The Tipping Point To Acquire New Clients
In the journey that a prospect takes towards becoming a customer, they are in control and receive free information to help them make a decision. But there comes a point in this timeline when the prospect hands over their money to you, the coach, and entrusts you to do your job and deliver what you say you are going to deliver. I call this the tipping point. The point where a prospect tips into being a client. It’s a difficult decision to make. Just think about the last time you made a major purchase like a house or a car. House hunting or car shopping was fun: You saw new things and you dreamed about the possibilities. But it felt like there was an invisible hand holding you back from handing over your cash!
That tipping point is a difficult one to make for new clients because it represents a major commitment on their part: A commitment of time and a commitment to part with the money they’ve worked so hard to earn.
One of the ways that you can get more clients is to ease that tipping point for them. Here are a few ways to do that:
1. Provide a free trial. You need to show people that the service you provide is high value. You can do that with a free trial. Offer the first hour free or the first 3 sessions free (or whatever is appropriate for your situation).
2. Provide a guarantee of some kind. For example, provide a full refund within the first 30 days of your coaching/client relationship if the client is not completely satisfied with the results to that point. This tends to scare off coaches because they’re afraid that people will take advantage of them, but it can work and fewer people will take advantage of the guarantee than is thought.
3. Give them limited access. If your coaching is in a group over the phone, such as in a mastermind group, provide your "tipping point" client with limited access: To listen in on a call but not participate, for example.
4. Provide bonuses. People love free bonuses and, ironically, are willing to pay more to get free bonuses. So, create plenty of free bonuses and offer them to new clients. This might include pre-recorded teleseminars or webinars, or it might include ebooks or print books. It might even include a coupon to purchase your book for a limited price on Amazon.
5. Create smaller purchasable segments so they don’t have to commit to as much all at once. If you normally coach for 3 hour sessions, why not offer special half-hour introductory sessions. These seem less daunting to your new client. You don’t have to offer them to everyone; just offer them as special introductory offers. Either make the first session or the first 3 sessions a half hour each, with all other sessions the full 3 hours if the client finds those first sessions useful.
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Comments
Great article and good points, thanks!
I try this:
1. Provide a free trial. You need to show people that the service you provide is high value. You can do that with a free trial. Offer the first hour free or the first 3 sessions free (or whatever is appropriate for your situation).
But maybe because of the service I provide, I do not get as many follow-up customers/clients as it seems I should from doing this.
I am a Virtual Assistant, concentrating on mostly proofreading and editing as this is what I love to do and where my strengths lie.
I offer and do free blog, web site, eBook, print book, etc. edits and all I ask in return is that they consider me when they need this service and a testimonial of my work.
Believe it or not, most who I do this for free for rarely will even give me a testimonial or a thank you, although all who have PAID me to provide this service also give me great testimonials and references!
Any tips would be appreciated.
Jan
Jan Tallent´s last blog ..Employee or Virtual Assistant? 
Hey Jan =)
Unfortunately, it is sometimes the case that some people don’t value what they get for free as much as they do when they actually have to pay for it; but that’s not always the case. Freelancers have to go above and beyond what a regular employee would.
Consider ‘where’ these potential clients are coming from and ‘who’ they are – the ones who you barely get a thank you from; maybe you need to revisit your strategy in how and where you find potential clients? I know many people who would be extremely grateful for what you have done for them so this might be something to consider.
And are these people actually in need, or in the mindset of feeling like they need/actively seeking, some assistance? If not, that may be why you don’t hear much back from them. Were they planning to secure VA services before you gave them something free or did you drum them up by seeking them out and giving them a free service? If they aren’t actively seeking they may just take what you give for free and run as opposed to if they are actively, seriously, seeking assistance – these people are in a different mindframe than the former.
And if they are the latter, ones actively seeking assistance, try not giving it to them for free but instead as a “new client discount” or something. (But some people may still use the “new client discount” just to get a reduced rate that time and then not send more work when they’re at the regular rate…but at least you still made some money and retained the opportunity to show them your skills.)
So yes, you might have to tweak the original suggestion a bit to best fit the type of services you offer to find what works best for you.
Good luck! Keep at it and you will succeed =)
Karen J.
Great article, I’ll be sure to keep these points in mind.