You’ve done all the prep work. You know you offer a service or product that clients want. You’ve priced it well and have also set up your sales funnel, including an opt-in form offering a free breakthrough strategy session, encouraging potential clients to contact you, so you can start building a relationship with them.

You’re even getting free sessions booked in… and then it all falls a bit flat, as you hear those dreaded words “I can’t afford to work with you.”

It can be incredibly tough for you to walk away. You’ve spoken to these potential clients and know you can help them. You also know they want to be helped… but you’re tired of having to make a choice between reducing your price and helping them, or walking away with no client at all.

Is the problem the fact you’re offering a free strategy session? Maybe you worry your prices are too high or you haven’t demonstrated the value to your client?

In reality, the problem could actually be with your process before the call. Check out these three different areas that may be your sticking point… and get a sure fire way to attract clients who can afford you.

Get ready…

You’re running a free breakthrough strategy session to qualify these clients, right? Well no, not really. You need to be qualifying these clients before your session… and before they’ve actually booked a session with you.

This helps to get both you – and them – ready for the journey ahead. Ensure your opt-in page has a breakdown of the type of clients you will work with… and be specific. Do you work with successful entrepreneurs? Struggling entrepreneurs? Maybe you work with six-figure entrepreneurs or those just starting out?

Just make sure you specify exactly who you work with.

A great way to both qualify clients and prepare them for both your price and the value you can offer, is to get them to answer a set of prep questions prior to your session. Here you can include questions like

“How much a new client worth to you?”, or

“How many more clients do you need?” and

“What would this enable you to do that you can’t already do?”

You can then use their client value and/or their end goal as a gauge during your breakthrough strategy session, to establish the monetary or personal value you will be providing for them.

Aim…

Is your aim a bit off? Are you actually networking in the right places for your ideal clients? Look at where you are networking, both offline and online, and see if it’s a good fit for your ideal client.

For example, are you networking in business start up groups… when your ideal client is a successful entrepreneur? Get really clear on where your ideal clients hang out. If you need to readjust your networking efforts, go have a conversation with your existing and past clients to draw up a profile for your ideal client and where they hang out.

And fire… yourself?!

The purpose of your free breakthrough strategy call is to get to know your client and to see if you’re a good fit. It isn’t to solve all their problems and give them all the results they need.

Are you teaching or coaching during your call? If so, you need to fire yourself!

I know this comes from your desire to help, but your potential clients are then walking away, satisfied they have what they need and the results they wanted… whilst you’ve just given them a free coaching session.

It would be far more beneficial to both of you, if you gave them an overview of the end result they will get from working with you, along with the plan you will be using to help move them forward, and get them excited about working with you to achieve these end goals together.

Do you currently encounter prospects who can’t afford your services? Do you identify any of the above three areas as your sticking points? What one step are you going to take today to start attracting clients who can afford you? Why not share your thoughts and ideas in the comments box below?