Wendy McCallum (00:01.808)
Okay, if you are a coach who really dislikes discovery calls or sales calls, this episode is for you. Grab a pen and a piece of paper or just mark this as one to come back to and re -listen to if you're in the car right now because I'm going to give you some really specific pointers and actionable tactics and tools that you can use to make your discovery or sales calls feel so much easier, so much more natural.
I want to get you to a place where you actually look forward to them and really enjoy them. This is like every other part of building a business, something that you have to learn. There's a learning curve associated with this. So go easy on yourself, coach. Those first discovery calls are always super awkward. Mine were too. But over time and through a system of trial and error and experimentation, I have figured out what feels good to me. What I want to really encourage you to do is not
to take one way of selling as the only way to sell because that is absolutely not true. There are a million different ways to sell. You need to be comfortable in your own approach. Otherwise, it's not gonna feel good to you and that is gonna be so clear to the person on the other end of the call and they're not gonna buy. So let's start with a couple of things that you need to get into place before you even get on a call with someone. The first thing that I strongly recommend to all of my coaches in the BBB is that they put,
an intake form in place so that whenever somebody books a discovery call from their website, that they are required to fill out a little form with some short questions. Some of the things you're gonna wanna ask are probably who they are, where they live, how they heard about you. I usually like to put a checklist in there of the different places somebody might've heard about me, my podcast, Instagram, another coach, that kind of thing.
And then I'll usually ask something like, why are you reaching out to me today? What is it that you're hoping that I can help you with as a coach? And then I might also ask something like, what if you tried before and how's that gone for you? And just get some really basic information on this person and the pain points that they're struggling with. That is so informative and helpful to have before you get on a discovery call, to have a sense of this person. It really helps with...
Wendy McCallum (02:26.512)
the small talk and banter at the beginning of the call. And it also gives you a bit of a roadmap as to the types of questions that you might want to ask this person on the live call. So getting an intake form in place is really, really important. And that's easy to do if you're using a tool like Calendly or Acuity for your bookings, you can attach a mandatory form as part of the intake process on a discovery call. The other thing that's incredibly important,
and I've talked about this in other episodes, is to make sure that you are super clear on what it is you're offering and also that you are super clear on the value of that. So you feel really good about your offer. Whether that's a one -on -one coaching offer or it's a group program, if you're going to be inviting somebody potentially to join this thing, you need to feel really, really great about it. If you're going to be talking about it, you need to absolutely believe in the value. If you're going to be telling someone the price of it, which...
spoiler alert, you have to do. You're going to need to believe that it is worth that and so much more. So get super clear on your offer and the value of your offer before you start getting on discovery calls with people. It will not work if you're not. And this is where my kind of mantra and sort of brand philosophy as a coach of under promising and over delivering has always been really, really helpful. I over deliver on.
everything that I put out there. I am notorious for adding extra bells and whistles and bonus lessons and all of that stuff because that makes me feel so great when I am talking about that program. So I can't underestimate the importance of believing in the value of your offer when it comes to selling and converting on discovery calls. All right, so those are the two starter things. Now the next thing is that I...
I really recommend that you have your calendar set up to automatically send a reminder of the discovery call time, maybe even a couple of reminders, one maybe the day before and one an hour before the call. That's easy to do and automate again in any booking calendar platform. Once you get the client on the call, you've read the intake form, you have a little bit of information about them, it's really important to spend a couple of minutes on small talk.
Wendy McCallum (04:46.16)
And I know you probably want to get right into what's the problem I can help you solve and telling them all about your offer, but that's a bad idea. Very often, coaches are working in a world around a topic that is incredibly sensitive and personal. And if someone's getting on a discovery call, it might actually be the first time they have ever talked to anyone about this thing that's keeping them stuck. You wanna make sure...
that they feel comfortable, that you have warmed them up a little bit. And small talk is a great way to do that. I literally talk about the weather with my discovery clients when they get on. I ask them how they're doing. I find out a little bit more about their lives. Do they have kids? How long have they lived where they live? What is it they do for a living? And we just have a little chit chat before we get going. It's incredibly, incredibly important. The next question that I ask is some iteration of
Why are you reaching out now? Now that is a question on my intake form as well. So I usually have a sense of that and I might say, you know, I so appreciate you taking the time to fill out the intake form. That's really helpful for me to have that background. But I would love to hear from you in your own words, why you decided to reach out now to me. And then I let them talk. And this is the part where you just listen as a coach. You just sit back and you listen and you pay really close attention to what they're saying. What...
Is it that they're telling you and why are they telling you this? And this is the place to listen for the struggle, the pain, the sticking point for them, the limiting beliefs. What is it that has them feeling so stuck that they're reaching out to you as a coach? Once you have heard that and maybe asked any little questions in there to get clarity on that, that you need to...
you might consider sharing a little bit of your personal story or maybe anonymously story of other clients that you've worked with in this area, just to make it really clear to them that they're not alone. Sometimes I just say something as simple as, you know what, this is one of the most common things that I hear from new coaches that I work with. You are so not alone in this. I remember feeling that way when I was first starting out. Just a simple sentence like that can create a real sense of,
Wendy McCallum (07:03.264)
connection and trust. And that can really help me get into the next piece, which is for me always asking them, okay, this is what I'm hearing from you is the problem. So I'm mirroring back whatever they have told me. And then I say something like, how would it feel if this was no longer a problem for you? And I get them to articulate how it would feel emotionally if this thing was not their thing that they were struggling with right now.
And then assuming I can help them, so assuming that I have the program, the offer, the support, the coaching to actually help them get from where they are now to where they want to be, I will tell them that. I will say, this is how I can help you. And I will tell them about my offer, my program, or my coaching approach. And if I can't help them, to be super clear, I will not tell them that.
I will tell them that I cannot help them and I don't think I'm the right fit for them, but I will always give them a resource. Maybe I'll say, I'm gonna send you an email right after this with a couple of websites or books or podcasts that I think might be great for you to start with or a direct referral to another coach, which is really what I prefer to do if I know somebody who works in this area who I think might be a great fit for them. But assuming I can help them, then I get into how I can help them. And I always...
do like a formal invitation to them to join me. I say, I would love to work with you. I think you're a perfect fit for the kind of work that I do or for the program that I offer. And I would absolutely love to help you get from where you are right now to X. And when I'm talking about X, it's their exact words. It's how they have described where they wanna be and how they wanna feel. And I'm making some little notes during all of.
all of my discovery calls always so that I can use my potential clients' real words back to them, which does two things. First of all, it shows them that I'm listening. And second of all, it resonates with them because it's exactly what they want in their own words. Now, the next bit, and this is where people get stuck every single time, is you gotta tell them the price. When you are talking about the price, it should be short and sweet and you move on.
Wendy McCallum (09:22.96)
So I have found it is very helpful, especially for newer coaches, or if you're an experienced coach and you're rolling out a new offer, to actually have the price written on a post -it note on your desk somewhere where you can see it on every discovery or sales call so that you don't stumble over this, right? So this is a 12 -session program. The cost is X if you pay upfront, or you can pay in three monthly installments of X.
You want to know that information so that it just rolls off your tongue and you can move on. And again, this coming back to what I said at the beginning, it is so incredibly important to believe in the value, to know that the value is there in the program so that there's no awkwardness around stating the price. So you're going to do that really, really quickly. And then you're going to ask them how they're feeling, what they think about that, about that invitation you've made to them.
And they might say, that sounds so good. It sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. If you hear words like that, take the next step. That's like a clear sign to me to say, oh my gosh, great. I'm so excited. I can't wait to get started with you. Let's book your first session now so that I get you in the calendar. And then we can talk about what you can do between this call and when we get started as kind of like pre -work so that we can get the most out of that first session. That's usually what I say.
I like to book people into my calendar right away because that reduces the likelihood that they'll change their mind between the end of the call and the time that I send them the booking email with the link to pay, which by the way is immediately after the call. So do not delay on that. This is a really great example of where it's so helpful to have a template, to have an email that's all ready that you can literally just copy and paste into an email.
to this potential client or this new client. I have talked about systems and other podcast episodes, but I have a very easy to find folder on my desktop that has all of my frequently sent client emails. And this is one of them, the booking email. And it has the details about, it has the link to book for the particular offer. And that I change out depending on what it is that that client is opting into.
Wendy McCallum (11:42.832)
And then it has some basic information about what they're going to get and how the client calls work, what to expect, that kind of thing, including next steps, because there'll be a contract that they're going to sign. And then we're going to set up the rest of their calls that they have purchased through this program when we meet the first time. And I give them all of that information in that booking email, but I send it right away, really, really quickly so that they can pay. And then we're good to go.
But if they have already booked that first session with me at the end of the discovery call, they are less likely to waffle. They're in. They've already opened the door and stepped into my coaching world. So that's a really good tip as well, I think. Now, if they have objections, so if you ask them, how are you feeling about this? And they say, oh, you know what? It sounds really great. But listen to what they say. Don't go into panic mode here.
Your goal here is not to sell. Your goal is to make the invitation if it feels like a good fit and then let that person who is creative, resourceful and whole and has the capacity to make the best decisions for them, make a decision. Now, if you can provide them with some clarity on something that is making it difficult for them to make that decision, fantastic. And that's why you need to listen when you ask them, how's this feeling to you?
What are you thinking? And they say, well, it sounds like a really great thing. It sounds like exactly what I need. But listen to the but what are they saying? It's often going to be about the price. Oh, I don't know if I can afford it or we just we're at the point we just had spent a bunch of money on renovations. And this feels like bad timing. If they say something specific, then it gives you the opportunity to get curious about it. Oh, what's coming up for you around that?
Tell me more about that. And then if you have an answer to that objection, which you should have, you should be anticipating these objections that might come up. You've heard this before, I'm sure, but when people are objecting to the price, it is almost never about the actual price. Sometimes it is. Sometimes they legitimately can't afford it. And I would never ever push someone into buying something that it seemed very clear was outside.
Wendy McCallum (14:07.074)
of their comfort zone price -wise. Like it just was really gonna cause problems for them. And so if that happens, if that becomes really clear to me, like this is just so, from the information they're giving me about their life and just from the way they're responding to it, this is clearly not a possibility for them right now. That's when I offer a down sell. So I have, for example, some self -guided courses that people can go through that cost a whole lot less money that they can start right now.
And I also have, you know, I have podcast episodes and other things I can give people. But that's when I will do that. I'll do that then. But a lot of the time, the objection is really not about the price. It's not about being able to afford it or not. It's about something else, even though it comes out as, I don't know if I can afford this. So when you ask, you get curious around that and you say, oh, tell me more about that. Why is, you know, what's coming up for you?
they're going to give you some more information and you might hear them say, well, you know, I don't know, like what if it doesn't work? And then you can say, for example, oh, don't stress about that. You get seven days to try this program for free or I always am happy to refund after the first session or whatever your refund policy is. You can say that, you can say, look, let's talk about what's different this time. What if it doesn't?
What if it doesn't, you don't fail? What if this actually goes right? What's different this time from the last time you tried to address this problem? I love to have that conversation. That's usually really enlightening for people because the truth is for most people, there's been a period of time between the last time they tried to solve it and this time, and a lot of stuff has happened and they've learned a lot of new stuff. And also this time they're reaching out for private coaching or for this coaching program that feels like a really good solution to their problems. So there are lots of things that are different this time around.
you know, they might talk about the price and you might say, oh, well, I have a pricing plan that might work better for you can actually pay monthly for this program. Would that work better for you? And then you can talk to them about that. Anyway, point of all of this is to say you have to listen for the objection. I think what coaches do is they get really panicky when it sounds like somebody is not ready to buy and they just try to wrap up the call really quickly because it's super uncomfortable and because they make it about them.
Wendy McCallum (16:30.48)
And it is never about you at that point. If you have a great offer, you're really good at what you do, and the value is there and you know that, and this person is on paper and from everything you've learned at the Discovery Call, a good fit for this program, it's not on you. That's their decision. Now, the last thing I wanna talk about is what happens when they're not ready to make a commitment on the call, which honest to goodness is probably about 50 % of the time for me. I am not one of those people who's gonna...
push someone to buy before they're ready if they want some time to think about it. And the reason I'm not that person is because I am that person. I do not like being pressured into purchasing, especially a higher ticket item. It drives me crazy when people do that. And I will actually walk away from a purchase if I'm getting that pressure, even if I know it's like a really good thing for me. It just is so irritating to me and outside of my value system that I
I really react strongly to it. And so I never do that as a coach. If people say they need a day or two to think about it, I say, I totally understand. It's a big decision. And then I say, take the time that you need. I will send you a follow -up email. You can always reply to my last email with any questions that you have. If you think of anything after this call that might help you to make a decision. And I give them the time.
I give them the space that they need. But I do follow up with them as well. Always, always I follow up. So those are my tips. I wanted to do a bite -sized episode on this today, just to give you the structure of how I do a discovery call. Now, I do all kinds of different things on sales calls and discovery calls that I didn't talk about today.
I sometimes offer really valuable coaching or give them like a really great suggestion. I'll say something like, look, if I never talk to you again, this is really important. Here's what I would say to you, or think about this question. I wonder how this might shift where you are now. And the process of giving them that little bit of free coaching on the call serves to show them the value of coaching. If there's somebody who's new to coaching.
Wendy McCallum (18:44.816)
and also to build a little trust in me. Oh, wow, she knows what she's talking about. That was a great question or that was a great piece of strategy or advice. So there are lots of other things I do on discovery calls, but this is the very basic structure of discovery calls that I follow almost every single time, right? Start with small talk, listen for the struggle, the pain, the stuckness, make them feel like they're not alone.
Ask them how it would feel if this problem was no longer a problem for them. And then if your course offer, program, coaching can solve that problem, tell them how. And then if they're good fit, invite them in. And if they're not a good fit, by the way, I didn't say this, you can end the call. You don't need to keep going if they're not a good fit. You can offer them resources and or for a referral and end the call.
But if they are a great fit, invite them in and tell them about your offer and then give them the price really quickly, short and sweet, and then ask them how they're feeling and what they think. And if there's an objection there, ask them to tell you more about that. And then if you can address that objection, address it for them and then ask them how they're feeling again. And if they're ready to go, send them a booking email right after the call and book their first session before you hang up, get them in your calendar. And if they need time,
that's cool, give them the time, but send them a follow -up as well. So I hope that that helped, and I would love to hear what you think about the things that you learned from me on the coaching edge and which things resonate, which things don't resonate. So as always, I just wanna remind you, my DMs are always open. I'm Wendy McCallum Coach on Instagram. I would love to have you follow me over there, and you can always send me a question about your coaching business and the DMs, or...
Ask me anything as a follow up to any of these episodes or even suggest a topic that you think might be a great topic for the coaching edge. Thanks for listening today. Have a great day, coach.
