find loving and fulfilling new relationships with a perfect partner”...

...it’s going to sound like music to their ears.

You’ve helped them get clarity by defining their current situation and their desired future situation, and you have just positioned yourself PERFECTLY as the solution to help them bridge that gap.

Can you see how you just customized your offer to perfectly match the prospects desires? Your odds of turning this prospect into a paying client is now exponentially greater than if you had just told them you simply offer “counseling.”

Remember, Offer Them a Transformation, Not a Service

To sum it up, your prospect comes to you in a confused state. You want to give them clarity.

You do this by “diagnosing” them to help define their current situation first, then their desired future situation.

You motivate them to get over their inertia and take action now by asking questions that make them realize the gravity of their current situation (“rub salt in the wound.”)

Finally, you position yourself and your service as the perfect solution to bridge the gap from their current situation to their desired situation.