It was 2003, when I first started my coaching and acupuncture practice...before Jesse and I started Thrive Academy.

I'm at a local networking event and I’m feeling pretty anxious about getting some new clients because the amount of money I was making wasn't even covering my bills.

I start talking to a woman who asks me what I do. I tell her I’m a licensed acupuncturist and she starts “leaning in." (You know that feeling when someone seems genuinely interested?)

Then she asks me, “How much do you charge?”

And everything comes to a screeching halt...

I sort of stand there like a deer caught in the headlights and then blurt out, “$60/session.”

I can tell she senses my awkwardness and just like that, it's all over...

No more leaning in and the connection we had begun to build is instantly gone.

She asks for my business card and hands me hers and then she walks away and, of course, I never hear from her again.

If you’re a coach or holistic practitioner and you’ve ever gone to a networking event, I bet this has happened to you at least once or twice.

After so many years of trial and error in our own businesses, Jesse and I have since taught over 25,000 coaches and practitioners how to gracefully transition from the potential of a lost client into an opportunity for a loyal client.

First of all, you should know that when this happens it’s actually a REALLY good sign. It’s likely they’re a good potential new client and interested in what you have to offer them. But if you handle the conversation poorly, you’ll lose them.

What’s the solution?

#1 Look for the Match

At the Client Attraction Summit we teach our signature system called, Heartselling™, which allows you to have an authentic conversation with a potential client that has them asking to work with you, rather than “hard-selling” them into a “yes”.

Taking the time to find out what they’re looking for is key to this successful approach. But when they ask, “How much do you charge?” before you’ve had the chance to see if you’re really a match, it can be awkward.

They don’t have all the information they need to make a decision…and you don’t want them making their decision solely on price.

The problem is that if you answer the question right away there isn’t any context for them to hear an answer that makes sense to their needs.

This is especially true for businesses that provide several offers or options for their services.

You have no basis for an answer and the potential client has no basis to make a decision.

If the person is just bargain shopping they’re not going to be a good client for you anyway, right?

However, this doesn’t mean the person CAN’T be a good client.

But if you answer their question about price right away, you may never know.

#2 Here’s how to go from lost client to loyal client

When you get this question too early in the conversation, here is what you can say: “It depends. I find that different people require different levels of support, so I’d like to discover a little bit more about what you’re looking for, so I can make the best recommendation.”

And then you schedule a free or low-cost consultation with them in which you can talk with them more deeply about what they’re looking for, where they are now and what’s missing for them in their life (or business or whatever is relevant to the service you provide).

You then share with them how you can help them, and make a recommendation based on your experience.

This is where the graceful transition from lost client to loyal client comes in.

With this approach you are able to find out if it’s a match for you and this potential client to work together. You’ll have ample time (and their full attention because they’ve committed to a session with you) to explain how you can help them, so that once they hear the price they can make an informed decision – one that is much more likely to be a “YES.”

#3 Now it’s your turn...

Can you see yourself answering a potential client in this way? How does it feel when you say these words?

It might feel awkward or evasive at first, but remember, you are simply opening the door for a more in depth conversation so that you can truly discover whether or not you can help this person.

Here are a few recommended action steps if you’re ready to give this a try...

1. Pick an upcoming networking event and circle it on your calendar

2. Practice saying the answer I’ve provided above out loud until you are completely comfortable with it

3. Role play this scenario with a mentor, buddy coach, or friend

4. As you’re getting ready to attend the event, release any attachment to the outcome. You don’t want to feel anxious or needy before you even walk in the door!

5. Relax and have the intention of being of service

Post a question or comment below to stay in community and share your experiences.

We’re busy preparing for our biggest Client Attraction Summit ever!

Even though we’ve led this event more than 70 times, we keep asking ourselves, “How can we make it an even better experience for our participants?”

When you create an experience for your clients that is ultra-supportive and you over-deliver on what they expect from you, they are much more likely to feel like they’re getting a “deal,” no matter what you charge.

In today’s article, you’ll get some great tips on how to provide excellent service to your clients so you can raise the bar on how much your clients value your work. And the even bigger and better benefit is that you’ll raise your own level of confidence at the same time.

Whenever we introduce the experiential exercise designed to have you give yourself a raise during the Client Attraction Summit, some participants look excited and others look absolutely terrified! Eventually, they all come to understand what most 6-figure coaches and holistic practitioners know: there are always people happy to pay you more when they get more value.

You may have come to a point where you know it’s time to raise your rates, yet it feels uncomfortable to make that move.

One of the first things to consider when you want to raise your rates is to raise the bar on how well you take care of your clients. You can feel really great about charging more for your work when you offer more value to your clients by providing excellent service.

You’re about to read some easy tips for providing excellent service. These are little things you can do right away to instantly transform the way your clients feel about their experience of working with you (which will make them rave about you to all their friends – you’ll see how this works from our own “rave”).

#1: Provide a luxury experience

One of the best ways to provide excellent service is to give your clients a luxury experience. Don’t worry – it doesn’t involve the high level of the Ritz-Carlton or a Rolls Royce! However, the experience of luxury IS in the details. It’s in those special touches you can add that make your clients feel like they are being really well taken care of.

A great example involves one of our graduates, Tina Ebrahimian, managing director of Ebrahimian Integrated Dentistry (in Scott’s Valley, CA). From her we learned personally why paying more isn’t an issue when the service is over the top.

After we witnessed Tina make over $500,000 in sales in the first month she was in our Client Attraction Mastery program, she invited us to visit their office. Our family quickly became patients of her daughter, Dr. Ariana. What followed was life-changing for us.

Our history with dentists for our children wasn’t a positive one. When our older son Jacob was 2 ½ years old, we learned he had seven cavities (even though we brushed regularly and he ate healthy food—turns out it was from nighttime breastfeeding).

His pediatric dentist told us we’d have to put our son under general anesthesia to take care of those teeth. From the first shot, Jacob had a frightening and traumatic experience and it was heart-breaking for us.

But our experience with Dr. Ariana and the entire staff at Ebrahimian Integrated Dentistry was SO different…

Even though we had brushed our boys’ teeth religiously after that horrible experience with the pediatric dentist – our younger son Zachary also got cavities from nighttime breastfeeding. We were, of course, concerned and scared that we were going to go through the same horror we had gone through with Jacob.

Dr. Ariana assured us she would do everything in her power to help us avoid putting our son under general anesthesia.

The first thing she did was spread the dental work over 3 appointments. Zach had an extraordinary experience and no pain.

While she was doing the work, we held his hand and she told all of us what to expect, every single step of the way.

And his cavities got filled with no anesthesia and no trauma. (Read: Mom and Dad letting out a big sigh of relief.)

This experience had us feel so well taken care of. We have become life-long loyal clients who share about them with everyone we meet! (How many people LOVE their dentist?!)

As for the luxury details: They put sunglasses on their patients, so the bright overhead light doesn’t bother your eyes. They didn’t miss one opportunity to help us feel comfortable – even offering tea! They’re practice is booked because people are willing to pay more for that experience because we felt so well taken care of.

#2: Sheepskin and iPods

What are some of the little touches that you can provide to your clients so they will feel well taken care of, and so they are excited to work with you?

Here are a few examples to get your creative giving juices flowing:

My (Sharla) rock star bodyworker, Yarah Sutra, places a sheepskin underneath a 1,200 thread count sheet so it feels luxurious even getting on the table. Another massage therapist I visited years ago put hot packs under my hands and against my feet. This made me feel so relaxed and luxurious. She also had a shower in her office her clients could use after their massage.

What if you’re a coach? Because we have so many clients in our group programs, we only see 5-6 private clients a year for VIP coaching.

One special thing we do is this: when the client comes to our home for a VIP Day (a day-long intensive) we gift them with a surprise iPod, so we can record the entire day of coaching, and they get to leave with the recording and their cool new iPod.

Let’s say you’re a nutrition coach, and you want to make your clients’ experience even better. Can you do give them a done-for-you menu plan with recipes and shopping lists? Or how about sending them a beautiful basket stocked with some of your favorite organic products that will improve their health?

Be creative and have fun with this!

As you saw in the examples, be sure the things you do are relevant to the service you offer. No matter what your business, there are many things you can do to help your clients feel they’re getting value. And they will be happy to pay you more!

Now it’s your turn!

Comment below and share some ways you’ve received rock star service or share something you can do to add value to the service you’re already providing.

How to Go From Lost Client to Loyal Client

Post a question or comment below to stay in community and share your experiences.

Providing Rock Star Service For Your Clients

Comment below and share some ways you’ve received rock star service or share something you can do to add value to the service you’re already providing.