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The High Ticket Selling Revolution Ebook PDF
The High Ticket Selling Revolution Ebook PDF
Jennifer Diepstraten
THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
Before we begin, I suggest you print this ebook out, close your email, get a cup of
coffee, tea or water and instruct your team, staff or family not to interrupt you for
the next 20 minutes. (Yes, it’s THAT important!)
In fact, reading this ebook will very likely be the most important time you spend
on your business all year!
• Why the old model of selling is DEAD and why that model keeps people
who truly want to serve from succeeding
• A simple mathematical formula for structuring your sales conversations
so you can make a lot of money while maintaining your integrity and serving
your prospects
• How to turn all your “No’s” into raving fans who send you LOTS of referrals
• My simple method to quadruple your income within 4 months without
selling out or feeling salesy
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And I don’t mean the four-letter version of that word that we’re all trying to avoid
(used-car salesman ickiness). What I’m talking about is the ability to sincerely and
authentically have conversations with prospective clients in such a way that you
really communicate your value, prospects can see that value, AND they say “Yes!”
The problem is that the way most of us have learned to think of selling leads us to
the following pitfalls, which crush our chances of getting our services out into the
world. Do any of these sound familiar?
Well, when I look at this list of the most common issues our entrepreneurs,
coaches, healers, change-agents have --- people whose real mission is to serve ---
there is one big myth that pops out at me.
I mean, none of those things would be an issue if we didn’t think of sales as hard,
or if we didn’t think of selling as something we had to do in order to get a new
client.
In fact, let’s break this down a little more. The common, current thoughts on
selling look like this:
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
You need an ideal prospect who has the problem you solve plus your great offer
plus some unknown factor that causes them to buy. Then you make a sale.
And it’s this unknown factor that’s such a mystery for so many people. The
unknown factor, a.k.a. the X factor, is the one variable that people have been
trying to figure out for centuries. How come one qualified prospect will buy and
the next one doesn’t?
Is the X factor:
But all of this just points to the idea that people think that selling is hard. Well, I’m
here to tell you the truth.
In fact, 9 out of 10 prospects with whom I’ve done initial sales consultations
a.k.a. strategy sessions have said, “How can I work with you?” Imagine someone
actually ASKING FOR how they can work with you, give you money, and get
started. Now that’s easy!
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It’s just that people are often looking at sales from an old model, which has a self-
defeating perspective, and that makes it all too hard.
If you haven’t started doing strategy sessions – and that’s having dedicated
conversations where both you and your prospects KNOW that they’re
considering doing business with you – then you will see why high-converting
strategy sessions are a MUST for growing your business and how to have them
come naturally and easily.
If you’re already doing strategy sessions, then congratulations, you are on the
right track! But if you’re not closing at least 1 in 3 and totally thrilled with the
prices you’re selling your services and programs for, then you’re going to see how
to double, triple or maybe even quadruple your income as a result of reading
this ebook.
If you’re a whiz at strategy sessions and loving your business, then your
calendar is full and you are totally booked! In that case, the simple strategies
discussed in this ebook will show you how to have someone else do your
strategy sessions as well as you so you can leverage your time.
I speak from personal success and experience, and I’ll also show you examples
of people who were able to do these very same things so you can replicate and
duplicate their success. Let’s have sales be easy
and fun for YOU!
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Sounds crazy? It would’ve been except that I was fascinated by people, had
degrees in Biopsychology and Math, and knew that if I wanted to get anywhere in
life, I’d have to learn how to sell – even if it was to get myself hired into a different
job!
But as much as I loved the victory of winning a sale, the victory felt hollow and I
soon left to pursue a career in acupuncture and herbal medicine. I did my Master’s
degree and treated patients as an intern, all the while “selling” them on the idea
of why they should eat right, drink their herbal medicines, and come back for
more visits.
In the end, I realized that my motivation wasn’t about winning, curing people, or
the big money to be made.
It was about being able to make a REAL difference for people. In the world of
sales, that shows up as: A person has a problem they really want to solve. When
they approach you or your company, they are looking for an ANSWER. A great
sales person can help people solve their problems. Helping people to take
decisive action and move toward a real solution became my life’s mission.
Fortunately after graduate school, I had the benefit of working for world-leading
scientific equipment manufacturers. There I learned that as a salesperson, my role
was not only to sell something but also to serve people at the highest level. Sales
stopped being scary and started being FUN!
I made those companies many millions of dollars and earned repeat, trusting
customers who would call me at the end of their budget year and say, “Jennifer,
we’ve got money we’ve got to spend before the end of the year. What
have you got that we need to buy?” (Did I mention sales is EASY?) I became a
regional sales trainer for our local team and the go-to person for sales coaching
any time other salespeople’s deals started to fall apart.
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Eventually I left my corporate sales position and started my own business with my
husband, Peter, coaching couples and parents in their relationships. Our mission
in that business is to show people that they can create a sense of family and
fulfillment in their relationships regardless of past problems or their situation. And
you know what happened there? Selling seemed HARD!
The first time I sold a relationship coaching package – 6 sessions for $450,
I did cartwheels in my living room! Even though I had easily sold $180,000
microscopes before, for some reason, selling suddenly had become very personal,
very meaningful, and very hard! It was as if my whole life depended on people
believing in our mission and buying our services.
Luckily, I was able to pull myself out of that hard place. I set out to apply my years
of selling expertise and immediately implemented a simple step-by-step sales
process for our new business.
Within six months, I had more than tripled our prices and developed programs in
the multi-thousand dollar range. Instead of offering $450 packages on my strategy
sessions, I was offering $4500 packages. Within a year, we grew our business
revenue by 7 times.
So when my fellow coach- and healer- friends asked me to teach them how to
sell too, I had to say “Yes!” How could I let their gifts go to waste by not showing
them how to gain committed clients that needed their services?
That is why I’m compelled to show you that the old model of sales is DEAD and
that
What’s possible is
…If you do high-quality, high-converting strategy sessions in the way I’ll teach
you here. Below, I’ll share with you the 9 secrets successful sellers never tell you
about, and then I’ll get into the new model of selling that actually reflects the
truth about sales and works great for my clients. (And if you’d like to jump on
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opportunity, you can book a one-on-one strategy session with me HERE and
we’ll look at if and how I can help you craft your own high-converting strategy
sessions.).
Take Starbucks for example. Are they in the business of coffee? How about
Toyota? Are they in the business of cars? No and no. Starbucks’ product is coffee
and Toyota’s product is cars, but they are in the business of sales.
Now, let’s look at a heart-centered coaching business, the program or book you’ve
written that’s designed to change lives, or a high-value niche service. While the
product or service may provide an incredible result or transformation, the business
that each of these types of companies is in is sales. In other words, without sales,
there is no business.
In the many years that I’ve worked for multi-million and multi-billion dollar
corporations, I’ve noticed that the thing they have in common is that they
know that they are in the business of selling, which means that input from
customers about what they want is the driving force for all of their product
development, marketing, and sales processes.
The issue for most small businesses and entrepreneur service businesses is that
they are so focused on creating great services – making sure their programs are
sound and making sure they’re serving the right people (which is one element
absolutely required to have a profitable, growing business) - that they don’t put
enough focus on what customers actually want and what actually creates revenue
for the business: The sales funnel and conversion process. Daily energy and
attention must go into lead generation and sales conversion otherwise
you’ll end up wondering, “Where’s my next sale going to come from?”
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I had very few leads and even fewer sales. Occasionally I’d get a referral from
someone or go to some networking meetings, but mostly I hid behind my
computer thinking that finally, I could skip the “sales part” and not have to put
myself “out there.”
So what turned the business around and gave us our first $10,000 month in sales?
Strategy sessions! When I finally realized that nothing takes the place of a
personal one-on-one interaction, people started buying!
1) Until you have 20 or 25 conversations with people who are considering buying
from you, you don’t really know what to say on your website or webinar,
nor understand what makes your potential buyer tick. You might think you
do, but you’ll never know for sure until you hear them say it to you.
2) A strategy session puts you in a position to make an offer AND for someone
to pay for it. It’s one thing for people to say they’re interested, but it’s entirely
another thing for them to pay real money for something. Money exchanging
hands means that you’ve articulated the value of your service in a way that
truly matters to your prospects. You’ll never know if you’ve got it right until
someone pays you. More often than not, I see people create fabulous websites
and sales pages that don’t bring in clients. Let’s face it – they just don’t know how
to speak their clients’ language yet. (I’ve been there too!)
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3) One-on-one conversations are one of only two ways that I know of to make
a sale of $3000 or more (the other is by having a live event) for an intangible
service from a previously unknown company or seller. It’s amazing that enough
connection, understanding, and trust can be created in just a 60 minute
phone call that a prospect is willing to pay $3000 on the spot to someone
they’ve never met before and often invest much more. Strategy sessions are
truly the fastest path to cash.
The reason why free coaching sessions are tricky to convert into sales is that
people get a false sense of closure. In other words, you do such a good job of
resolving their problem or giving them things to think about or work on, that they
don’t have space in their minds to think about anything else. And that includes the
possibility of investing now with you.
Secondly, it’s hard to segue from a free coaching session where you’re giving
to a “sales pitch” where you’re asking for something. The shift in energy is
difficult for many people and can often be interpreted a bait-and-switch by the
prospect, which of course we want to avoid at all costs.
The idea behind setting up a successful strategy session is that the intention,
purpose, or agenda for the conversation is set up BEFORE the appointment
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is booked and then re-stated at the start of the meeting. If both you and your
prospect are not on the same page about what you’re trying to accomplish in the
conversation, you’re going to be working at cross-purposes and both of you will
end up frustrated.
You meet someone at a party or networking meeting and they seem very
interested in what you do. You ask him/her, “You seem interested in this
subject. Is there something about this that you think might help you?”
If yes, then suggest, “Well, why don’t we set some dedicated time aside to
see if and how I can help you in this area so we don’t end up talking shop
for the whole party (meeting), ok?” Then book a time into your calendar
for a strategy session (yes, right there on the spot).
Ready to get the help you need? Book your own strategy session with me now
and we’ll see if and how my work is a fit for what you want to accomplish.
www.onecallblueprint.com
The truth is, however, that while tricky, slick salespeople have given the
profession of sales a bad rep, even used-car salesmen don’t succeed if they act
like that. Today’s consumer is simply too savvy to be misled by tricks and
manipulation. Rest assured that your prospect will NOT buy from you if
they don’t believe you and trust you, so the integrity of what you promise must
be high.
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Prospects who are serious about solving their problem appreciate someone who
can clearly and concisely articulate why investing their money can help them so
that they can make an informed choice. When the prospect is clear, he or she will
invest or at least leave the conversation well-informed.
Ouch? Not necessarily. A good strategy session or initial consultation has inherent,
built-in value for the prospect (not just for you.) If someone leaves your office or
phone call having greater clarity about what their next step is (even if it’s NOT
to work with you), you’ve done them a great service. Because of that elevated
clarity and built-in value, not only about what they need but also about what you
provide for people, prospects can be a great referral source.
The key to having your “No’s” turn into referral sources is that you must create a
relationship with your prospects in the 60 minutes you’re with them. And that’s
NOT by talking about kids, hobbies, or their home town. Talking about what you
have in common builds rapport, but doesn’t actually build a real relationship.
Rapport is a sense of liking someone and connecting a little; relationship
is that real sense of knowing, trusting, and feeling seen and heard by
someone. It’s not unusual for me to get referrals from people I spoke to for 60
minutes 6 months ago, because they remembered me and the real connection
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we created. Some of the sales greats say that “relationship takes time.” I say that
“relationship takes being real.”
So how can you create a “real relationship” with someone in just 60 minutes? By
being the real you, seeing your prospect as a real person that wants to be helped,
not “sold,” and by creating a partnership.
In partnership, the prospect gets the sense that the seller is truly there for them.
Which means that as the seller, you have to let go of any attachment you
have to THIS particular sale and focus only on serving. You become a trusted
advisor who would certainly turn the prospect away if you didn’t truly see a fit
between what they need and what you can provide. Practice doing that and your
trust level and refer-ability with prospects will skyrocket.
Ever hang up the phone and think, “Man, I should’ve tried harder! Why didn’t I go
for it? She was a perfect client for me!”
The real issue at play if your conversation falls flat after the prospect says, “I
need to think about it” is that you have a breakdown in your sales system and
strategy session conversation that has happened minutes, hours, or days earlier.
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The breakdown is that if you have not been creating partnership during your
conversation, or find yourself trying to get past the objection (being an opposing
force), then the responses you make will either feel pushy or not assertive enough.
1. Before your strategy session, consider how well this prospect is likely to
know you. Are they someone who found you on the internet, saw you
speak at a conference, or were they referred by a friend? Put systems in
place to interact with the client at least 2-3 times before the meeting
including asking them to listen to a 30-minute talk or watch a webinar
you’ve given. These must be chock full of valuable information plus
create your credibility.
2. Respond quickly to their inquiry and do what you said you would.
Make sure they know when and where to meet you. Be on time!
3. Use a short but thorough pre-appointment questionnaire or survey. The
survey should not only gather information about the prospect so you can
prepare for the meeting, but also ask questions that show the prospect
what else they might want to consider that they likely hadn’t realized.
(For an example of one I use, see
www.onecallblueprint.com/strategycall).
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to shaking hands on our proposal when I got a call from the scientist, saying,
“Jennifer, we’ve decided to go with your competitor.” I made an appointment
to see him immediately.
When I got to his office, he told me that the competitor’s system had more
functionality and was only $100,000. After silently lamenting that I always end
up working for the high-dollar high-value companies where everything costs more
than the competition and was therefore not allowed to lower the price, I set those
thoughts aside and had a great conversation with the scientist. It started with, “I
understand. Please, would you tell me more about that?”
The next day the scientist ordered our $140,000 system and he became one
of our best referrers.
How did that happen? It’s all in the way you listen. You can believe that they’re
coming from a position of trying to justify why to buy from you, or justify
why NOT to buy from you. Most sellers automatically assume that when they
hear things like, “Wow that’s expensive,” or “I need to bring this idea to my
board,” or “I don’t see how it works,” that the prospect is in some sense defending
why they should not or will not buy. As such, the seller reacts automatically from
a defensive position, thinking, albeit subconsciously, “Oh no, how do I get past
this?” This short-circuits the opportunity for real partnership and puts the seller in
the position of needing to apply some type of pressure or simply retreat.
I prefer to listen to prospective clients as though they have a real problem they’re
trying to solve, and are really looking for someone they can trust to guide them.
In fact, the way you interpret the objection (as either something to overcome or
a buying signal) is a critical element in the outcome of the conversation. When
prospective clients say, “I need to think about it,” I think, “Wow, isn’t it
great that they’re really thinking about what I’ve said! Now let’s see how
I can partner with them to resolve this now so they’re not left with yet
another thing to think about.”
I also think of myself as the expert, diagnostician, or advisor. Listening in that way
causes me to hear all objections as questions the prospect is trying to answer so
that they CAN buy from me, rather than reasons why they shouldn’t.
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1. Listen to this as either, “I don’t see the value yet, please show me what
I’m missing,” or “I really want this but I’m strapped for cash.”
2. Notice how often the very thing that’s in the way of a prospect moving
forward is the same thing that they hope to gain from working with
you. Point this out in the spirit of partnership. For example, “If you need
more sales to make more money, then how will you make more money if
you don’t do something about generating new leads now? Would
anything really be different if you waited?”
3. Create a real sense of trust and partnership well before you make the
offer so you can speak candidly and discuss the issue openly if warranted.
If so, you’re on the right track to success since self-awareness and a commitment
to learning are essential for growing a thriving business. The next place most
people look to resolve a money mindset issue is a book, life coach, or a practice
that makes them feel abundant such as meditation or yoga. Then they hope “it”
works.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m the first one to tell you that having the correct
mindset is an absolutely essential part of growing and receiving. What I teach
removes blocks to successful thinking and is truly transformational. I even do
yoga and meditate. However, when people try to resolve mindset issues around
receiving money or their attitude about selling, they’re often stuck without a
concrete plan or real solution that will actually bring them more money. What
you need to increase your belief in yourself and your program are systems
that empower you to take sales-related action and thus produce results.
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Imagine you want to run a marathon but you had never run further than a few
miles. You decide to start training, but you only run a few miles every other week.
When the race begins, you collapse after 5 miles thinking that “I just didn’t believe
in myself enough. I should’ve worked on my athlete mindset.” Ridiculous, I know,
but this is the same thing I see happen when people try to sell and fail.
Being able to run a marathon is a mindset issue, but first and foremost,
it is what I call a systems issue. A system for your training, your body, and
your habits needs to be followed in order to run 26 miles. There are well-known
programs that include daily and weekly activities (running, stretching, eating, etc.)
that if you follow them, will put you in the condition to run a marathon. As your
body adapts through the result of your actions, your mindset or belief in
your ability comes along with it.
The same principal applies in becoming great at selling. If you want to close more
deals at a higher price, and magnetize the right clients into your business, then
you must do the right daily and weekly activities. In addition, you must have a
system that addresses certain critical elements of the sales process, such as
the precise way you articulate what you offer, what questions to ask, and
how you prep prospects to meet with you. This system will be discussed when
we get to the section below on the Truth About Sales. Once that system is in
place, it can be fine-tuned; as your system is fine-tuned as a result of your actions,
your mindset, confidence and belief in yourself come along with it.
Example:
When I met Mandi Ellefson, her marketing coach had told her to raise her
program price from $2000 to $12,000. Mandi said to me, “I just don’t see
how I can do that!” She knew she wasn’t aligned with the price increase
because the dollar figure just sounded too big; she didn’t know what to
do. do.
So did I go to work on her money mindset? No and yes. No, I did not look
for emotional blocks in her relationship with money nor did I ask her
to meditate. Yes, instead, we took a look at the first structural element
that’s required to sell high ticket items. I asked her to describe her program
and its benefits.
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Within 10 minutes, it was clear that Mandi couldn’t really articulate what
she did in a way that a prospective client could easily understand. She
couldn’t see the value of her own program! She was simply too close
to it. She was such a genius at what she did that she thought of her
program like, “What, doesn’t everyone know this stuff?” The value of it
wasn’t obvious to anyone because she didn’t have the words to describe it
well.
Within two sessions with me, Mandi could precisely articulate what
she had to offer and understood exactly how she would bring her
prospects through her sales system -- thus her mindset shifted. She said,
I “I totally see why this is worth $12,000! I can’t wait to start offering this.”
– Mandi Ellefson, mandiellefson.com
If you are working on this element of your marketing, then that is time well spent
because how much you sell is directly related to your ability to articulate what
you do. The words you use and how you say them is what translates your mission
or program outcome into something that people can easily relate to. This is one of
the most important elements when it comes to making an attractive offer.
In other words, if you have a program that’s $500, you can probably sell it fairly
easily because it’s a relatively lower-priced investment. You’ll need a certain
level of connection and trust with the prospect. However, if you want to offer a
program at $5000, you’ll need an entirely different level of finesse in articulating
your program’s benefits. Your ability to articulate your program’s benefits
in terms your specific client cares about and is willing to pay for is the
cornerstone of being able to increase your prices 50%, 100% or more.
In addition to how you say what you do, an offer has three other important
elements that are often overlooked.
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1) Does your program provide what your prospect needs? Many service
based businesses, coaches, and healers think about what they would like to
offer by asking themselves, “What do I know how to do well?” or “What
should be included in my program?” However, they don’t test their idea with
prospective clients, so never find out if what they have is what their prospect is
willing to pay for. A more productive question is, “What is my prospect willing
to pay for that I can provide?”
2) The offer must address the exact concerns of the individual prospective client.
A common mistake is that once sellers design a program and figure out how
to describe it, when they make the offer, they use wording that makes sense
to them, but not the prospect. In addition, the description is too general
and thus misses grabbing the prospect’s attention even though the
program may be exactly what the prospect needs. The words you use
must not only describe the offer well, but they must address the prospect’s
specific concerns, and those concerns only. In short, if your program or service
helps in five areas but your prospect has only mentioned two, then those are
the two you must focus on.
3) The offer must use the words that the prospect specifically used to describe
what they’re looking for. If the prospect is looking to be able to “go on
vacation” then don’t offer “scalability” or “leveraged business models.”
Offer them something that will allow them to “go on vacation.” If they’re
looking for their husband to “open up to them and stop giving one word
answers” then don’t offer them “communication skills.”
Example:
The next day I stopped by his booth to see how it was going. He had 3
strategy sessions booked and had collected 15 business cards. I was
aghast at what I considered an extreme lack of results. In guessing what
“take control of your business finances” might mean, I asked him how he
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“Well, what do you do?” I asked, simply because it pained me to see him
getting such a low return on his investment. After 5 minutes of his
explaining what he did and me asking questions, I could see why he only
had 3 appointments booked in a sea of 400 prospects.
James sold a very hip budgeting software and cell phone app that allows
business owners to make choices about what they could afford to buy
and see how much they needed to make with the touch of a button. His
bookkeeping/accounting/coaching service also provided entrepreneurs an
easy way to save money well in advance for what they needed so they
never got into a panicked state about money. They could see that they had
enough to cover the next 3-6 months expenses at any time. Cool, huh?
I said to James, “I want you to try something because I want to see you
succeed. If anyone comes within 5 feet of your booth, I want you to ask
them, ‘Would you be interested in having more positive cash flow
every month without needing to sell anything more?’”
James’ face lit up and he said, “That’s awesome! I’ll try it.” He was finally
able to say what he did in a way that his prospects could immediately
connect to and that had value for them.
For all three of these offer elements, you must ask the right questions at the
right time, and really listen in order to know how to present your offer. In fact,
one-on-one strategy sessions are consistently the single-most effective
sales conversion method because it is the conversation that allows you
to address all three of these offer elements, when you have a system that
incorporates them. How to do that will be addressed in the next section on the
Truth About Sales.
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Well, now it’s time to talk about the Truth About Sales and reveal the X factor. In
reality, selling looks more like this:
How can I
Ideal Prospect + YPC + P + +
work with + Your Offer + No Objections
you?
= Sale
The first thing to notice about this formula is that there’s no X factor. Whether or
not you are successful in selling is not a matter of luck or attraction or effective
marketing. Timing and numbers do have something to do with it, which I’ll get
into when I talk about the Ideal Prospect. For now, just know that once you
have an interested potential buyer on the phone or in your office, the marketing
has worked. Now it’s up to you to have a real conversation that gives them the
opportunity to move forward and purchase your service, or not.
Let’s take a look at each of the parts of the formula for greater understanding.
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Your Offer
I’ll address the fifth item first, Your Offer, since we’ve already had some discussion
above (Secret #9) and it’s the area where I get the most questions. Your Offer
will have two parts: one in which you describe what you can provide this specific
prospect, and then how they can get started, including stating the investment
price and what’s required of them. When reviewing an offer, these are the
elements to look for:
Your Program content and value. Are you offering something that people
1.
are willing to pay for? What are its benefits over what else they could do to
solve their problem?
Hooky Language - How you say what you do: Is the program described in
2.
language that hooks the buyer emotionally and intellectually? Does what
you’re proposing to sell make sense in terms of satisfying the client’s needs?
Have you described it in a way that it’s an obvious no-brainer for the right
prospect?
Prospect’s words: Are you making the offer using the individual’s concerns
3.
and wording about their problem? Are you talking about it in a way that
they get it?
Benefit-driven: Do you talk about only the benefits that address what they
4.
are looking for? Are you clear about the benefits of your whole program
as well as its subparts? Are you emphasizing the benefits or features of your
program or service?
Price point: Once items 1-4 above are answered positively, then we look at
5.
what can you charge for this service or program. Aim for a 50-100%
increase in the price of your offer and if you can see the value at that price,
you’ve probably done items 1-4 effectively.
Ideal Prospect
We all want ideal prospects – someone who is familiar with what we do, has been
following us for some time, has a burning desire to solve the problem we address,
and has the money and motivation to invest. Now.
So how do you get more ideal prospects on the phone and fewer
tire-kickers?
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
Generally what I see is that most small-businesses have their sales processes
designed to keep too many people out so that leads and sales are few and far
between or alternately, that the seller ends up wasting time with a lot of people
who want free coaching or who are just checking them out.
The issue here is that most entrepreneurs have over-simplified what a “lead”
is. For most people, a lead is anyone who expresses interest. With this non-
specific definition of a lead, you miss the ability to speak to each person’s needs
appropriately. In other words, there are different things you say to different people
at different phases of the buying cycle. People who are mildly interested or
“just looking” need to be given different information than people who
are ready to buy; people who just made a purchase need to be treated
differently from people who are at the end of a program and may want to
renew.
You can call someone who expresses interest a “lead” or whatever you like, but
if you don’t want to waste time doing strategy sessions with people not ready
to buy or not suitable for your program or service, then you’ve got to have more
ways to categorize levels of interest in your sales process. Here are some initial
things to consider:
1. Qualify the Leads. Everyone who expresses interest is important but are they
someone you want to spend 60 minutes with? Or is 10 minutes more
appropriate? An important part of the sales process is getting a sense of
where the interested person is in the buying cycle. Are they mildly
interested? Intensely interested and ready to buy? Not the main decision
maker? Don’t have the money? A simple questionnaire that prospects
are asked to fill out can generally address these questions so that both
of you use your time wisely. Make sure the questionnaire provides
value for the prospect, not just for you.
Tip for a qualifying email: “Hi Susie, Could you please take 5 minutes right
away to fill out this brief questionnaire so that I can make the most of our
time together when we speak on Tuesday? Thanks so much, Jennifer”
If Susie doesn’t fill out the questionnaire, have an assistant follow-up daily
until she does, stressing the importance of it. If she doesn’t fill it out,
there’s a good chance that she’s not ready to buy.
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
2. “Ripen” the Leads. Sorry for the fruit analogy, but I can’t think of any better.
Once someone has expressed interest in speaking with you and has filled
out their questionnaire (and meets your criteria), you have a qualified lead.
At this point, it’s worthwhile to give the prospect some additional
information that will keep them engaged and thinking about their
appointment with you so they don’t miss it.
Once you start qualifying and ripening your leads, the timing and numbers issues
begin to work themselves out. If the prospect isn’t really motivated to buy (not the
right timing), it will start to be revealed through the questionnaire and whether or
not they listen to your audio. As far as numbers, I’ve seen as high as 90% close
rate for qualified prospects, which means no wasted time for you. If you are trying
to sell at a new, higher price, aim for at least 1 in 5 strategy sessions to turn into
sales with steady improvement.
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
How can I
work with
you?
Imagine being on the phone with someone who is so hungry to hear what you
have to offer that they say, “So, tell me, how can I work with you?” Now that’s
selling made easy!
This is one of my favorite parts of the strategy session conversation because a big
part of the new model of sales is creating partnership, similar to a trusted advisor
relationship, with your prospect. When someone asks how they can work with
you, you’ve created enough interest, trust, and value that they are ready to
listen with open ears. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
This space of the prospect being ready to listen and receptive to your offer is
one of the most important parts of the conversation and nearly always missed.
Without this space, you’ll be pushing, selling, or overly casual.
So how do you structure a conversation so that the prospect is hungry for your
offer?
Let’s take a look at the “YPC” and “P” part of the formula, fully expanded below,
and slightly modified. “YPC” stands for your prospect’s individual concerns and
“P” stands for possibility.
Let’s pause for a minute to take a closer look at the formula. Really, the formula
has two parts. Below is Part 1.
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
Notice how the first four parts of the equation (Ideal Prospect, YPC, P, plus “How
can I work with you”) actually equals “You make your hot offer?” This is because
it’s helpful to think of the sales conversation in two different parts. The first part
of the conversation creates the space for you to get to make an offer; the second
part of the conversation creates the space for a client to choose freely whether
to buy or not. If you miss the first space, the client will most certainly miss the
sensation of choosing freely, and they’ll end up feeling like it was just another
sales pitch.
So one of the first questions to answer is: How do I create the space to make an
offer so that the prospect is excited and hungry to listen?
The answer: Ask enough of the right questions at the right time.
The first set of questions that must be asked reveal your prospect’s individual
concerns. This is something most people who have learned even basic sales skills
do. These include questions like, “What issues are you having in your business?”
and “How can I help you?” Most sales trainers teach this part of the process as
uncovering the pain or probing for the problem.
Where the process begins to break down for nearly everyone I train is that they
don’t ask enough questions, or enough of the right questions. As soon as the
seller gets the sense that the prospect could be well-served with the seller’s
solution, the seller pounces – talking about what they can do to help – which is a
partnership- and sales-killer. A surefire sign that you’ve pounced is that you find
yourself talking more than listening before the “how can I work with you space”
and perhaps you’ve asked only 3-4 questions.
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
Situation – What are they currently doing now/ what have they done to solve the
issue?
Problem – What is the issue exactly and why is it a problem they want to solve?
In a typical strategy session, I usually ask questions for 15-25 minutes before I
start thinking about what a possible solution for this person could be. I really want
to understand the issue for this particular person because I’m going to use the
exact words they used to describe their problem when I make my offer later in the
conversation. In that way, I’m connecting the dots directly for them between their
issue or problem and my solution.
Tired of having one or two clients that drain the life out of you? A special
additional note on questions – obviously you can’t ask someone, “Hey, are you
going to be a good client to work with?” but you can ask them questions about
certain traits or views they may have that would indicate whether or not they’d be
someone you’d like to work with. If you hear something suspicious and it raises a
red flag for you, best to investigate it now and not make an offer, rather than find
out halfway into your program when they’re asking for a refund.
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
Situation: What are you currently doing? What have you done in the past
to try to resolve this? How long has this been happening?
Quantitative: Exactly how much do you need to make next year? Exactly
how many ads have you run and how much did it cost you? What was
your exact return on investment?
Quantitative: Exactly how long has this been going on? Is this the first
time? How many hours of work productivity do you think this costs you
each day/week? How many times have you lost the weight and gained it
back?
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
Obviously, you’ll be asking just the questions that are relevant to your prospect.
The point here is that you need to ask questions of all four types AND make sure
that the questions you ask, when positively answered, set the stage for your
solution so that by the time you make the offer, it’s the obvious answer to their
issues. In other words, the questions are reverse-engineered from your offer
so that people who would be ideal clients are thrilled by your offer; non-
ideal clients are identified early in the strategy session process so you don’t
waste time making an offer or waste energy trying to follow-up with them.
(If you’d like my help reverse-engineering the perfect questions for your offer,
book a time to speak with me at www.onecallblueprint.com)
So now that you have asked all the right questions, and it’s obvious that the
prospect has the exact problem you solve, do you offer your solution?
Answer: NO!
P (Possibilities)
Congratulations, you’ve made it this far. You’ve asked great questions, formed the
beginning of a partnership with your prospect, and you’re clear that the client has
the problem that you solve. So why is not time to make an offer?
But don’t. Not yet. And I’ll tell you why. Your prospect just spent the last 15-25
minutes telling you about their problems and how bad it is for them. Do you think
they’re in the mood to go shopping? They probably want to curl up by the fire
with a piece of chocolate cake.
You see a great big possibility for them --- IF ONLY they took your course or
program or service, their problem would be solved (or least improved). But do they
see a possibility? No. In order for the prospect to take action to solve their
problem, they must see something is possible for themselves.
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
Only this time, your questions will be centered on exploring the hope they have
and what could be possible for them.
Earlier you mentioned that X and Y were really bothering you. If they
weren’t there, what would your life be like?
If you achieved your goal AND you were able to take a vacation, where
would you go? What would you do there? What would it feel like?
How would it impact your relationship if you brought back the romance
and intimacy you’re missing now?
If you do this part effectively, both you and your prospect will experience
a lightness of energy, a sense of uplifting, and feel the excitement of real
possibility.
Pause for a moment in the conversation to feel that possibility, and then comes
the moment we’ve been gearing up for! After the pause, your prospect will say,
“So how do I work with you?”
Big congratulations because at this point, you and your ideal prospect will feel a
sense of connection and partnership. You’ve completed part one of the strategy
session with flying colors.
Now let’s take a look at the second part of the strategy session in
= Sale
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
At this point, you get to make your offer to someone who is excited and ready
to hear it. They are actually pulling for you, hoping that what you have really
does meet their needs. Now it’s up to you to put the information you’ve gathered
about what they need together with the offer you’ve created and verbalize it in a
way that the prospect sees clearly that your solution is THE solution.
Objections
The biggest pitfall I see is that most sellers respond to questions as if they are
objections, and respond to objections as if they are immovable obstacles to
overcome. When they hear, “I don’t have the money,” they says things like, “Oh,
ok, when do you think you’ll get the money?” Noooooooo!
When this happens, the spirit of partnership you’ve worked so hard to create
flies out the window. Remember to continue to stand in your partnership and be
clear about where you’re coming from: That the person you’re speaking to has a
real problem that they really want to solve, and you’re there to serve them at the
highest level even if it means not buying is the best solution. You just made your
best recommendation in your expert opinion about what would serve them. Are
you going to back down now?
If they appear to have an objection and you’ve made it this far into the strategy
session, it’s likely a buying signal. There’s just something the prospect needs to
overcome so they feel comfortable moving forward. (NB for coaches: At this point
it is appropriate to coach – not in your area of expertise, but with the intention of
helping the prospect move forward).
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
For more on objections, refer back to Secret #7. Remember that how you interpret
the objection is highly influential in determining the outcome of the conversation.
Once there are no objections, then you make a sale and gain a GREAT new client!
How can I
work with
you?
=
SALE!
I have used this exact formula hundreds of times to sell millions of dollars of
products, services, and ideas. The benefit of this formula is that you have the
opportunity to create fantastic, deep relationships with people quickly who will
sing your praises whether they buy from you or not, AND it gives you the best
shot at a top-dollar fabulous new client.
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
Say you’re currently doing 8 strategy sessions per month (or 2 per week), having a
closing ratio of 1 in 8 (one out of eight people buys from you) and you’re charging
$1297 for your program or service. Then your
Month 1 – You implement one or two of the tips or ideas above, such as sending
prospects an audio or webinar to listen to before you meet. Your closing ratio
increases as a result:
Month 2 – You tweak your offer’s structure and wording so that its value is clear
and compelling, meriting an increase in price to $2000, and book 50% more
strategy sessions due to your increased confidence and ability to articulate your
program’s value. You end up doing 12 strategy sessions per month.
Month 3 – You start creating the “How can I work with you space” effectively,
resulting in prospects staying focused on how they can work with you instead of
looking for reasons not to buy, and your closing rate increases again.
Month 4 – You master the Strategy Session One Call Blueprint process, raising
your offer price to $2500 and increasing your closing ratio to 1 in 3.
In four months, you’ve more than quadrupled your income from one-on-one
sales, you’re doing consistent 5-figure months, you’ve got dozens of raving fans
and feel great about how authentic and natural sales feels, and you’ve made a
total of $20,529 in your first four months vs the $5188 you would’ve made if you
hadn’t tried this strategy session approach.
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
You CAN do this. And if you’re serious about serving people at the highest level
and knowing the key to filling a private practice and group programs, you should
learn how to sell in the new model!
What’s next? Once you decide that you want to put the myth that sales is hard
behind you and raise your fees and your closing rate so that you have a great
consistent income, you’ll want to know the following.
In all my years of sales, after making millions of dollars for big companies, growing
my own entrepreneurial venture, and training many many people, there’s just one
thing that makes a real difference.
Action!!!
Remember the marathon training from Secret #8? That as your body adapts
through the result of your actions, your mindset or belief comes along with it?
Well, the fastest way to closing more deals at a higher price and magnetizing the
right clients into your business is to do the right daily and weekly activities. In
addition, you must have a system that addresses certain critical elements
of the sales process, such as the precise way you articulate what you offer,
what questions to ask, and how you prep prospects to meet with you.
So, to get started, you can just jump back one page and start following the simple
process I outlined to quadruple your income in four months.
Or, you can get a hold of myself or someone in my office and we’ll help you
figure out what is the best next right action for YOU.
It’s true! I’m offering to do a one-on-one strategy session with you because if
you’ve gotten to the end of this ebook, it’s apparent that you are serious about
learning how to be great at strategy sessions and have selling be EASY.
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
So, that’s it! Thank you for reading. I hope you got some great value out of
reading this ebook.
Now it’s time to take the next action - you choose which one!
If you’d like to book a strategy session with me or someone in our office, I’d be
delighted. It would be my honor.
Your partner,
Jennifer Diepstraten
“I hired Jennifer because one of my clients did a strategy session with her and
raved about how helpful it was - even though she didn’t end up becoming a client.
I wanted my clients to have that kind of experience as well, EVEN when they
didn’t end up becoming a paying client. A few weeks after working with Jennifer
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THE HIGH TICKET SELLING REVOLUTION
“Queen of High Ticket Selling!! You sure have the wisdom that we need Jennifer.
Today I spent several hours listening to the recording of you and me doing a mock
strategy session. It was an eye opener! I have over 8 pages of notes and wrote
down many of the exact words you use. Setting the intention very clearly, listening
and feeling for the transitions, accessing their pain, creating possibilities, taking the
money honey, and having the courage to ask for the higher ticket service. You’re
awesome Jennifer, thanks for guiding us on the path!“
Glenn Carlson
www.MindBodySpiritMastery.com
“HI Jennifer... Rick D. I simply wanted to send you a quick note to say I thought
you did a fantastic job in our session yesterday. I live in the B2B world which I
know is a little different, and love knowing you’re familiar with the corporate
sale.“
Rick Dalrymple
www.RichardDalrymple.com
Still reading? Time to take action!! If you’d like my focus on your strategy session
process, book a time to speak now.
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