The one thing you should never say to prospects or clients is this exact phrase: “Ask me any questions you may have.” Here’s why.

Your clients are not experts in your business, which is why they contacted you in the first place. Asking them to ask you questions about your business is pointless.

Why it is so bad?

They don’t know what to ask. Maybe they utter a “How does it work?” or “What do you do exactly?” but doing so makes them look clueless. Not a good look on a potential client. Similarly, if they think they know a thing or two about what you do, and then you say “Not exactly” it may cause embarrassment because they don’t know as much than they thought they did.

What clients want you to do instead

Clients want you to say things like: “Let me take you through a few questions to find out where your business is at and exactly what your needs are. Then I will make a recommendation of what, if anything, I can offer that will work for you. Sound good?” Always remember that you are a problem solver for your clients.

Your simple takeaway

New prospects have no idea how brilliant and earth-shattering good you are. Only your existing clients do. For prospects, you have to make it easy for them by walking them through a process that makes them feel GOOD. Not clueless, not embarrassed, and not like an idiot.

I learned this lesson when I recently posted that I was looking for a video animator. Most everyone asked me questions that made me realize how much I don’t know. “What do you need?” “What style of animation are you looking for?” Trust me, if I knew those sorts of details I would have searched the term “white board video animation” instead of just “video animation.”

A few people replied to say they could help. But again, the pressure was on me to be the expert on video animation so I could describe my precise needs. I’m not an expert—I was looking for an expert.

But then I came across a company that does “Explainer Videos” and through watching one I learned about the process of video animation. Tada!!! In only three minutes I had a much better grasp of what is involved and I felt very smart.

Do this now

Put yourself in your customer’s place and take yourself through your own process from first website visit or phone call to initial client meeting. Evaluate the experience under these criteria: Do I feel good when I do this? Am I explaining to them what they are looking at and how it works?

Easy peasy, and very worthwhile.

 


Beate Chelette is The Growth Architect and a results-oriented businesswoman with an entrepreneurial spirit and a proven track record in growing, building and scaling women’s businesses. Once $135,000 in debt and a single mother, she successfully sold her business to a global entertainment media company owned by Bill Gates in a multi-million dollar deal.

Through her online courses, one-on-one training programs and live speaking events, she mentors women entrepreneurs with her 5 Star Success Blueprint, developed with the knowledge gleaned from her growing, scaling and selling her own company. Beate has a deep commitment to supporting women.

She is the creator of The Women’s Code, the fourth step of Growth Architecture that is focused on Supporting Balanced Leadership. Her proprietary methods specifically address women’s obstacles and she leads from experience, having survived in business in a highly competitive male-dominated environment.

She is a respected speaker and mentor and is the author of the book “Happy Woman Happy World How to Go From Overwhelmed to Awesome”, a book that corporate trainer and best-selling author Brian Tracy calls “a handbook for every woman who wants health, success and a fulfilling career.”

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