All paid consultants regardless of the industry deal with this issue – is it okay to let someone pick your brain and when do you try to move them into a paying customer category.
For me, I will share information freely with a potential client as I feel that helping people to make good decisions, whether they trade with me or not, is very important. Not only do I freely share information on the phone, but at events and parties I am happy to share my knowledge when asked and appropriate and if not boring to others sharing the conversation.
I have however had a few prospects really take advantage of me and so I have a few guidelines that I use for my own business that may be helpful to you.
When a prospect calls me, I will always chat for 15 minutes to an hour if I have time in my schedule. I do however start my clock to time every phone call. If I am pressured for time and have a production deadline, I will make an effort to end the call after 15 minutes, so I do not lose my production schedule for the day. Depending on the query, I may send additional information by email and possibly even schedule a free follow-up conversation so I can be thoughtful in responses.
When a prospect has called several times and I have spent typically one to two hours on the phone with them and they have not made a purchase, I will then ask to move them into the paying client category. I then move them to an hourly rate for additional conversation. I have found that those who really just want free information will not move further into the process, but then they will stop calling me as well.
I love to share information freely, but some days I have more time than others to simply chat. My policy has never been to immediately move a prospect into the paying customer arena as I feel that they simply must have time to get to know me before money and a contract are enacted. But I do keep a careful eye on how much time I am spending chatting and investing in a client to identify if I may or may not be a good match for a potential client.
Need some help right now? Pick up the phone and call me at 540-693-0385, I’d be glad to chat.