People or "Customers" love free things or at a discounted rate. This includes physical assets to online services. In my experience, if you want to compel your ideal customer to book a discovery call, you need to make sure that their time is not wasted on the call. Simple speaking, offer something in return. How? Let me explain it with an example. At our agency, we wanted to increase the number of leads via a discovery call. Why? Because we came to know that people who called directly are serious, showed promise, and are likely to convert. So we started an offer: "Call us to get a free analysis of Your Current Marketing Strategy," We also subtly mentioned that this free analysis was worth 120$ (Appx:10000 INR). And as per our expectation, this strategy worked. We started getting lots of discovery calls. Within 1st month, we managed to increase the number of calls to 40%.
Though you know you offer the service, don’t assume everyone is aware of that fact, so restructuring your social media profiles to showcase your discovery call options is critical to acquire additional bookings. Many if not most clients search social media to look for business information and outreach options, so making it easier for people to contact you is the best way to encourage further engagement. By going through your social media profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Business, and adding a prominent link along with a call to action, you can have a dramatic impact on your number of bookings. In addition, adding a banner that clearly states your offer can be eye-catching as well and drive engagement. By modifying your social media profile to include a discovery call option, you make it effortless for the client to reach you and greatly increase your chances that they will book a call.
Include a link to book a discovery call with you in the signature section of your emails. This way, anytime you email someone, you will always remind them of this option. Furthermore, even if the person you email does not wish to engage in a discovery call with you, they may know someone who might. Displaying your discovery call booking link as much as possible will help you acquire more leads.
How can you expect to book discovery calls if you aren't constantly promoting and putting out well-structured calls to action!? Many times people don't book appointments or reach out because they simply do not know how to or are unaware that the business that can solve their problems is right in front of them. Having a social media presence allows for unlimited promotion and at the base, costs absolutely nothing. Promote! Promote! Promote!
Create a targeted email list of people whom you have interacted with on a professional level but have not yet booked a discovery call. An easy way to do this is through LinkedIn because you can find out most people's email addresses through this platform. Then, send an email to these people reminding them of your services. This is an effective way to get in front of more people with your discovery call booking link.
Though it seems like a no-brainer it is shocking how few businesses will ask their clients for referrals when it should be their go-to strategy to book more discovery calls. Social proof remains one of the best tools for effective marketing and conversions, and few things are as convincing to a potential new customer than the praise of an old one. By making a list of your most satisfied clients, and then asking if they have referrals, you will be pleasantly surprised how willing they are to provide you that information. In addition, your current customers will often know others with the same needs, which will also help you hyper-personalize your pitch. In asking your current satisfied customers, you will be playing into their desire to help others out, and book more discovery calls in the process.
I know it's kind of cheeky but it's the truth. If you send a single email to ten prospects, you'll book a single call if you're lucky. If you send three emails in a sequence to ten prospects, you'll likely get one or two bookings. If you can send three emails in a sequence to one hundred prospects, you're guaranteed to get a few bookings. The truth is that most brands don't have a product quality problem. They have a distribution problem. They're not able to get their service in front of enough eyeballs. That's why influencers are in such high demand. They control the eyeballs. So, increase your volume and keep the quality consistent. You'll reap the rewards.
Founder (Director of Demand Generation) at B2B SaaS Reviews (ex-PartnerStack)
Answered 4 years ago
If you're looking to book more discovery calls, hook your prospects with a one-liner that resonates with them. Share how one of your customers, similar to your prospect, is finding success with your solution. The success stories can come in the form of a testimonial, an excerpt from a case study, or a user review. Ultimately, buyers don't want to hear from you — they want to hear from your customers. Use the customer voice as social proof to compel prospects to buy.
The best way that our business has found to book more discovery calls is by having high quality content on our site that demonstrates our value in a non-sales focused manner. This has led to an uptick in our overall discovery calls as a result, because potential customers can clearly see that we are experts in our niche, and that we care about making their lives easier. Nobody wants to be given a hard sell - business decisions makers want to be given information on a topic, with external references that they can review, and then ultimately decide whether a site has expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
Asking your LinkedIn network for referrals is a great way to book more calls. When you ask for referrals from your LinkedIn network, you are asking people who already know, like, and trust you to introduce you to their own contacts. This can be an extremely effective way to book more calls, allowing you to tap into your LinkedIn network's extended network. However, it is important to remember that first impressions matter. Before asking for referrals, ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete and up-to-date. An excellent profile will make a great first impression on potential new contacts and increase the likelihood that they will be willing to connect with you.
Long, in-depth discovery calls can be intimidating for prospects. No one wants to jump on a 30- or 45-minute long call with someone they barely know and hear a lengthy, drawn out pitch. So if you’re suggesting 30+ minute calls to prospects, it could be holding you back. My best advice is limit calls to 15 minutes max, and if you are confident enough that you can get the info you need and make your pitch in under 10 minutes, that’s even better. 10-15 minute calls are far less intimidating to prospects, as it’s a quick and easy conversation. It’s a small investment of time on their side and they have little to lose. Whatever appointment scheduling software you use, set your default appointments to 10 or 15 minutes. That way, when you shoot a prospect a link to grab a time on your calendar, there’s a better chance you’ll both have an open slot, and they won’t be nervous about booking a quick call.
In my view, it is imperative that you take the initiative and lead the call. You should be the one to lead the call by asking questions and guiding the conversation. Although you should leave time at the end of the call for the client to ask questions, your primary role should be that of the authoritative expert leading the discussion.
Founder at Elite HRT
Answered 4 years ago
Establish your clients' pain points and then when speaking with your clients about them, advise them like you would a family member or friend. For example, rather than establishing a lead and hitting them with all your best sales strategies, initiate or welcome a friendly conversation about the problems they're having and the types of outcomes they're looking for. This can help clients to feel like it's all about them and not really about your business at all. This strategy is also great for establishing genuine connections that trust you and genuinely want to see you succeed.
Add a clear, direct and concise CTA to your emails signature. Let the customers know you're available for calls! Make an eye-catching signature with the offer and add a button where it clearly says “book a 20-min discovery call with me”. Even your email signature can help you convert, so don't discard it.
Scripts are great for converting leads into discovery calls, but how do you know if your script is converting well? You A?B test your script. Basically, you are going to measure the conversions of one script against another and decide which one converts best. When running an A/B test it is better to start by testing dramatically different scripts. Once you have one that converts well and a baseline to measure against, then you can test smaller things. I'll give you some tips for your script. Too many words can make it too long and unappealing. Use your best words, and get rid of the ones that don’t add value. You need to keep it short, simple, and clear. It’s best to keep the script to one page maximum. If you can’t make it short, then it’s too long.
Make sure you and your conversation partner are on the same page regarding your primary objective. When this call ends, what steps do you want to be taken next? Second, decide on a small set of crucial inquiries for which you require precise solutions. After that, select three main points that you hope the lead will remember from the discussion. Keep in mind that you're not trying to make a sale during this conversation, therefore the most pertinent points shouldn't really have anything to do with the product. You can instead opt to emphasize a particular pain area and make it obvious how crucial your next steps are for them personally to create a stronger sense of urgency.
This is a game-changer for the outcome of your discovery call. Turning on the camera is involved in a closed agreement 41% more often than in a lost sale. Furthermore, it stands to reason. After all, a video chat helps you and the prospect connect on a more personal level, which is what the discovery process is all about.
I'm a big believer in case studies. They are a great way to get your prospect's attention and give them confidence that you can help them too. It cuts down on the doubts your prospect might have about whether or not your service will work for them and gives them a glimpse of how you can help. So I think if you already have clients who have worked with you before, reach out to them and ask if they are willing to share their experience with your prospect. If they are, you can put together a few such case studies from different clients that show your work in action. It will go a long way towards helping you book more discovery calls.
The majority of sales representatives rigorously follow their own predefined lines or script. While occasionally helpful, this destroys your desire to sell and makes you boring. Being frank and spontaneous is crucial to engaging with the client since it makes them want to pay attention to you. A sales call never consists of just calling, telling the customer about the goods, and hanging up. As a person, now is the time to make eye contact, say hello, introduce yourself, and establish a brief rapport with the client. Always strike up a positive first impression; doing so will boost your chances of making a sale. Taking someone else's name helps them feel important, which is a psychological reality. This also holds true for sales calls, but do your research because there are some nations where calling someone by their name without knowing who they are is deemed impolite.
It seems reasonable to me that your discovery calls should not cost anything, as they aren't structured like traditional coaching sessions that last an hour. When talking to a potential client about your business and addressing their questions, it's best to steer clear of giving direct advice or coaching. The call time will be up shortly if you begin giving instructions. And that's when you're giving the most of yourself in terms of time and effort. After you've established rapport and made your pitch over the phone, turn the conversation back to the other person. You'll have given them the information they need to decide whether or not to hire you for your services.