7 Ways to Build Confidence and Transfer It To Potential Clients So They Buy
When you're selling high end offers, technique is only one half of the equation.
The other half is confidence.
Don't get me wrong. You need to use the right process in your consults. You need to help a potential client identify their concerns, schedule a follow up call, etc.
But two coaches could go through the same sales process and get a different result.
Here’s why:
Sales is a transfer of confidence from coach to client.
Your potential client can sense your level of conviction. It comes across in your tonality, your body language, your use of silence, your vibe.
If you do not convey confidence, your potential client won't buy. Especially if you charge a lot for your coaching.
How do you help your potential clients believe that they can succeed?
I answered this question during a live interview with my client Gemma Gilbert.
You can watch our interview below or scroll down for a written summary:
Table of Contents:
Where Does Confidence Even Come From?
Confidence comes from the latin word "fidere" which means to trust.
There are four types of trust that create sales confidence.
1. Trust in yourself. Self-confidence comes from keeping promises to yourself over time. When you live the result that your clients want, that congruence leads to confidence.
2. Trust in your offer. You must be selling an offer that you believe in. And you must trust that it's worth many times what you're charging.
3. Trust in your potential client. A good coach holds a higher vision of what's possible than the client does. If you can't trust that this person is going to get results, you shouldn't offer to coach them.
4. Trust in the sales process. If you have a negative association with sales, or lack a clear process, it's going to come across on the call. You must believe that these conversations are in service to the client.
Some days you might have no problem transferring that confidence to potential clients.
But if you're not enrolling as many clients as you'd like, you may be lacking trust in one of the four areas.
Don't worry. That's normal. And it's fixable.
Here are 7 ways to increase your level of confidence and thus your close rate.
1. Sell something you believe in
Selling something you believe in fixes 90% of the sales problems that come up.
Yes, there are little hacks that help you boost your confidence. I'll cover some of them below. But what you can't hack is having an offer you love.
No one ever converted someone to a new religion without being a true believer themselves. So why do so many coaches look to the client to provide all the belief?
Because they're scared of being pushy. They figure that if the coaching doesn't work out, then they can hold the client responsible. Like, "Hey, they were the ones who thought it was a good idea."
Instead of standing behind their offer, they try get the client to sell themselves. This isn't good leadership and it's not good sales.
So, how do you sell something you believe in? Do you just do bunch of affirmations?
No! You create an offer that actually works!
See my article on coaching packages for more.
But think about it this way...
If you had a cure for cancer, you wouldn't need to do affirmations.
2. Be picky about who you work with
Advil works whether you believe in it or not. If you take enough Advil, the headache is going to go away.
Obviously, selling coaching is different from selling Advil. The client has to do their part. But the perfect offer is one where success is inevitable as long as the right type of client takes action.
Because of this, you need to be very picky about who you offer your coaching too. Your coaching doesn't help everyone with everything. Which is why I recommend finding your coaching niche.
Within your chosen niche, client selection is key. You don't want to be in the business of saving people from themselves. You want to help people who are going to get results with or without you, to get those results faster.
This is why only 30% of the people who apply to work with us end up receiving an offer from me. It sounds crazy, right? That's a lot of potential revenue that I'm leaving on the table. But one killer case study is worth ten mediocre ones, and I can only work with so many clients at a time.
This means that when I do make an offer to someone, there's power behind that offer. I've auditioned them, and they've been chosen. It's the opposite of neediness.
3. Tell them why they're a good fit
Before you make an offer, tell the potential client why you think they're a good fit.
I usually say something like this:
"I think I can help you with this and let me tell you why. There are three things I look for in a potential client to figure out if they'll be successful. The first is coach-ability. You've been open to my recommendations on the call. You're not stuck in your current way of thinking. If someone isn't coachable, I can't help them. Are you confident that you can take action on things even if they're uncomfortable?"
Then I make them confirm that they're going to be a good client. I do this for my other two criteria (chemistry and impact) and then I go into making the offer.
When you don't tell someone why they're a fit, they’ll think that you offer your coaching to everyone. And they'll be less confident that the program is going to work for them.
If they don't meet your criteria, don't make an offer. But if you're excited to work with them, make sure they know why. If you’re on the fence, schedule a second conversation and give them some homeework in between.
4. Collect, review, and share your case studies
Some coaches get great results with their clients. But most don't have a process to document those results. What a shame!
Your case studies are a lifeline when you're experiencing self doubt. They're proof that your coaching works. And they're your most powerful form of marketing.
You should review your own case studies often to keep your confidence up. And you should send them to potential clients before/during/after calls.
Case studies show your potential clients what's possible. When a client has concerns about any part of your offer, you can use a framework called Feel/Felt/Found. Here’s an example for fitness coaching:
"I understand why you feel that way. My client John had that same concern. He felt like he didn’t have enough time to prioritize his health and fitness. What we found was that by eating healthier and working out, he actually created more time for himself because he became more productive."
5. Live the result that your clients want
We're all human. No one is going to be a perfect model of success all the time. In fact, struggling in the area that you help your clients with allows you to relate to them better.
But you need to at least behave in a way that's congruent with the advice you give.
For example, no one wants to hire a broke business coach. No one wants to hire a high end coach who doesn’t invest in high end coaching. It just doesn’t make sense.
When you think and behave in the way you want your clients to, your confidence is much higher. Why? Because you know it's possible.
This even applies to areas of life outside of your niche. You might not care if your business coach is in shape or not, but they'll know if they skip workouts and it will affect their confidence.
True confidence comes from keeping promises to yourself.
Read More: Do This If You Feel Like An Imposter And Want To Refund All Your Coaching Clients
6. Diagnose and prescribe
When you go to a doctor, they don't just order surgery without diagnosing the issue. Well, some do. But that's malpractice.
It's the same thing when we're talking with a potential client. We want to figure out what's not working, or what hasn't worked with previous approaches. That way we can give hope in the form of a new solution. We can say, "Hey, what you've tried up to now hasn't worked but that's because you were using the wrong approach. Here's what we're going to do instead."
Pinpointing the problem in this way give your clients clarity. And that clarity gives them confidence. When they're not clear, they're not confident.
This is especially important if someone has had a bad experience with coaching. You need to help them articulate what didn't work about that experience. Then you can explain how your approach is different.
7. Don't play god
You're not responsible when clients succeed. You're not responsible when clients fail. All you're responsible for is what you can control. For example, you can control the level of support you provide.
Sometimes, you can do everything possible as a coach and the client still doesn’t make much outward progress. That's because you're not master or the universe. Same thing when a client succeeds - you don't get to take credit for that.
It's a less frightening to offer high end coaching to clients when you focus on what you can control.
As a client, I don't want my coach to stress me out or take away my power. I want them to relax and do their best.
Conclusion: Avoid The Neediness Spiral
You look at your business bank account and think:
"I need to get more clients."
Suddenly, you get a sinking feeling in your stomach.
Marketing feels like a trillion pound sled that you're dragging behind you.
After a few nights of bad sleep, you finally get off your ass and make a plan.
You think, "When I get some clients, I'll be able to relax."
In your sales calls, you come off super needy.
The standards you used to have are a distant memory
You're like:
"Oh, you're a professional juggler? You want to learn to juggle chainsaws? Yeah, I can totally help with that."
The right clients are throwing up deuces. The wrong clients are throwing up chainsaws and getting their hands cut off.
It just becomes a downward spiral.
What can you do to avoid this?
First, just pause.
Take a breath.
Feel that feeling of, "There's not enough. I need to figure this out."
Do it.
Accept everything exactly as it is.
Because it's the thought, "I don't have enough clients" that creates the stress.
In the present moment, there's nothing wrong.
Acceptance doesn't necessarily mean inaction. But the action you take out of acceptance will be more effective than the action you take out of fear.
