How to Help Prospective Clients Take Action

Sometimes you’ll do a consultation and the person gets the information he or she needs but isn’t ready to act. The person won’t hire you. He or she won’t move forward. He or she is stuck.

We usually follow up by phone and do what we can to help these prospective clients get moving. After all, they came to meet with us because they want out of their marriage. From our perspective, we can see the things holding them back, and we feel some sense of obligation to help them achieve their goals. We do what we can to help them move forward.

But they’re stuck. And getting them moving is tough.

They’re only going to take action when they’re ready to act. This isn’t something we can do for someone else. They’ve got to decide to get going by themselves.

Asking questions is our most powerful technique for helping stuck people think about what they’re doing and helping them decide to take action.

Some of our best questions include:

1. Why did you decide to come see me? What made you do that?

2. What do you have to lose by staying in the relationship? What do you have to gain?

3. What is the trajectory of the relationship? Is it going to get better or worse?

4. What happens if you do nothing?

5. How will waiting affect your children?

6. What opportunities do you lose if you keep waiting?

7. What has to change for you to decide to move forward?

Asking these questions helps. What really works is for prospective clients to start thinking about the answers. It’s only when they find they’re better off moving forward that they’ll find the energy and motivation to act. Your questions might trigger an emotional, financial, or other concern that allows these clients to take action. All you can do is help them process the information and understand their position.

Don’t use the questions to sell or try to close the deal. Use the questions to stimulate thought. Ask and then leave a big empty silence so they can reflect and think. Remember, it was their idea to come see you, not yours. They’re already on track to make changes in their life. Let them do it themselves.

I bet you’ve got questions you ask and conversations you like to have to help stuck people get unstuck. Please share your ideas in the comments below.

Related articles:

  1. 5 Things Prospective Clients Really Want to Buy
  2. The Top 8 Personal Hygiene Mistakes That Turn Off Prospective Clients and Referral Sources
  3. How to Deal with E-mails from Prospective Clients
  4. How One Word Can Spoil Your Prospective Client’s First Impression of You
  5. Can You Tell Your Prospective Client’s Story?

  • Lea

    I ask similar questions in my estate planning practice. Usually they will talk about being worried about their family, or having a medical procedure coming up, or having seen what a family goes through when there is no plan in place.

  • http://www.brandtlawfirm.com/bankruptcy/blog Robert Brandt

    Lee,
    I have been following your blog for quite some time now and don’t know why it has taking me so long to jump in with a comment. But in any event, I am a consumber bankruptcy attorney, and I face this situation more often than I would like. I dont’ know if it is my extremely good looks that intimidates clients, or my plain talk that makes them wonder if I really am an attorney, or…oh yeah, the fact that they have to come up with some money that many don’t have. Or maybe it’s more than the legal fees. My biggest problem is that I hate the car salesman hard sell and feel awkward about following up, and find it even harder to come up with anything to say if I do follow up other than “so, you going to hire me or what”?

    • http://www.rosen.com Lee Rosen

      Robert,

      I agree – it’s hard.

      The way I approach it, and I have felt good about, is to only call to check on them because I’m concerned about them. I ask how they’re doing and make sure they’re doing, for themselves, the things they need to do to make their lives better.

      I usually open with “I was thinking about you and wanted to check and make sure you’re doing alright – how are things?”. That usually gets the ball rolling and I don’t have to say much more.

      I think we worry more about bugging them than they do.

      My vet put one of our cats to sleep long ago. We were clearly distressed in his office. He called that night to check on us. I’ve been saying nice things about that guy for years. It never occurred to me that he wanted to be sure we kept bringing the other two cats to him. I assumed that he was truly concerned about us. I hope he keeps calling his customers and never worries that he will be perceived as a salesperson.

      Lee

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