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How many sales are you missing out on because of your ‘assumptions’?

By on May 26, 2014
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By Annemarie Cross

This week, I was reminded of how critical it was for me NOT to make assumptions. In particular, thinking that something was clear, however in reality it wasn’t.

Let me rewind and fill you in on what I’m talking about.

I was speaking to a prospect who was interested in one of my coaching programs. Because she was located on the other side of the world she wasn’t able to fly to Australia and wondered whether I would consider working with her virtually, via phone/Skype.

I was stunned.

Stunned because I DO work virtually and I ASSUMED this was stated clearly on my website.

Thankfully she reached out and asked the question. Because more often than not, if a prospect can’t find what they need, you’ve lost the opportunity and they’re off to one of your competitors’ sites.

What about you? Are you assuming that your message is clear, yet in reality – it’s not?

In my experience there are dozens of instances where ‘assumptions’ are made and opportunities are lost.

Here are the top three assumptions I regularly see coaches, consultants and speakers make. Make sure you don’t fall into the same trap.

Assumption 1: Your Introduction

I’ve been to countless networking groups and have read hundreds of online bios of highly talented heart centered solopreneurs. However from their online and offline introductions you’d never know it.

Their introduction is so full of jargon that it’s confusing and they end up loosing the audiences’ attention within the first few sentences.

At one event I attended, a woman spoke about her new business venture. To be honest, I had no idea what she was talking about. She used jargon that was confusing and she spoke about a new piece of equipment that was set to revolutionize the industry because of what it could measure and track.

I know I wasn’t the only person who was confused; the glazed eyes around the room were proof enough.

Afterward I went up to her and asked her a few questions about her business. Turns out she was a health and fitness coach and helped people shed pounds quickly through a new eating regime she had developed. The new machine she spoke about could distinguish between and measure both muscle and fat. So while the scales didn’t show a decrease in weight,  you may have lost fat but put on muscle. And muscle is heavier than fat AND burns fat, so it’s a good thing.

Combining her eating and exercise program along with being measured with this new piece of equipment would enable you to achieve your goal weight much faster.

After hearing that – I nearly signed up on the spot.

Now that’s what she should have spoken about, rather than the technical terms and jargon, which none of us could understand.

Here are a few great taglines that my colleagues use during their introductions. They capture people’s attention and often get quite a few chuckles from people. And most important of all – they’re memorable. People just can’t help but remember these tags lines because they’re funny! [I think so anyway J]

  • “I’m your local contract killer.” [Pest Controller]
  • “I take the SH out of your IT.” [Computer Repairer]
  • “We’re number 1 when it comes to handling your number 2’s.” [Plumber]

My coach’s tip: If you’re not generating interest and people’s eyes glaze over when you’re introducing yourself, you need to go back to the drawing board. Keep your language simple. No jargon. Talk about the benefits people will achieve through using your products and services. And try to make your introduction memorable by incorporating a witty tagline like the examples above.

Assumption 2: Your Program Titles/Description

After dedicating a significant amount of time and energy into developing your program titles and sales page it’s no wonder there’s disappointment when practically no one invests.

If written well, your title should captivate, increase desire and practically sell your program for you.

However, with many of the titles I’ve seen – the exact opposite occurs because they are full of jargon, present too many concepts, and fail to appeal to the need and desire of a target audience.

When it comes to the sales copy, one of the most common things I see is that there is too much emphasis on the features of the program and not enough on the benefits and results participants can achieve.

While it’s important for prospects to understand what the program entails, it’s far more important to share your promise of value and what people can expect should they decide to invest in you.

And, it’s also important to create social proof by incorporating testimonials and successes from previous clients who have had the pleasure of working with you.

Here are a few of my program titles as an example:

Each of the above titles includes what the program is about and the results clients can expect.

My Coach’s Tip: Don’t use jargon in your titles. Include results that people can expect. And avoid too many concepts as you’ll just confuse people.

Assumption 3: Your Call To Action

Picture this.

You’ve delivered an amazing presentation, you answer a few of the audiences questions, and you move quickly to the back of the room in the hope that people will flock to your table to enroll in your coaching programs.

But unfortunately that doesn’t happen.

So what went wrong?

You failed to mention that you offer coaching programs. Nor did you include a call to action that drew the audience’s attention to the special offer they could access if they were to make an investment, today.

In other words, you failed to include a compelling call to action.

I’ve been guilty of that myself. Several years ago in my career consulting business I spoke to a number of executives about personal branding and interview coaching.

I received an overwhelming response from the audience who loved the information I shared.

However, I didn’t mention that I was offering the book at a special price that evening, or that I had a special offer on my interview coaching and professional resume development packages.

It wasn’t until months later that I received an email from of the participants to say: “I had no idea you offered these programs. I wish I had known that earlier because I desperately needed your help then.”

How many sales opportunities are you missing out on because you’re not speaking about your programs? Nor are you including a call to action that motivates people to take immediate action.

My Coach’s Tip: Whether you are speaking to a group of people, having a conversation with an interested prospect, or writing an article – don’t assume that people know how else you can support them. Tell them, include a special ‘tonight/today only’ offer, and reconfirm the benefits they will expect through investing in you.

HAVE YOUR SAY:

So what do you think? Are your introductions, titles, sales copy and calls to action clear? Or do you need to go back and do some tweaking? Perhaps you’re proud of some of your titles – go ahead and share them below! And, if you’ve seen some titles that have really impressed you – feel free to share them too!

To your success and brilliance!

Annemarie CrossAnnemarie Cross is an authority in influence and impact – a Business Coach residing in Melbourne.

Money, Marketing & Mindset Business Coach for Women Entrepreneurs: Annemarie draws on her 18+ years’ award-winning expertise to provide ‘step-by-step’ personal branding, business building and marketing strategies alongside breakthrough personal, business & money mindset principles for women in business so they can stand out, get more clients and build a wildly successful business doing what they love. Annemarie is also the International Award-Winning Podcast Host of the www.AmbitiousEntrepreneurShow.com. Sign up for Business Breakthrough Strategy Sessions to pinpoint the RIGHT action steps you need to put into place.

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