Shaping the journey from “hi” to hired

Would you introduce yourself to someone you find attractive then in the next minute ask them to marry you? Of course, you wouldn’t. Because unless you’re in a real-life rom-com, that person will stare at you like you’re a lunatic and walk away. And you’ll have missed out on a potentially great opportunity because you skipped all the nurturing steps required to assess compatibility, establish trust, and be at ease with each other.

The same principles apply to your customer journey. You can’t go straight from an introduction (through marketing efforts) to pitching your best—and most expensive—offering and expect to close a sale. Instead, you need to nurture them through your sales funnel so that every step forward feels safe for the client and right for your business and hopefully results in a long-term relationship.

TIP: Your website plays a very small role in your conversion to sales. It’s mostly for dry hits—people who don’t know you or anything about you. So, don’t spend all your time and money fussing with it until it’s perfect. Make it clean. Include sales copy that converts to a single call to action (e.g., schedule a discovery call). And put the bulk of your energy toward making the sale.

What’s included at each level of your sales funnel depends on your type of business and offering. However, regardless of their contents, the levels themselves should comprise of these key pivot points:

1. Building Trust: Lowest buy-in (at the top)

This is the entry point and 100% of your target market should buy in at this level. Once this offering is built, it pretty much runs itself. Workshops and webinars are good examples. This could also be a needs assessment, which helps you understand how you can bring value for the client (and even IF you can, based on what they’re looking for). It also helps you determine whether you and the client are a good fit and if they’re even ready for your level of service.

TIP: Don’t ignore red flags or gut feelings that call you to walk away. If the fit feels wrong, it likely is and ignoring it will end up biting you in the tuchus. You should also resist the temptation to alter your offering to fit the ask. If you don’t stay true to your chosen area of expertise, you could compromise your results and find yourself in a race to the bottom against brands who shouldn’t even be your competition.

2. Mid-level buy-in: Deepening the Relationship

Once you’ve determined that the client is a good fit and that they’re comfortable with taking the next safe step, you can propose a mid-level investment (unless it’s clear that the client is ready and willing to leapfrog into a higher buy-in venture). Maybe the deliverable is content scaled for more people, such as master classes. Maybe it’s a single project. Whatever the case, this level houses the do-it-with-you (DWY) approach, which is less expensive than a much more involved do-it-for-you (DFY) program, but more robust than a do-it-yourself (DIY) service with a lower buy-in.

TIP: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the brain could stretch x10. Now the stretch shrank to x3 as the pressure point. That should guide how much more you can charge as you move clients through the funnel. For example, if you run a marketing assessment for $500, the next project you do should be in the $1,500 range. If you try to jump from $500 to $5,000, there’s a very good chance that your client will get squirrely and hit the brakes.

3. High-level buy-in: Maximizing Client Value

This is your whale. Initiatives at this level have the highest price points and require the most 1:1 time with clients—a six-month program with ongoing renewal, for example (not to be confused with a package, which implies an end).

TIP: Apply the Goldilocks principle when pitching at this level. Give your client options that guide them to where you want them to end up. Start with an everything-AND-the-kitchen sink approach that will give them sticker shock. Then move to the option you actually want them to go for, which will be less expensive but will include key services that will move the needle. Finally, there’s the stripped-down option that, while far less expensive, isn’t going to change much. You can present more than three options, but have an odd number (strange, but effective). Just be sure to keep it simple and make it clear how the options—and potential results—differ.

Remember this: Your goal is to figure out what’s comfortable to the client based on their risk tolerance, then move them down the funnel.

To learn more about successfully funneling your clients by finding the right fit, schedule a discovery session with SnapSavvyStrategies.com