Sales + Change Management

Make sales with the least friction & highest transformation + impact as possible.

I hear this horror story too often: a woman joins a discovery call with a potential business coach. She’s curious but has her reservations. The coach convinces her to hire her, only to have disappointing results – the client doesn’t follow through, doubts herself & blames the coach for her bad advice.

Most people would agree that the coach failed to deliver, but I think she actually failed to vet her prospective client & to pass on a misaligned client.

Many coaches are excellent salespeople (& sometimes subtle manipulators). When it comes to selling, especially 1:1 services, it’s not enough that the client can pay – they need to commit & there needs to be an alignment between their needs & the services or expertise the coach can deliver.

If you were a beginner athlete, you wouldn’t hire an olympic-level coach. And if you didn’t have a dream of going to the olympics, you wouldn’t need that level of training anyway. The same is true in business: the client needs to want to make a change (have a concrete goal) & the coach or mentor needs to have the qualifications to take them there, starting where they are.

Thankfully, plenty of research + good practices already exist in sales & social sciences on sales funnels & the stages of change – these frameworks are awesome both for our marketing & when assessing a potential new client.

Stages of change & the adoption process

In change management, there are generally 5 stages people go through, from not thinking about change to fully embracing it. The Transtheoretical model’s stages of change & Everett Rogers’ 5 stages of the adoption process are 2 of them. Sales funnels closely follow these stages.

When I meet a new prospective client, in addition to checking if I can actually help them, I always ask questions to see where they fall on the spectrum – I know that someone who’s hiring me for the wrong reasons will be difficult to work with & cost me precious time + energy (sometimes even money).

Here are the 5 stages:

1. Pre-contemplation / Awareness

This person knows a new way exists but doesn’t think the solution you’re suggesting is right for them. They’ll say things like: “It wouldn’t make any difference. We have other priorities. This won’t work for us.”

Here, providing diverse case studies & examples showing how what you’re proposing could change someone’s life or business might warm them up & inspire them to find out more. They’ll be resistant to insistent arguments, they need to move to the next phase of their own free will.

2. Contemplation / Interest

They’re starting to consider what it might be like to work with you, what it’d require of them. Something’s probably happened that signaled they needed to do something about their situation. They’ll say: “We might try that in the future. After what happened, it might be a sign we should consider this more seriously.”

Your role is to help them see the advantages of making a change & the risks of not taking action. You may guide them in that reflection with testimonials or with questions about the likely future of either path.

3. Preparation / Evaluation

They’re actively making plans & getting ready to start on their transformation journey. They’re learning, actively seeking information, preparing to make a decision / buy from you.

Ask them questions that enhance their intention + commitment to change – this will challenge them & test their resolve. They might need more time to make a decision, or a gentle push ;) Be honest about what you can deliver & what they can expect to achieve by working with you.

4. Action / Engagement

They’ve signed the contract, paid the fee & are doing it! There’s a learning curve as they implement new practices + habits & this might shake their confidence about their decision.

This is the moment to deliver excellent customer service – affirm their choice, highlight their progress, celebrate their milestones, motivate + keep them accountable. If you’re providing a 1:1 service, listen actively & meet them where they are to help them implement your solution.

5. Maintenance / Loyalty

if your client has implemented your method, they’re now seeing results. This motivates them to continue to grow + iterate.

Congrats, you’ve gained a happy client that is more likely to purchase from you again! Keep communications open & start giving them information about the Pre-contemplation / Awareness stage of your next-level offer, if you have one.

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Being aware of & mastering these stages will allow you to reach your marketing goals more easily, make sales that feel like genuine invitations, work with your dream clients & receive raving reviews + referrals.

By respecting their decision process, we protect both our clients & ourselves. #winwin

Now I want to know:

At what stage do you usually target your audience? Do you experience flow or friction?

Marie xo