The Sales Cycle: How to Get Your Customers from Interested to Invested
Does the idea of selling overwhelm you? I know for me, in the early stages of my business, I felt like selling came off as scamming or salesy.
When I thought of it, I would think of movie, Matilda, when her dad was rolling back the car miles, and he was scamming people to sell something that wasn't of value.
But what I want to share with you, with you today is that selling is a service, specifically when you know that what you have to offer can be game-changing, life-changing, and transformative. It is a service to be able to sell it and give it to other people.
So today, what I want to talk about is The Sale Cycle so that you have a better understanding of how to effectively leverage that so that selling can be fun and dare I even say, easy.
If we think of a cycle or we think of a circle, the selling system kind of runs in that circular path. So what you have is you have interest, right? Then you have investigate or investigation time. You have contemplation, and then you have invest.
So, interest, investigate, contemplation, invest.
Interest
When people come into your aura, into your space, into your arena of what it is that you have to offer, it's because you've piqued their interest.
What you want to think about is how you can continue to keep their interest?
What kind of things are you talking about that are drawing people into you?
What kind of things are you posting or sharing that is making you feel relatable?
What kind of things are you sharing that help them to feel heard or understood?
Are there ways in which you're weaving your unique personality into what it is that you're sharing or sharing additional pieces and parts about your brand?
I know for me, one of the things that I love to share is I love to share my health journey. I walk a lot in a lot of my videos. I talk a lot about my children. And even though these two pieces aren't a part of my overall brand, I weave them and infuse them into my brand.
Now, to the naked eye, it's like, what does walking and talking about your children have to do with the coaching business? But the truth is, it's a part of who I am. And so many of the clients that I end up onboarding also relate to the different pieces and parts of who I am.
You see, for people to be wanting and willing to take that next step with you, to invest in you, they have to know you, they have to like you, and they have to trust you. Here in the interest stage of the sales process, you're introducing people to who you are, and you're giving them an opportunity to know you and to learn more about you and to determine how you two can relate to one another. And that rapport, that feeling of connection and like is really powerful.
As you think about this part of the process, I want you to consider how are you piquing the interest of your ideal client. And if you're not sure, what can you do to infuse more of that into your brand?
Investigate
The second part of the process is investigate. This is where your ideal client will begin to investigate what it is that you have to offer and consider how it could potentially relate to where it is that they're at. So let me ask you, what kind of content are you sharing? What kind of things are you putting out?
It's interesting because I create a lot of content. I have YouTube, I have a podcast, I have a blog, I have social media channels, and I create a lot of content. But it's so fascinating how many people come to work with me that will say, I've binged on your content for the last six months, for the last three months, for the last month, because I have a lot of content that supports them with where they're at. But I also show them the potential of how they could get to where it is they want to be.
So the question is, do you have bingeworthy content?
Can they see themselves in your content?
Can they relate to your content?
Does your content share how you could support them at stepping into that next level?
Does your content stand out?
What makes what you're sharing different than what they're seeing elsewhere?
Contemplation/Consideration
After the investigate stage of the process, this is where your ideal customer will go into the contemplation or consideration phase.
In this phase, this is where they're considering if they want to take that next step with you. And they may be in deep thought, they may be reflecting, or they may be on the verge of making a decision. And this is where you get to support them through the content that you create.
Are you explaining what options they have?
Are you showing them the possible transformation that's available?
Have you answered some frequently asked questions?
So, for example, on my YouTube channel, I'll often have testimonial videos from different clients. I may answer frequently asked questions. Like for my Elevate Method Coaching Certification Program, I talk a lot about the and the importance of having a coaching certification.
I talk about the investment and how people make a return on their investment and the reason that I do this isn't because I just thought to do it. It's because I'm being strategic. Often questions that clients will come to me with are, “What is the return on my investment? Is it important to have a coaching certification?” So I'm taking frequently asked questions and I'm infusing that into the content that I create.
And it's not just on sales pages. This also shows up on my Instagram. I have certain highlights on my Instagram that highlight different parts of my program, and different parts of the process. I even talk about, for example, the stages of coaches that come to work with me and what stage you're at, and how we create and support, and facilitate that transformation. This is done strategically so that when people are starting to have questions come up, a lot of times that contemplation phase and those questions that are coming up during that phase are already answered in advance.
And I love when people do this because it streamlines the process of sales. It takes away the overwhelm or the exhaustion of repeating yourself to streamline that process. Just recently, I had a session where I had a bunch of my clients come together and we did a full testimonial session of their experience through the Elevate Method Coaching Certification Program. And one of the things that I did is I added that video to one of my emails in my email funnel. And this was done again strategically because we have what's called the Bandwagon Effect in sales.
Let me explain as it relates to marketing. The Bandwagon Effect is the tendency for people to conclude that something is desirable, appealing, or that something works for them if they see it work for someone else.
And this is why things like testimonials and the like are so powerful because here's the truth. You could talk about what it is you have to offer all day, but if they see someone else doing it, they also see what's available for them.
So as it relates to that consideration and contemplation phase, what you want to consider is what kind of content do you have in place that will support your potential future clients in making an aligned decision?
Investment
So you have taken them through the process of first picking their interest and showing up with bingeworthy content, right? Drawing them and magnetizing them to you. You've taken them to the investigative stage where they're able to investigate and relate and learn more about your brand and what it is you have to offer. You then move them through the contemplation and consideration phase where they consider making that aligned decision to invest with you.
And here they are in the investment stage. Now, this is one of the best phases of the process, but they all lead to this, right? This is where they take that next step with you. You get to support them by not just providing information, but you support them at facilitating the transformation that they desire and deserve. So, as you think about your offer, I want you to consider, is it really going to support them in getting from A to Z?
Not with just a bunch of information, because information is great, right? You can Google that, but information only takes you so far. You want to give them the tools to be able to create the integration so that they can, in turn, have that transformation.
Understanding and leveraging this system for sales was a game changer for me. Because the truth is, when you have this strategy in place, you understand this strategy and you're leveraging it effectively, meaning you're walking through each phase and you're meeting your potential ideal client at every stage in the process. You are creating an amazing impact.
Because think about it, even for people that don't get to the investigation right away, you're still impacting them with the awesomeness and how you show up. But you're also creating sustainability in your brand. So what I'd love for you to contemplate and consider is where are your strong points?
What are the things that you're already doing well as you think of this cycle?
And how can you continue to lean into that and do more of it?
And then where are the areas that maybe you want to show some growth?
Are you wanting to create more content so that when they're in the investigation and consideration stage, it makes it a no-brainer to invest?
Consider that and begin to align yourself with that. Because trust me when I say your future self will be so grateful that you created this level of sustainability in your business and your brand.
If you're looking for more tools, strategies, and support to build the business that you desire and deserve, I have just the thing for you. The Elevate Method Coaching Certification Program is an unparalleled program.
And I don't say that lightly.
Inside this program, you're not only getting the coaching, but you're also getting the community, and you're getting the certification to see your vision through. And what makes this program so special is I'm not just throwing some certifications at you. I am supporting you in building a comprehensive toolbox of skills that can help you to facilitate amazing transformations with your clients.
If you are ready to take your business to the next level, you're ready to be that sustainable, profitable, and impactful business from your passion, then definitely join us and I look forward to seeing you there!
