Good Marketing, Good Business

078: Turning Your Discovery Calls Into Sales

Shannon Stone Episode 78

How you position your Discovery Calls to your prospects is vitally important to the outcome. If you’re planning on letting them ‘pick your brain’ enough so they see you know your stuff and throw money at you - that’s not going to fly, and you’ve probably tried it so you know it doesn’t work.

In this episode I share five ways you can ensure your calls aren’t a waste of your precious time and do actually convert into sales for your business.

By listening [and taking notes], you’ll learn:

  • The importance of properly clarifying your prospects goals which allows you to match your service offering to what they want
  • How you don’t need a script but having a process, a flow, a sequence of questions to ask to help guide the conversation so that it is (a) productive and (b) informative to make a decision, is helpful for both parties

This episode is the second in a series which marks December (2024) as being the month of Discovery Calls. Each Monday throughout we will focus on an aspect of improving your businesses Discovery Calls, as well as a Masterclass on December 16, visit www.shannonstone.com.au/masterclass for more details.

Enjoy!

Resources:


If you’d like to work together with me as your 1:1 business and marketing consultant, book a call here.

Shannon Stone:

H ey guys.

Shannon Stone:

Welcome to the podcast, very excited for this episode. Today we are talking about turning your discovery calls into sales and clients. So last episode we talked about what are discovery calls, the importance of it and, most importantly, how you can get higher conversions by having discovery calls. We also touched on discovery calls can go by other names as well Strategy calls, breakthrough calls, clarity calls, consultation calls. Obviously, they're all sales calls in one way or another. So you don't need me or anyone to tell you that the reason for doing a discovery call for any business is to generate more business, to generate clients and sales. So in this episode, I want to talk about how you can really increase those conversions. I've got five areas that I'm going to share with you. You would definitely want a pen and paper for this. You want to be taking notes, and what I would encourage you to do is think about, of these five, where are your gaps? So you might be across some of these already, but some of these there might be a little bit of room for improvement. So, from your business, what you've got set up at the moment and really what's performing well, just look for what the gaps are based on.

Shannon Stone:

What I share with you today, like I mentioned as well in the last episode, this is a content series that we are doing. There's going to be four podcast episodes, as well as a masterclass and four companion articles that go up online. Definitely, connect with me on LinkedIn. That's a really nice, quick and easy way to find the articles. There's four articles, or four pieces of content in this series to help you to improve the discovery calls. So today we'll talk about turning it into sales, and then there's a couple of other ones up our sleeves as well, but I do encourage you to register for the masterclass. I'll talk a little bit more about that right at the end.

Shannon Stone:

So let's get into it. So, turning your discovery calls into sales, now there's actually it's one of those things how long is a piece of string? How long can we talk about improving your discovery calls and making sales from it? So I've kind of reflected on this and thought well, really, what are the main things? What really does pack a punch to help businesses to increase those conversions with their sales calls or their discovery calls? And yeah, we know they are essentially sales calls.

Shannon Stone:

But that brings me to point number one, and that is positioning your discovery calls. So how you and if you don't know what positioning is, it essentially means what people think about that particular thing. So how you position your discovery calls. There's a couple of ways that you can do it. So the first way is, I think, very transparently saying this is a discovery call and think about your call to actions and the way that you talk about your discovery call and how you encourage people to book in for this call. How you position it is really important. So it can absolutely be in the way where book this discovery call. Let's see how I can help you with your business. So when you frame it like that, when you position it, present it like that. It really demonstrates we're here on this call, or I encourage you to book this call to see if I can help you. So we're not here to pick each other's brains or for the prospect to pick your brain. They're booking that call to see if you can help them. It's very transparent. It's making a decision. It's about can this person help me? Yes, they're going to talk to me about their service offerings and things like that.

Shannon Stone:

So that is one way to position your discovery call. It's just very transparently. This is what the call is. So if you get any inquiries or people wondering how you can help them, or even people trying to pick your brain as well, encourage them. Hey, I think it's best if we do book in for a discovery call where I can see how I can actually help you and we can sit down and talk through some of the things that you're working with at the moment, some of the goals that you have, and on that call I can share what it would be like to work together. I can share some different options. So that's a really nice way to position your discovery calls. It's just very matter of fact, and what I do like about it is like you're not beating around the bush. You're like the discovery call is a discovery call to see if we should actually work together, whether you call it by any other name. Now, the alternative way that you can position your discovery calls is slightly different, so you could offer something like an audit or a strategy, a strategy session. This is where the names of your discovery calls can change, and it's all going to reflect what you're going to cover on that call, so it could be an audit that you book them in for a strategy session.

Shannon Stone:

If you are a coach or consultant, someone who is an expert advice giver in your field, maybe you offer a complimentary 30-minute session, so you can position your discovery call and you might actually change it as giving something to them, so a genuine freebie that you're giving to them. What I would say with this, though, is say you went with the complimentary 30-minute session, is say you went with the complimentary 30-minute session. No one in this world wants to book in for that session if they think or feel from you because of how you presented and the way that you talk about it, even how you show up to that call. No one wants to feel sold to. People love to buy things but we don't want to feel sold to. So if you're offering a complimentary 30-minute session in your field of expertise, it needs to be that 30-minute complimentary session.

Shannon Stone:

If you obviously want to translate that into a sales conversation. There's a couple of ways that you can do it and it probably deserves the whole dedication of an episode or an article on that itself. But I'll give you a couple of quick tips now. Number one a bridging sentence. So you can do this complimentary 30-minute session giving that value to them or that audit or that strategy, whatever it have. You be at the end of giving that freebie of some kind. You're more than welcome to say would you like to see how I can help you beyond today? Or I found this really, really helpful. I think this is really going to help you, but I would love to see if it's right for you. Maybe we can book a call to see where we kind of go from here.

Shannon Stone:

But I think it's really important that you present your freebie as the freebie that it is, whatever kind of go from here. But I think it's really important that you present your freebie as the freebie that it is, whatever kind of option that you go with it and for it to turn into a sales call, it still needs to be genuine. No one wants, like you kind of like sleuthing your way in, to be like, how can I turn this into a sale? Like people a hundred percent feel that they see it coming and they won't book in for these calls, whereas if you did that free session or whatever it have you be and you're genuine about it, you're very authentic about it, you give your time the way that you promised that you would, then people are actually more inclined to buy. It sounds so counterintuitive because it might sound for a lot of people it's like how can I turn this into a sale? It's like ditch that idea. Because we really want to be true to our word. If we're saying it's a free thing, it needs to be a free thing, but that doesn't mean it's not going to turn into a sale in some kind of way, and that does require a lot of training. That does require some extra insights around it.

Shannon Stone:

But I've given you a couple of pieces here to help you with that, the bridging sentence definitely being one of them. So number one for this is positioning your discovery calls. So some people might actually be doing the alternate option, where their discovery calls or their strategy sessions or their clarity sessions at this point in time are kind of a bit of both. But you're presenting it in the way that this is a free session. I'm going to give you all that value and then try to turn it into a sale. It's almost like pick your lane or just know what the call really is and then tell people what the call really is. I think that's really, really important to be really transparent around your whole sales process. So, number one positioning your discovery calls. Number two is the sales call process. So your discovery call itself. I'm just going to imagine it's a 60-minute session that you book with people. Now that is one piece of a sales process.

Shannon Stone:

Now, coming back to today's topic around how you can actually turn the discovery call itself into sales, I'm talking about what you actually talk about on that call with people. So I'm not a fan of having a sales script, but I am definitely a fan of having a process, process or having a flow or a sequence of questions that you ask, or even a category of questions. It's like I want to know this, this and this from anyone who's interested in working with me, and here's the one, two, three things I want to share with them. So, for my business and how I train businesses, I do have the model sales call process, which was perfectly named by one of my clients. It's quite a comprehensive but very effective process that we have, perfect for B2B service-based businesses and high-ticket professional services as well. But what I say with this is you need to have some kind of process on that actual discovery call. So what are you talking to people about?

Shannon Stone:

Now, whatever your process looks like at this minute in time, what I would do is reflect on the calls, the discovery calls that have actually converted. How did you lead that call? What did you talk about? Where did you start, what was the middle, what was the end? And you can do this with a couple of a few of these calls and create a process out of that. So, if something has worked successfully, we want to look to see what it was that made it work successfully.

Shannon Stone:

So number two is that sales call process. What are you talking about on the actual call itself? And that is really important because, one, you want the call to be productive. It's not like. Well, all right, give me the brief, tell me what it is that you want, and you're kind of like staring at the wall, thinking, oh, what is it that I actually want, or what do you want them to tell you. So you want it to be productive and that can be by having that sequence, having those questions, having those categories of things that you want to know from people. And secondly, you want that call to be informative for both sides. You want your prospect to feel like they're getting the information they need about your services, about your business, about your results, everything that they're interested in around, so they can make a really well-informed decision. And you want it to be informative for you as well as the service provider. What's the information I need to get from this person to see if I can even help them? But what I also find as well which is why I love discovery calls I find it's actually the start of the client process. So when you do a really good discovery call, you're already getting to know that person, that business, that problem that you will be solving. So that's how I always see the discovery call. Yes, technically it is part of the sales process, but I do see it on another level as the beginning of that client journey, that client process. So that is number two, your sales call process. Client process so that is number two. Your sales call process.

Shannon Stone:

Number three and this has to be the whole reason why I truly believe in discovery calls it is openly discussing and clarifying goals. So for me and my business I work with other businesses, I work with business owners and their teams and their leaders to help them to grow and I love taking wishy-washy goals and turning it into something concrete, tangible and really clear. And it doesn't matter whether they're my clients or my clients' clients or your clients. I think more people need to openly discuss what they're actually trying to achieve and really clarify those goals. And I've seen the light bulbs go off a million times over. Just this morning as well had a discovery call and you just see the light bulbs go off when you really just clarify the goals.

Shannon Stone:

And what I love about this is and a nutshell discovery calls. It's like this, at least the way I approach it. It's a non-selling selling. It's like I'm genuinely here to go through this sequence of questions so that I can gather some facts, but I also want that person, that prospect, to leave that call much more with so much more clarity. And so this step three around openly discussing and clarifying your goals is so important because it helps them in so many different ways, but it definitely helps them to make a decision around whether you can actually help them and I'll talk about that in number four as well.

Shannon Stone:

So openly discussing and clarifying goals is really important. I find it leads to the clarity that everyone should be seeking. I also find that it's tied to higher spend with those clients as well. So if someone's really clear even more clear than when they came to that call, they walk away from that call being even more clear about what they want to achieve in the vortex of what it is that you do and how that overlaps with their problem and their vision and things that they're looking to achieve. That will always tie to more spend, more spend with your business. So obviously businesses love that. It also creates longevity of the client. So lifetime value, the LTV, working with people for much longer, because you really understand even more what they're wanting to achieve, what they're wanting to achieve now, what they're wanting to achieve in the long term. So that's why I say this is part of the client journey, the client process, not just the sales process, and the other reason I love it is it's a greater return on investment. So putting in the time to have an effective discovery call is going to lead to higher conversions, higher spend, ltv, greater ROI, like all the things that businesses should be looking for. So I think it's a really valuable use of your time, and a really valuable use of your time to actually refine and improve your discovery call process as well.

Shannon Stone:

Okay, number four so in turning your discovery call into sales, number four is matching their goals to your service offering. So this is so important. That's why number three is really pivotal, very foundational, which means number four is then matching those goals. So you need to have the goals correct. It's like people can tell you what they want and you try to match that to what your service offering is. But if you don't have the goals clearly mapped out, the clarity around it, that clear understanding of it, it can be very disjointed to then match your service offerings to that.

Shannon Stone:

Whether it's like conscious or unconscious, whether people realize it or not, if you've ever wondered why someone didn't go ahead to work with you, one of the big reasons is because they don't believe that your solution is going to help them the way that they think it should. Like that doesn't mean that's true, it could just mean you haven't actually helped them to clarify the goals. Like I don't think there's any person who felt like they were a 10 out of 10 of knowing exactly what their goals were. Coming into a discovery call versus walking off that discovery call, there's even more heightened awareness around what it is that they're wanting to achieve. So, number four you have to match their goals to your service offering. So it's like okay, well, you told me you want to achieve one, two and three. I can definitely help you with that in this way.

Shannon Stone:

So it's like if someone's super clear on what it is that they want, and then you just effectively match your service offering whatever it is that you sell to that it's basically a no brainer. It's like crystal clear goals matched to a crystal perfect service offering. Like that alone is that's all you should be hearing. As far as, okay, these are the reasons why I should make these improvements to my discovery calls. So, number four match their goals to your service offering. That goal that you said it would help my service offering would help you by doing this. That you said it would help. My service offering would help you by doing this, that second goal that you have, and obviously you make it more specific to what it is that they've said and what it is that you're offering that second goal, it'll help you to da-da-da-da with my service offering because of this. So it's like a match made in heaven. It adds that almost like that white glove experience to your business, even if and you would you do this day in, day out, every single day, with all your clients.

Shannon Stone:

But we can't skip over that. Discovery calls need to be personal, personalized, specific to that person that is right there in front of you. Even if you've said this a million times over To them, it's like one of the few times they've actually heard it. So take the time to really understand their goals and take the time to actually explain how your service offerings would help them to achieve those goals. Okay, the fifth and final point I wanted to share to help you turn your discovery calls into sales is decisions.

Shannon Stone:

So this might sound really simple or in some ways like common sense, but sometimes, or a lot of the time, people don't allow their prospects to make a decision on the discovery call Like that sounds so crazy, but let me explain it because we've all been there and you might be there at the moment. So, even if you haven't made these improvements to your discovery call so far, imagine you do your discovery call and you know you're coming to the end. You've shared all the information. It sounds really good to them. Yep, they really, really want to do it it. And then where do you leave it? Right at the end it's like, okay, well, you just let me know what you want to do and just reach out.

Shannon Stone:

Or I kind of say, a lot of the time I'm not against proposals, I'm kind of slanted against them. But I think for some people, some businesses, there's definitely a place for proposals. But I think we can eliminate so many proposals by allowing people to make a decision on the discovery call. It's like I've helped a lot of people who have like they'll have a discovery call with their prospects and they tell me at the end the people are ready to sign up. And do you know what they do next? They send them a proposal. That's just almost mind boggling to me. It's like on the call, they're ready to sign up, they know the price, they've said yes, there's no reason to send a proposal.

Shannon Stone:

What you need to send is your welcome process, your onboarding process, your setting them up your invoice that's what needs to happen. Next process You're setting them up your invoice that's what needs to happen next. Or if you take payments on the call, that's really the next step. I think when we send proposals, we just slow down that decision-making process and we start to weaken it. As far as conversions, not as many people are going to sign up because now they're off that call. Instead of buying you, they're buying that piece of paper or that digital paper that it's printed on and that takes away a lot of the essence, a lot of the power in converting those people. So making a decision, allowing people to make a decision, is one of the biggest things that can help you to increase your conversions on your discovery calls, your conversions on your discovery calls.

Shannon Stone:

The final thing I will say around making a decision on that discovery call and why, it is amazing whether they actually make the final decision then and there. Or they need to just go away and think about it, or they need to talk to someone, or maybe they've got other service providers as options. They also want to speak to them. I think it's really important to have the conversation about making a decision, because what happens in that pocket of a phone call is people have the questions, like the bottom line questions, like they have the questions that are going to stop them from actually saying yes and working with you. So by helping people to say, well, is this the kind of service that would help you, is this something you'd like to go ahead with? It gives people it's like it activates something in them. It gets their thinking of like, okay, well, actually do I want to go ahead? And if so, here's my final questions around it.

Shannon Stone:

So you want to get people to that point where they raise those questions with you because you are there on the call, you can help answer those questions, and that thought will also come up when they're looking at a proposal. The difference is you're not there and so these can be the lingering thoughts that stop them from ever coming back to you. So allow people to present those questions, encourage those questions, and the best way honestly to encourage that to happen is to try to get them to make a decision by saying is this the kind of service that you're looking for? Is this something you would like to go ahead with. Just by asking it, it's like you've done your job. Then it lets them start to. The cogs are turning their mind of what questions they actually have. It also helps to raise any objections so they might have reasons for not doing it or they might have some more questions around it. So you want to, really you want to get to that point. That is like the most powerful point you can get to and that is so like, if you've done that, if you get to objections, if you get to this point where they're raising questions, you've done a really, really good job. You've had a really good conversation with them and it shows that they're really invested in wanting to work with you as well. If they didn't care, they wouldn't ask any questions. So you want them to ask questions. You want them to raise objections? So you want them to ask questions. You want them to raise objections and, if it's right, allow them to make that decision on that phone call, rather than them going away and thinking about it or whatever. Have you sending off a proposal if it's not necessarily ready in that moment?

Shannon Stone:

Okay, so let's start to recap these, because we're really diving in deep with discovery calls. So number one is positioning your discovery calls, so how you position them is really important. Number two is that sales call process, but, specifically for this, what you actually talk about on this discovery call, so having a sequence of questions, a flow to it. Number three, openly discussing and clarifying goals. That is so, so important because it does lead into number four, which is matching their goals to your service offering. And number five was making decisions.

Shannon Stone:

So, as far as action steps for this episode today, my best action step is basically what I preempted right at the start. It was to think about what are the gaps in my discovery call process. Now that you've listened to this, hopefully you've bookmarked a couple of things. I would encourage you to select one. So what's one thing you can change on your discovery calls or improve on your discovery calls to really help you to increase those conversions? One of these things is going to make a difference. All of these things is going to make an incredible difference, but I would rather you at least get started with one of them instead of setting your sights on all five or more if there's other kind of flow on things that came up and not doing them at all. So definitely choose one thing you can improve and then start applying that into your discovery calls. So that is what I have for you today.

Shannon Stone:

In the next episode we're going to be sharing three winning messages everyone must share on their discovery calls. So definitely stay tuned for that one. If you haven't yet registered for the masterclass that is tied in with this series, I will be sharing insights to drive results with your discovery calls. The link for that is in the description, or visit shannonstonecomau forward slash masterclass and there'll be a link to register for that. It is happening on the 16th of December, so definitely register. You will get the replay if you can't make it. But, yeah, definitely register for that one.

Shannon Stone:

But I do hope you found this episode helpful and useful and insightful, all the things. If you have any questions, always reach out, but I hope you have an amazing week and we'll talk soon. Hey, thanks for listening. If you have any questions, always reach out, but I hope you have an amazing week and we'll talk soon.

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