Why do I need a lever?
Let me paint this scenario: A client comes in. They are incredibly excited. You educate them perfectly. You have them prepped to become a long-term customer. And, then they hesitate.
That hesitation means one of two things.
1. You have the wrong package.
2. They are waiting for you to sweeten the deal.
Sweeten the deal? Yes…some clients just need to feel like they got an extra special deal on their services.
And, you need to make sure that they purchase {and prefer it to happen today, since your odds of making them a client will drop with ever day they don’t make this choice}.
Cue the lever {aka the carrot}.
Now, since I have a 7 year old and a whole lot of clients who need encouragement, I operate under the principle that most people need carrots or sticks. Carrots are the good that pulls them forward. Sticks are the bad the drives them ahead. Whether I choose to offer a carrot or a stick comes down to the client in front of me and what I feel that need.
That said, while a stick can repel some people, a carrot encourages most.
A lever is simply the small incentive you offer out to your client to have them complete the sale. I don’t use this with everyone. In fact, since our closing rates are quite high and we know how to educate our prospects well, I use this rarely. But, I always have that lever in my back pocket in case I need it.
If you’ve ever seen a high-pressure lever {hello used cars and crazed gym salesman}, please erase that memory. This is not what I am going to ask you to do.
Instead, I’m going to ask you to read your client’s interest levels and if you find yourself stuck with an interested client in the midst of analysis paralysis, to have something ready to move them forward gently into the sale.
What does a lever look like?
1.Value Add Service: If you’ve heard me chat about sales, you know I don’t do traditional sales…I educate my clients on what they’ll really need to reach their goals. And, often times during this education, I’ll share additional services that might be great for them.
If I reach the hesitation mark, an ability to add a small service that I know would be ideal for their end goal is a no brainer {it’s also the best way to transition them onto this for the long-term}.
For a Facebook ads expert, this might be having a Facebook cover designed that matches the campaign.
If you are a chiropractor who offers massage services, this may be a 30-minute starter massage.
And, for a yoga studio, this may be your first yoga mat…remember, this value add, doesn’t have to be a service. It can be a tangible object that your client will use during your time together…even if you’re a virtual provider. One of my all-time favorite value adds, was a customized Moleskine journal with my name on it.
This is my favorite lever…it works, it keeps my value high and typically leads my client to bigger services.
2. Payment Abatement: Before I share payment abatements, I want you to understand that this is a tricky option and works best if your service is not high ticket.
Your client is likely paying for a set number of sessions. One way to encourage your client to begin immediately is to provide the first week or two weeks of services at no cost or at a highly discounted cost. Their payments begin one week or two weeks in and they receive that complimentary time.
The only negative to this option is the question of whether or not your client will make their first payment. Generally speaking, we’ve screened our clients so well that this isn’t an issue, but I’d still be leery of offering any expensive services without a payment.
3. The Discount: Then, there is the most common lever—the discount. Don’t get me wrong. This is highly effective. People love a discount…it’s why sales work so doggone well.
The problem is that it sets you up to undermine your value before you’ve ever gotten started.
If I’ve gotten you excited about levers enough that you’re ready to try one, you can download our Lever Design Package today. These are some of the most common levers our clients love ready to be customized and printed (Yes, we love fiverr for this kinda thing)
