I used to dread hearing these words

In the early days of my health coaching practice, I did a lot of initial consultations with potential clients. I felt fairly comfortable and confident in these sessions.

I loved getting to know each person and having them open up and share their struggles and their hopes. I enjoyed sharing about my programs and how I felt I could help them.

And then we got to the point in the session when I waited to hear their thoughts…

Had I closed the deal? Were they going to sign up?

Most of the time, people either signed up on the spot, or they’d say, “I need to think about it,” or “I need to speak with my husband.”

If they signed up on the spot, I was elated.

If they needed to think about it, it felt like a “no”, and I used to dread hearing those words.

In my experience, if they didn’t sign up on the spot, it seemed impossible to re-engage them. I’d email them the following week to check in, but the vast majority of the time, I never heard back.

Wow did that hurt my ego and my confidence!

Then I discovered a simple way to turn this around.

It’s called the “check-in call” and it’s super easy. You’re going to love this.

If, at the end of a session, a client said they “needed to think about,” here’s how I responded:

“Great – definitely think about what we discussed and what would work well for you. Let’s schedule a time to check-in by phone for 10 minutes once you’ve had time to think about this. When would be a good time for us to check in?”

They would look in their calendar and we’d pick a specific date and time and I’d ask them at what phone # I should call them. (Note: for some clients the check-in call would happen a day or two later. For others, it was a week or two later. I always let them share when they wanted to re-connect.)

During the check in call, I was able to answer any questions (and concerns) they had about working together and they were able to make a fully-informed decision.

Sometimes they signed up and sometimes they didn’t. And, occasionally, I had people email me before the check-in call to share that they had thought things over and that they weren’t going to move forward with working together. While it’s disappointing when a potential client decides not to work with us, it feels good to “close the loop” so you’re not left wondering.

Why the “check in call” script & strategy works so well:

• You’re not asking them if they want to have a check-in call with you. You’re sharing that this is the next step, by saying “Let’s schedule a time to check-in…”
• You’re scheduling the check-in call DURING the initial consultation, by saying, “When would be a good time?”
• Sometimes, people don’t sign-up to work with us because they have concerns or fears that they don’t disclose. During the check-in call, you’re able to address those head-on.

I still use the check-in call strategy in my business and it feels very natural and easy. I hope you’ll try this on and see how it works for you.
Now I’d love to hear from you.
Do you ever have potential clients say that they “need to think about it”? How have you handled these situations in the past? What’s worked and what hasn’t?