When it comes to bringing clients aboard during the discovery, serve, or intro call they book, here's the secret:

Don't view yourself as a pushy salesman who's desperate for commission. That simply works against you. Do this instead: Imagine you're a doctor diagnosing an illness, a detective solving a mystery, a high-priced consultant, and/or a researcher conducting a focus group or survey.

In the beginning, let them to talk about themselves, their favorite subject, by asking questions about their day, week, family, hometown, occupation, etc. To get them to expand on something, repeat the last few words they said in a questioning tone. Do this throughout the chat.

People love buying from folks they can relate to, so look for things you have in common with your prospect. Research them beforehand and try to match their energy. After this stage, let prospects do 95% of the talking.

The #1 complaint consumers have about salespeople is that they talk too much. Don't copy them. Folks want to feel heard not vomited on.

Truth be told, customers close themselves. They believe half of what you say, 100% of what they say. Asking them why they're interested in you and your offer specifically does more to amplify their belief in what you sell than you running your mouth.

People who show up for these appointments know you're attempting to make a sale so they arrive in defensive modes. Building rapport disarms and opens them up. Call out the elephant in the room. Make it clear there will be no pressure or obligation. Reading their mind shows empathy.

Set the agenda of the meeting upfront and get the prospect to agree, allowing you to control the discussion. It's much easier to get them to return to the agenda when things go off-track. A sale will only result in a structured chat, not a messy one.

This is what you might say, "First, I'll ask you questions about your situation (e.g. business, health, mindset, etc.) and what you're struggling with. I will see if I can figure out what's going on and provide concrete suggestions. If that includes how I may be able to help you solve the problem, I'll tell you more about what I offer and let you decide on moving forward or not. Sounds good?"

This step fosters trust, as you come off as not desperate, genuinely caring, and professional, while setting proper expectations. Inform them that they'll be doing most of the talking while you're actively listening.

The ultimate goal of your queries is to find the pain so we can dig into it. Go deep. That is the most important piece of the puzzle. The real reason is hidden and deeply personal. You must discover it. Bring it into the light. Get to the heart of the matter by identifying those pain points. It's not uncommon for folks to mention things they never told a soul.

The prospect needs to get a little upset or close to tears, as we push to them to be vulnerable. We must find out these intimate details because they don't desire what we sell. They desperately need whatever we sell gets them. Get them thinking about that, not your offer.

Don't rush this, as this is a common error. Most salespeople think the presentation or demonstration of the offer does the most to secure the sale. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you quickly jump into mentioning a lot of features that the prospect doesn't care about, they'll assume the offer is not meant for them. It may lead them to think your offer is just like some other commodity that didn't work for them in the past. No one wants a generic pitch. Specificity=value.

A common myth is that to be great in sales, you must have the gift of gab. Not so. Contrary to popular thinking, the best salespeople are the best listeners, a key talent introverts possess.

Facilitating a breakthrough makes your job as a salesperson a lot easier. Purchasing decisions are emotionally driven and later rationalized with logic. The pain is the pitch. Customers need to know that you care as well. You sell to the heart, not the brain. Mastering the diagnosis phase step takes time but is well worth it. It won't be a hard sell, but a heart sale.

For example, a client may want you to help them make money from home so they can homeschool their children or spend more time with their spouse and newborn baby. This is the real reason, not money. Maybe they want to lose weight so their husband doesn't leave them or to fit into a wedding dress. You must probe for this secret treasure.

Compel prospects to dwell in their pain because folks only buy when the pain is more expensive than the cost of ending it. Making them talk out loud about the problem makes them feel the agony. Get them to explore how long they have dealt with this and what horrible things will be if things don't change.

Their answers must be specific and detailed, so don't accept general replies. If you get those, ask "Can you expand on that? Tell me more about that." or "Oh really? Wow. How so?" You can try repeating the last words they said in a questioning tone too.

Don't ask "Why......?" when a prospect tells you how they feel or what they believe. That word elicits defensiveness. Use "How.....?" and "What.....?"

Summarize or confirm what prospects say by asking,"Sounds like....?" This shows you're listening, validates their experience, deepens the connection, and gets them to continue talking.

It's vital you find out what they have tried in the past to solve this dilemma. What are their roadblocks. This gets them to dwell in the pain some more but in addition, helps us to distinguish our offering as new and different, preempting objections like "I did that already and it didn't work." You don't want commoditization, rather customization and unique innovation.

Once the pain is established, let's paint a picture of their current and desired situation. You may probe to figure why they want that outcome is if it hasn't been fleshed out yet or to dig into the pain. Determine specifically what they hope to gain by working with you. When this is known, we can set expectations about our offering or qualify them. It is best to underpromise and overdeliver.

Ask them why they aren't able to cover the gap on their own. What's holding them back? They must confess their ignorance and/or need for assistance, so they're closing the sale themselves. Buying is now their idea. Asking them what is making them want to fix this issue now if they have been ignoring it for some time may help to locate that critical pain.

Watch out for those who constantly blame other people or external factors for their failures. You don't want to be the next scapegoat. Avoid these guys like the plague, as they will not be coachable. You've been warned. The ideal client takes full responsibility for their lives.

At this stage, obtain a commitment from the prospect that they are willing expend the energy doing what it takes to arrive at their coveted future. If they don't express 100% conviction, do not bring them on board. Tell prospects they will never feel completely ready, so stop the dithering. Foster a sense of urgency. Imagine you're a motivational speaker but don't get pushy. It is a delicate balance I know.

Clients with a half-ass attitude won't do the work and are challenging to work with. They will blame their lack of results on you and will trash your brand on- and offline. Skip 'em. Heed your intuition. Don't be desperate. The takeaway close, which I wrote about in "A Self Help Guide," works well here. If they truly want it, they'll jump at the chance. Display posture.

Before we get into asking for the sale, I want to make clear that sales is a transfer of emotion. You confidence in your offer = their confidence in your offer. Believe your offer is God's gift to the prospect.

Please believe strongly in your prospect's ability to improve too. Self-doubt is the #1 cause of objections. Have more faith in them than they have in themselves. Tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

Now you're ready to give out your prescription. If the prospect is a good fit, offer them a tailored package, reflecting what they told you. Use the same language they used throughout the chat so it resonates. When done well, there are no objections, the lead is rearing to go, and the transaction is a seamless, natural next step. Ask for and charge that credit card. Congratulations!

Never say, "I think...." Replace that with "I believe....." The latter sounds more confident which is contagious. For the entire discussion, especially during closing, never interrupt or fill in quiet gaps. Consumers are mulling things over. The first one who talks loses. Silence is golden.

When the prospect is clearly excited, assume the sale. If they're not elated, go with the "Perfect Close" I wrote about in my last book. Later on, you may need to use the takeaway close. Learn other closes from books, blogs, YouTube videos, etc.

From time to time, you will get objections, but this shouldn't be too common. The structure I've laid out will reduce the chances. Leads will book with you because they are deeply familiar with your content, philosophy, reviews, price, etc. or deeply trust the referrer who brought them in. Sometimes objections are unsaid, so get them all on the table. Isolate each of them and handle each one before moving to the next.

In most cases, they would have already read your books and emails. Many will research you online first. This makes your job easier because they're presold. Just seal the deal. I tell folks all the time, closing is the most overrated part of sales.

Leveraging guarantees, a generous refund policy, and ethical scarcity should push fence-sitters over the hump.

If prospects say no because of timing, hesitation, etc., follow up with them periodically by just checking in, not pitching. Do not resort to high pressure. Owning your book or reading your emails takes care of follow-up.

Even with no sale, give prospects concrete advice or referrals to other coaches. This builds strong goodwill. In fact, call discovery calls complimentary coaching if you wish.

If you always think "serve," not "sell" you end up getting more sales. You've also been given robust market research data that brands pay big money to receive.

Usually, many will buy in in the coming days. They just need time to reflect, weigh other options, talk with their spouse or partner, etc.

Now go forth and close.