There are two things we must do if we want to sell well: (1) Make what were selling seem appealing to the prospect; and (2) Make it easy to buy. Much has been written about selling benefits, and addressing the needs of prospects, though consultative, question-asking techniques. So, Im not going to explore them, here. Im interested in answering this question: How can we make our offer so EASY to buy that it becomes nearly irresistible? Car dealers are great at doing this with no money down and instant credit offers. Effectively, these appeals say youre going to get what you want! How can we say the same thing to consulting or to coaching clients? I believe one of the least utilized, yet most effective means is by offering a guarantee. There are several kinds but lets distinguish two broad types: (1) The unconditional guarantee. This one says, if youre not completely satisfied, you dont have to pay; or your money will be returned. (2) The conditional guarantee. This one says, if your sales dont rise by X amount at the end of Y time, you either dont have to pay, or you must only pay for the proportional increase I produce. There are some very important things to point out about these assurances. In the first case, youre offering a PERSONAL SATISFACTION guarantee. This means your client can say, I dont want to pay you because my hamster got sick. Or, he doesnt even have to offer a concrete reason, and can instead say, Im not satisfied and I dont know or even care why that is so, now go away! Does that seem arbitrary, irrational, and as if your client is acting in bad faith? It can be all three and he can get away without paying if you dont craft your guarantee with certain provisos, or conditions. That need, to keep him honest, so he doesnt get a windfall while you get the door, makes the second sort of guarantee much more desirable. You can use assure your prospect that I guarantee my performance, and if I say Ill increase sales, you can count on it. When it comes time to reduce your mutual promises to writing, make sure to use objective criteria for evaluating results while crafting a good faith clause. This says, in so many words, that your client wont try to prevent you from reaching your goals, and moreover that hell cooperate in helping you to reach them. |